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: 42707
Detrital zircon geochronology along a structural transect across the Kahiltna assemblage in the western Alaska Range: Implications for emplacement of the Alexander-Wrangellia-Peninsular terrane against North America Detrital zircon geochronology along a structural transect across the Kahiltna assemblage in the western Alaska Range: Implications for emplacement of the Alexander-Wrangellia-Peninsular terrane against North America
The Kahiltna assemblage in the western Alaska Range consists of deformed Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous clastic strata that lie between the Alexander-Wrangellia-Peninsular (AWP) terrane to the south, and the Farewell and other peri-cratonic terranes to the north. Differences in detrital zircon populations and sandstone petrography allow geographic separation of the strata into two...
Authors
Stephen E. Box, Susan M. Karl, James V. Jones, Dwight Bradley, Peter J. Haeussler, Paul B. O’Sullivan
Urbanization reduces genetic connectivity in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both intra- and interpopulation spatial scales Urbanization reduces genetic connectivity in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both intra- and interpopulation spatial scales
Urbanization is a major factor driving habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss in wildlife. However, the impacts of urbanization on connectivity can vary among species and even populations due to differences in local landscape characteristics, and our ability to detect these relationships may depend on the spatial scale at which they are measured. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are relatively...
Authors
Christpher P. Kozakiewicz, Christopher P. Burridge, W. Chris Funk, Patricia E. Salerno, Daryl R. Trumbo, Roderick B. Gagne, Erin E. Boydston, Robert N. Fisher, Lisa M. Lyren, Megan K. Jennings, Seth P. D. Riley, Laurel E.K. Serieys, Sue VandeWoude, Kevin R. Crooks, Scott Carver
Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change
We examine the annual, seasonal, monthly, and diurnal climate responses to the land use change (LUC) in eastern United States and Cuba during four epochs (1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992) with ensemble simulations conducted with the RegCM4 regional climate model that includes the Biosphere Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS1e) surface physics package (Dickinson et al., 1993). We derived the...
Authors
Steven W. Hostetler, R Reker, Jay R. Alder, Thomas Loveland, Debra A. Willard, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Eric T. Sundquist, Renee L. Thompson
Global ecological predictors of the soil priming effect Global ecological predictors of the soil priming effect
Identifying the global drivers of soil priming is essential to understanding C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. We conducted a survey of soils across 86 globally-distributed locations, spanning a wide range of climates, biotic communities, and soil conditions, and evaluated the apparent soil priming effect using 13C-glucose labeling. Here we show that the magnitude of the positive...
Authors
Felipe Bastida, Carlos M. Garcia, Noah Fierer, David J. Eldridge, Matthew A. Bowker, Sebastian R. Abades, Fernando D. Alfaro, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Nick A. Cutler, Antonio Gallardo, Laura Garcia-Velazquez, Stephen C. Hart, Patrick E. Hayes, Teresa Hernandez, Zeng-Yei Hseu, Nico Jehmlich, Martin Kirchmair, Hans Lambers, Sigrid Neuhauser, Victor M. Pena-Ramirez, Cecilia A. Perez, Sasha C. Reed, Fernanda Santos, Christina Siebe, Benjamin W. Sullivan, Pankaj Trivedi, Alfonso Vera, Mark A. Williams, Jose M. Moreno, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Remote sensing of dryland ecosystem structure and function: Progress, challenges, and opportunities Remote sensing of dryland ecosystem structure and function: Progress, challenges, and opportunities
Drylands make up roughly 40% of the Earth's land surface, and billions of people depend on services provided by these critically important ecosystems. Despite their relatively sparse vegetation, dryland ecosystems are structurally and functionally diverse, and emerging evidence suggests that these ecosystems play a dominant role in the trend and variability of the terrestrial carbon sink...
