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: 42765
A rapid assessment method for ground layer coastal vegetation A rapid assessment method for ground layer coastal vegetation
We aim to test a rapid ecological assessment method to monitor regenerating coastal vegetation without sacrificing accuracy. We estimated species frequency in vegetation plots using traditional point intercept methods. We also tested a rapid, digital method to take high-resolution digital photographs of plots. We navigated among plot locations using a sub-meter Differential Global...
Authors
Chellby R. Kilheffer, Jordan Raphael, Lindsay Ries, H. Brian Underwood
Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough
Many published studies in ecological science are viewed as stand-alone investigations that purport to provide new insights into how ecological systems behave based on single analyses. But it is rare for results of single studies to provide definitive results, as evidenced in current discussions of the “reproducibility crisis” in science. The key step in science is the comparison of...
Authors
James D. Nichols, William Kendall, G.Scott Boomer
Occupancy patterns in a reintroduced fisher population during reestablishment Occupancy patterns in a reintroduced fisher population during reestablishment
Monitoring population performance in the years following species reintroductions is key to assessing population restoration success and evaluating assumptions made in planning species restoration programs. From 2008–2010 we translocated 90 fishers (Pekania pennanti) from British Columbia, Canada, to Washington's Olympic Peninsula, USA, providing the opportunity to evaluate modeling...
Authors
Patricia J. Happe, Kurt Jenkins, Rebecca M. McCaffery, J. C. Lewis, Kristine Pilgrim, Michael K. Schwartz
Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners
Introduction Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the only transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, a class of invariably fatal neurodegenerative mammalian diseases associated with a misfolded cellular prion protein found in wild free-ranging animals. Because it has a long incubation period, affected animals in Cervidae (the deer family; referred to as “cervids”) may not show signs of...
Authors
M. Camille Hopkins, Christina M. Carlson, Paul C. Cross, Christopher J. Johnson, Bryan J. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Michael D. Samuel, Glen A. Sargeant, Daniel P. Walsh, W. David Walter
Phenotypic plasticity or a reproductive dead end? Primnoa pacifica (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea) in the southeastern Alaska region Phenotypic plasticity or a reproductive dead end? Primnoa pacifica (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea) in the southeastern Alaska region
Red tree corals (Primnoa pacifica) are abundant in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, from the glacial fjords of Southeast Alaska where they emerge to as shallow as 6 m, to the continental shelf edge and seamounts where they are more commonly found at depths greater than 150 – 500 m. This keystone species forms large thickets, creating habitat for many associated species, including economically...
Authors
Rhian G. Waller, Robert P. Stone, Lauren Rice, Julia Johnstone, Ashley M. Rossin, Elise Hartill, Keri Feehan, Cheryl Morrison
Inoculation and habitat amelioration efforts in biological soil crust recovery vary by desert and soil texture Inoculation and habitat amelioration efforts in biological soil crust recovery vary by desert and soil texture
As dryland degradation continues, it is increasingly important to understand how to effectively restore biocrust communities. Potential techniques include the addition of biocrust inoculum to accelerate biocrust recovery. Enhanced erosion typical of degraded environments creates a challenge for these approaches, due to loss by wind or water and burial by saltating particles. To retain...
Authors
Akasha M. Faist, Anita J. Antoninka, Jayne Belnap, Matthew A. Bowker, Michael C. Duniway, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Corey Nelson, Sasha C. Reed, Ana Giraldo Silva, Sergio Velasco-Ayuso, Nichole N. Barger
Could a freshwater fish be at the root of dystrophic crises in a coastal lagoon? Could a freshwater fish be at the root of dystrophic crises in a coastal lagoon?
Eutrophication has a profound impact on ecosystems worldwide. Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, an herbivorous fish, has been introduced to control aquatic plant overgrowth caused by eutrophication, but could have other, potentially detrimental, effects. We used the Po di Volano basin (south of the Po River delta, northern Italy) as a test case to explore whether grass carp effects on...
