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: 42700
A range-wide model of contemporary, omnidirectional connectivity for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise A range-wide model of contemporary, omnidirectional connectivity for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise
As habitat destruction leads to species extinctions globally, conservation planning that accounts for population-level connectivity and gene flow is an urgent priority. Models that only approximate habitat potential are incomplete because areas of high habitat potential may be isolated, whereas intermixed areas of lower habitat potential may still be critical for maintaining connectivity...
Authors
Miranda E Gray, Brett G. Dickson, Kenneth Nussear, Todd Esque, Tony Chang
Permafrost hydrology drives the assimilation of old carbon by stream food webs in the Arctic Permafrost hydrology drives the assimilation of old carbon by stream food webs in the Arctic
Permafrost thaw in the Arctic is mobilizing old carbon (C) from soils to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere. Little is known, however, about the assimilation of old C by aquatic food webs in Arctic watersheds. Here, we used C isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) to quantify C assimilation by biota across 12 streams in arctic Alaska. Streams spanned watersheds with varying permafrost hydrology, from...
Authors
Jonathon A O'Donnell, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Xiaomei Xu, Brett Poulin, Jennifer Walker, Christian E. Zimmerman
Residency, recruitment, and stopover duration of hatch-year Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) during the pre-migratory staging period Residency, recruitment, and stopover duration of hatch-year Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) during the pre-migratory staging period
Avian migratory stopover and staging sites represent important energetic bottlenecks and may influence population dynamics as much as breeding or wintering periods. Roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) are an ideal species to examine staging demography because >70% of the entire endangered northwest Atlantic population stages at accessible locations around Cape Cod, MA before southward...
Authors
Kayla L. Davis, Sarah M. Karpanty, Jeffrey A. Spendelow, Jonathan B. Cohen, Melissa A. Althouse, Katharine C Parsons, Cristin F. Luttazi, Daniel H. Catlin, Daniel Gibson
Floodplains provide important amphibian habitat despite multiple ecological threats Floodplains provide important amphibian habitat despite multiple ecological threats
Floodplain ponds and wetlands are productive and biodiverse ecosystems, yet they face multiple threats including altered hydrology, land use change, and non‐native species. Protecting and restoring important floodplain ecosystems requires understanding how organisms use these habitats and respond to altered environmental conditions. We developed Bayesian models to evaluate occupancy of...
Authors
Meredith Holgerson, Adam Duarte, Marc Hayes, Michael J. Adams, Julie A. Tyson, Keith Douville, Angela Strecker
Growth and energy budget of Northern Snakehead Channa argus in relation to ration Growth and energy budget of Northern Snakehead Channa argus in relation to ration
Northern Snakehead Channa argus weighing 188.54+13.80 g were fed live Oriental Weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus at five rations (starvation, 1, 2, 4% body weight per day and satiation) at 28 oC under laboratory conditions to determine its growth and energy budget in relation to ration. The specific growth rate increased linearly with increasing ration and food conversion...
Authors
Jiashou Liu, Tangling Zhang, Duane Chapman
Estimating annual Ceratonova shasta mortality rates in juvenile Scott and Shasta River coho salmon that enter the Klamath River mainstem Estimating annual Ceratonova shasta mortality rates in juvenile Scott and Shasta River coho salmon that enter the Klamath River mainstem
The impacts of Ceratonova shasta on Klamath River salmonids have been the focus of tremendous research and monitoring over the past decade. Knowledge gained from the various studies has resulted in a growing suite of decision support tools that can be used to predict the prevalence of infection and mortality that can be expected from varying exposure concentrations to C. shasta...
Authors
Nicholas A. Som, Nicholas J. Hetrick, Russell Perry, Julie D Alexander
Factors associated with structure loss in the 2013–2018 California wildfires Factors associated with structure loss in the 2013–2018 California wildfires
Tens of thousands of structures and hundreds of human lives have been lost in recent fire events throughout California. Given the potential for these types of wildfires to continue, the need to understand why and how structures are being destroyed has taken on a new level of urgency. We compiled and analyzed an extensive dataset of building inspectors’ reports documenting homeowner...
Authors
Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon Keeley
Evaluation of an acoustic fish deterrent system in shallow water application at the Emiquon Preserve, Lewistown, IL. Evaluation of an acoustic fish deterrent system in shallow water application at the Emiquon Preserve, Lewistown, IL.
Expansion of non-native fish have caused ecological and economic damage and can negatively impact native fish populations. Current research on deterrent technologies for bighead Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp H. molitrix have primarily focused on reducing upstream movement in large river lock approaches. However, there is also interest in excluding carp from smaller-scale...
Authors
James J. Wamboldt, Kelsie A. Murchy, Jessica C. Stanton, K. Douglas Blodgett, Marybeth K. Brey
Age and growth of cottonwood trees along the Missouri River, North Dakota Age and growth of cottonwood trees along the Missouri River, North Dakota
The relict plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) forest along the Missouri River between Lakes Sakakawea and Oahe includes trees as large as two meters in diameter. We cored 24 of these trees to determine their age and suitability for flow reconstruction. Because most of the trees were rotten in the center, we developed a method to estimate the date of the center ring...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Fisher R. Ankney, Marshall Wolf
Influence of a high-head dam as a dispersal barrier to fish community structure of the Upper Mississippi River Influence of a high-head dam as a dispersal barrier to fish community structure of the Upper Mississippi River
In river systems, high‐head dams may increase the distance‐decay of fish community similarity by creating nearly impermeable dispersal barriers to certain species from upstream reaches. Substantial evidence suggests that migratory species are impacted by dams, and most previous studies in stream/river networks have focused on small streams and headwaters. Here, we assess whether a high...
Authors
Rebekah L. Anderson, Cory A. Anderson, James H. Larson, Brent C. Knights, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Sean E. Jenkins, James T. Lamer
Back to the future: Rebuilding the Everglades Back to the future: Rebuilding the Everglades
Society values landscapes that are engrained in cultural tradition and have a rich connection with human history. As such, there has been a concerted effort to look at the pristine past and develop plans to move the past into the future. However, bringing the past back is constrained by hysteretic changes, irrevocable damages, and anthropogenic trends that do not reflect past conditions...
Authors
Fred H. Sklar, James M. Beerens, Laura A. Brandt, Carlos A. Coronado-Molina, Steven M Davis, Tom Frankovich, Christopher Madden, Agnes McLean, Joel C. Trexler, Walter Wilcox