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: 42710
Mercury exposure and altered parental nesting behavior in a wild songbird Mercury exposure and altered parental nesting behavior in a wild songbird
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor and may impair avian reproduction directly through embryotoxicity or by altering parental care behaviors. We studied mercury exposure and incubation behavior of free-living tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in artificial nest boxes. Using small temperature dataloggers, we measured incubation constancy (the proportion of each...
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog
Influence of fire refugia spatial pattern on post-fire forest recovery in Oregon’s Blue Mountains Influence of fire refugia spatial pattern on post-fire forest recovery in Oregon’s Blue Mountains
Context Fire regimes in many dry forests of western North America are substantially different from historical conditions, and there is concern about the ability of these forests to recover following severe wildfire. Fire refugia, unburned or low-severity burned patches where trees survived fire, may serve as essential propagule sources that enable forest regeneration.Objectives To...
Authors
William M Downing, Meg A. Krawchuk, Garrett W Meigs, Sandra L. Haire, Jonathan D. Coop, Ryan B Walker, Ellen Whitman, Geneva W. Chong, Carol Miller
Lotic freshwater: Rivers Lotic freshwater: Rivers
Ecosystems associated with rivers are intricately connected to their entire watershed. The river ecosystem includes the channel of active water flow, floodplain, and riparian and hyporheic zones. This ecosystem is shaped by interactions among the natural flow of water, sediments within the river and entering the river, and large wood regimes within the riparian zone. River integrity...
Authors
Ellen Wohl, R. O. Hall, David Walters
Serologic evidence for influenza A virus exposure in three loon species (Gavia spp.) breeding in Alaska Serologic evidence for influenza A virus exposure in three loon species (Gavia spp.) breeding in Alaska
Limited information exists about exposure to influenza A viruses (IAVs) in many wild waterbird species, including loons. We analyzed serum samples from breeding adult Pacific (Gavia pacifica), Red-throated (Gavia stellata), and Yellow-billed (Gavia adamsii) loons sampled at three locations along the coast of Alaska, US from 2008 to 2017 to gain a better understanding of the potential...
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Timothy J. Spivey, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Joel A. Schmutz, Kaijun Jiang, Xiu-Feng Wan, Andrew M. Ramey
Biological effects of elevated major ions in surface water contaminated by a produced water from oil production Biological effects of elevated major ions in surface water contaminated by a produced water from oil production
Produced water (PW) from oil and gas extraction processes has been shown to contain elevated concentrations of major ions. The objective of this study was to determine the potential effects of elevated major ions in PW-contaminated surface water on a fish (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) and a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) in short-term (7-day) exposures. The...
Authors
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jeffery A. Steevens, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Effects of age and environment on stable carbon isotope ratios in tree rings of riparian Populus Effects of age and environment on stable carbon isotope ratios in tree rings of riparian Populus
Stable carbon isotopes of riparian tree rings are enabling improved reconstruction of past climate variability, but this advance is limited by difficulty distinguishing the effects of tree age from those of climate. We investigated relative influence of age and climate trends in genus Populus, which dominates floodplain forests in Europe, Asia and North America. We related precipitation...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Craig A. Stricker, Adam Z Csank, Honghua Zhou
Wetland drying linked to variations in snowmelt runoff across Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks Wetland drying linked to variations in snowmelt runoff across Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks
In Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks wetlands offer critical habitat and play a key role in supporting biological diversity. The shallow depths and small size of many wetlands make them vulnerable to changes in climate compared with larger and deeper aquatic habitats. Here, we use a simple water balance model to generate estimates of biophysical drivers of wetland change. We...
Authors
Andrew M. Ray, Adam J. Sepulveda, Kathryn M. Irvine, Siri K.C. Wilmoth, David P. Thoma, Debra A. Patla
Establishing molecular methods to quantitatively profile gastric diet items of fish—Application to the invasive blue catfish (ictalurus furcatus) Establishing molecular methods to quantitatively profile gastric diet items of fish—Application to the invasive blue catfish (ictalurus furcatus)
Understanding the diet of invasive species helps researchers to more accurately assess the health, survivorship, growth, and stability of an invasive fish species, as well as their effects on native populations. Techniques capable of identifying multiple prey species from fish stomach contents have been developed. In this study, a multi-locus metabarcoding approach was used to identify...
Authors
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, W. Bane Schill, Lakyn R. Sanders, Tim Groves, Mary C. Groves
Parasitic copepods (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) on fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific Parasitic copepods (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) on fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific
We surveyed copepods parasitic on the fishes at Palmyra, a remote atoll in the Central Indo-Pacific faunal region. In total, we collected 849 individual fish, representing 44 species, from the intertidal lagoon flats at Palmyra and recovered 17 parasitic copepod species. The parasitic copepods were: Orbitacolax williamsi on Mulloidichthys flavolineatus; Anuretes serratus on Acanthurus...
Authors
Lilia Catherinne Soler-Jimenez, F. Neptali Morales-Serna, Ma. Leopoldina Aguirre-Macedo, John P. McLaughlin, Alejandra G. Jaramillo, Jenny C. Shaw, Anna K James, Ryan F. Hechinger, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Victor M. Vidal-Martinez
Improving eDNA yield and inhibitor reduction through increased water volumes and multi-filter isolation techniques Improving eDNA yield and inhibitor reduction through increased water volumes and multi-filter isolation techniques
To inform management and conservation decisions, environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are used to detect genetic material shed into the water by imperiled and invasive species. Methodological enhancements are needed to reduce filter clogging, PCR inhibition, and false-negative detections when eDNA is at low concentrations. In the first of three simple experiments, we sought to ameliorate...
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Jason Ferrante, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Amelia Ulmer
Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates
Invasive alien species are a major threat to native insular species. Eradicating invasive mammals from islands is a feasible and proven approach to prevent biodiversity loss. We developed a conceptual framework to identify globally important islands for invasive mammal eradications to prevent imminent extinctions among highly threatened species using biogeographic and technical factors...
Authors
Nick D. Holmes, Dena R. Spatz, Steffen Oppel, Bernie Tershy, Donald Croll, Brad Keitt, Piero Genovesi, Ian Burfield, David J. Will, Alexander L. Bond, Alex Wegmann, Alfonso Aguirre-Munoz, Andre F. Raine, Charles R. Knapp, Chung-Hang Hung, David Wingate, Erin Hagen, Federico Mendez-Sanchez, Gerard Rocamora, Hsiao-Wei Yuan, Jakob Fric, James Millett, James M. Russell, Jill Liske-Clark, Eric Vidal, Herve Jourdan, Karl Campbell, Keith Springer, Kristy Swinnerton, Lolita Gibbons-Decherong, Olivier Langrand, M. de L. Brooke, Miguel McMinn, Nancy Bunbury, Nuno Oliveira, Paolo Sposimo, Pedro Geraldes, Pete McClelland, Peter Hodum, Peter G. Ryan, Rafael Borroto-Paez, Ray J. Pierce, Richard Griffiths, Robert N. Fisher, Ross M. Wanless, Stesha A. Pasachnik, Steve Cranwell, Thierry Micol, Stuart H. M. Butchart
Energy allocation and feeding ecology of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) during transition from freshwater to saltwater Energy allocation and feeding ecology of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) during transition from freshwater to saltwater
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations near their northern range extent in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska have undergone major changes in population trajectory and illuminated the lack of basic information on juvenile ecology. This study fills information gaps on the early life history of chum salmon at northern latitudes. Energy allocation was examined in the...
Authors
Sean E. Burril, Vanessa R. von Biela, Nicola Hillbruber, Christian E. Zimmerman