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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

Plasticity in physiological condition of female brown bears across diverse ecosystems Plasticity in physiological condition of female brown bears across diverse ecosystems

Variation in life history strategies facilitates the near global distribution of mammals by expanding realized niche width. We investigated physiological plasticity in the spring body composition of adult female brown bears (Ursus arctos) across 4 diverse Alaskan ecosystems. Brown bears are a highly intelligent omnivore with a historic range spanning much of North America, Europe, and...
Authors
Grant V. Hilderbrand, David Gustine, Buck A. Mangipane, Kyle Joly, William Leacock, Lindsey Mangipane, Joy Erlenbach, Mathew Sorum, Matthew Cameron, Jerrold L. Belant, Troy Cambier

Developing a shared understanding of the Upper Mississippi River: the foundation of an ecological resilience assessment Developing a shared understanding of the Upper Mississippi River: the foundation of an ecological resilience assessment

The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is a large and complex floodplain river ecosystem that spans the jurisdictions of multiple state and federal agencies. In support of ongoing ecosystem restoration and management by this broad partnership, we are undertaking a resilience assessment of the UMRS. We describe the UMRS in the context of an ecological resilience assessment. Our...
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Jeffrey N. Houser, Nathan R. De Jager, Jon S. Hendrickson

The bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Louisiana: an updated, annotated checklist The bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Louisiana: an updated, annotated checklist

An annotated checklist is provided for 243 species and subspecies of bees collected from or thought to occur in the state of Louisiana, where 163 are confirmed records, 46 are probable records, and 34 are possible records. We also list twelve records considered to be “dubious” because of the absence of supporting collection data and extralimital reported ranges. Data on parish localities
Authors
Brittany E. Owens, Larry K. Allain, Eric C. VanGorder, Janice L. Bossart, Christopher E. Carlton

Migratory behavior and physiological development as potential determinants of life history diversity in fall Chinook Salmon in the Clearwater River Migratory behavior and physiological development as potential determinants of life history diversity in fall Chinook Salmon in the Clearwater River

We studied the influence of behavior, water velocity, and physiological development on the downstream movement of subyearling fall‐run Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in both free‐flowing and impounded reaches of the Clearwater and Snake rivers as potential mechanisms that might explain life history diversity in this stock. Movement rates and the percentage of radio‐tagged fish...
Authors
Kenneth F. Tiffan, Tobias J. Kock, William P. Connor, Marshall C. Richmond, William A. Perkins

River flow and riparian vegetation dynamics - implications for management of the Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monument River flow and riparian vegetation dynamics - implications for management of the Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monument

This report addresses the relation between flow of the Yampa River and occurrence of herbaceous and woody riparian vegetation in Dinosaur National Monument (DINO) with the goal of informing management decisions related to potential future water development. The Yampa River in DINO flows through diverse valley settings, from the relatively broad restricted meanders of Deerlodge Park to...
Authors
Michael L. Scott, Jonathan M. Friedman

From top to bottom: Do Lake Trout diversify along a depth gradient in Great Bear Lake, NT, Canada? From top to bottom: Do Lake Trout diversify along a depth gradient in Great Bear Lake, NT, Canada?

Depth is usually considered the main driver of Lake Trout intraspecific diversity across lakes in North America. Given that Great Bear Lake is one of the largest and deepest freshwater systems in North America, we predicted that Lake Trout intraspecific diversity to be organized along a depth axis within this system. Thus, we investigated whether a deep-water morph of Lake Trout co...
Authors
Louise Chavarie, Kimberly L. Howland, Les N. Harris, Michael J. Hansen, William J. Harford, Colin P. Gallagher, Shauna M. Baillie, Brendan Malley, William M. Tonn, Andrew M. Muir, Charles C. Krueger

Genome-wide SNP data and morphology support the distinction of two new species of Kovarikia Soleglad, Fet & Graham, 2014 endemic to California (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae) Genome-wide SNP data and morphology support the distinction of two new species of Kovarikia Soleglad, Fet & Graham, 2014 endemic to California (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae)

Morphologically conserved taxa such as scorpions represent a challenge to delimit. We recently discovered populations of scorpions in the genus Kovarikia Soleglad, Fet & Graham, 2014 on two isolated mountain ranges in southern California. We generated genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data and used Bayes factors species delimitation to compare alternative species delimitation...
Authors
Robert W. Bryson, Dustin A. Wood, Matthew R. Graham, Michael E. Soleglad, John E. McCormack

Juvenile Chinook Salmon mortality in a Snake River Reservoir: Smallmouth Bass predation revisited Juvenile Chinook Salmon mortality in a Snake River Reservoir: Smallmouth Bass predation revisited

Predation by nonnative fishes has been identified as a contributing factor in the decline of juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River basin. We examined the diet composition of Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu and estimated the consumption and predation loss of juvenile Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Lower Granite Reservoir on the Snake River. We examined 4,852 Smallmouth...
Authors
John M. Erhardt, Kenneth F. Tiffan, William P. Connor

Size, growth, and size‐selective mortality of subyearling Chinook Salmon during early marine residence in Puget Sound Size, growth, and size‐selective mortality of subyearling Chinook Salmon during early marine residence in Puget Sound

In marine ecosystems, survival can be heavily influenced by size‐selective mortality during juvenile life stages. Understanding how and when size‐selective mortality operates on a population can reveal underlying growth dynamics and size‐selective ecological processes affecting the population and thus can be used to guide conservation efforts. For subyearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus
Authors
Madilyn M. Gamble, Kristin A. Connelly, Jennifer R. Gardner, Joshua W. Chamberlin, Kenneth I. Warheit, David A. Beauchamp

Proximate composition, lipid utilization and validation of a non‐lethal method to determine lipid content in migrating American shad Alosa sapidissima Proximate composition, lipid utilization and validation of a non‐lethal method to determine lipid content in migrating American shad Alosa sapidissima

Lipid content forms the most important energy reserve in anadromous fish and can limit survival, migration and reproductive success. A fat meter was evaluated and compared with a traditional extractive method of measuring available lipid for migrating American shad Alosa sapidissima in the Connecticut River, U.S.A. The fat meter gives rapid (
Authors
Shannon Michael Bayse, Amy M. Regish, Stephen D. McCormick

Phylogeny and species traits predict bird detectability Phylogeny and species traits predict bird detectability

Avian acoustic communication has resulted from evolutionary pressures and ecological constraints. We therefore expect that auditory detectability in birds might be predictable by species traits and phylogenetic relatedness. We evaluated the relationship between phylogeny, species traits, and field‐based estimates of the two processes that determine species detectability (singing rate and...
Authors
Peter Solymos, Steven M. Matsuoka, Diana Stralberg, Nicole K. S. Barker, Erin M. Bayne
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