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: 43455
Coastal barrier resilience and resistance: Analysis and metrics for characterizing coastal state Coastal barrier resilience and resistance: Analysis and metrics for characterizing coastal state
Barrier islands are shaped by a variety of short- and long-term environmental processes such as storms and relative sea-level rise. These islands, found along the estuarine-marine interface, provide ecosystem services including storm surge and wave attenuation, erosion protection to inland marshes, habitat for fish and wildlife, and recreation. Natural resource managers require...
Authors
P. Soupy Dalyander, Nicholas M. Enwright, Diana Di Leonardo, Christopher J. Kingwill, Travis Swanson, Bree J. Landry
Restoration of Gavia immer (common loon) in Minnesota—2025 annual report Restoration of Gavia immer (common loon) in Minnesota—2025 annual report
In cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey monitored 98 Gavia immer (common loon) focal territories and 43 nonfocal territories in north-central Minnesota in 2025. Focal territories are those sampling units from which study inferences can be made. Nonfocal territories were adjacent to focal territories and were observed to monitor common...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Luke J. Fara, Kristin Hall, Kevin P. Kenow, Timothy S. Mitchell, Michael J. Wellik
Fatal leptospirosis in southern sea otters from Central California: Pathologic findings and detection of Leptospira interrogans Fatal leptospirosis in southern sea otters from Central California: Pathologic findings and detection of Leptospira interrogans
Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona infections cause periodic outbreaks in California sea lions (CSLs; Zalophus californianus) and sporadic deaths in phocids. However, the frequency of infection and associated health impacts remain uncharacterized in sympatric threatened southern sea otters (SSOs; Enhydra lutris nereis), which serve as important sentinels of coastal health. Given the...
Authors
Margaret E. Martinez, Pádraig J. Duignan, Katherine C. Prager, Cara L. Field, Mary E. Gomes, Rinosh Mani, Lilian P. Carswell, Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Michael J. Murray, Ri K. Chang, Lloyd-Smith O. James
Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic
1. Mitigation measures are commonly employed to reduce the negative effects of industrial development on wildlife but are not often evaluated for their efficacy. For example, oil fields in the Arctic typically incorporate design features intended to increase permeability for migratory, barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus), even though there is limited empirical evidence of the...
Authors
Heather E. Johnson, John P. Severson
Estimating basal area change by tree size with Sentinel-2 imagery following four fires in California, USA Estimating basal area change by tree size with Sentinel-2 imagery following four fires in California, USA
Background Failure to account for tree size when estimating burn severity may not accurately capture post-fire tree mortality and post-fire forest structure. Aims We explored whether basal area mortality by tree size class could be determined from remotely-sensed burn severity indices based solely on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Methods We used data collected in four large California...
Authors
Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Christopher Y.S. Wong, Derek J.N. Young, Saba J. Saberi, Andrew M. Latimer, Joseph A.E. Stewart, Adrian J. Das, Calvin A. Farris, Emma J. McClure, Lauren N. Youngblood, Hugh D. Safford, Kristen L. Shive
Detecting occurrence and timing of grizzly bear parturition based on anomalies in accelerometer data Detecting occurrence and timing of grizzly bear parturition based on anomalies in accelerometer data
Documenting natality of brown (grizzly) bears (Ursus arctos) is an important component of many population monitoring and research programs. Brown bears give birth during hibernation, so observation of litters is generally not feasible until females exit dens, and detection of litters can be compromised by poor observability. Using triaxial accelerometer activity data stored on...
Authors
Lori L. Roberts, Cecily M. Costello, Milan A. Vinks, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Matthew D. Cameron, Justin G. Clapp, Mark A. Haroldson, Grant V. Hilderbrand, Kyle Joly, Wayne F. Kasworm, Jeremy M. Nicholson, Thomas G. Radandt, Mathew S. Sorum, Justin E. Teisberg, Frank T. van Manen
A review of extraction techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in graminaceous plants A review of extraction techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in graminaceous plants
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide-ranging class of manufactured chemicals that are environmentally persistent. Due to their ubiquity and resistance to degradation, PFAS readily bioaccumulate in a variety of environmental matrices and elicit a range of toxicological impacts. Despite an increase in research into these compounds, there is a clear gap in consensus on...
