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: 43280
Quantifying landscape-level biodiversity change in an island ecosystem: A 50-year assessment of shifts in the Hawaiian avian community Quantifying landscape-level biodiversity change in an island ecosystem: A 50-year assessment of shifts in the Hawaiian avian community
Hawaii has experienced profound declines in native avifauna alongside the introduction of numerous bird species. While site-specific population studies are common, landscape-level analyses of avian population dynamics are rare, particularly in island ecosystems. To address this gap, we used a density surface model to create a spatio-temporal projection of population densities and...
Authors
Trevor Bak, Lucas Berio Fortini, Noah Hunt, Paul C. Banko, Lena Schnell, Richard J. Camp
Future forest conditions under alternative management and hydrological scenarios in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain Future forest conditions under alternative management and hydrological scenarios in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain
Context
Authors
Matthew L. Trumper, Nathan R. De Jager, Molly Van Appledorn, Andrew R. Meier
Quantifying the relative importance of survival threats to a long-lived reptile using expert elicitation Quantifying the relative importance of survival threats to a long-lived reptile using expert elicitation
Long-term survival of a conservation-reliant species requires understanding the impact of threats on population growth rate and the management actions that can help mitigate these threats. We used a threat assessment with expert-elicited estimates to determine the relative effect of each stage-specific threat on the population growth rate of the wood turtle Glyptemys insculpta. In...
Authors
Jennifer F. Moore, J. Hardin Waddle, Fred Johnson, Julien Martin, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jillian E. Fleming, Thomas S. Akre, Donald J. Brown, Yu Man Lee, Jonathon Drescher-Lehman, John Kleopfer, Jessica R. Meck, Kevin J. Oxenrider, Jeff Tamplin, Anthony Tur, Lisabeth L. Willey
Host preferences of non-native Acalolepta aesthetica (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on the Island of Hawai'i Host preferences of non-native Acalolepta aesthetica (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on the Island of Hawai'i
1. Understanding the host preferences of non-native polyphagous insects is a key step in anticipating their impacts. 2. We apply a technique from wildlife ecology, a resource selection function, to quantify the host preferences of Acalolepta aesthetica Olliff (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) in its non-native range on the Island of Hawaiʻi. We then visually surveyed its preferred...
Authors
Helen R. Sofaer, Blake J. Miles, Jorden A. Zarders, Ellen J. Dunkle, Renee L. Corpuz, Sheina B. Sim, Robert W. Peck
A system dynamics model to understand the integrated ecological and human dimension aspects of wildlife health and disease management A system dynamics model to understand the integrated ecological and human dimension aspects of wildlife health and disease management
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) presents an ongoing challenge for the management of deer populations and sustaining harvest opportunities across North America. Existing disease models often fail to fully capture the complex interplay between disease dynamics, host ecology, and socio-economic factors. We developed a comprehensive system dynamics (SD) model that integrates demographic...
Authors
Stephanie R. Penk, Christine Anhalt-Depies, Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Thomas S. Fiddaman, Kawika Pierson, Jennifer L. Price Tack, Bryan Richards, Erica Rieder, Daniel J. Storm, C. LeAnn White, Daniel P. Walsh
Evaluation of juvenile salmon behavior to inform downstream fish passage development at a high head dam Evaluation of juvenile salmon behavior to inform downstream fish passage development at a high head dam
Fish passage development is a priority at Tieton Dam, on the Tieton River in Washington state, because passage options were not included when the dam was constructed nearly 100 years ago. To inform downstream passage design, we conducted a study to evaluate migration and near-dam behavior of juvenile salmon. The primary goal of the study was to determine how fish approached the dam and...
Authors
Tobias J. Kock, Joseph Mitchell Morse, Caitlin Louise Stockwell, Amy C. Hansen
Long-term monitoring of island night lizards on San Nicolas Island Long-term monitoring of island night lizards on San Nicolas Island
We describe the results of long-term population monitoring of the island night lizard Xantusia riversiana on San Nicolas Island, California, following the species' removal from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 2014. Monitoring activities were carried out from October 2014 through November 2023, but we also incorporate data from earlier work dating back to 1993. Because of habitat loss...
Authors
Charles A. Drost, Patrick M. Kleeman, Charles B. Yackulic, Brian J. Halstead, Gary M. Fellers
CaDAVEr: A metagenome-assembled genome catalog of microbial decomposers across vertebrate environments CaDAVEr: A metagenome-assembled genome catalog of microbial decomposers across vertebrate environments
Microbial degradation of organic matter is a fundamental Earth process, yet a mechanistic understanding of microbial metabolisms and successional ecology involved in decomposition remains poorly understood. Here, we announce the recovery of 277 cadaver-associated soil metagenome-assembled genomes to enhance our understanding of vertebrate decomposition microbial processes.
Authors
Valerie A. Seitz, Bridget B. McGivern, Michael Shaffer, Mikayla A. Borton, Aeriel D. Belk, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek A. Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna M.S. Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl Bucheli, David O. Carter, Zachary M. Burcham, Rob Knight, Kelly C. Wrighton, Jessica L. Metcalf
Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers
Since their first use in the mid-1980s, external passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have facilitated innovative investigations into multiple biological traits of animals. For native freshwater mussels, PIT tags are frequently used in capture-mark-recapture applications because they allow repeated, noninvasive sampling, are easy to apply, have high retention rates, and have...
Authors
Jeremy S. Tiemann, Matthew J. Ashton, Sarah A. Douglass, Alison P. Stodola, Rachel M. Vinsel, Teresa J. Newton
River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading
River-to-lake transitional areas are biogeochemically active sections of the aquatic continuum that are often understudied compared to their adjoining environments. Internal nutrient loading from river-to-lake transitional areas may be a considerable source of nutrients to lakes and if overlooked disconnect upstream management initiatives from in-lake improvements. To contextualize...
Authors
Nolan J.T. Pearce, James H. Larson, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Mary Anne Evans, Sean Bailey, Kenna J. Gierke, Lynn Bartsch, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Paul C. Frost
Predation of Lost River and Shortnose Suckers by piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Upper Klamath Basin: An analysis of predation effects in 2024 Predation of Lost River and Shortnose Suckers by piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Upper Klamath Basin: An analysis of predation effects in 2024
The recovery of endangered fish requires an understanding of the sources of mortality that regulate population dynamics. We estimated avian predation rates on passive integrated transponder tagged (PIT) adult and juvenile Lost River Suckers (Deltistes luxatus), Shortnose Suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris), Klamath Largescale Suckers (C. snyderi), and juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus
Authors
Nathan B Banet, Quinn Payton, Danielle Devincenzi, Allen F. Evans, Jacob Richard Krause, Brian S. Hayes, Rachael Katelyn Paul-Wilson, Erin Benham