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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

Environmental, anthropogenic, and dietary influences on fine-scale movement patterns of Atlantic salmon through challenging waters Environmental, anthropogenic, and dietary influences on fine-scale movement patterns of Atlantic salmon through challenging waters

Partial barriers to migration can affect migratory fish population dynamics and be influenced by many biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors, including nutritional deficiencies. We investigated how such variables (including a thiamine deficiency) impact fine-scale movement of landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by treating returning spawners with thiamine and observing their...
Authors
Andrew B. Harbicht, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Dimitry Gorsky, D.M. Hand, D.J. Fraser, W.R. Ardren

Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario prey fishes Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario prey fishes

Managing Lake Ontario fisheries in an ecosystem-context requires prey fish community and population data. Since 1978, multiple annual bottom trawl surveys have quantified prey fish dynamics to inform management relative to published Fish Community Objectives. In 2017, two whole-lake surveys collected 341 bottom trawls (spring: 204, fall: 137), at depths from 8-225m, and captured 751,350...
Authors
Brian Weidel, Michael J. Connerton, Jeremy Holden

Does behavioural thermoregulation underlie seasonal movements in Lake Erie walleye? Does behavioural thermoregulation underlie seasonal movements in Lake Erie walleye?

Thermoregulation is presumed to be a widespread determinant of behaviour in fishes, but has not often been investigated as a mechanism shaping long-distance migrations. We used acoustic telemetry and animal-borne thermal loggers to test the hypothesis that seasonal migration in adult walleye (Sander vitreus) in Lake Erie is size- and (or) sex-specific and related to behavioural...
Authors
Graham D. Raby, Christopher Vandergoot, Todd A. Hayden, Matthew D. Faust, Richard T. Kraus, John M. Dettmers, Steven J. Cooke, Yingming Zhao, Aaron T. Fisk, Charles C. Krueger

Technical note: False low turbidity readings from optical probes during high suspended-sediment concentrations Technical note: False low turbidity readings from optical probes during high suspended-sediment concentrations

Turbidity, a measure of water clarity, is monitored for a variety of purposes including (1) to help determine whether water is safe to drink, (2) to establish background conditions of lakes and rivers and detect pollution caused by construction projects and stormwater discharge, (3) to study sediment transport in rivers and erosion in catchments, (4) to manage siltation of water...
Authors
Nicholas Voichick, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths

Fire and climate suitability for woody vegetation communities in the south central United States Fire and climate suitability for woody vegetation communities in the south central United States

Climate and fire are primary drivers of plant species distributions. Long-term management of south central United States woody vegetation communities can benefit from information on potential changes in climate and fire frequencies, and how these changes might affect plant communities. We used historical (1900 to 1929) and future (2040 to 2069 and 2070 to 2099) projected climate data for...
Authors
Esther Stroh, Matthew Struckhoff, Michael C. Stambaugh, Richard P. Guyette

Oil and gas development footprint in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado Oil and gas development footprint in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado

Understanding long-term implications of energy development on ecosystem functionrequires establishing regional datasets to quantify past development and determine relationships to predict future development. The Piceance Basin in western Colorado has a history of energy production and development is expected to continue into the foreseeable future due to abundant natural gas resources...
Authors
Cericia D. Martinez, Todd M. Preston

Local extinction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) following rat eradication on Palmyra Atol Local extinction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) following rat eradication on Palmyra Atol

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, appears to have been extirpated from Palmyra Atoll following rat eradication. Anecdotal biting reports, collection records, and regular captures in black-light traps showed the species was present before rat eradication. Since then, there have been no biting reports and no captures over 2 years of extensive trapping (black-light and scent traps...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty, John P. McLaughlin, Daniel S. Gruner, Taylor A. Bogar, An Bui, Jasmine N. Childress, Magaly Espinoza, Elizabeth S. Forbes, Cora A. Johnston, Maggie Klope, Ana Miller-ter Kuile, Michelle Lee, Katherine A. Plummer, David A. Weber, Ronald T. Young, Hillary S. Young

Developing a framework for evaluating tallgrass prairie reconstruction methods and management Developing a framework for evaluating tallgrass prairie reconstruction methods and management

The thousands of hectares of prairie reconstructed each year in the tallgrass prairie biome can provide a valuable resource for evaluation of seed mixes, planting methods, and post-planting management if methods used and resulting characteristics of the prairies are recorded and compiled in a publicly accessible database. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of such data...
Authors
Diane L. Larson, Marissa Ahlering, Pauline Drobney, Rebecca Esser, Jennifer L. Larson, Karen Viste-Sparkman

U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise

We used a first-of-its-kind comprehensive scenario approach to evaluate both the vertical and horizontal response of tidal wetlands to projected changes in the rate of sea-level rise (SLR) across 14 estuaries along the Pacific coast of the continental United States. Throughout the U.S. Pacific region, we found that tidal wetlands are highly vulnerable to end-of-century submergence, with...
Authors
Karen M. Thorne, Glen M. MacDonald, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Richard F. Ambrose, Kevin Buffington, Bruce D. Dugger, Chase M. Freeman, Christopher Janousek, Lauren N. Brown, Jordan A. Rosencranz, James Homquist, John P. Smol, Kathryn Hargan, John Y. Takekawa

Ecological drought: Accounting for the non-human impacts of water shortage in the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin, Montana, USA Ecological drought: Accounting for the non-human impacts of water shortage in the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin, Montana, USA

Water laws and drought plans are used to prioritize and allocate scarce water resources. Both have historically been human-centric, failing to account for non-human water needs. In this paper, we examine the development of instream flow legislation and the evolution of drought planning to highlight the growing concern for the non-human impacts of water scarcity. Utilizing a new framework...
Authors
Jamie McEvoy, Deborah J. Bathke, Nina Burkardt, Amanda E. Cravens, Tonya Haigh, Kimberly R. Hall, Michael J. Hayes, Theresa Jedd, Marketa Podebradska, Elliot Wickham

Movers and stayers: Novel assemblages in changing environments Movers and stayers: Novel assemblages in changing environments

How species will respond to ongoing climate and other change is of increasing concern. Most attention is given to how species move or are moved, but many species stay. Understanding the dynamics of new species combinations is essential for successful conservation in a changing climate. Increased attention to species movement in response to environmental change highlights the need to...
Authors
Richard L. Hobbs, Leonie E. Valentine, Rachel J. Standish, Stephen T. Jackson

Molecular systematics and biodiversity of the Cryptotis mexicanus group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): two new species from Honduras supported Molecular systematics and biodiversity of the Cryptotis mexicanus group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): two new species from Honduras supported

Small-eared shrews of the genus Cryptotis (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) are widespread in the northern Neotropics. Systematic studies of these shrews over the past two decades have revealed previously undocumented morphological and species diversity, resulting in a quadrupling of the number of recognized species. Unfortunately, a small proportion of the species in the genus have...
Authors
Amy B. Baird, Timothy J. McCarthy, Robert G. Trujillo, Yuan Yuan Kang, Mehdi Esmaeiliyan, Joselyn Valdez, Neal Woodman, John W. Bickham
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