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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: 42768

USGS quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2018 USGS quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2018

No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, Michelle St. Martin

Comparative nest survival of three sympatric loon species breeding in the Arctic Comparative nest survival of three sympatric loon species breeding in the Arctic

Identifying factors influencing nest survival among sympatric species is important for understanding and managing sources of variation in population dynamics of individual species. Three species of loons nest sympatrically in northern Alaska and differ in body size, life history characteristics, and population trends. We tested the effects of competition, nest site selection, and water...
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joshua C. Koch, Kenneth G. Wright, Joel A. Schmutz

All is not lost: Herpetofaunal “extinctions” in the Fiji Islands All is not lost: Herpetofaunal “extinctions” in the Fiji Islands

Invasive mammals are implicated in the decline or extinction of numerous insular vertebrate species worldwide, yet rediscoveries of supposedly extinct vertebrates occur regularly. In particular, recent records of secretive amphibian and reptile taxa in the Fiji Islands show that earlier claimed extirpations of Fijian wildlife were erroneous. We add to this growing body of evidence by...
Authors
Adam G. Clause, Nunia Thomas-Moko, Sialisi Rasalato, Robert N. Fisher

Entrapped carrion increases indirect plant resistance and intra‐guild predation on a sticky tarweed Entrapped carrion increases indirect plant resistance and intra‐guild predation on a sticky tarweed

Many plants employ indirect defenses against herbivores; often plants provide a shelter or nutritional resource to predators, increasing predator abundance, and lessening herbivory to the plant. Often, predators on the same plant represent different life stages and different species. In these situations intraguild predation (IGP) may occur and may decrease the efficacy of that defense...
Authors
Eric LoPresti, Billy Krimmel, Ian S. Pearse

Insights from long-term ungrazed and grazed watersheds in a salt desert Colorado Plateau ecosystem Insights from long-term ungrazed and grazed watersheds in a salt desert Colorado Plateau ecosystem

Dryland ecosystems cover over 41% of the earth’s land surface, and living within these important ecosystems are approximately 2 billion people, a large proportion of whom are subsistence agropastoralists. Improper grazing in drylands can negatively impact ecosystem productivity, soil conservation, hydrologic processes, downstream water quantity and quality, and ultimately human health...
Authors
Michael C. Duniway, Erika L. Geiger, Tamera J. Minnick, Susan L. Phillips, Jayne Belnap

Landbird population trends in mountain and historical parks of the North Coast and Cascades Network: 2005–2016 synthesis Landbird population trends in mountain and historical parks of the North Coast and Cascades Network: 2005–2016 synthesis

Long-term monitoring of landbird populations within the National Park Service (NPS) North Coast and Cascades Inventory and Monitoring Network (NCCN) began in 2005, with the goal of detecting trends to inform the conservation and management of landbirds and their habitats. Here we use 2005–2016 data from over 3500 point-count stations to report landbird occurrence and trends in each of...
Authors
Chris Ray, James F. Saracco, Mandy Holmgren, Robert L. Wilkerson, Rodney B. Siegel, Kurt J. Jenkins, Jason I. Ransom, Patricia J. Happe, John R. Boetsch, Mark H. Huff

An interim harvest strategy for Taiga Bean geese An interim harvest strategy for Taiga Bean geese

In 2016 the AEWA European Goose Management International Working Group (EGM IWG) adopted document AEWA/EGM IWG 1.8 (Johnson et al. 2016), which contained initial elements of an Adaptive Harvest Management programme for Taiga Bean Geese. This report addresses a number of limitations with the population model presented in that document, and provides up-to-date population projections for...
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Mikko Alhainen, Anthony D. Fox, Jesper Madsen

The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment

The Santa Cruz Basin (SCB) is one of several fault-bounded basins within the California Continental Borderland that has drawn interest over the years for its role in the tectonic evolution of the region, but also because it contains a record of a variety of modes of sedimentary mass transport (i.e., open slope vs. canyon-confined systems). Here, we present a suite of new high-resolution...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Katherine L. Maier, Jared W. Kluesner, James E. Conrad, Jason Chaytor

Southeastern Deserts Bioregion Southeastern Deserts Bioregion

The Southeast Deserts Bioregion (desert bioregion) occupies the southeastern 27% of California (11,028,300 ha, 110,283 km2 or 27,251,610 ac) (Miles and Goudy 1997) (Map 18.1). The desert bioregion is within the basin and range geomorphic province of western North America, and includes two ecoregional provinces comprised of five ecological sections. The American Semi-Desert and Desert...
Authors
Matthew L. Brooks, Richard A. Minnich, John R. Matchett

A multiscale natural community and species-level vulnerability assessment of the Gulf Coast, USA A multiscale natural community and species-level vulnerability assessment of the Gulf Coast, USA

Vulnerability assessments combine quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of species or natural communities to current and future threats. When combined with the economic, ecological or evolutionary value of the species, vulnerability assessments quantify the relative risk to regional species and natural communities and can enable...
Authors
Joshua S. Reece, Amanda Watson, Patricia (Soupy) Dalyander, C. Edwards, Laura Geselbracht, Megan K. LaPeyre, Blair Tirpak, John M. Tirpak, Mark Woodrey

An evaluation of the toxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fish and their forage base An evaluation of the toxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fish and their forage base

Potash, with the active ingredient potassium chloride (KCl) is a chemical that is currently being evaluated for potential use as a molluscicide to combat invasive zebra mussels and quagga mussels in Western United States waters. Although data available for other freshwater fishes indicate that recommended treatment levels of potash as a molluscicide are sublethal, this has not been...
Authors
Christine L. Densmore, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Anne P. Henderson, Vicki S. Blazer, Baileigh M. Reed-Grimmett, Lakyn R. Sanders

Two-species occupancy modeling accounting for species misidentification and nondetection Two-species occupancy modeling accounting for species misidentification and nondetection

In occupancy studies, species misidentification can lead to false‐positive detections, which can cause severe estimator biases. Currently, all models that account for false‐positive errors only consider omnibus sources of false detections and are limited to single‐species occupancy.However, false detections for a given species often occur because of the misidentification with another...
Authors
Thierry Chambert, Evan H. Campbell Grant, David A. W. Miller, James D. Nichols, Kevin P. Mulder, Adrianne B. Brand
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