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: 42874
Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)
White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has killed millions of North American hibernating bats. Currently, methods to prevent the disease are limited. We conducted two trials to assess potential WNS vaccine candidates in wild-caught Myotis lucifugus. In a pilot study, we immunized bats with one of four vaccine treatments or phosphate-buffered...
Authors
Tonie E. Rocke, Brock Kingstad-Bakke, Marcel Wuthrich, Ben Stading, Rachel C. Abbott, Marcos Isidoro Ayza, Hannah E. Dobson, Lucas dos Santos Dias, Kevin Galles, Julia S. Lankton, Elizabeth Falendysz, Jeffrey M. Lorch, J. Scott Fites, Jaime Lopera-Madrid, Bruce Klein, Jorge E. Osorio, J. Paul White
Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019 Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019
No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Daniel A. Grear, C. LeAnn White, Thierry M. Work, Emily A Underwood
Shrub persistence and increased grass mortality in response to drought in dryland systems Shrub persistence and increased grass mortality in response to drought in dryland systems
Droughts in the southwest United States have led to major forest and grassland die‐off events in recent decades, suggesting plant community and ecosystem shifts are imminent as native perennial grass populations are replaced by shrub‐ and invasive plant‐dominated systems. These patterns are similar to those observed in arid and semiarid systems around the globe, but our ability to...
Authors
Daniel E. Winkler, Jayne Belnap, David L. Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway
Snake River fall chinook salmon life history investigations, 2018 annual report Snake River fall chinook salmon life history investigations, 2018 annual report
The following report is divided into three sections each of which describes work conducted by different project cooperators. Chapter One describes smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) predation on subyearling fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Lower Granite Reservoir in 2018. Smallmouth bass abundance increased seasonally in shoreline habitats and was highest in the...
Authors
Kenneth F. Tiffan, Paul M. Chittaro, Brian P. Kennedy
Ligation and division of ductus deferens does not produce long term sterility in most bighead carp or grass carp Ligation and division of ductus deferens does not produce long term sterility in most bighead carp or grass carp
Invading species are most easily eradicated or controlled if detected early and rapid action can be taken, but locating and eradicating small numbers of aquatic invaders is extremely difficult. Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are Asian cyprinids that have been widely introduced and are considered undesirable and detrimental invasive...
Authors
Duane Chapman, Marco Milardi, F. Anthony Mann
Shrews (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) of Guatemala /Musarañas (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) de Guatemala Shrews (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) of Guatemala /Musarañas (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) de Guatemala
Shrews (Soricidae) are the only members of the mammalian order Eulipotyphla that occur in Central and South America. In Guatemala, 15 species have been recorded belonging to the genera Cryptotis and Sorex, three of which are new and undescribed. Two additional species are expected to be discovered in the country based on their known distributions. Most species appear to have limited...
Authors
John O. Matson, Neal Woodman
Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms for use in a genetic stock identification system for greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) subspecies wintering in California Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms for use in a genetic stock identification system for greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) subspecies wintering in California
California provides wintering habitat for most greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons [GWFG]) in the Pacific Flyway and this population has rapidly increased since the 1980s. Increased harvest of GWFG wintering in California may prevent agricultural depredation while providing increased hunting opportunities. However, changes in harvest levels are unlikely to be uniform across the...
Authors
Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Jeffrey M. DaCosta, Craig R. Ely, Michael D. Sorenson, Sandra L. Talbot
Fishing for conservation of freshwater tropical fish in the Anthropocene Fishing for conservation of freshwater tropical fish in the Anthropocene
1. Biodiversity and fisheries are two important assets of freshwater ecosystems that are currently at risk from external threats. Establishing an equitable resolution to these threats is a major challenge of the Anthropocene. 2. This is particularly pertinent in developing nations where hotspots for biodiversity converge with rapid, and often environmentally degrading, economic...
Authors
Sui Chian Phang, Michael S. Cooperman, Abigail Lynch, Ashley Steel, Vittoria Elliott, Karen J. Murchie, Steven J. Cooke, Scott Dowd, Ian G. Cowx
Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels? Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels?
Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and thus able to reveal its effects sooner than others. Two plant communities examined here, alpine treeline ecotones and alpine tundra, have been observed to respond to climate change in recent decades. Treeline has moved upslope and alpine tundra communities have had some species increase and others decrease. The
Authors
George P. Malanson, Lynn M Resler, Daniel B. Fagre, David R Butler
Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin
During the last 50 years, construction of dams in the western United States declined. This is partly because of increasing recognition of diverse and unintended social-ecological consequences of dams. Today, resource managers are recognizing the wide array of tradeoffs and are including a more diverse group of stakeholders in decision making for individual dams. Yet decisions at the...
Authors
Lucas S. Bair, Charles B. Yackulic, John C. Schmidt, Denielle M. Perry, Christine J. Kirchhoff, Karletta Chief, Benedict J. Colombi
Denitrification in the river network of a mixed land use watershed: Unpacking the complexities Denitrification in the river network of a mixed land use watershed: Unpacking the complexities
River networks have the potential to permanently remove nitrogen through denitrification. Few studies have measured denitrification rates within an entire river network or assessed how land use affect rates at larger spatial scales. We sampled 108 sites throughout the network of the Fox River watershed, Wisconsin, to determine if land use influence sediment denitrification rates, and to...
Authors
Rebecca Kreiling, William B. Richardson, Lynn A. Bartsch, Martin C. Thoms, Victoria G. Christensen
Global virtual water trade and the hydrological cycle: Patterns, drivers, and socio-environmental impacts Global virtual water trade and the hydrological cycle: Patterns, drivers, and socio-environmental impacts
The increasing global demand for farmland products is placing unprecedented pressure on the global agricultural system and its water resources. Many regions of the world, that are affected by a chronic water scarcity relative to their population, strongly depend on the import of agricultural commodities and associated embodied (or virtual) water. The globalization of water through...
Authors
Paolo D’Odorico, Joel A. Carr, Carole Dalin, Jampel Dell’Angelo, Megan Konar, Francesco Laio, Luca Ridolfi, Lorenzo Rosa, Samir Suweis, Stefania Tamea, Marta Tuninetti