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: 42884
Phylogeny and foraging mode correspond with thiaminase activity in freshwater fishes: Potential links to environmental factors Phylogeny and foraging mode correspond with thiaminase activity in freshwater fishes: Potential links to environmental factors
Knowledge of the dietary components of fish species is important for understanding their growth, survival, and recruitment. Deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1) leading to reproductive failure and physiological illness among freshwater fishes has been attributed to thiaminase activity in fish in the Great Lakes and the New York Finger Lakes, but the causes of variation in thiaminase...
Authors
Daniel E Spooner, Kristin Boggs, Dustin R. Shull, Dale C. Honeyfield, Timothy Wertz, Stephanie Sweet
Quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2019 Quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2019
No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Robert J. Dusek
Drought in the U.S. Caribbean:Impacts to Coastal Estuary Ecosystems Drought in the U.S. Caribbean:Impacts to Coastal Estuary Ecosystems
The topography of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is characterized by steep terrain and short distances to the sea. This means that freshwater runs off the islands quickly, coming into contact with seawater in coastal estuaries. The physical characteristics of estuaries change as the tides rise and fall, creating a wide range of habitats that support diverse plants and...
Authors
Brent Murry, Miguel Garcia-Bermudez, Shelley Crausbay, Kate Malpeli
Using carbon isotope ratios to verify predictions of a model simulating the interaction between coastal plant communities and their effect on ground water salinity Using carbon isotope ratios to verify predictions of a model simulating the interaction between coastal plant communities and their effect on ground water salinity
As sea level rises in low-lying coastal islands, salt-tolerant (halophytic) coastal vegetation communities may be able to migrate inland, replacing the freshwater vegetation that is unable to tolerate salt stress. The pace of such shifts may be accelerated by a self-reinforcing feedback between the halophytic vegetation and salinity, as well as by frequent and intensified salinity pulses
Authors
Suresh C. Subedi, Leonel Sternberg, Donald L. DeAngelis, Michael S. Ross, Danielle Ogarcak
Evidence of limited recruitment of Pallid Sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River Evidence of limited recruitment of Pallid Sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River
Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus are endemic to the Missouri and Mississippi river basins and are rare throughout their range. The species was listed as federally endangered with little to no evidence of natural recruitment. Since population augmentation was initiated as a recovery objective in the early 1990s, thousands of hatchery-origin Pallid Sturgeon have been stocked in the...
Authors
Kirk D. Steffensen, Kimberly Chojnacki, Jeffery A. Kalie, Meredith L. Bartron, Edward J. Heist, Kyle R. Winders, Nathan C. Loecker, Wyatt J. Doyle, Timothy L. Welker
Species profile: Quercus parvula Species profile: Quercus parvula
No abstract available.
Authors
Emily Beckman, Ian S. Pearse, Abby Meyer, Murphy Westwood
Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation in the US: A framework for understanding economic and employment dynamics Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation in the US: A framework for understanding economic and employment dynamics
Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation are positioned at an important intersection between agricultural, natural resource, economic development and rural issues. This chapter summarizes some of the important dynamics of these sectors, including the role of land use, regional drivers, motivations for farmers and travelers, and economic impacts. As a means to illustrate several key...
Authors
Dawn Thilmany, Rebecca Hill, Michelle Haefele, Anders van Sandt, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Martha Sullins, Sarah Low
U.S. Geological Survey response to chronic wasting disease U.S. Geological Survey response to chronic wasting disease
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is focused on the development of early detection and effective response tools that promote an adaptive management approach to chronic wasting disease (CWD). USGS scientists across the United States are working to understand the biology of CWD, assess and predict the spread and persistence in wildlife and the environment, and develop tools for early...
Authors
M. Camille Hopkins, Suzanna C. Soileau
Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities
Questions Gradients of fire severity in dry conifer forests can be associated with variation in understory floristic composition. Recent work in dry conifer forests in California, USA, has suggested that more severely burned stands contain more thermophilic taxa (those associated with warmer and drier conditions), and that forest disturbance may therefore accelerate floristic shifts...
Authors
Jens Stevens, Jesse Miller, Paula J. Fornwalt
Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for North America Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for North America
Anticipating, identifying, and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. Decided benefits emerge when these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate identification of specific research needs to address grand...
Authors
Anne Fairbrother, Derek C.G. Muir, Keith R. Solomon, Gerald T. Ankley, Murray A. Rudd, Alistair B. A. Boxall, William J. Adams, Jennifer N. Apell, Kevin L. Armbrust, Bonnie J. Blalock, Sarah R. Bowman, Linda M. Campbell, George P. Cobb, Kristin A. Connors, David A. Dreier, Marlene S. Evans, Carol J. Henry, Robert A. Hoke, Magali Houde, Stephen J. Klaine, Rebecca D. Klaper, Sigrun A. Kullik, Roman P. Lanno, Charles Meyer, Mary Ann Ottinger, Elias Oziolor, Elijah J. Petersen, Helen C. Poynton, Pamela J. Rice, Gabriela Rodriguez-Fuentes, Alan Samel, Joseph R. Shaw, Jeffery A. Steevens, Tim A. Verslycke, Doris E. Vidal-Dorsch, Scott M. Weir, Peter Wilson, Bryan W. Brooks
Using full and partial unmixing algorithms to estimate the inundation extent of small, isolated stock ponds in an arid landscape Using full and partial unmixing algorithms to estimate the inundation extent of small, isolated stock ponds in an arid landscape
Many natural wetlands around the world have disappeared or been replaced, resulting in the dependence of many wildlife species on small, artificial earthen stock ponds. These ponds provide critical wildlife habitat, such that the accurate detection of water and assessment of inundation extent is required. We applied a full (linear spectral mixture analysis; LSMA) and partial (matched...
Authors
Christopher Jarchow, Brent H. Sigafus, Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack
Assessing the impact of charr research past, present, and future Assessing the impact of charr research past, present, and future
The 9th International Charr Symposium convened on 18–21 June 2018, in Duluth, Minnesota, USA to gather scientists with an interest in charr biology and management from the entire geographical range of the genus Salvelinus. The symposium was attended by 169 individuals from six countries, and included 99 oral and 32 poster presentations, 28 of which were published in the ensuing...
Authors
Michael J. Hansen, Charles C. Krueger, Andrew M. Muir, Anders Klemetsen, Michael Power