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: 42712
Causes of variability in suspended‐sand concentration evaluated using measurements in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon Causes of variability in suspended‐sand concentration evaluated using measurements in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Rivers commonly exhibit substantial variability in suspended‐sand concentration, even at constant water discharge. Here we derive an approach for evaluating how much of this variability arises from mean bed‐sand grain size. We apply this approach to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, where discharge‐independent concentration of suspended sand varies by more than a factor of 23 (N = 1.4...
Authors
David M. Rubin, Daniel D. Buscombe, Scott Wright, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, J.E. Hazel, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Robert B. Tusso
Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing...
Authors
Daniel E. Winkler, Jayne Belnap, Michael C. Duniway, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Hannah Yokum, Richard Gill
Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest
Two tortoise species native to the American southwest have experienced significant habitat loss from development and are vulnerable to ongoing threats associated with continued development. Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, and Sonoran desert tortoises G. morafkai are protected in Arizona (USA) and Mexico. Substantial...
Authors
Sarah K. Carter, Kenneth Nussear, Todd Esque, Ian IF Leinwand, Elroy H. Masters, Richard D. Inman, Natasha B. Carr, Linda J. Allison
Vegetation sampling and management Vegetation sampling and management
What is the utility of vegetation measurements for wildlife managers? In the prairie, savanna, tundra, forest, steppe, and wetland regions of the world, mixtures of plant species provide wildlife with food, cover and, in some circumstances, water; the 3 essential habitat elements necessary to sustain viable wildlife populations. We define habitat in reference to use of a vegetation type...
Authors
Kenneth F. Higgins, Kurt Jenkins, Daniel W. Uresk, Lora B. Perkins, Kent C. Jensen, Jack E. Norland, Robert W. Klaver, David E. Naugle
Conservation genetics and molecular ecology in wildlife management Conservation genetics and molecular ecology in wildlife management
No abstract available.
Authors
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Emily K. Latch, Paul L. Leberg
Biotelemetry data for Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured in coastal southern California, February 2017–December 2019 Biotelemetry data for Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured in coastal southern California, February 2017–December 2019
Because of a lack of clarity about the status of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in coastal southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, and San Diego Management and Monitoring Program, began a multi-year survey and tracking program of golden eagles to...
Authors
Jeff A. Tracey, Melanie C. Madden, James C. Molden, Jeremy B. Sebes, Peter H. Bloom, Robert N. Fisher
A not so sudden impact—Historical relations between conifers and insects can help predict damage by nonnative insects A not so sudden impact—Historical relations between conifers and insects can help predict damage by nonnative insects
The arrival and establishment of nonnative insects in North America is increasingly problematic. International trade has created opportunities to move wood products and nursery stock worldwide, which has increased the risk of insect introduction to regions or countries where they are not native. One group of researchers, the High-impact Insect Invasions Working Group (HIIWG), has...
Authors
Lekeah A. Durden, Ashley N. Schulz, Angela M. Mech, Kathryn A. Thomas
A standard operating procedure for the preparation of purposely killed juvenile salmon used to test survival model assumptions A standard operating procedure for the preparation of purposely killed juvenile salmon used to test survival model assumptions
This document describes a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the preparation of purposely killed juvenile salmon, implanted with telemetry transmitters, to be released into rivers, lakes, or streams to test one of the survival model assumptions. Procedures for releases of purposely killed fish (hereinafter dead fish releases) were developed by staff from the U.S. Geological Survey’s...
Authors
Ryan G. Tomka, Theresa L. Liedtke, Conrad Frost, Collin D. Smith
A guidebook to spatial datasets for conservation planning under climate change in the Pacific Northwest A guidebook to spatial datasets for conservation planning under climate change in the Pacific Northwest
This guidebook provides user-friendly overviews of a variety of spatial datasets relevant to conservation and management of natural resources in the face of climate change in the Pacific Northwest, United States. Each guidebook chapter was created using a standardized template to summarize a spatial dataset or a group of closely related datasets. Datasets were selected according to...
Authors
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Travis Belote, Kyle W. Blasch, Steve Campbell, Jeanne C. Chambers, Raymond J. Davis, Solomon Dobrowski, Jason B. Dunham, Diana Gergel, Daniel Isaak, Kristin Jaeger, Meade Krosby, Jesse Langdon, Joshua J. Lawler, Caitlin E. Littlefield, Charles H. Luce, Jeremy D Maestas, Anthony Martinez, Arjan J.H. Meddens, Julia Michalak, Sean A. Parks, Wendy Peterman, Ken Popper, Chris Ringo, Roy Sando, Michael Schindel, Diana Stralberg, David M. Theobald, Nathan Walker, Chad Wilsey, Zhiqiang Yang, Andrew Yost
Thiamine concentrations in lake trout and Atlantic salmon eggs during 14 years following the invasion of alewife in Lake Champlain Thiamine concentrations in lake trout and Atlantic salmon eggs during 14 years following the invasion of alewife in Lake Champlain
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in Great Lakes salmonines has been linked to consumption of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Thiamine deficiency has been recognized as a possible impediment to lake trout Salvelinus namaycush recruitment in the Great Lakes and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar recruitment in the Finger Lakes and Baltic Sea. Alewife invaded Lake Champlain in 2003 which provided an
Authors
Bret J. Ladago, Matthew H. Futia, William R. Ardren, Dale C. Honeyfield, Kevin P. Kelsey, Carrie L. Kozel, Stephen Riley, Jacques Rinchard, Donald E. Tillitt, James L. Zajicek, J. Ellen Marsden
Integrating perspectives to understand lake ice dynamics in a changing world Integrating perspectives to understand lake ice dynamics in a changing world
Ice cover plays a critical role in physical, biogeochemical, and ecological processes in lakes. Despite its importance, winter limnology remains relatively understudied. Here, we provide a primer on the predominant drivers of freshwater lake ice cover and the current methodologies used to study lake ice, including in situ and remote sensing observations, physical based models, and...
Authors
Sapna Sharma, Michael F. Meyer, Joshua Culpepper, Xiao Yang, Stephanie Hampton, Stella A. Berger, Matthew R. Brousil, Steven C. Fradkin, Scott N. Higgins, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Georgiy Kirillin, Adrianne P Smits, Emily C. Whitaker, Foad Yousef, Shuai Zhang
DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses
Environmental conditions in the Chukchi Sea are changing rapidly and may alter the abundance and distribution of marine species and their benthic prey. We used a metabarcoding approach to identify potentially important prey taxa from Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) fecal samples (n = 87). Bivalvia was the most dominant class of prey (66% of all normalized counts) and...
Authors
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Chadwick V. Jay, Robert S. Cornman, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Sandra L. Talbot