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: 42712
Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape‐level canopy dieback Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape‐level canopy dieback
Questions (a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re‐established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area? Study Site An 83,603 ha study area on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna...
Authors
Linda Mertelmeyer, James D. Jacobi, Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Kevin W. Brinck, Hans Juergen Boehmer
Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community
Most wildlife professionals are engaged in 1 or both of 2 basic endeavors: science and management. These endeavors are a focus of many other disciplines, leading to widespread sharing of general methodologies. Wildlife professionals have appropriately borrowed and assimilated many methods developed primarily in other disciplines but have also led the development of one class of...
Authors
James D. Nichols
Environmental DNA as a tool to help inform zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, management in inland lakes Environmental DNA as a tool to help inform zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, management in inland lakes
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are an aquatic invasive species that plague much of North America and are difficult to impossible to eradicate once they become established. Therefore, prevention and monitoring are key elements in the control of these organisms. Traditional microscopy is commonly used in monitoring but requires the presence of larval veligers. This limits the times...
Authors
Jon Amberg, Christopher M. Merkes, Wendylee Stott, Christopher B. Rees, Richard A. Erickson
The effectiveness of non-native fish removal techniques in freshwater ecosystems: a systematic review The effectiveness of non-native fish removal techniques in freshwater ecosystems: a systematic review
In aquatic systems, biological invasions can result in adverse ecological effects. Management techniques available for non-native fish removal programs (including eradication and population size control) vary widely, but include chemicals, harvest regimes, physical removal, or biological control. For management agencies, deciding on what non-native fish removal program to use has been...
Authors
Trina Rytwinski, Jessica J. Taylor, Lisa A. Donaldson, J. Robert Britton, David R. Browne, Robert E. Gresswell, Mark Lintermans, Kent A. Prior, Marlow G. Pellatt, Chantal Vis, Steven J. Cooke
Aquatic macroinvertebrate community responses to wetland mitigation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Aquatic macroinvertebrate community responses to wetland mitigation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
1. Wetlands are critical components of freshwater biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, but human activities have resulted in large-scale loss of these habitats across the globe. To offset this loss, mitigation wetlands are frequently constructed, but their ability to replicate the functions of natural wetlands remains uncertain. Further, monitoring of mitigation wetlands is...
Authors
LEAH K. SWARTZ, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Robert L. Newell, Winsor H. Lowe
Pesticides and pollinators: A socioecological synthesis Pesticides and pollinators: A socioecological synthesis
The relationship between pesticides and pollinators, while attracting no shortage of attention from scientists, regulators, and the public, has proven resistant to scientific synthesis and fractious in matters of policy and public opinion. This is in part because the issue has been approached in a compartmentalized and intradisciplinary way, such that evaluations of organismal pesticide...
Authors
Douglas B. Sponsler, Christina M. Grozinger, Claudia Hitaj, Rundlof, Cristina Botias, Aimee Code, Eric V. Lonsdorf, Andony P. Melthapoulos, David J. Smith, Sainath Suryanarayanan, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Neal M. Williams, Minghua Zhang, Margaret R. Douglas
Fish culling reduces tapeworm burden in Arctic charr by increasing parasite mortality rather than by reducing density‐dependent transmission Fish culling reduces tapeworm burden in Arctic charr by increasing parasite mortality rather than by reducing density‐dependent transmission
Two common Dibothriocephalus (formerly Diphyllobothrium) tapeworm species were significantly reduced by experimental culling of their fish host Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in a subarctic lake. Between 1984 and 1991, funnel traps were used to cull ~35 metric tons of Arctic charr, reducing charr density by ~80%. As charr densities decreased, tapeworm prevalence and then intensity...
Authors
Eirik H. Henriksen, Andre Frainer, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Per-Arne Amundsen
Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes
The metapopulation paradigm has been central to improve the conservation and management of natural populations. However, despite the large number of studies on metapopulation dynamics, the overall support for the relationships on which the paradigm is based has not been strong. Here, we studied the occupancy dynamics of two Neotropical fishes (i.e., Pimelodella gracilis and Leporinus...
Authors
Jerry Penha, Karlo Y. P. Hakamada, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population biology at Big Sur and Monterey, California --Investigating the consequences of resource abundance and anthropogenic stressors for sea otter recovery Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population biology at Big Sur and Monterey, California --Investigating the consequences of resource abundance and anthropogenic stressors for sea otter recovery
The range of the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) spans most of the central California coast from Half Moon Bay to Gaviota. Some coastal areas within this range are heavily developed and highly impacted by humans, while other areas are wild and largely pristine. Determining the relative importance of food resource abundance, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic increases...
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Benjamin P. Weitzman, Michelle Staedler, Dave Jessup, Michael J. Murray, Melissa Miller, Tristan Burgess, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Nicole Thometz, Lily Tarjan, Emily Golson, Francesca Batac, Erin Dodd, Eva Berberich, Jessica Kunz, Gena Bentall, Jessica Fujii, Teri Nicholson, Seth Newsome, Ann Melli, Nicole LaRoche, Holly MacCormick, Andy Johnson, Laird Henkel, Chris Kreuder-Johnson, Pat Conrad
Stream metabolism increases with drainage area and peaks asynchronously across a stream network Stream metabolism increases with drainage area and peaks asynchronously across a stream network
Quantifying the spatial and temporal dynamics of stream metabolism across stream networks is key to understanding carbon cycling and stream food web ecology. To better understand intra-annual temporal patterns of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) and their variability across space, we continuously measured dissolved oxygen and modeled stream metabolism for an...
Authors
Francine H. Mejia, Alexander K. Fremier, Joseph R. Benjamin, J. Ryan Bellmore, Adrianne Z. Grimm, Grace A. Watson, Michael Newsom
Comparison of methods to examine diet of feral horses from non-invasively collected fecal samples Comparison of methods to examine diet of feral horses from non-invasively collected fecal samples
Feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) have become abundant on public lands in the American West, particularly over the past 10 yr. In areas where they are overabundant, there is risk of habitat degradation. Most previous studies on diet and habitat use of feral horses were conducted more than 20 yr ago; rangelands have changed considerably in that time, so it is useful to revisit horse...
Authors
Sarah R.B. King, Kathryn A. Schoenecker
Potential spread of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) by feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Western Colorado Potential spread of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) by feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Western Colorado
The invasive grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) presents major challenges for land management and habitat conservation in the western United States. Feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) have become overabundant in some areas of the West and can impact fragile semiarid ecosystems. Amid ongoing efforts to control cheatgrass in the Great Basin, we conducted a study to determine if feral...
Authors
Sarah R.B. King, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Daniel J. Manier