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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: 42878

Rabies outbreak in captive big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) used in white-nose syndrome vaccine trial Rabies outbreak in captive big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) used in white-nose syndrome vaccine trial

An outbreak of rabies occurred in a captive colony of wild-caught big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Five of 27 bats exhibited signs of rabies virus infection 22–51 d after capture or 18–22 d after contact with the index case. Rabid bats showed weight loss, aggression, increased vocalization, hypersalivation, and refusal of food. Antigenic typing and virus sequencing confirmed that all...
Authors
Rachel C. Abbott, L.G. Saindon, Elizabeth Falendysz, Lauren Greenberg, L.A. Orciari, Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar, Tonie E. Rocke

Snakehead fishes (Channa spp.) in the USA Snakehead fishes (Channa spp.) in the USA

The introduction of snakeheads from their origins in Asia is relatively recent to the conterminous United States with the first of many collections beginning in the late 1990s. For decades they have been commercially fished and aquacultured around the world for human food and, to a lesser degree, for the aquarium trade. Over a dozen snakehead species known to be of economic importance...
Authors
Amy Benson

Management opportunities and research priorities for Great Plains grasslands Management opportunities and research priorities for Great Plains grasslands

The Great Plains Grassland Summit: Challenges and Opportunities from North to South was held April 10-11, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The geographical focus for the summit was the entire Great Plains. The summit was designed to provide syntheses of information about key grassland topics of interest in the Great Plains; networking and learning channels for managers, researchers and...
Authors
Deborah M Finch, Carolyn Baldwin, David P Brown, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Erica Fleishman, Paulette L. Ford, Brice Hanberry, Amy Symstad, Bill Van Pelt, Richard Zabel

Discoveries and novel insights in ecology using structural equation modeling Discoveries and novel insights in ecology using structural equation modeling

As we enter the era of data science (Lortie 2018), quantitative analysis methodologies are proliferating rapidly, leaving ecologists with the task of choosing among many alternatives. The use of structural equation modeling (SEM) by ecologists has increased in recent years, prompting us to ask users a number of questions about their experience with the methodology. Responses indicate an
Authors
Daniel C. Laughlin, James Grace

The importance of turtle populations to wetland restoration in the upper Mississippi embayment of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley The importance of turtle populations to wetland restoration in the upper Mississippi embayment of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

The Upper Mississippi Embayment (UME) ecoregion covers approximately 141,895 km2 and historically supported 9,712,455 ha of bottomland deciduous forests, swamps, bayous, and rivers. Only about 500 ha (
Authors
Max A Nickerson, Joseph C. Mitchell, Brad Glorioso

Climate-driven shifts in soil temperature and moisture regimes suggest opportunities to enhance assessments of dryland resilience and resistance Climate-driven shifts in soil temperature and moisture regimes suggest opportunities to enhance assessments of dryland resilience and resistance

Assessing landscape patterns in climate vulnerability, as well as resilience and resistance to drought, disturbance, and invasive species, requires appropriate metrics of relevant environmental conditions. In dryland systems of western North America, soil temperature and moisture regimes have been widely utilized as an indicator of resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive...
Authors
John B. Bradford, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth, Kyle A. Palmquist, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeremy D. Maestas, Steven B. Campbell

Designing multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study Designing multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study

Population monitoring is integral to the conservation and management of wildlife; yet, analyses of population demographic data rarely consider processes occurring across spatial scales, potentially limiting the effectiveness of adaptive management. Therefore, we developed a method to identify hierarchical levels of organization (i.e., populations) to define multiple spatial scales...
Authors
Michael S. O’Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge, Julie A. Heinrichs, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Steve E. Hanser

Exploring silica stoichiometry on a large floodplain riverscape Exploring silica stoichiometry on a large floodplain riverscape

Freshwater ecosystems are critical zones of nutrient and carbon (C) processing along the land-sea continuum. Relative to our understanding of C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling within the freshwater systems, the controls on silicon (Si) cycling and export are less understood. Understanding Si biogeochemistry and its coupled biogeochemical processing with N and P has direct...
Authors
Joanna C. Carey, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Paul Julian, Lienne Sethna, Patrick Thomas, Jason J. Rohweder

Status of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington Status of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Pacific martens (Martes caurina) remain common in montane regions of the Pacific states, yet their distribution and status on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, is uncertain. Between 1968– 2008, six reliable marten detections exist; a dead juvenile female (2008) indicates martens were reproducing on the Peninsula within the last decade. To assess the status of martens, we describe...
Authors
K. M. Moriarty, K. B. Aubry

California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, spring 2019 California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, spring 2019

The 2019 census of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), also known as California sea otters, was conducted from early May to early July along the mainland coast of central California and in April at San Nicolas Island in southern California. The range-wide index, defined as the 3-year average of combined counts from the mainland range and San Nicolas Island, was 2,962, a decrease...
Authors
Brian B. Hatfield, Julie L. Yee, Michael C. Kenner, Joseph A. Tomoleoni

Ethical guidelines for publication of fisheries research Ethical guidelines for publication of fisheries research

In 2000, the Governing Board of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) approved the first Guidelines for Authorship (GFA) in AFS publications, developed by the AFS Publications Overview Committee (POC) chaired by Mary Fabrizio. This version of the GFA document provided guidance for fisheries science publications for nearly two decades. The 2015 AFS President Donna Parish charged the POC to...
Authors
Patrick Kocovsky, Patricia S Gaunt, Brandon K. Peoples, Emmanuel A Frimpong

Contaminants in linked aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems: Predicting effects of aquatic pollution on adult aquatic insects and terrestrial insectivores Contaminants in linked aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems: Predicting effects of aquatic pollution on adult aquatic insects and terrestrial insectivores

Organisms that move across ecosystem boundaries connect food webs in apparently disparate locations. As part of their life cycle, aquatic insects transition from aquatic larvae to terrestrial adults, thereby linking freshwater ecosystem processes and terrestrial insectivore dynamics. These linkages are strongly affected by contamination of freshwater ecosystems, which can reduce...
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus
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