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
Crowding affects health, growth, and behavior in headstart pens for Agassiz's desert tortoise Crowding affects health, growth, and behavior in headstart pens for Agassiz's desert tortoise
Worldwide, scientists have headstarted threatened and endangered reptiles to augment depleted populations. Not all efforts have been successful. For the threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), one challenge to recovery is poor recruitment of juveniles into adult populations, and this is being addressed through headstart programs. We evaluated 8 cohorts of juvenile...
Authors
Jeremy S. Mack, Heather E. Schneider, Kristin H. Berry
Ecosystem thresholds, tipping points, and critical transitions Ecosystem thresholds, tipping points, and critical transitions
Abrupt shifts in ecosystems are cause for concern and will likelyintensify under global change (Scheffer et al., 2001). The terms‘thresho lds’, ‘tipping points’, and ‘critical transitions’ have beenused interchangeably to refer to sudden changes in the integrityor state of an ecosystem caused by environmental drivers(Holling, 1973; May, 1977). Threshold-based concepts havesignific antly...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, Sasha C. Reed, Josep Penuelas, Nathan G. McDowell, Osvaldo E. Sala
Biological responses of Crested and Least auklets to volcanic destruction of nesting habitat in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska Biological responses of Crested and Least auklets to volcanic destruction of nesting habitat in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella) and Least Auklets (A. pusilla) are crevice-nesting birds that breed in large mixed colonies at relatively few sites in the Aleutian Island archipelago, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and Sea of Okhotsk. Many of these colonies are located on active volcanic islands. The eruption of Kasatochi volcano, in the central Aleutians, on August 7, 2008, completely...
Authors
Gary S. Drew, John F. Piatt, Jeffrey C. Williams
Science support for evaluating natural recovery of polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in fish from Crab Orchard Lake, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois Science support for evaluating natural recovery of polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in fish from Crab Orchard Lake, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois
Introduction Crab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois is one of the largest and most popular recreational lakes in the state. Construction of the nearly 7,000-acre reservoir in the late 1930s created employment opportunities through the Works Progress Administration, and the lake itself was intended to supply water, control flooding, and provide recreational opportunities for local...
Authors
Bethany K. Kunz, Jo Ellen Hinck, Robin D. Calfee, Greg L. Linder, Edward E. Little
Application and comparison of the MODIS-Derived Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to VIIRS, Landsat 5 TM, and Landsat 8 OLI platforms: A case study in the arid Colorado River Delta, Mexico Application and comparison of the MODIS-Derived Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to VIIRS, Landsat 5 TM, and Landsat 8 OLI platforms: A case study in the arid Colorado River Delta, Mexico
The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) is a key Earth science parameter used to assess vegetation, originally developed and calibrated for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. With the impending decommissioning of the MODIS sensors by the year 2020/2022, alternative platforms will need to be used to estimate EVI. We compared Landsat...
Authors
Christopher Jarchow, Kamel Didan, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Pamela L. Nagler, Edward P. Glenn
Inferring the absence of an incipient population during a rapid response for an invasive species Inferring the absence of an incipient population during a rapid response for an invasive species
Successful eradication of invasives is facilitated by early detection and prompt onset of control. However, realizing or verifying that a colonization has occurred is difficult for cryptic species especially at low population densities. Responding to the capture or unconfirmed sighting of a cryptic invasive species, and the associated effort to determine if it indicates an incipient...
Authors
Amy A. Yackel Adams, Bjorn Lardner, Adam J Knox, Robert Reed
Development and characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the sea sandwort, Honckenya peploides Development and characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the sea sandwort, Honckenya peploides
Codominant marker systems are better suited to analyze population structure and assess the source of an individual in admixture analyses. Currently, there is no codominant marker system using microsatellites developed for the sea sandwort, Honckenya peploides (L.) Ehrh., an early colonizer in island systems. We developed and characterized novel microsatellite loci from H. peploides...
Authors
Megan C. Gravley, George K. Sage, Sandra L. Talbot, Matthew L. Carlson
Measuring and evaluating ecological flows from streams to regions: Steps towards national coverage Measuring and evaluating ecological flows from streams to regions: Steps towards national coverage
Living aquatic communities are largely determined and maintained by the volume and quality of flowing waters, both within lotic systems and in receiving waters of coastal systems. However, flow is one of the most frequently and extensively altered features of rivers and streams; alteration effects are likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Lotic systems vary and different fish...
Authors
James E. McKenna, Howard W. Reeves, Paul Seelbach
A comparison of photograph-interpreted and IfSAR-derived maps of polar bear denning habitat for the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska A comparison of photograph-interpreted and IfSAR-derived maps of polar bear denning habitat for the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Alaska use the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for maternal denning. Pregnant bears den in snow banks for more than 3 months in winter during which they give birth to and nurture young. Denning is one of the most vulnerable times in polar bear life history as the family group cannot simply walk away from a disturbance without jeopardizing survival...
Authors
George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood
Examining speed versus selection in connectivity models using elk migration as an example Examining speed versus selection in connectivity models using elk migration as an example
Context Landscape resistance is vital to connectivity modeling and frequently derived from resource selection functions (RSFs). RSFs estimate relative probability of use and tend to focus on understanding habitat preferences during slow, routine animal movements (e.g., foraging). Dispersal and migration, however, can produce rarer, faster movements, in which case models of movement speed...
Authors
Angela Brennan, Ephraim M. Hanks, Jerod Merkle, Eric K. Cole, Sarah Dewey, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Paul C. Cross
Effects of the proposed California WaterFix North Delta Diversion on survival of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, northern California Effects of the proposed California WaterFix North Delta Diversion on survival of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, northern California
The California Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation propose new water intake facilities on the Sacramento River in northern California that would convey some of the water for export to areas south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (hereinafter referred to as the Delta) through tunnels rather than through the Delta. The collection of water intakes, tunnels...
Authors
Russell W. Perry, Adam C. Pope
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report
This is the ninth annual report highlighting U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science and decision-support activities conducted for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). The activities address specific management needs identified by WLCI partner agencies. In fiscal year (FY) 2016, there were 26 active USGS WLCI science-based projects. Of these 26 projects, one project was...
Authors
Zachary H. Bowen, Ellen Aikens, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Collin G. Homer, Aaron N. Johnston, Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Annika W. Walters, Jerrod D. Wheeler, Daniel J. Wieferich, Anna B. Wilson, Teal B. Wyckoff, Linda Zeigenfuss
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center