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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: 42765

From critical minerals to food security, the benefits of data collaboration From critical minerals to food security, the benefits of data collaboration

The volume of data in the public geoscience sphere is rapidly and continually expanding. At Geoscience Australia (GA) we saw an over 500% increase in data points within our relational databases between 2018 and 2024, over the life of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. With the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, a continued increase in data quantity will be seen for...
Authors
Steph G. Hawkins, K Waltenberg, Catherine A. Stuart, Evgeniy Bastrakov, George N.D. Case, Jagoda Crawford, Lian Flick, Geoff Fraser, Christoph Gerber, Garth E. Graham, Kristin Guerin, Albert H. Hofstra, Cath Hughes, David L. Huston, Chris J.M. Lawley, Nina Welti, Bronwen Wang, Aaron Sedgmen, Vladimir A. Lisistin, Paul Abhijit, Tim Stobaus, Axel Suckow

Factors structuring macrofaunal communities of hydrocarbon seeps along the Cascadia margin Factors structuring macrofaunal communities of hydrocarbon seeps along the Cascadia margin

Cold seeps, fueled by hydrocarbon-based chemosynthesis, support unique benthic communities that can vary across small spatial scales influenced by local geochemistry. We examined the community structure and function of macrofauna in cold seeps along the Cascadia margin on the edge of gas hydrate stability—a dynamic environment that may fluctuate as seafloor temperatures change. These...
Authors
Penny Jo Mccowen, Jill R. Bourque, Donald C. Behringer, Nancy G. Prouty, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos

Detection and genetic characterization of red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus and a novel genotype of nervous necrosis virus in black sea bass from the U.S. Atlantic coast Detection and genetic characterization of red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus and a novel genotype of nervous necrosis virus in black sea bass from the U.S. Atlantic coast

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) causes a neurologic disease in a wide range of marine fish and poses serious disease risks to marine aquaculture worldwide. Little is known about the presence of NNV along the Atlantic coast of the United States, aside from the presence of barfin flounder nervous necrosis virus (BFNNV) in coldwater species in the northern part of this range. Herein we...
Authors
Jan Lovy, Miriam Abbadi, Anna Toffan, Nilanjana Das, James Neugebauer, William Batts, Peter Clarke

Causal interpretations can be based on mechanistic knowledge Causal interpretations can be based on mechanistic knowledge

There exists a long-standing disconnect between statistical and mechanistic approaches to the development of causal understanding. Statistical approaches, which have dominated the literature, have focused on the need to obtain perfectly unbiased estimates of causal effects often using either experimental, quasi-experimental or other methods. Mechanistic approaches have instead focused on
Authors
James Grace, Glenn Guntenspergen, Kevin Buffington, Justine Annaliese Neville, Karen M. Thorne, Michael J. Osland, Melinda Martinez, Joel Carr, Debra A. Willard

Movements and habitat use vary across the Rocky Mountain Population of trumpeter swans Movements and habitat use vary across the Rocky Mountain Population of trumpeter swans

The Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of trumpeter swans Cygnus buccinator (hereafter, swans) in North America includes breeders in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and other western states (together, United States segment) and western provinces of Canada (Canada segment). Conservation concern for the United States segment stems from its slow population growth and the resident nature of...
Authors
Sharon A. Poessel, Todd Sanders, William Long, Andrea Kristof, Brandon Reishus, Matt Proett, Claire Gower, Nicole Ibrahim, Todd E. Katzner

Assessing survey design for long-term population trend detection in piping plovers Assessing survey design for long-term population trend detection in piping plovers

Determining appropriate spatio-temporal scales for monitoring migratory shorebirds is challenging. Effective surveys must detect population trends without excessive or insufficient sampling, yet many programs lack formal evaluations of survey effectiveness. Using data from 2012 to 2019 on Louisiana’s barrier islands (Whiskey, west Raccoon, east Raccoon, and Trinity), we assessed how...
Authors
Eve Bohnett, Jessica Schulz, Robert C. Dobbs, Thomas Hoctor, Bilal Ahmad, Wajid Rashid, J. Hardin Waddle

