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
Manipulating wild and tamed phytobiomes: Challenges and opportunities Manipulating wild and tamed phytobiomes: Challenges and opportunities
This white paper presents a series of perspectives on current and future phytobiome management, discussed at the Wild and Tamed Phytobiomes Symposium in University Park, PA, USA, in June 2018. To enhance plant productivity and health, and to translate lab- and greenhouse-based phytobiome research to field applications, the academic community and end-users need to address a variety of...
Authors
Terrence H. Bell, Kevin L. Hockett, Ricardo Ivan Alcala-Briseno, Mary Barbercheck, Gwyn A. Beattie, Mary Ann Bruns, John E. Carlson, Taejung Chung, Alyssa Collins, Bryan Emmett, Paul Esker, Karen Garrett, Leland Glenna, Beth K. Gugino, Maria del Mar Jimenez-Gasco, Linda Kinkel, Jasna Kovac, Kurt P. Kowalski, Gretchen Kuldau, Johan H. J. Leveau, Matthew J. Michalska-Smith, Jessica Myrick, Kari Peter, Maria Fernanda Vivanco Salazar, Ashley Shade, Nejc Stopnisek, Xiaoquing Tan, Amy T. Welty, Kyle Wickings, Etienne Yergeau
Modeling elk‐to‐livestock transmission risk to predict hotspots of brucellosis spillover Modeling elk‐to‐livestock transmission risk to predict hotspots of brucellosis spillover
Wildlife reservoirs of infectious disease are a major source of human‐wildlife conflict because of the risk of potential spillover associated with commingling of wildlife and livestock. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the presence of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) in free‐ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) populations is of significant management concern because of the risk of disease
Authors
Nathaniel D. Rayl, Kelly Proffitt, Emily S. Almberg, Jennifer D. Jones, Jerod Merkle, Justin A. Gude, Paul C. Cross
Molecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin Molecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus are among the most widespread colonizers of hydrothermal vent and cold seep environments, sustained by endosymbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria. Presumed species of Bathymodiolus are abundant at newly discovered cold seeps on the Mid-Atlantic continental slope, however morphological taxonomy is challenging, and their phylogenetic affinities remain...
Authors
Dolly Coykendall, Robert S. Cornman, Nancy G. Prouty, Sandra Brooke, Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, Cheryl L. Morrison
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Executive Summary Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams
Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) surveys in the Sepulveda Dam Basin, Los Angeles County, California—2018 data summary Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) surveys in the Sepulveda Dam Basin, Los Angeles County, California—2018 data summary
Executive Summary We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along Bull Creek, Haskell Creek, and the Los Angeles River (Sepulveda Dam project area) in Los Angeles County, California, in 2018. Four vireo surveys were conducted between...
Authors
Ryan E. Pottinger, Barbara E. Kus
Functional divergence of thyrotropin beta-subunit paralogs gives new insights into salmon smoltification metamorphosis Functional divergence of thyrotropin beta-subunit paralogs gives new insights into salmon smoltification metamorphosis
Smoltification is a metamorphic event in salmon life history, which initiates downstream migration and pre-adapts juvenile salmon for seawater entry. While a number of reports concern thyroid hormones and smoltification, few and inconclusive studies have addressed the potential role of thyrotropin (TSH). TSH is composed of a α-subunit common to gonadotropins, and a β-subunit conferring...
Authors
Mitchell S Fleming, Gersende Maugars, Anne-Gaelle LaFont, Romain Fontaine, Finn-Arne Weltzien, Stephen D. McCormick
Surface fire to Crown Fire: Fire history in the Taos Valley watersheds, New Mexico, USA Surface fire to Crown Fire: Fire history in the Taos Valley watersheds, New Mexico, USA
Tree-ring fire scars, tree ages, historical photographs, and historical surveys indicate that, for centuries, fire played different ecological roles across gradients of elevation, forest, and fire regimes in the Taos Valley Watersheds. Historical fire regimes collapsed across the three watersheds by 1899, leaving all sites without fire for at least 119 years. Historical photographs and...
Authors
Lane B Johnson, Ellis Margolis
Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) collected in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, Wisconsin, in 2017 Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) collected in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, Wisconsin, in 2017
Two hundred adult white sucker (Catostomus commersonii), age 3 years and older, were collected from the lower Sheboygan River Area of Concern in 2017, during the spring spawning run. Fish were euthanized, weighed, and measured, and any visible abnormalities were documented. Pieces of raised skin lesions as well as five to eight pieces of liver were removed and preserved for...
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Ryan P. Braham, Patricia M. Mazik
Migratory goose arrival time plays a larger role in influencing forage quality than advancing springs in an Arctic coastal wetland Migratory goose arrival time plays a larger role in influencing forage quality than advancing springs in an Arctic coastal wetland
With warmer springs, herbivores migrating to Arctic breeding grounds may experience phenological mismatches between their energy demands and the availability of high quality forage. However, the timing of high quality forage relative to the timing of grazing is often unknown. In coastal western Alaska, approximately one million migratory geese arrive each spring to breed where foliar %N...
Authors
Karen H. Beard, Ryan T. Choi, A. Joshua Leffer, Lindsay Carlson, Katharine C. Kelsey, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey Welker
Recreational impacts to wildlife: Managing visitors and resources to protect wildlife Recreational impacts to wildlife: Managing visitors and resources to protect wildlife
Publication Abstract: Visitor use management is essential for maximizing benefits for visitors while achieving and maintaining desired resource conditions and visitor experiences on federally managed lands and waters. Visitor capacity, a component of visitor use management, is defined as the maximum amounts and types of visitor use that an area can accommodate while achieving and...
Authors
Jeffrey L. Marion
Fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), sand roller (Percopsis transmontana), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) interactions in a Snake River reservoir: A tale of three species Fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), sand roller (Percopsis transmontana), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) interactions in a Snake River reservoir: A tale of three species
We studied some of the relationships between federally listed fall Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, endemic Sand Roller, Percopsis transmontana, and non-native Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, in Lower Granite Reservoir on the Snake River. Because of its recent reappearance and population increase, the Sand Rollers could be filling the role of a “native invader” in the...
Authors
Rulon J. Hemingway, Kenneth F. Tiffan, John M. Erhardt, Tobyn N. Rhodes, Brad K. Bickford
Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions
As large-scale restoration plans for degraded aquatic habitats evolve, it is essential that multiorganizational collaborations have a common vision to achieve consensus on restoration goals. Development of restoration targets and postrestoration monitoring strategies can be focused using a viability analysis framework that supports an adaptive management process. Viability analysis is a...
Authors
Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Jason E. Ross, Kurt R. Newman, Russell M. Strach