Authors
Landon M. Keele, Morgan P. Davis, Chung-Ho Lin, Erin L. Pulster
Digging into soil: Effects of soil texture on RT-QuIC performance for environmental prion surveillance. Digging into soil: Effects of soil texture on RT-QuIC performance for environmental prion surveillance.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions affecting wild and captive cervids. Transmission occurs directly between hosts or indirectly through contact with prion-contaminated environments. Soils, particularly those rich in clay, are hypothesized to enhance prion stability, retention, and bioavailability. Accurate detection of prions is...
Authors
Stephanie J. Katircioglu, Heather N. Inzalaco, Allen Jeffrey Herbst, Daniel J. Storm, Stuart S. Lichtenberg, Rodrigo Morales, Reece McGinn, Daniel P. Walsh, Wendy Christine Turner
Holistic understanding of uncertainty for collaborative and proactive global change decision making Holistic understanding of uncertainty for collaborative and proactive global change decision making
Global change is accelerating and pushing the planet's ecosystems beyond the range of historical observations, creating increasing uncertainty in future system conditions. Despite general agreement that proactive environmental action is warranted, environmental decision conversations often end by identifying additional data needed to reduce uncertainty before taking novel action. Given...
Authors
Nicole K. Ward, Aaron D. Shultz, Amanda L. Sesser, Michael W. Price, Dawn R. Magness, Abigail J. Lynch, Jonathan F. Hansen, Kelly G. Guilbeau
Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy
Dryland ecosystems cover 41% of Earth's land surfaces, account for 44% of cultivated lands and 60% of food sources, and make large contributions to the global water and carbon cycles. However, these ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented extremes including heatwaves, floods, and droughts as well as hotter temperatures and often declining water resource availability. These ecosystems...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Konrad Wessels, Dennis S. Ojima, David J.P. Moore, William K. Smith, Niall P. Hanan, Cibele Amaral, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Julia K. Green, Raymond F. Kokaly, Ryan Pavlick, Robert Swap, Shawn P. Serbin, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Alejandro Flores, James Rattling Leaf Sr., Sativa Cruz, Nikki Tulley, Robert A. Washington-Allen, Karen Prentice, Emily Kachergis, Julian Reyes, Jasmine Ryan, Michael D. SanClements, Henry W. Loescher, Allison K. Leidner, Tyson Swetnam
Comment on “Assessing the potential for Smallmouth Bass population establishment in Grand Canyon” Comment on “Assessing the potential for Smallmouth Bass population establishment in Grand Canyon”
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff, Anna Amidon, Kevin R. Bestgen, Nathaniel D. Bransky, Kimberly L. Dibble, Maria C. Dzul, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Brian D. Healy, M. Tildon Jones, Chris Michaud
Seasonal trophic dynamics drive growth potential and predation risk for reintroduced Chinook salmon in Shasta Reservoir Seasonal trophic dynamics drive growth potential and predation risk for reintroduced Chinook salmon in Shasta Reservoir
Reservoir ecosystems can significantly affect anadromous salmon populations reintroduced upstream of impassable high-head dams. In this study, we examine how a novel reservoir food web created by an impoundment can limit juvenile growth or survival through the seasonal production or access to food, promote competition for available resources, and affect risk of the food supply or...
Authors
Rachelle Carina Johnson, Claire E. Couch, Rebecca E. Barsky, Candice R. Powers, Chloe E. Pak, Karl D. Stenberg, Jessica O. Diallo, Kimberly A. Larsen, Marshal S. Hoy, David A. Beauchamp, Tobias J. Kock