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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: 42729

Invasive sea lamprey detection and characterization using interdigitated electrode (IDE) contact sensor Invasive sea lamprey detection and characterization using interdigitated electrode (IDE) contact sensor

The ability to monitor invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes is critical to protecting the region’s $ 7 billion USD fishing industry and preserving its biodiversity. Monitoring these invaders requires considerable fieldwork and human power, making remote lamprey detection systems attractive for their continuous monitoring capabilities and...
Authors
Ian Gonzalez-Afanador, Hongyang Shi, Christopher Holbrook, Xiaobo Tan, Nelson Sepulveda

Influencing activity of bats by dimly lighting wind turbine surfaces with ultraviolet light Influencing activity of bats by dimly lighting wind turbine surfaces with ultraviolet light

Wind energy producers need deployable devices for wind turbines that prevent bat fatalities. Based on the speculation that bats approach turbines after visually mistaking them for trees, we tested a potential light-based deterrence method. It is likely that the affected bats see ultraviolet (UV) light at low intensities. Here, we present the results of a multi-month experiment to cast...
Authors
Paul M. Cryan, Marcos Gorresen, Bethany Straw, Syhoune Thao, Elise DeGeorge

Plant community succession following ungulate exclusion in a temperate rainforest Plant community succession following ungulate exclusion in a temperate rainforest

Ecosystem structure and processes of coastal temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest are thought to be strongly influenced by herbivory primarily of Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) and secondarily of Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). Two large (0.5-ha) exclosures were built in old-growth coniferous rainforest communities in Olympic National...
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Kurt Jenkins, Mark E Harmon

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

The key to Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) management is providing large grasslands and wetlands, particularly those that can support high densities of voles (Microtus species). Short-eared Owls have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 7–47 cm visual obstruction reading, 31–85 percent grass cover, 8–26 percent forb cover, less than 18...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. Euliss

Growth, survival, and cohort formation of juvenile Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2019 Monitoring Report Growth, survival, and cohort formation of juvenile Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2019 Monitoring Report

Populations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir (hereinafter, Clear Lake), California, are experiencing long-term decreases in abundance. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing not only due to adult mortality, which is relatively low, but also because they are...
Authors
Ryan J. Bart, Caylen M. Kelsey, Summer M. Burdick, Marshal S. Hoy, Carl O. Ostberg

Synthesis of habitat availability and carrying capacity research to support water management decisions and enhance conditions for Pacific salmon in the Willamette River, Oregon Synthesis of habitat availability and carrying capacity research to support water management decisions and enhance conditions for Pacific salmon in the Willamette River, Oregon

Flow management is complex in the Willamette River Basin where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates a system of 13 dams and reservoirs (hereinafter Willamette Project), which are spread throughout three large tributaries including the Middle Fork Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam Rivers. The primary purpose of the Willamette Project is flood-risk management, which provides...
Authors
Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry, Gabriel S. Hansen, James White, Laurel E. Stratton Garvin, J. Rose Wallick

Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment

For the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), genetic population structure is an area of research that has not received significant attention, especially in Southwest Alaska where that distinct population segment has been listed as threatened since 2005 pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In this study, 501 samples from 14 locations from Prince William Sound, Alaska to the Commander...
Authors
Blair G. Flannery, Ora L. Russ, Michelle St. Martin, William S. Beatty, Kristen Worman, Joel Garlich-Miller, Verena A. Gill, Patrick R. Lemons, Daniel Monson, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Esler, John Wenburg

Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers

Capture vulnerability of commercial and recreational fishes has been associated with behavioral, morphological, and life-history traits; however, relationships with non-target species, such as sea turtles, have not been adequately studied. We examined species composition, timing of captures, morphological variables including body size and head width, and body condition of sea turtles...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Robert Michael Mollenhauer, Allen M. Foley

Estimating actual evapotranspiration over croplands using vegetation index methods and dynamic harvested area Estimating actual evapotranspiration over croplands using vegetation index methods and dynamic harvested area

Advances in estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETa) with remote sensing (RS) have contributed to improving hydrological, agricultural, and climatological studies. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of Vegetation-Index (VI) -based ETa (ET-VI) for mapping and monitoring drought in arid agricultural systems in a region where a lack of ground data hampers ETa work. To map ETa...
Authors
Neda Abbasi, Hamideh Nouri, Kamel Didan, Armando Barreto Munez, Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni, Hamidreza Salemi, Christian Opp, Stefan Siebert, Pamela L. Nagler

Effects of stream intermittency on minnow (Leuciscidae) and darter (Percidae) trophic dynamics in an agricultural watershed Effects of stream intermittency on minnow (Leuciscidae) and darter (Percidae) trophic dynamics in an agricultural watershed

Stream intermittency is predicted to increase where water withdrawals and climate warming are increasing. In regions coupled with high fish diversity, understanding how intermittency influences fish trophic ecology is critical for informing ecosystem function. This study compared fish diets across seasons in perennial and intermittent streams to estimate the immediate and cumulative...
Authors
Christine E. Fallon, Krista A. Capps, Mary Freeman, Chelsea R. Smith, Stephen W. Golladay

Golden eagle population surveys in the vicinity of the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California, 2014–21 Golden eagle population surveys in the vicinity of the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California, 2014–21

Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are among the highest profile species killed by collisions with wind turbines at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in the northern Diablo Range of west-central California. Understanding the distribution, site occupancy, and nesting status of eagles near the APWRA is needed to identify and minimize possible population-level impacts. We...
Authors
J. David Wiens, Patrick S. Kolar

Whence Orycteropus? The correct authorship and date for the generic name of the aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata, Orycteropodidae) Whence Orycteropus? The correct authorship and date for the generic name of the aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata, Orycteropodidae)

All else being equal, the principle of priority in zoological taxonomic nomenclature gives precedence to the earliest name for a particular taxon. Determining the origin of some late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century taxonomic names, however, can be vexing, particularly when the history of a name was never completely documented in contemporary synonymies. The authorship and date...
Authors
Neal Woodman
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