Authors
William K. Smith, Matthew P. Dannenberg, Dong Yan, Stephanie Herrmann, Mallory L. Barnes, Greg A. Barron-Gafford, Joel A. Biederman, Scott Ferrenberg, Andrew M. Fox, Amy R. Hudson, John F. Knowles, Natasha MacBean, David J.P. Moore, Pamela L. Nagler, Sasha C. Reed, William A. Rutherford, Russell L. Scott, Xianfeng Wang, Julia Yang
Climate teleconnections synchronize Picea glauca masting and fire disturbance: Evidence for a fire‐related form of environmental prediction Climate teleconnections synchronize Picea glauca masting and fire disturbance: Evidence for a fire‐related form of environmental prediction
Synchronous pulses of seed masting and natural disturbance have positive feedbacks on the reproduction of masting species in disturbance‐prone ecosystems. We test the hypotheses that disturbances and proximate causes of masting are correlated, and that their large‐scale synchrony is driven by similar climate teleconnection patterns at both inter‐annual and decadal time scales.Hypotheses...
Authors
Davide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Adrian Cardil, Marco Conedera, Janet Maringer, Renzo Motta, Ian Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano
Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review
Background Many mangrove ecosystems are periodically exposed to high velocity winds and surge from tropical cyclones and often recover with time and continue to provide numerous societal benefits in the wake of storm events. Scope This review focuses on the drivers and disturbance mechanisms (visible and functional) that tropical cyclones of various intensities have on mangrove ecosystem
Authors
Ken Krauss, Michael Osland
Drought in the U.S. Caribbean: Impacts to freshwater ecosystems Drought in the U.S. Caribbean: Impacts to freshwater ecosystems
Healthy and functioning freshwater ecosystems are needed for successful conservation and management of native fish and invertebrate species, and the services they provide to human communities, across the U.S. Caribbean. Yet streams, rivers, and reservoirs are vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events, urbanization, energy and water development, and other environmental and human...
Authors
Bonnie Myers
Catalog of microscopic organisms of the Everglades, part 2—The desmids of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Catalog of microscopic organisms of the Everglades, part 2—The desmids of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (refuge), Boynton Beach, Florida, contains approximately 147,000 acres southeast of Lake Okeechobee. Water quality in the interior portion of the refuge is strongly influenced by rainfall, resulting in slightly acidic waters with low dissolved ions. Desmids, a unique, ornate group of green algae loosely associated with submerged...
Authors
Barry H. Rosen, Katherine N. Stahlhut, John D. Hall
Characteristics of feeding sites of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in the human-dominated landscape of Southern California Characteristics of feeding sites of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in the human-dominated landscape of Southern California
Wildlife conservation is often improved by understanding the movement ecology of species and adapting management strategies to dynamic conditions associated with movement. Despite a remarkable recovery over the past 30 year, the establishment of self-sustaining populations of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) has been challenging in the human-dominated landscapes of southern...
Authors
Jonathan C. Hall, Melissa A. Braham, Lee Ann Nolan, Jamison Conley, Joseph Brandt, Laura C. Mendenhall, Michael J. Lanzone, Andrew J. McGann, Todd E. Katzner
Short-term geomorphological and riparian vegetation responses to a 40-year flood on a braided, dryland river Short-term geomorphological and riparian vegetation responses to a 40-year flood on a braided, dryland river
In December 2010, a 40-yr flood occurred in the lower Virgin River (SE Nevada, southwestern U.S.), a braided river segment with riparian vegetation largely dominated by invasive shrubs in the genus Tamarix. We assessed geomorphological and vegetation responses to this large magnitude disturbance event by comparing pre- and post-flood remote sensing and field survey data in four river...
Authors
Eduardo Gozalez, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven R. Lee, Glen T. Leverich, Rafael Real de Asua, Rebecca A. Sherry, Steven M. Ostoja, Bruce K. Orr
Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018) Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018)
Since the winter of 1950-1951, 1084 individuals perished in snow avalanches in the United States. In this study, we analyze the ages of those killed (n=900) by applying non-parametric methods to annual median ages and for age groups and primary activity groups. Change point detection results suggest a significant change in 1990 in the median age of avalanche fatalities. Significant...
Authors
Erich Peitzsch, Sara Boilen, Karl W. Birkeland, Spencer Logan