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: 42905
Environmental conditions synchronize waterbird mortality events in the Great Lakes Environmental conditions synchronize waterbird mortality events in the Great Lakes
Since the 1960s, periodic outbreaks of avian botulism type E have contributed to large-scale die-offs of thousands of waterbirds throughout the Great Lakes of the United States. In recent years, these events have become more common and widespread. Occurring during the summer and autumn months, the prevalence of these die-offs varies across years and is often associated with years of...
Authors
Karine Prince, Jennifer G. Chipault, C. LeAnn White, Benjamin Zuckerberg
West Nile virus infection in American singer canaries: An experimental model in a highly susceptible avian species West Nile virus infection in American singer canaries: An experimental model in a highly susceptible avian species
This study investigated the susceptibility of American singer canaries (Serinus canaria) to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Adult canaries were inoculated with 105, 102, and 101plaque forming units (PFU) of WNV. All birds became infected and mortality occurred by 5 days postinoculation. The load of viral RNA as determined by RT-qPCR was dose dependent, and was higher at all doses than...
Authors
Erik K. Hofmeister, Melissa Lund, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler
Information to prevent human exposure to disease agents associated with wildlife—U.S. Geological Survey circulars on zoonotic disease Information to prevent human exposure to disease agents associated with wildlife—U.S. Geological Survey circulars on zoonotic disease
The U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others have published reports with information about geographic distribution, specific pathogens, disease ecology, and strategies to avoid exposure and infection for a selection of zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans, such as rabies and plague...
Authors
Carol U. Meteyer, Gail Moede Rogall
Climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes Climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
The interannual variability of tidal marsh plant phenology is largely unknown and may have important ecological consequences. Marsh plants are critical to the biogeomorphic feedback processes that build estuarine soils, maintain marsh elevation relative to sea level, and sequester carbon. We calculated Tasseled Cap Greenness, a metric of plant biomass, using remotely sensed data...
Authors
Kevin J. Buffington, Bruce D. Dugger, Karen M. Thorne
Infectious canine hepatitis in a brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) from Alaska. Infectious canine hepatitis in a brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) from Alaska.
We diagnosed infectious canine hepatitis in a free-ranging brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) cub from Alaska, US, found dead in October 2015. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were present in hepatocytes, and immunohistochemistry showed reactivity to adenoviral antigens. Sequencing of the hexon protein of adenovirus showed 100% identity to canine adenovirus 1.
Authors
Susan Knowles, Barbara L. Bodenstein, Troy Hamon, Michael W. Saxton, Jeffrey S. Hall
Modeling intrinsic potential for beaver (Castor canadensis) habitat to inform restoration and climate change adaptation Modeling intrinsic potential for beaver (Castor canadensis) habitat to inform restoration and climate change adaptation
Through their dam-building activities and subsequent water storage, beaver have the potential to restore riparian ecosystems and offset some of the predicted effects of climate change by modulating streamflow. Thus, it is not surprising that reintroducing beaver to watersheds from which they have been extirpated is an often-used restoration and climate-adaptation strategy. Identifying...
Authors
Benjamin J. Dittbrenner, Michael M. Pollack, Jason W. Schilling, Julian D. Olden, Joshua J. Lawler, Christian E. Torgersen
Volcanic ash deposition, eelgrass beds, and inshore habitat loss from the 1920s to the 1990s at Chignik, Alaska Volcanic ash deposition, eelgrass beds, and inshore habitat loss from the 1920s to the 1990s at Chignik, Alaska
We quantified the shallowing of the seafloor in five of six bays examined in the Chignik region of the Alaska Peninsula, confirming National Ocean Service observations that 1990s hydrographic surveys were shallower than previous surveys from the 1920s. Castle Bay, Chignik Lagoon, Hook Bay, Kujulik Bay and Mud Bay lost volume as calculated from Mean Lower Low Water (Chart Datum) to the...
