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: 43466
Loss of ecosystem resistance to invasion after wildfire facilitated by a pulse of soil nitrogen availability: Experimental evidence in the burned sagebrush steppe Loss of ecosystem resistance to invasion after wildfire facilitated by a pulse of soil nitrogen availability: Experimental evidence in the burned sagebrush steppe
The impacts of climate shifts on ecosystems dominated by long-lived perennials are likely most pronounced during community reassembly after disturbances such as fire and confounded by interactions between disturbances and plant community composition. A 30-year-experimental hydroclimate manipulation of multiple sagebrush steppe communities was completely consumed by a 2019 wildfire...
Authors
Toby Matthew Maxwell, Matthew Germino, Marie-Anne de Graaff
Recent range expansion and documentation of a reproductive population of northern snakehead Channa argus (Cantor, 1842) in the Saint Francis River Drainage, Missouri Recent range expansion and documentation of a reproductive population of northern snakehead Channa argus (Cantor, 1842) in the Saint Francis River Drainage, Missouri
Northern snakehead Channa argus (Cantor, 1842) is an aquatic invasive fish species in the United States with first documented occurrence in the wild in the 2000s. Management efforts to control their populations in the eastern United States are ongoing. In the Mississippi River basin, limited resources have been allocated to control its distribution, after initial detection and rapid...
Authors
Edward M. Sterling, Taylor A. Bookout, Erin Holmes, Neil Baalman, Cody Henderson, Patrick Kroboth
Anuran occupancy of created wetlands within reforested legacy surface mines in Kentucky and West Virginia Anuran occupancy of created wetlands within reforested legacy surface mines in Kentucky and West Virginia
Restoration of habitat is an important component of wildlife management. Surface coal mining has altered forest cover in the Central Appalachians, and most reclamation activities on previously mined lands result in non-native grasslands or shrub lands. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), which emphasizes non-native vegetation removal, soil decompaction, planting of native trees and...
Authors
Jillian C. Newman, Steven J. Price, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Joshua Castle, John J. Cox, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Christopher D. Barton
Genomic evidence for local adaptation to elevation and climate sheds new light on variable responses to global change in American pikas (Ochotona princeps) Genomic evidence for local adaptation to elevation and climate sheds new light on variable responses to global change in American pikas (Ochotona princeps)
No abstract available.
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Elizabeth Osterhoudt, Ethan B. Linck
Conducting feasibility assessments of potential conservation reintroductions: A case study with the imperiled foothill yellow-legged frog, Rana boylii Conducting feasibility assessments of potential conservation reintroductions: A case study with the imperiled foothill yellow-legged frog, Rana boylii
Conservation translocations are an increasingly common and often necessary component of recovering species that have become extirpated from portions of their range. Understanding and ameliorating potential threats that reduce the likelihood of successful population establishment at recipient sites is a key component of successful translocation planning. We examined multiple potential...
Authors
Daniel Macias, Patrick M. Kleeman, Michelle L. Hladik, Kelly L. Smalling, Paul G. Johnson, Daniel A. Grear, Jonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead
Genetic biocontrol strategy considerations for mosquito control in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories Genetic biocontrol strategy considerations for mosquito control in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories
Mosquito-borne diseases pose an existential threat to the health, economies, and unique ecosystems of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). The remoteness of these islands, combined with the presence of highly competent mosquito vectors, complicates disease surveillance and vector control efforts. In response, the PICTs have become a focal point for the development and...
Authors
Adam E Vorsino, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Limb Hapairai, Hervé Bossin, Mona Renee Bellinger
Hydrologic dynamics of ephemerally flooded playas in a dryland environment Hydrologic dynamics of ephemerally flooded playas in a dryland environment
Ephemerally flooded playas are common in the southwestern United States and globally in drylands. Often formed in closed basins, playas are depressions which inundate infrequently from local precipitation and streamflow produced near the playa or from upland areas. Few studies have quantified the hydrologic connectivity between upland catchments and playas using observations. Here, we...
Authors
Charles R. Kimsal, Enrique R. Vivoni, Osvaldo E. Sala, H. Curtis Monger, Owen P. McKenna
Monitoring recreation on federally managed lands and waters—Aspects of visitor use Monitoring recreation on federally managed lands and waters—Aspects of visitor use
Federally managed public lands and waters receive about 1 billion recreational visits each year. Data on these visitors can aid in guiding policy decisions, managing resources effectively, and communicating the economic contributions of lands and waters. This report explores the methods used by agencies to collect data on aspects of recreational visitor use to Federal lands and waters...
Authors
Emily J. Wilkins, Dieta Hanson, Whitney Boone, Spencer A. Wood, Christian Crowley, Rudy Schuster
Quantifying post-fire live tree presence and spatial variation using Sentinel-2 time series Quantifying post-fire live tree presence and spatial variation using Sentinel-2 time series
Accurate mapping of post-fire surviving trees is important for tracking forest recovery and prioritizing land management decisions. Satellite-based remote sensing is an effective method to assess post-fire forest conditions. Traditionally, differenced satellite-derived burn severity indices are computed by differencing one year pre- and post-fire spectral reflectance values. Differenced...
Authors
Saba J. Saberi, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Christopher Y.S. Wong, Andrew M. Latimer, Derek J.N. Young
More water, more of the time: Spatial changes in flooding over 83 years in the upper Mississippi River floodplain and relationships with streamgage-derived proxies More water, more of the time: Spatial changes in flooding over 83 years in the upper Mississippi River floodplain and relationships with streamgage-derived proxies
The hydrologic regime of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) has become wetter, with greater discharges, longer-lasting high-flow conditions, and seasonal shifts in these patterns over the past several decades. How these changes are expressed spatially as floodplain inundation area, frequency, depth, duration, and timing is not well understood. It is also unclear to what degree spatial...
Authors
Molly Van Appledorn, Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Daniel Griffin
Improved abundance trajectories with Bayesian population dynamics model: Case study with a Hawaiian honeycreeper Improved abundance trajectories with Bayesian population dynamics model: Case study with a Hawaiian honeycreeper
Many wildlife monitoring programmes collect annual data on population abundance. The resulting abundance estimates fluctuate over time partly because of true population change and partly because of observation error. These two components of variation can be separated by fitting the estimates to a population dynamics model within a Bayesian state-space modelling framework. By constraining...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Len Thomas, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
Unveiling a legacy of fish introductions to mountain lakes using historical records and eDNA surveys in a National Park Unveiling a legacy of fish introductions to mountain lakes using historical records and eDNA surveys in a National Park
Across the western United States, introductions of non-native fish into historically fishless mountain lakes have impacted native biota. Understanding the impacts of fish introductions is essential for conservation in Olympic National Park, a Biosphere Reserve. We reconstructed fish plantings using records dating back to 1930, followed by environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys to estimate the...
Authors
Samuel J. Brenkman, Jeffrey J. Duda, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Katie E. Kierczynski, Marshal S. Hoy, Trevor J. Kumec, William Baccus, Caren Suzanne Goldberg, Carl O. Ostberg, Steven C. Fradkin