Changes in aeolian saltation cloud properties with wind speed and ripples Changes in aeolian saltation cloud properties with wind speed and ripples

Aeolian sediment transport shapes landscapes on Earth and other planetary surfaces, yet key uncertainties remain in how the near-bed saltation cloud responds to changing wind and surface conditions. Leveraging recent advances in image-based particle tracking, we conducted wind tunnel experiments using high-speed imaging and Particle Tracking Velocimetry to quantify sand grain...
Authors
Madeline Margaret Kelley, Ian J. Walker, Mark W. Schmeeckle, Christy Swann, Ron Dorn, Michaela Roberts, Patrick O'Brien

Seasonal variation in bay-marsh sediment exchange through a back-barrier salt marsh tidal creek Seasonal variation in bay-marsh sediment exchange through a back-barrier salt marsh tidal creek

Salt marsh resilience to sea-level rise largely depends on the balance of sediment exchanges with surrounding bays. In this study, we investigate mechanisms that determine residual sediment fluxes using continuous measurements of bay-marsh sediment exchange conducted in a tidal creek spanning 13 months (753 tidal cycles) in an intertidal marsh recently subsidized with sediment via thin...
Authors
G.A. Snedden, S. Jarrell Smith

Placing environmental DNA monitoring for new detections into perspective: Fishes in the Milwaukee River, Wisconsin Placing environmental DNA monitoring for new detections into perspective: Fishes in the Milwaukee River, Wisconsin

Invasive species management frameworks, such as the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species, use monitoring programs to detect new species occurrences. Resource managers use environmental DNA (eDNA) as one tool for these monitoring programs. An eDNA detection in a new location may lack perspective for resource managers and researchers because of the rarity of potential...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Patrick W. DeHaan, Nicholas K. Frohnauer, Cari-Ann Hayer, Keta L. Oettinger, Tariq Tajjioui, Kyle M. Von Ruden, Hailey M. Willner, Stephen Frank Spear

Post-hatching maternal attendance in wild Burmese Pythons in southern Florida Post-hatching maternal attendance in wild Burmese Pythons in southern Florida

No abstract available.
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Mark Robert Sandfoss, John-Kaarli M. Rentof, Judith E. Baird-Lujano, Genesis Aponte Santiago, Jose A. Torres, Lisa Marie McBride, Matthew Fox Metcalf, Amanda Marie Kissel, Christina Romagosa, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Brandon L. Welty, Melissa A. Miller, Matthew F. McCollister, Frank J. Mazzotti, Kristen Hart

Exploring the importance of metapopulation dynamics with population control strategies for invasive silver carp in the upper Mississippi River Exploring the importance of metapopulation dynamics with population control strategies for invasive silver carp in the upper Mississippi River

Invasive bigheaded carps (Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and their hybrids Hypophthalmichthys spp.) currently infest the Mississippi River Basin. Bigheaded carps can outcompete native species in invaded waters and can also transform the surrounding environment. Currently, resource managers seek to limit the population abundance of...
Authors
Kassidy Frame, Gregory J. Sandland, Charles J. Labuzzetta, Grace L. Loppnow, Jessica C. Stanton, Yu-Chun Kao, Richard A. Erickson

Bioaccumulation and transfer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a stream and riparian food web contaminated by food processing wastewater Bioaccumulation and transfer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a stream and riparian food web contaminated by food processing wastewater

We evaluated the bioaccumulation and transfer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a stream food web contaminated by a food processing facility. Abiotic (i.e., water, sediment, and foam) and biotic (i.e., algae, aquatic insect larvae and adults, fish, and riparian spiders) matrices were sampled upstream and downstream of the facility’s wastewater outfall. Compared with...
Authors
Christopher James Kotalik, Laura E. Hubbard, Brittany G. Perrotta, David M. Walters, Dana W. Kolpin, James L. Gray, Alison M. Zachritz, Johanna M. Kraus, Carrie E. Givens, Gary A. Lamberti, Karen A. Kidd
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