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: 43463
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
At the leading edge: Advancing and bridging the science and management of range-shifting species At the leading edge: Advancing and bridging the science and management of range-shifting species
Climate-mediated shifts in species distributions are reshaping ecosystems worldwide, creating major challenges for conservation and resource management. These range shifts have far-reaching ecological and socio-economic consequences, requiring managers to address complex ecological dynamics while navigating diverse regulatory and value systems. Despite growing attention, key gaps remain...
Authors
Lise Comte, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura M. Thompson, Jackson Brear Valler, Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Casey C. O'Hara, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Abigail J. Lynch, T.J. Clark-Wolf, Ophelie Ocouriot, Solomon Z. Dobrowski, Laura L. Figueroa, Gabriel M. Filippelli, Heather E. Johnson, Meade Krosby, Joshua J. Lawlor, David A. Moeller, Sean A. Parks, Elliott W. Parsons, Jeremy D. Ross, Brett R. Scheffers, Helen R. Sofaer, Erica Francis Stuber, Shawn Carter
Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska
The northeastern Brooks Range is a vast fold-thrust belt that records the northernmost expression of Cenozoic deformation in Alaska, likely with complex dynamic linkages to distant tectonic elements. The principal focus of this manuscript is the Marsh Creek anticline (MCA), which is a large and recently active structure within the broader northeastern Brooks Range. The MCA is a complex...
Authors
William H. Craddock, Julie C Fosdick, Christopher D. Connors, Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Megan Mueller, Andrew R C Kylander-Clark
Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements
The spatial patterns of fire effects and tree mortality have profound consequences for forest resilience. Cost-effective, medium-resolution, and spatiotemporally extensive fire severity measurements are essential for informing post-fire restoration and improving our understanding of wildfires—from forest stands to continents and from days to decades. Remote sensing advancements have...
Authors
Sara Winsemius, Yufang Jin, Hugh D. Safford, Michelle C. Agne, Robert A. Andrus, C. Alina Cansler, Anthony C. Caprio, W. Wallace Covington, Joseph E. Crouse, Calvin A. Farris, Peter Z. Fulé, Brian J. Harvey, Sharon M. Hood, David W. Huffman, Emma J. McClure, Alicia L. Reiner, John P. Roccaforte, Saba J. Saberi, Michael T. Stoddard, Laura Trader, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Michael J. Koontz
Plant diversity shifts with drying and wetting cycles following removal of poplar plantations in Dongting Lake, China Plant diversity shifts with drying and wetting cycles following removal of poplar plantations in Dongting Lake, China
Dongting Lake, the second largest lake in China, plays a crucial role in maintaining regional ecological security by providing key habitats for waterbirds. This study examined how hydrology and topography (ditches and mounds) together generate fine-scale wet–dry gradients that shape species establishment and successional trajectories. Over the past decade, vegetation restoration has been
Authors
Xueer Ma, Chenchen Liu, Lingli Peng, Chengzhu Liu, Beth A. Middleton, Ting Lei
Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires
Wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada during 2020–2021 killed giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at rates unseen for millennia, underscoring the vulnerability of highly fire-adapted trees to ongoing environmental change. Following a century of fire exclusion and fuel accumulation, the effectiveness of prescribed burns in reducing giant sequoia mortality from wildfire remained...
Authors
Dan J. Dixon, Adrian J. Das, Xiaoli Dong, Andrew M. Latimer, David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Nathan L. Stephenson, Anthony C. Caprio, Yufang Jin
Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels
Aim: Trait-based approaches are increasingly recognized as a tool for understanding species’ vulnerabilities to intensifying global change. For species with complex life histories that involve a parasitic life stage, a combination of traits associated with either the host or parasite could influence extinction risk. Location: United States of America Taxon: Freshwater mussels are a...
Authors
Garrett W. Hopper, Sean M. Keogh, Carla L. Atkinson, Traci P. DuBose, Jeffrey D. Lozier, John M. Pfeiffer, Irene Sánchez González
Mesophotic octocoral larval settlement preferences and behaviors Mesophotic octocoral larval settlement preferences and behaviors
Introduction Lab-based coral reproduction is advancing restoration efforts to support coral populations injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Objectives This study aimed to answer foundational questions concerning coral spawning and larval settlement that need to be resolved for these mesophotic and deep-sea coral species before restoration efforts can be scaled up. Methods...
Authors
Mark McCauley, Julia Johnstone, William G. Jenkins, Jayci Grosso, Arielle Pollock, Jonathan Mark Quigley, Leigh-Anne Christine Carlson, Christopher L. Gardner, Peter J. Etnoyer, Kristopher G. Benson, Amanda J. Demopoulos
Resurvey of cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park, Colorado and Utah Resurvey of cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park, Colorado and Utah
This study resurveyed ten previously established cross sections and established eight new cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park to document changes in channel width, depth, and area since earlier surveys conducted in 1994. The measured area of the channel cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park generally increased between the initial surveys and 2019. This increase in...
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema, Keith A. Kohl
A Lake Charr pangenome reveals highly conserved Ohnologs as drivers of phenotypic diversity A Lake Charr pangenome reveals highly conserved Ohnologs as drivers of phenotypic diversity
Whole-genome duplication (WGD) is hypothesized to spur evolutionary diversification by producing genome-wide duplicate gene sets (Ohnologs) that are initially functionally redundant but can diverge markedly as the effects of relaxed selection accumulate over time. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, in part because genomic studies often reconstruct Ohnolog evolution over...
Authors
Christopher Osborne, Nathan J.C. Backenstose, Daniel J. MacGuigan, Steven J Fleck, Brian F. Lantry, Victor A. Albert, Dimitry Gorsky, Trevor J Krabbenhoft
Satellite observations reveal widespread alteration of river thermal regimes by U.S. dams Satellite observations reveal widespread alteration of river thermal regimes by U.S. dams
Dams are well known to alter river thermal regimes, but assessments of downstream temperature changes have been constrained to single dams, single basins, or specific seasonal windows, thus limiting knowledge of their widespread impacts. We used satellite-based thermal infrared observations to quantify river surface temperature differences up- and downstream of 287 large dams in the...
Authors
Emily A. Ellis, George H. Allen, Christian E. Torgersen, Katie A. McQuillan
Stream temperature variability in headwater beaver dam complexes in relation to hydrologic and environmental factors Stream temperature variability in headwater beaver dam complexes in relation to hydrologic and environmental factors
Beaver modify hydrological regimes and have the ability to both increase water storage and alter stream temperatures. For these reasons, beaver translocation and the construction of human engineered beaver-dam analogs (BDAs) have become popular tools for climate-change adaptation. However, there is a lack of understanding about how beaver engineering affects stream temperature. The...
Authors
Catherine D.O. Means, Christian E. Torgersen, Joshua J. Lawler, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Benjamin J. Dittbrenner