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: 42704
Introduction: Defining and interpreting ecological disturbances Introduction: Defining and interpreting ecological disturbances
Within the field of ecology, disturbance can be defined as a physical force, agent, or process, either abiotic or biotic, causing a perturbation or stress, to an ecological component or system, relative to a specified reference state and/or system. Disturbance drive ecosystems, and our understanding of how disturbances interact with biological diversity and scales of space, time, and...
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Suresh Andrew Sethi, Suzanne Prange, Dominick DellaSala
Noninvasive identification of cryptic herpetofauna from fecal samples: A novel approach pairing conservation dog surveys and genetic analysis Noninvasive identification of cryptic herpetofauna from fecal samples: A novel approach pairing conservation dog surveys and genetic analysis
Noninvasive fecal sampling combined with genetic analysis is a powerful technique allowing the study of elusive or otherwise difficult to monitor species without the need for direct contact. While this method is widely used in birds and mammals, it has never been successfully applied on a large scale in reptiles. The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is an endangered species...
Authors
MJ Statham, DA Woollett, S Fresquez, John M. Pfeiffer, Jonathan Q. Richmond, A Whitelaw, NL Richards, Michael F. Westphal, BN Sacks
Early life exposure to triphenyl phosphate: Effects on thyroid function, growth, and resting metabolic rate of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) chicks Early life exposure to triphenyl phosphate: Effects on thyroid function, growth, and resting metabolic rate of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) chicks
Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP; CAS # 115-86-6), a commonly used plasticizer and flame retardant, has been reported in wild birds and identified as a potential high-risk chemical. We exposed Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) by in ovo injection, and once hatched, orally each day for 5 days to safflower oil (controls) or TPHP dissolved in vehicle at low (5 ng TPHP/g), mid (50 ng TPHP/g), or...
Authors
Melanie F. Guigueno, J. Head, R. J. Letcher, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Lisa Peters, A.M. Hanas, K.J. Fernie
Evolutionary dynamics of Ceratonova species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) reveal different host adaptation strategies Evolutionary dynamics of Ceratonova species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) reveal different host adaptation strategies
The myxozoan parasite Ceratonova shasta is an important pathogen that infects multiple species of Pacific salmonids. Ongoing genetic surveillance has revealed stable host-parasite relationships throughout the parasite's endemic range. We applied Bayesian phylogenetics to test specific hypotheses about the evolution of these host-parasite relationships within the well-studied Klamath...
Authors
Rachel B. Breyta, Stephen D Atkinson, Jerri L Bartholomew
Impacts on wildlife of annual crops for biofuel production Impacts on wildlife of annual crops for biofuel production
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint Otto
Pleistocene glacial cycles drove lineage diversification and fusion in the Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus) Pleistocene glacial cycles drove lineage diversification and fusion in the Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus)
Species endemic to alpine environments can evolve via steep ecological selection gradients between lowland and upland environments. Additionally, many alpine environments have faced repeated glacial episodes over the past two million years, fracturing these endemics into isolated populations. In this “glacial pulse” model of alpine diversification, cycles of allopatry and ecologically...
Authors
Paul A. Maier, Amy G. Vandergast, Steven M Ostoja, Andres Aguilar, Andrew J. Bohonak
Push and pull of downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) exposed to chemosensory and light cues Push and pull of downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) exposed to chemosensory and light cues
Visual and olfactory stimuli induce behavioural responses in fishes when applied independently, but little is known about how simultaneous exposure influences behaviour, especially in downstream migrating fishes. Here, downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) were exposed to light and a conspecific chemosensory alarm cue in a flume and movement were monitored with...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Scott M. Miehls, Alexander J. Haro, C. Michael Wagner
Study design and methods for a wetland condition assessment on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fee-title lands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, USA Study design and methods for a wetland condition assessment on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fee-title lands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, USA
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manages wetlands and grasslands for wildlife habitat throughout the central North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). PPR wetlands, or potholes, are widely recognized as critical habitats for North American migratory waterfowl, waterbirds, and other wildlife. Potholes also provide other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, flood...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal, Rachel R. Fern, Edward S. DeKeyser, Christina L. M. Hargiss, David M. Mushet, Cami S. Dixon
Precision mapping of snail habitat provides a powerful indicator of human schistosomiasis transmission Precision mapping of snail habitat provides a powerful indicator of human schistosomiasis transmission
Recently, the World Health Organization recognized that efforts to interrupt schistosomiasis transmission through mass drug administration have been ineffective in some regions; one of their new recommended strategies for global schistosomiasis control emphasizes targeting the freshwater snails that transmit schistosome parasites. We sought to identify robust indicators that would enable...
Authors
Chelsea L. Wood, Susanne H. Sokolow, Isabel J. Jones, Andrew J Chamberlin, Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. Kuris, Merlijn M. T. Jocque, Skylar R. Hopkins, Grant Adams, Julia C Buck, Andrea J Lund, Ana E Garcia-Vedrenne, Evan Fiorenza, Jason R. Rohr, Fiona Allan, Bonnie Webster, Muriel Rabone, Joanne P Webster, Lydie Bandagny, Raphael Ndione, Simon Senghor, Anne-Marie Schacht, Nicolas Jouanard, Gilles Riveau, Giulio A. De Leo
Occupancy Patterns of Breeding American Black Ducks Occupancy Patterns of Breeding American Black Ducks
Occupancy patterns can assist with the determination of habitat limitation during breeding or wintering periods and can help guide population and habitat management efforts. American black ducks (Anas rubripes; black ducks) are thought to be limited by habitat and food availability during the winter, but breeding sites may also limit the size or growth potential of the population. The...
Authors
Anthony J. Roberts, J. Andrew Royle, Paul I. Padding, Patrick K. Devers, Christine Lepage, Daniel Bordage
Asymptotic population abundance of a two-patch system with asymmetric diffusion Asymptotic population abundance of a two-patch system with asymmetric diffusion
This paper considers a two-patch system with asymmetric diffusion rates, in which exploitable resources are included. By using dynamical system theory, we exclude periodic solution in the one-patch subsystem and demonstrate its global dynamics. Then we exhibit uniform persistence of the two-patch system and demonstrate uniqueness of the positive equilibrium, which is shown to be...
Authors
Mengting Fang, Yuanshi Wang, Mingshu Chen, Donald L. DeAngelis
Targeting wildlife crime interventions through geographic profiling Targeting wildlife crime interventions through geographic profiling
Seeing an animal hanging lifelessly from a snare is a heart-wrenching experience. Knowing that most animals caught in snares are left to rot without being used for meat or any other purpose might be worse. Over an eight-year period, 2001–2009, we recorded 10,231 incidents of illegal hunting in a wildlife conservation area in southeastern Zimbabwe, the Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC). Sixty...
Authors
Stephanie Romanach, Sally C. Faulkner, Michael C.A. Stevens, Peter A. Lindsey, Steven C. Le Comber