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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: 42719

“Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota “Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota

Wilderness areas in the United States are preserved for their untrammeled naturalness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has these qualities, but long-term recreation visitation pressures on campsites can cause significant ecological changes. This article explores changes on campsites, specifically examining non-native plant ecology...
Authors
Holly Eagleston, Jeffrey L. Marion

Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA

Poor condition of many streams and concerns about future droughts in the arid and semi-arid western USA have motivated novel restoration strategies aimed at accelerating recovery and increasing water resources. Translocation of beavers into formerly occupied habitats, restoration activities encouraging beaver recolonization, and instream structures mimicking the effects of beaver dams...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Ashley T. Rohde, Susan Charnley, Rachael R Davee, Jason B. Dunham, Hannah Gosnell, Gordon E. Grant, Mark B. Hausner, Justin L. Huntington, Caroline Nash

A global audit of the status and trends of Arctic and Northern Hemisphere goose populations A global audit of the status and trends of Arctic and Northern Hemisphere goose populations

This report attempts to review the abundance, status and distribution of natural wild goose populations in the northern hemisphere. The report comprises three parts that 1) summarise key findings from the study and the methodology and analysis applied; 2) contain the individual accounts for each of the 68 populations included in this report; and 3) provide the datasets compiled for this...
Authors
Joel A. Schmutz

Effects of environmental variables on invasive amphibian activity: Using model selection on quantiles for counts Effects of environmental variables on invasive amphibian activity: Using model selection on quantiles for counts

Many different factors influence animal activity. Often, the value of an environmental variable may influence significantly the upper or lower tails of the activity distribution. For describing relationships with heterogeneous boundaries, quantile regressions predict a quantile of the conditional distribution of the dependent variable. A quantile count model extends linear quantile...
Authors
Benjamin J. Muller, Brian S. Cade, Lin Schwarzkoph

Spatial patterns in occupancy and reproduction of Golden Eagles during drought: Prospects for conservation in changing environments Spatial patterns in occupancy and reproduction of Golden Eagles during drought: Prospects for conservation in changing environments

We used a broad-scale sampling design to investigate spatial patterns in occupancy and breeding success of territorial pairs of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Diablo Range, California, USA, during a period of exceptional drought (2014–2016). We surveyed 138 randomly selected sample sites over 4 occasions each year and identified 199 pairs of eagles, 100 of which were detected...
Authors
David Wiens, Patrick Kolar, W. Grainger Hunt, Teresa Hunt, Mark R. Fuller, Douglas A. Bell

Contaminant-associated health effects in fishes from the Ottawa and Ashtabula Rivers, Ohio Contaminant-associated health effects in fishes from the Ottawa and Ashtabula Rivers, Ohio

The health of resident fishes serves as a biologically relevant barometer of aquatic ecosystem integrity. Here, the health of the Ottawa River and Ashtabula River (both within the Lake Erie Basin) were assessed using morphological and immunological biomarkers in brown bullheads (Ameiurus nebulosus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Biomarker metrics were compared to fish...
Authors
Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Cassidy H. Shaw, David S. DeVault, Jo A. Banda

Estimating wetland connectivity to streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An isotopic and remote sensing approach Estimating wetland connectivity to streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An isotopic and remote sensing approach

Understanding hydrologic connectivity between wetlands and perennial streams is critical to understanding the reliance of stream flow on inputs from wetlands. We used the isotopic evaporation signal in water and remote sensing to examine wetland‐stream hydrologic connectivity within the Pipestem Creek watershed, North Dakota, a watershed dominated by prairie‐pothole wetlands. Pipestem...
Authors
J. R. Brooks, David M. Mushet, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Scott G. Leibowitz, J. R. Christensen, Brian Neff, Donald O. Rosenberry, W. D. Rugh, L.C. Alexander

Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings

On an annual basis, federal and state agencies are responsible for mapping and removing large expanses of aquatic nuisance vegetation from navigable waterways. This study set out to achieve four primary objectives: (1) utilize recent advancements in remote sensing techniques to classify the extent and distribution of aquatic vegetation in coastal ecosystems using satellite imagery, (2)...
Authors
Glenn M. Suir, Kevin J. Suir, Sijan Sapkota

Perissodactyla diet Perissodactyla diet

Perissodactyla (Schoch 1989) includes tapirs, rhinoceros, wild asses, horses, and zebras. It is the order of hoofed mammals referred to as “odd-toed ungulates” because its members have one to three weight-bearing toes and walk on hoofs or “ungules.” They are herbivores that are specialized to exploit grasslands and brushy habitat (rhinos, horses, asses, zebras) or dense tropical forests...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker

Sirenian life history Sirenian life history

Sirenians, including the manatees and dugongs, are large herbivorous mammals that have evolved to an aquatic form since the Eocene epoch. Sirenians have unique adaptations, including dense bone for ballast and a longitudinal hemidiaphragm separating paired lungs (which aid in maintaining a horizontal posture in the water column), species-specific rostral deflection, and unique dentition...
Authors
Robert K. Bonde

Using expert knowledge to incorporate uncertainty in cause-of-death assignments for modeling of cause-specific mortality Using expert knowledge to incorporate uncertainty in cause-of-death assignments for modeling of cause-specific mortality

Implicit and explicit use of expert knowledge to inform ecological analyses is becoming increasingly common because it often represents the sole source of information in many circumstances. Thus, there is a need to develop statistical methods that explicitly incorporate expert knowledge, and can successfully leverage this information while properly accounting for associated uncertainty...
Authors
Daniel P. Walsh, Andrew S. Norton, Daniel J. Storm, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Dennis M. Heisy
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