Authors
Mark Zimmermann, Gregory T. Ruggerone, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Nicole Kinsman, David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe
Fish response to contemporary timber harvest practices in a second-growth forest from the central Coast Range of Oregon Fish response to contemporary timber harvest practices in a second-growth forest from the central Coast Range of Oregon
We used a paired-watershed approach to investigate the effects of contemporary logging practices on headwater populations of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) and juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a second-growth Douglas-fir forested catchment in Oregon. Stream habitat and fish population characteristics, including biomass, abundance, growth, size, and...
Authors
Douglas S. Bateman, Robert E. Gresswell, Dana Warren, David Hockman-Wert, David W. Leer, Jeffrey T. Light, John D. Stednick
Sensitivity of Na+/K+-ATPase isoforms to acid and aluminum explains differential effects on Atlantic salmon osmoregulation in fresh water and seawater Sensitivity of Na+/K+-ATPase isoforms to acid and aluminum explains differential effects on Atlantic salmon osmoregulation in fresh water and seawater
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts are sensitive to acid rain and associated increases in dissolved inorganic aluminum (Al) resulting in decreased seawater tolerance at this critical life stage. Salmon have two major isoforms of the catalytic alpha subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), with NKAα1a being the major freshwater (FW) isoform and NKAα1b the major seawater (SW) isoform. Here we...
Authors
Amy M. Regish, John T. Kelly, Michael F. O'Dea, Stephen D. McCormick
Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans
The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals’ movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus...
Authors
A. M. M. Sequeira, J.P. Rodriguez, V. M. Eguíluz, R. Harcourt, M. Hindell, D.W. Sims, C.M. Duarte, D.P. Costa, J. Fernandez-Gracia, L.C. Ferreira, G.C. Hays, M. R. Heupel, M.G. Meekan, A. Aven, F. Bailleul, A. M. M. Baylis, M. L. Berumen, C. D. Braun, J. Burns, M.J. Caley, R. Campbell, R.H. Carmichael, E. Clua, L. D. Einoder, Ari Friedlaender, M. E. Goebel, S.D. Goldsworthy, C. Guinet, J. Gunn, D. Hamer, N. Hammerschlag, M. Hammill, L.A. Hückstädt, N.E. Humphries, M.-A. Lea, A. Lowther, A. Mackay, E. McHuron, J. Mckenzie, L. McLeay, C.R. McMahon, K. Mengersen, M. M. C. Muelbert, Anthony M. Pagano, B. Page, N. Queiroz, P. W. Robinson, S. A. Shaffer, M. Shivji, G. B. Skomal, S. Thorrold, S. Villegas-Amtmann, M. Weise, R. Wells, B. Wetherbee, A. Wiebkin, B. Wienecke, M. Thums
DEEP SEARCH: Deep sea exploration to advance research on coral/canyon/cold seep habitats DEEP SEARCH: Deep sea exploration to advance research on coral/canyon/cold seep habitats
Launched in August 2017, Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats (DEEP SEARCH) is a multiyear, multi-agency study to characterize the deep-sea ecosystems of the US Mid- and South Atlantic (Figure 1). The study is funded through an interagency partnership between NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the US Geological Survey, and it is...
Authors
Erik E. Cordes, Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, Gregory Boland, Caitlin Adams
A phylogenetic overview of the genus Vertigo O. F. Müller, 1773 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Pupillidae: Vertigininae) A phylogenetic overview of the genus Vertigo O. F. Müller, 1773 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Pupillidae: Vertigininae)
We document global phylogenetic pattern in the pupillid land snail genus Vertigo by analyses of nDNA (ITS1 and ITS2) and mtDNA (CytB and 16S) sequence from 424 individuals representing 91 putative specific and subspecific Vertigo taxa. nDNA and mtDNA data were separately subjected to neighbor-joining, minimum evolution, maximum likelihood and Bayesian reconstruction methods, with...
Authors
Jeffrey C. Nekola, Satoshi Chiba, Brian F. Coles, Charles A. Drost, Ted von Proschwitz, Michal Horsak