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: 42707
Accuracy of nest fate classification and predator identification from evidence at nests of least terns and piping plovers Accuracy of nest fate classification and predator identification from evidence at nests of least terns and piping plovers
For federally listed species such as Least Tern Sternula antillarum and Piping Plover Charadrius melodus, correct determination of nest fates and causes of nest failure is crucial for understanding population dynamics and improving monitoring programmes. We used video cameras to evaluate nest fate misclassification rate and to identify factors that may cause researchers monitoring nests...
Authors
Alicia K. Andes, Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Chantel M. Hofer, Colin M. Dovichin, Susan N. Ellis-Felege
Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse
In conservation paradigms, management actions for umbrella species also benefit co‐occurring species because of overlapping ranges and similar habitat associations. The greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is an umbrella species because it occurs across vast sagebrush ecosystems of western North America and is the recipient of extensive habitat conservation and restoration...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Michelle I. Jeffries, Robert Arkle, Deanna H. Olson
Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment
Research with captive wildlife in Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL2) and 3 (ABSL3) facilities is becoming increasingly necessary as emerging and re-emerging diseases involving wildlife have increasing impacts on human, animal, and environmental health. Utilizing wildlife species in a research facility often requires outside the box thinking with specialized knowledge, practices, facilities...
Authors
Elizabeth Falendysz, Dana Marie Calhoun, Carrie Alison Smith, Jonathan M. Sleeman
Asian carp population modeling to support an adaptive management framework Asian carp population modeling to support an adaptive management framework
This Monitoring and Response Plan provides the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) with updates on FWS and USGS modeling efforts for the Spatially Explicit Asian carp Population (SEAcarP) model. For FY2020, efforts are underway to parameterize and analyze the SEAcarP model. Themes: invasive species; Asian carp; Great Lakes.
Authors
Jahn L. Kallis, Richard A. Erickson, Mark W. Fritts
Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region
This report is a deliverable to the RESTORE Council for Task 7: Document the existing baseline habitat and water quality conditions prior to implementation of the restoration projects; these baseline conditions will serve as a basis for measuring change/progress after restoration. It is the second in a series of CMAP reports. The first report describes the process and development of the...
Authors
Julie Bosch, Heidi Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon M. Hart, Sarah Davidson Hile, Jacob Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael T. Lee, Terrence A. McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B. Meyers, Scott V. Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard A. Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Gregory D. Steyer, Kevin J. Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Katie Watson
Monitoring boreal avian populations: How can we estimate trends and trajectories from noisy data? Monitoring boreal avian populations: How can we estimate trends and trajectories from noisy data?
Substantial effort has been dedicated to developing reliable monitoring schemes for North American bird populations, but our ability to monitor bird populations in the boreal forest remains limited because of the sparsity of long-term data sets, particularly in northerly regions. Given the importance of the boreal forest for many migratory birds, we set out to (1) summarize the main...
Authors
Christian Roy, Nicole L Michel, Colleen M. Handel, Steven Van Wilgenburg, Curtis Burkhalter, Kirsty A B Gurney, David Messmer, Karine Prince, Clark S Rushing, James E Saracco, Richard Schuster, Adam C. Smith, Paul A Smith, Peter Solymos, Lisa A Venier, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Temporospatial shifts in Sandhill Crane staging in the Central Platte River Valley in response to climatic variation and habitat change Temporospatial shifts in Sandhill Crane staging in the Central Platte River Valley in response to climatic variation and habitat change
Over 80% of the Mid-Continent Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) Population (MCP), estimated at over 660,000 individuals, stops in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) during spring migration from mid-February through mid-April. Research suggests that the MCP may be shifting its distribution spatially and temporally within the CPRV. From 2002 to 2017, we conducted weekly aerial...
Authors
Andrew J. Caven, Emma M. Brinley Buckley, Kelsey C King, Joshua D Wiese, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Mary J. Harner, Aaron T. Pearse, Matt Rabbe, Dana Varner, Brice Krohn, Nicole Arcilla, Kirk D Schroeder, Kenneth F Dinan
Applying circuit theory and landscape linkage maps to reintroduction planning for California condors Applying circuit theory and landscape linkage maps to reintroduction planning for California condors
Conservation practitioners are increasingly looking to species translocations as a tool to recover imperiled taxa. Quantitative predictions of where animals are likely to move when released into new areas would allow managers to better address the social, institutional, and ecological dimensions of conservation translocations. Using >5 million California condor (Gymnogyps californianus)...
Authors
Jesse D’Elia, Joe Brandt, LJ Burnett, Susan M. Haig, Jeffrey P Hollenbeck, S Kirkland, B G Marcot, A Punzalan, C J West, T Williams-Claussen, Rachel Wolstenholme, Richard Young
Envisioning a national invasive species information framework Envisioning a national invasive species information framework
With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program, the United States National Invasive Species Council Management Plan for 2016–2018 calls for a series of assessments of federal EDRR capacities, including the evaluation of “relevant federal information systems to provide the data and other information necessary for risk analyses/horizon...
Authors
Jamie K Reaser, Annie Simpson, Gerald Guala, Jeffrey Morisette, Pam Fuller
Trends in mammalian predator control trapping events intended to protect ground-nesting, endangered birds at Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi: 2000–14 Trends in mammalian predator control trapping events intended to protect ground-nesting, endangered birds at Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi: 2000–14
Predation and habitat degradation by non-native species are principal terrestrial threats to the federally endangered Hawaiian Petrel (ʻuaʻu, Pterodroma sandwichensis) and Hawaiian Goose (nēnē, Branta sandvicensis) within Haleakalā National Park (HALE), Maui, Hawaiʻi. Since 1981, HALE has maintained a network of live traps to control invasive mammalian predators and protect these...
Authors
Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Max F. Czapanskiy, Jonathan J. Felis, Julie L. Yee, Raina L. Kaholoaa, Cathleen Natividad Bailey
Status and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2018 Status and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2018
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center conducted integrated acoustic and mid-water trawl surveys of Lake Huron annually from 2004-2018. The 2018 survey was conducted during September and included transects in Lake Huron’s main basin, Georgian Bay, and North Channel. Mean lake-wide pelagic fish density was 1532 fish/ha and mean pelagic fish biomass was...
Authors
Timothy P. O’Brien, Steve A. Farha, David Warner, Peter C. Esselman, Kristy Phillips, Steven Lenart, Chris Olds
Off-channel waterbodies in the Middle Mississippi River: A pilot investigation Off-channel waterbodies in the Middle Mississippi River: A pilot investigation
Off-channel and floodplain water bodies are important components of large river ecosystems while rare within the Middle Mississippi River. The lack of these habitats likely influences water quality, nutrient processing, and communities of organisms. In early 2016 a major flood event breached two levees south of Cape Girardeau, MO resulting in the creation of two new backwaters—Len Small...
Authors
Molly Sobotka, John West