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: 42710
Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine
Wildlife populations at the peripheries of their distributions or on isolated islands often display divergent and poorly understood morphological or life-history characteristics compared to core populations. We used a capture–mark–recapture dataset collected over a 19-year period to characterize a northern, insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine. We captured 611 individual snakes of 4...
Authors
John D. Willson, Ethan J. Royal, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Meredith C. Swartwout, Chelsea S. Kross
Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system
Olfactory-mediated behaviors in fish are often examined in artificial microcosms that enable well-controlled treatments but fail to replicate environmental and social contexts. However, observing these behaviors in nature poses challenges. Here, we describe a protocol for recording sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) behaviors in a natural system. We describe steps for administering and...
Authors
Anne M Scott, Nicholas S. Johnson, Michael J. Siefkes, Weiming Li
Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes
Midcontinent sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are managed as a single population, but hunting regulations are structured so harvest is targeted towards the more numerous lesser sandhill cranes (A. c. canadensis). However, research indicates that greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) have been disproportionally exposed to harvest at a rate exceeding their proportion within the...
Authors
Andrew J. Dinges, Jay Alan VonBank, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Taeniatherum caput-medusae published from January 2010 to January 2022 Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Taeniatherum caput-medusae published from January 2010 to January 2022
Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western...
Authors
Jennifer K. Meineke, Logan M. Maxwell, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Tait K. Rutherford, Ella M. Samuel, Lea B. Selby, Joshua S Willems, Nathan J. Kleist, Samuel E. Jordan
Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason B. Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin
A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection effects of location, climate and season. We generated a...
Authors
Zachary M. Burcham, Aeriel D. Belk, Bridget B. McGivern, Amina Bouslimani, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Michael Shaffer, Morgan Panitchpakdi, Kelly Weldon, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl R Bucheli, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Kelly C. Wrighton, David O. Carter, Rob Knight, Jessica L. Metcalf
Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning
Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and...
Authors
Michala Lee Phillips, Cara Marie Lauria, Tova Spector, John B. Bradford, Catherine A. Gehring, Brooke B. Osborne, Armin J. Howell, Edmund E. Grote, Renee Rondeau, Gillian Trimber, Benjamin Robinson, Sasha C. Reed
The noise is the signal: Spatio-temporal variability of production and productivity in high elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of North America The noise is the signal: Spatio-temporal variability of production and productivity in high elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of North America
There are expectations that increasing temperatures will lead to significant changes in structure and function of montane meadows, including greater water stress on vegetation and lowered vegetation production and productivity. We evaluated spatio-temporal dynamics in production and productivity in meadows within the Sierra Nevada mountain range of North America by: (1) compiling Landsat...
Authors
Robert C. Klinger, Tom Stephenson, James Letchinger, Logan Stephenson, Sarah Jacobs
The evolution of glandularity as a defense against herbivores in the tarweed clade The evolution of glandularity as a defense against herbivores in the tarweed clade
Premise Glandular trichomes are implicated in direct and indirect defense of plants. However, the degree to which glandular and non-glandular trichomes have evolved as a consequence of herbivory remains unclear, because their heritability, their association with herbivore resistance, their trade-offs with one another, and their association with other functions are rarely quantified...
Authors
Ian Pearse, Eric LoPresti, Bruce Baldwin, Billy Krimmel
Multi-criteria decision approach for climate adaptation of cultural resources along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States: Application of AHP method Multi-criteria decision approach for climate adaptation of cultural resources along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States: Application of AHP method
Prioritizing climate adaptation actions is often made difficult by stakeholders and decision-makers having multiple objectives, some of which may be competing. Transparent, transferable, and objective methods are needed to assess and weight different objectives for complex decisions with multiple interests. In this study, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to examine...
Authors
Abu SMG Kibria, Erin Seekamp, Xiao Xiao, Soupy Dalyander, Mitchell J. Eaton
Guide to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sampling within Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Guide to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sampling within Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals with a nondegradable fluorinated carbon backbone that have been incorporated in countless industrial and commercial applications. Because PFAS are nondegradable, they have been detected in all environmental media, indicating extensive global contamination. The unique physiochemical properties of PFAS and their complex...
Authors
Erin L. Pulster, Sarah R. Bowman, Landon Keele, Jeffery A. Steevens
Assessing the probability of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) spawning in the Sandusky River using discharge and water temperature Assessing the probability of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) spawning in the Sandusky River using discharge and water temperature
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Val.) is an invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes region with the potential for damaging the lake ecosystem and harming the region's economy. Grass carp spawning was documented in the Sandusky River, Ohio, in 2015 through targeted egg sampling. Continued egg sampling in the Sandusky River suggested that grass carp spawning is related to...
Authors
Sabrina Jaffe, Song S. Qian, Christine M. Mayer, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Anarita Gouveia