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
Local to landscape-level controls of water fluxes through Hawaiian forests: Effects of invasive animals and plants on soil infiltration capacity across substrate and moisture gradients Local to landscape-level controls of water fluxes through Hawaiian forests: Effects of invasive animals and plants on soil infiltration capacity across substrate and moisture gradients
Given the potential effect of invasive plants and animals to water fluxes through forests, the invasive-driven degradation of native ecosystems is a topic of great concern for many downstream land and water managers. The infiltration rate determines the partitioning between runoff and infiltration into soil in Hawaiian forests and beyond. Thus, to explore the ecohydrological effects of...
Authors
Lucas B. Fortini, Christina Leopold, Kimberlie Perkins, Oliver A. Chadwick, Stephanie G. Yelenik, James D. Jacobi, Kaiena Bishaw, Makani Gregg, Sarah N. Rosa
Joint seasonality in geographic and ecological spaces, illustrated with a partially migratory bird Joint seasonality in geographic and ecological spaces, illustrated with a partially migratory bird
As most species live in seasonal environments, considering varying conditions is essential to understand species dynamics in both geographic and ecological spaces. Both resident and migratory species need to contend with seasonality and balance settling in favorable areas with tracking favorable environmental conditions during the year. We present an exploratory framework to jointly...
Authors
Mathieu Basille, James I. Watling, Stephanie Romanach, Rena R. Borkhataria
Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation
Glaciers are important drivers of environmental heterogeneity and biological diversity across mountain landscapes. Worldwide, glaciers are receding rapidly due to climate change, with important consequences for biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. However, the effects of glacier loss on biodiversity have never been quantified across a mountainous region, primarily due to a lack of...
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Timothy Joseph Cline, J. Joseph Giersch, Erich H. Peitzsch, Caitlyn Florentine, Dean Jacobsen, Scott Hotaling
Understanding mountain lakes in a changing world: Introduction to the special issue Understanding mountain lakes in a changing world: Introduction to the special issue
No abstract available.
Authors
Jill S. Baron, Sudeep Chandra, James J. Elser
Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program: Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16 Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program: Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16
Barrier islands, headlands, and coastal shorelines provide numerous valuable ecosystem goods and services, including storm protection and erosion control for the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, salinity regulation in estuaries, carbon sequestration in marshes, and areas for recreation and tourism. These coastal features are dynamic environments because of their position at the...
Authors
Nicholas M. Enwright, William M. SooHoo, Jason L. Dugas, Craig P. Conzelmann, Claudia Laurenzano, Darin M. Lee, Kelly Mouton, Spencer J. Stelly
Natural and anthropogenic processes affecting radon releases during mining and early stage reclamation activities, Pinenut uranium mine, Arizona, USA Natural and anthropogenic processes affecting radon releases during mining and early stage reclamation activities, Pinenut uranium mine, Arizona, USA
Radon (Rnair) was monitored in open air in publicly accessible areas surrounding the Pinenut uranium (U) mine during mining and reclamation activities in 2015–16 to address concerns about mining related effects to areas surrounding Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) in Arizona, USA. During July 2015, Rnair concentrations associated with the ore storage pile monitoring site were larger...
Authors
David L. Naftz, Katherine Walton-Day, W. Payton Gardner, Michael C. Duniway, Donald J. Bills
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus, is a highly migratory shorebird with a cosmopolitan distribution. Six subspecies have been identified, two of which occur regularly in North America (C.c. rufa and C.c. roselaari). Given their long-distance migrations through many jurisdictions and conservation status, tools are needed to reliably distinguish the subspecies when captured away from their...
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron W. Aunins, Robin L. Johnson
Good prospects: High-resolution telemetry data suggests novel brood-site selection behavior in waterfowl Good prospects: High-resolution telemetry data suggests novel brood-site selection behavior in waterfowl
Breeding success should increase with prior knowledge of the surrounding environment, which is dependent upon an animal’s ability to evaluate habitat. Prospecting for nesting locations and migratory stop-over sites are well-established behaviors among bird species. We assessed whether ducks in Suisun Marsh, California, USA, a brackish marsh, prospect for suitable wetlands in the week...
Authors
Michael L. Casazza, Fiona McDuie, Austen Lorenz, David A. Keiter, Julie L. Yee, Cory T. Overton, Sarah H. Peterson, Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman
The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great
Bayesian data analysis (BDA) is a powerful tool for making inference from ecological data, but its full potential has yet to be realized. Despite a generally positive trajectory in research surrounding model development and assessment, far too little attention has been given to prior specification.Default priors, a sub‐class of non‐informative prior distributions that are often chosen...
Authors
Katharine M. Banner, Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas Rodhouse
Genetic identification of African pangolins and their origin in illegal trade Genetic identification of African pangolins and their origin in illegal trade
To track the illegal pangolin trade from Africa to Asia, we analyzed 1800 DNA samples from 30 seizures of African pangolin scales in Hong Kong during the period 2012–2016. We concluded that all four African pangolin species were present in trade, and that the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) appeared most frequently (88.5%) in our samples. All six previously described...
Authors
Huarong Zhang, Gary Ades, Mark P. Miller, Feng Yang, Kwok-wai Lai, Gunter A. Fischer
Investigation on endocrine disruption of the larval lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol: Short-term reproduction assay with fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) under flow-through conditions Investigation on endocrine disruption of the larval lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol: Short-term reproduction assay with fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) under flow-through conditions
3‐Trifluoromethyl‐4‐nitrophenol (TFM) has been used for more than 60 yr to control the invasive parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus ) in the Great Lakes Basin (USA/Canada). In the early 1990s, researchers reported that TFM induced vitellogenin in fish and that TFM was an agonist for the rainbow trout estrogen receptor. To support continued registration of TFM for sea lamprey...
Authors
Simon Dinehart, Terrance D. Hubert
Projecting spatiotemporally explicit effects of climate change on stream temperature: A model comparison and implications for coldwater fishes Projecting spatiotemporally explicit effects of climate change on stream temperature: A model comparison and implications for coldwater fishes
Conservation planners and resource managers seek information about how the availability and locations of cold-water habitats will change in the future and how these predictions vary among models. We used a physical process-based model to demonstrate the implications of climate change for streamflow and water temperature in two watersheds with distinctive flow regimes: the Snoqualmie...
Authors
Yeun Lee, Aimee H. Fullerton, Ning Sun, Christian E. Torgersen