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
Gut contents from multiple morphs of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) at two offshore shoals in Lake Superior Gut contents from multiple morphs of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) at two offshore shoals in Lake Superior
Four lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, Walbaum 1792 morphs occur in Lake Superior: lean, siscowet, humper, and redfin. Diets of lean and siscowet have been relatively well described. However, less is known about diets of humper and redfin, and overall few studies have been conducted at offshore shoals. We compared gut content data among mature (357–867 mm) sympatric lake trout morphs...
Authors
Mark Vinson, John P. Hoffmann, A. M. Muir, Caroline Lynn Rosinski, C. C. Krueger, C.R. Bronte, M.J. Hansen, S. P. Sitar, Allen E. W., L.F. Baker, H. Swanson
Direct and indirect effects of fire on eastern box turtles Direct and indirect effects of fire on eastern box turtles
Prescribed fire is an increasingly important management tool for eastern deciduous forests, but relativity little is known about the direct effects of fire on the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). We used very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to monitor mortality, movement, and spatial ecology of 118 box turtles in response to 17 prescribed fires across 4 seasons and 3...
Authors
K. Harris, Joseph D. Clark, R. Elmore, C.A. Harper
Brackish tidal marsh management and the ecology of a declining freshwater turtle Brackish tidal marsh management and the ecology of a declining freshwater turtle
Water management practices in tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California are often aimed at increasing suitable habitat for threatened fish species and sport fishes. However, little is known about how best to manage habitat for other sensitive status species like the semiaquatic freshwater Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) that is declining throughout much of its...
Authors
Mickey Agha, Charles Yackulic, Melissa K. Riley, Blair Peterson, Brian D Todd
Estimating inundation of small waterbodies with sub-pixel analysis of Landsat imagery: Long-term trends in surface water area and evaluation of common drought indices Estimating inundation of small waterbodies with sub-pixel analysis of Landsat imagery: Long-term trends in surface water area and evaluation of common drought indices
Small waterbodies are numerically dominant in many landscapes and provide several important ecosystem services, but automated measurement of waterbodies smaller than a standard Landsat pixel (0.09 ha) remains challenging. To further evaluate sub‐Landsat pixel techniques for estimating inundation extent of small waterbodies (basin area: 0.06–1.79 ha), we used a partial spectral unmixing...
Authors
Ibrahima Sall, Christopher J. Jarchow, Brent H. Sigafus, Lisa A Eby, Michael James Forzley, Blake R. Hossack
Preserving connectivity under climate and land-use change: No one-size-fits-all approach for focal species in similar habitats Preserving connectivity under climate and land-use change: No one-size-fits-all approach for focal species in similar habitats
Habitat connectivity is essential for maintaining populations of wildlife species, especially as climate changes. Knowledge about the fate of existing habitat networks in a changing climate and in light of land-use change is critical for determining which types of conservation actions must be taken to maintain those networks. However, information is lacking about how multiple focal...
Authors
Jennifer K. Costanza, James I. Watling, Ron Sutherland, Curtis Belyea, Bistra Dilkina, Heather Cayton, David N. Bucklin, Stephanie Romanach, Nick M. Haddad
Linkages between temperature, macroinvertebrates, and young-of-year Coho Salmon growth in surface-water and groundwater streams Linkages between temperature, macroinvertebrates, and young-of-year Coho Salmon growth in surface-water and groundwater streams
Ecological resources for fishes in stream food webs shift over space and time, providing a complex template of available resources that can be used for growth. We tracked water temperature in conjunction with young-of-year Coho Salmon size, growth, and diet in 2 streams with contrasting thermal regimes: a groundwater stream with colder temperatures and lower thermal variability all year...
Authors
E. Y. Campbell, Jason B. Dunham, G H Reeves
Land-cover and climatic controls on water temperature, flow permanence, and fragmentation of Great Basin stream networks Land-cover and climatic controls on water temperature, flow permanence, and fragmentation of Great Basin stream networks
The seasonal and inter-annual variability of flow presence and water temperature within headwater streams of the Great Basin of the western United States limit the occurrence and distribution of coldwater fish and other aquatic species. To evaluate changes in flow presence and water temperature during seasonal dry periods, we developed spatial stream network (SSN) models from remotely...
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Jason B. Dunham, Christian E. Torgersen, David P Hockman-Wert, Michael Heck, Justin Martin Thorson, Jeffrey Michael Mintz, Todd Allai
Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of...
Authors
Clint Otto, Autumn H. Smart, Robert S. Cornman, Michael Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz
Shallow lake management enhanced habitat and attracted waterbirds during fall migration Shallow lake management enhanced habitat and attracted waterbirds during fall migration
Lake water levels are often managed in shallow lakes in order to improve water quality and promote aquatic vegetation that presumably benefits water birds. We aimed to understand whether waterbird abundance and species richness during fall migrations were positively influenced by managed lake water levels at 32 shallow lakes over 10 years. We conducted annual waterbird surveys that...
Authors
Danelle M. Larson, Steven D. Cordts, Nicole Hansel-Welch
Spatial segregation of cisco (Coregonus artedi) and lake whitefish (C. clupeaformis) larvae in Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario Spatial segregation of cisco (Coregonus artedi) and lake whitefish (C. clupeaformis) larvae in Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario
Abstract Two of the remaining coregonine species in Lake Ontario, cisco (Coregonus artedi) and lake whitefish (C. clupeaformis), spawn in Chaumont Bay, NY. Larvae co-occur in the spring but are difficult to distinguish morphologically. We applied genetic species identification using microsatellite DNA loci of 268 larvae from known locations in nearshore and offshore habitats in Chaumont...
Authors
James E. McKenna, Wendylee Stott, Marc Chalupnicki, James H. Johnson
Use of environmental DNA to detect the invasive aquatic plants Myriophyllum spicatum and Egeria densa in lakes Use of environmental DNA to detect the invasive aquatic plants Myriophyllum spicatum and Egeria densa in lakes
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis offers a promising tool for rapid and early detection of aquatic plant invasive species, but currently suffers from substantial unknowns that limit its widespread use in monitoring programs. We conducted the first study to test the factors related to eDNA-based detectability of 2 invasive aquatic plants, Egeria densa and Myriophyllum spicatum, over...
Authors
Lauren M Kuehne, Carl O. Ostberg, Dorothy M. Chase, Jeffrey J. Duda, Julian D. Olden
Nutrients and warming interact to force mountain lakes into unprecedented ecological state Nutrients and warming interact to force mountain lakes into unprecedented ecological state
While deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) in the 20th century has been strongly linked to changes in diatom assemblages in high-elevation lakes, pronounced and contemporaneous changes in other algal groups suggest additional drivers. We explored the origin and magnitude of changes in two mountain lakes from the end of the Little Ice Age at ca. 1850, to ca. 2010, using lake sediments. We...
Authors
Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Peter Leavitt, Sarah Spaulding