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Publications

This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.  

Filter Total Items: 42789

Small gradients in salinity have large effects on stand water use in freshwater wetland forests Small gradients in salinity have large effects on stand water use in freshwater wetland forests

Salinity intrusion is responsible for changes to freshwater wetland watersheds globally, but little is known about how wetland water budgets might be influenced by small increments in salinity. We studied a forested wetland in South Carolina, USA, and installed sap flow probes on 72 trees/shrubs along a salinity gradient. Species investigated included the trees baldcypress (Taxodium...
Authors
Jamie A. Duberstein, Ken Krauss, M.J. Baldwin, Scott T. Allen, William H. Conner, John S. Salter, Michael Miloshis

Ambiguities in using telomere length for age determination in two North American bat species Ambiguities in using telomere length for age determination in two North American bat species

The age of an animal, determined by time (chronological age) as well as genetic and environmental factors (biological age), influences the likelihood of mortality and reproduction and thus the animal’s contribution to population growth. For many long-lived species, such as bats, a lack of external and morphological indicators has made determining age a challenge, leading researchers to...
Authors
Katherine M Ineson, Thomas J. O’Shea, Charles W Kilpatrick, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster

Comment on 'Kidron (2018): Biocrust research: A critical view on eight common hydrological‐related paradigms and dubious theses. Ecohydrology, e2061' Comment on 'Kidron (2018): Biocrust research: A critical view on eight common hydrological‐related paradigms and dubious theses. Ecohydrology, e2061'

Kidron (2018) uses a straw man argument in an attempt to debunk eight putative hydrological‐related paradigms he believes to be “common among hydrologists, ecologists, or microbiologists that investigate biocrusts.” These paradigms relate to the roles of physical crusts and vascular plants in biocrust development, the major drivers (climate, porosity, hydrophobicity, and...
Authors
Vincent J. M. N. L. Felde, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Sonia Chamizo, Federico Rossi, Daniel Uteau, Stephen Peth, Hannes Keck, Roberto de Philippis, Jayne Belnap, David J. Eldridge

Highly competent native snake hosts extend the range of an introduced parasite beyond its invasive Burmese python host Highly competent native snake hosts extend the range of an introduced parasite beyond its invasive Burmese python host

Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus ) have introduced a nonnative pentastomid parasite (Raillietiella orientalis ) to southern Florida that has spilled over to infect native snakes. However, the extent of spillover, regarding prevalence and intensity, is unknown. We examined native snakes (n = 523) and invasive pythons (n = 1003) collected from Florida to determine the degree to...
Authors
Melissa A. Miller, John M. Kinsella, Ray W. Snow, Bryan G. Falk, Robert Reed, Scott M. Goetz, Frank J. Mazzotti, Craig Guyer, Christina M. Romagosa

A mixed length scale model for migrating fluvial bedforms A mixed length scale model for migrating fluvial bedforms

With the expansion of hydropower, in‐stream converters, flood‐protection infrastructures, and growing concerns on deltas fragile ecosystems, there is a pressing need to evaluate and monitor bedform sediment mass flux. It is critical to estimate real‐time bedform size and migration velocity and provide a theoretical framework to convert easily accessible time histories of bed elevations...
Authors
Michele Guala, Michael Heisel, Arvind Singh, Mirko Musa, Daniel D. Buscombe, Paul E. Grams

Transcriptome analysis of testis reveals the effects of developmental exposure to bisphenol a or 17α-ethinylestradiol in medaka (Oryzias latipes) Transcriptome analysis of testis reveals the effects of developmental exposure to bisphenol a or 17α-ethinylestradiol in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can induce abnormalities in organisms via alteration of molecular pathways and subsequent disruption of endocrine functions. Bisphenol A (BPA) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) are ubiquitous EDCs in the environment. Many aquatic organisms, including fish, are often exposed to varying concentrations of BPA and EE2 throughout their lifespan. Both BPA and...
Authors
Ramji K. Bhandari, Xuegeng Wang, Frederick S. vom Saal, Donald E. Tillitt

Informing amphibian conservation efforts with abundance-based metapopulation models Informing amphibian conservation efforts with abundance-based metapopulation models

Science-based management strategies are needed to halt or reverse the global decline of amphibians. In many cases, sound management requires reliable models built using monitoring data. Historically, monitoring and statistical modeling efforts have focused on estimating occupancy using detection–nondetection data. Spatial occupancy models are useful for studying colonization–extinction...
Authors
Paige E Howell, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Brent H. Sigafus, Richard B. Chandler

Effects of snowpack, temperature, and disease on the demography of a wild population of amphibians Effects of snowpack, temperature, and disease on the demography of a wild population of amphibians

Understanding the demographic consequences of interactions among pathogens, hosts, and weather conditions is critical in determining how amphibian populations respond to disease and in identifying site-specific conservation actions that can be developed to bolster persistence of amphibian populations. We investigated population dynamics in Boreal Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) relative to...
Authors
Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Evan H. Grant, David S. Pilliod, Brittany A. Mosher

Amphibian population declines: 30 Years of progress in confronting a complex problem Amphibian population declines: 30 Years of progress in confronting a complex problem

In 1989, it dawned on participants at the First World Congress of Herpetology that observed declines in amphibian populations might actually be global in scope and unprecedented in severity. Three decades of research since then has produced an enormous increase in our knowledge of amphibian ecology and appreciation of the complexity of possible causes for amphibian population declines...
Authors
David M. Green, Michael J Lannoo, David LesBarreres, Erin L. Muths

A synthesis of evidence of drivers of amphibian declines A synthesis of evidence of drivers of amphibian declines

Early calls for robust long-term time series of amphibian population data, stemming from discussion following the first World Congress of Herpetology, are now being realized after 25 yr of focused research. Inference from individual studies and locations have contributed to a basic consensus on drivers of amphibian declines. Until recently there were no large-scale syntheses of long-term...
Authors
Evan H. Grant, D. A. W. Miller, Erin L. Muths

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii)

Keys to LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) management include controlling succession and providing uplands and lowlands with tall, thick herbaceous vegetation and thick litter. LeConte’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 19–41 cm visual obstruction reading, 35–43 percent grass cover, 16–27 percent forb cover, less than...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Amy L. Zimmerman, Betty R. Euliss
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