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: 42697
Development of PCR blocking primers enabling DNA metabarcoding analysis of dietary composition in hematophagous sea lamprey Development of PCR blocking primers enabling DNA metabarcoding analysis of dietary composition in hematophagous sea lamprey
Conventional dietary assessments are challenging in hematophagous species, particularly in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). However, recent technological developments and molecular approaches have provided an attractive alternative through the use of DNA metabarcoding. While DNA metabarcoding has been used for dietary analyses in numerous species, including lampreys, applications of...
Authors
Conor O'Kane, Nicholas S. Johnson, Kim T. Scribner, Jeannette Kanefsky, Weiming Li, John D. Robinson
Invasive hitchhiking organisms on aquarium plants: An emerging pathway of introduction Invasive hitchhiking organisms on aquarium plants: An emerging pathway of introduction
The aquarium trade is a global industry responsible for the movement of live plants and animals, but it also serves as a major pathway for the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species. Invasive species contribute to biodiversity loss, disrupt ecosystems, and can have widespread economic and societal impacts. A significant but poorly understood invasion risk in the plant...
Authors
Kathryn A. O'Shaughnessy, Wesley Daniel, Zoey C.W. Hendrickson, Samantha N. Smith, Ashley M. McDonald, Charles W. Martin
A compilation pipeline for wildlife tracking datasets collected from ground-based and satellite-based telemetry transmission devices A compilation pipeline for wildlife tracking datasets collected from ground-based and satellite-based telemetry transmission devices
Wildlife conservation planning increasingly requires collaboration and integration of research from discrete studies spanning large geographic areas. Tracking datasets are essential for analyzing animal movements and species distributions in relation to environmental conditions and combining them can enable powerful analyses to further aid planning efforts. However, combining datasets...
Authors
Gregory T. Wann, Ashley L. Whipple, Michael S. O’Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge
Assessing policy effectiveness trends in nonindigenous aquatic species introduction in the Ohio River basin Assessing policy effectiveness trends in nonindigenous aquatic species introduction in the Ohio River basin
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) create costly, detrimental effects when established. Recognition of this in the United States reached a threshold in 1990 with the federal passage of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act. This act created six regional panels, the national Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, and incentivized state-level AIS planning. The management...
Authors
Abigail N. Clasgens, Brent A. Murry, Kaylyn Zipp, Caroline C. Arantes, Matthew Neilson
Shifts in suitability of pinyon-juniper communities: A climate adaptation framework for range-wide management of arid woodland resources Shifts in suitability of pinyon-juniper communities: A climate adaptation framework for range-wide management of arid woodland resources
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a diverse ecosystem type providing a wealth of ecosystem services across western North America. Managing PJ woodlands in the 21st century entails balancing multiple conservation objectives, and resource managers and policy-makers working to sustain PJ woodlands need spatially explicit information about current PJ woodland conditions and how they may be...
Authors
Adam Roy Noel, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Ian P. Barrett, Michael C. Duniway, Jodi R. Norris, Chris T. Domschke, Brad J. Butterfield, Megan C. Swan, Kim Hartwig, Michelle R. Crist, John B. Bradford
Cryptic CAM photosynthesis in Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia, Y. jaegeriana) Cryptic CAM photosynthesis in Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia, Y. jaegeriana)
Joshua trees are long-lived perennial monocots native to the Mojave Desert in North America. Composed of two species, Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana (Asparagaceae), Joshua trees are imperiled by climate change, with decreases in suitable habitat predicted under future climate change scenarios. Relatively little is understood about the ecophysiology of Joshua trees across their range...
Authors
Karolina Heyduk, Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla, Bridget Hennessy, Madeline Czymmek, Edward V. McAssey, Chase Kane, G. Young Kim, Ifeoluwa Sogunle, Lulu Heublein, Dhriti Sriram, Bryan MacNeill, Michael T. Hren, Todd C. Esque, Jeremy B. Yoder, Michael R. McKain, Christopher Irwin Smith, Lesley A. DeFalco
Regional differentiation in somatic growth and maturation attributes for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic Regional differentiation in somatic growth and maturation attributes for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic
The ages and sizes at which organisms mature have significant implications for lifetime reproductive success. For species at risk of extinction, such as sea turtles, these attributes can ultimately impact probability of population persistence. Within the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the broader loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) population comprises management units both along the US...
Authors
Larisa Avens, Margaret Lamont, Allen M. Foley, Benjamin M. Higgins, Lyndsey N. Howell, Gretchen Lovewell, Donna J. Shaver, Brian A. Stacy, J. Shelby Walker, Jamie M. Clark, Amy A. Wallace, Hannah B. Vander Zanden
Integrating hunter dynamics and waterfowl dynamics to inform harvest management Integrating hunter dynamics and waterfowl dynamics to inform harvest management
The successful conservation and management of North American waterfowl relies upon an adaptive harvest management framework that accounts for changes in the system state and critical uncertainties related to the dynamics of waterfowl populations and habitats. Increasing recognition of the importance of the human dimensions of the harvest process, particularly those related to hunters...
Authors
Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Patrick K. Devers, G. Scott Boomer, Michael Runge
RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) switch points and triggers for adaptation planning RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) switch points and triggers for adaptation planning
Climate change is transforming ecosystems globally. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework has gained traction within many natural resource management institutions to help consider the decision space in response to this transformation. Because RAD helps manage for directional change, RAD choices entail considering which RAD pathway to implement and for how long. For example, one may...
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, Jaime Ashander, Anthony Ciocco, Amanda E. Cravens, Colin J. Dassow, Laura E. Dee, Jason B. Dunham, Mitchell J. Eaton, Holly Susan Embke, Joseph M. Hennessy, Alexander W. Latzka, David J Lawrence, Jeremy Littell, Brian W. Miller, Luca Palasti, Michael Runge, Gregory Sass, Aaron D. Shultz, Katherine Siegel, Leona Kay Svancara, Laura Thompson, Lindsey Thurman, Jackson Brear Valler, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Heather M. Yocum
Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan
Preface This report was developed to evaluate the performance of a set of proposed alternatives for Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (bison) management at the National Elk Refuge (NER) in Wyoming, U.S.A., and to inform a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement focused on developing the next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” (BEMP). The U.S...
Predictions of elk and chronic wasting disease dynamics at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas Predictions of elk and chronic wasting disease dynamics at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Elk Refuge (NER) in Jackson, Wyoming, supplementally feeds Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (American bison) during winter months, but the costs and benefits of this management strategy are being reevaluated considering the potential effects of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on elk. U.S. Geological Survey scientists worked with...
Authors
Paul C. Cross, Jonathan D. Cook, Eric K. Cole
Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
We evaluated measurable attributes describing the current and future distribution of Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) across a region surrounding Jackson, Wyoming, for five feedground management alternatives proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a revision to the 2007 “Bison and Elk Management Plan” of the National Elk Refuge. A resource selection function evaluated measurable
Authors
Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Tabitha A. Graves