Authors
Marco Milardi, Elisa Soana, Duane Chapman, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli
Multiple conceptualizations of nature are key to inclusivity and legitimacy in global environmental governance Multiple conceptualizations of nature are key to inclusivity and legitimacy in global environmental governance
Despite increasing scientific understanding of the global environmental crisis, we struggle to adopt the policies and practices science suggests we should. One of the reasons for this is the general absence of inclusive engagement and dialogue among a wide range of actors with distinct interactions with nature. Furthermore, there is little consideration of the role of language in...
Authors
Luca Coscieme, Hakon da Silva Hyldmo, Alvaro Fernandez-Llamazares, Ignacio Palomo, Tuyeni H. Mwampamba, Odirilwe Selomane, Nadia Sitas, Pedro Jaureguiberry, Yasuo Takahashi, Michelle Lim, Maria P. Barral, Juliana S. Farinaci, Julio Diaz-Jose, Sonali Ghosh, Joyce Ojino, Amani Alassaf, Bernard N. Baatuuwie, Lenke Balint, Zeenatul Basher, Fanny Boeraeve, Sugeng Budiharta, R. Chen, Maylis Desrousseaux, Gregory Dowo, Catherine M. Febria, Houda Ghazi, Zuzanna V. Harmackova, R. Jaffe, Mphatso M. Kalemba, Cosmas K. Lambini, Felicia P.S. Lasmana, Assem A. A. Mohammed, Aidin Niamir, Patricio Pliscoff, Rahat Sabyrbekov, Anna A. Sidorovich, Uttam B. Shrestha, Laura Thompson, Mireia Valle
Using integrated population models for insights into monitoring programs: An application using pink-footed geese Using integrated population models for insights into monitoring programs: An application using pink-footed geese
Development of integrated population models (IPMs) assume the absence of systematic bias in monitoring programs, yet many potential sources of systematic bias in monitoring data exist (e.g., under-counts of abundance). By integrating multiple sources of data, we can assess whether various sources of monitoring data provide consistent inferences about changes in population size and, thus...
Authors
Fred Johnson, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Gitte H. Jensen, Kevin K. Clausen, Morten Frederiksen, Jesper Madsen
Migratory divides coincide with reproductive barriers across replicated avian hybrid zones above the Tibetan Plateau Migratory divides coincide with reproductive barriers across replicated avian hybrid zones above the Tibetan Plateau
Migratory divides are proposed to be catalysts for speciation across a diversity of taxa. However, it is difficult to test the relative contributions of migratory behaviour vs. other divergent traits to reproductive isolation. Comparing hybrid zones with and without migratory divides offers a rare opportunity to directly examine the contribution of divergent migratory behaviour to...
Authors
Elizabeth Scordato, Christian A. Smith, Georgy A. Semenov, Liu Yu, Matthew R. Wilkins, Wei Liang, Alexander Rubtsov, Gombobaataar Sundev, Kazuo Koyama, Sheela P. Turbek, Michael B. Wunder, Craig A. Stricker, Rebecca Safran
Using morphological measurements to predict subspecies of Midcontinent sandhill cranes Using morphological measurements to predict subspecies of Midcontinent sandhill cranes
The Midcontinent population of sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) has historically been classified into 3 putative subspecies, but genetic analyses have identified only 2 genetically distinct subspecies. Previous studies have successfully used morphometrics in combination with an individual's sex to differentiate subspecies of sandhill cranes that had been inferred based on breeding...
Authors
Jay A VonBank, David A. Brandt, Aaron T. Pearse, David B. Wester, Bart M Ballard
Estimating population size with imperfect detection using a parametric bootstrap Estimating population size with imperfect detection using a parametric bootstrap
We develop a novel method of estimating population size from imperfectly detected counts of individuals and a separate estimate of detection probability. Observed counts are separated into classes within which detection probability is assumed constant. Within a detection class, counts are modeled as a single binomial observation X with success probability p where the goal is to estimate...
Authors
Lisa Madsen, Daniel Dalthorp, Manuela Huso, Andy Aderman