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
Acoustic tag retention rate varies between juvenile green and hawksbill sea turtles Acoustic tag retention rate varies between juvenile green and hawksbill sea turtles
Background Biotelemetry has become a key tool for studying marine animals in the last decade, and a wide range of electronic tags are now available for answering a range of research questions. However, comparatively, less attention has been given to attachment methods for these tags and the implications of tag retention on study design, especially when designing a comparative study...
Authors
Thomas Selby, Brian Smith, Michael Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Clayton Pollock, Kristen Hart
Balancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme Balancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme
Community science is an increasingly integral part of biodiversity research and monitoring, often achieving broad spatial and temporal coverage but lower sampling intensity than studies conducted by professional scientists. When designing a community‐science monitoring programme, careful assessment of sampling designs that could be both feasible and successful at meeting programme goals...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Ralph Grundel, Laura Lopez Hoffman, Samuel Pecoraro, Darius J. Semmens, Wayne E. Thogmartin
The state of the world’s mangrove forests: Past, present, and future The state of the world’s mangrove forests: Past, present, and future
Intertidal mangrove forests are a dynamic ecosystem experiencing rapid changes in extent and habitat quality over geological history, today and into the future. Climate and sea level have drastically altered mangrove distribution since their appearance in the geological record ∼75 million years ago (Mya), through to the Holocene. In contrast, contemporary mangrove dynamics are driven...
Authors
Daniel A. Friess, Kerrylee Rogers, Catherine E. Lovelock, Ken Krauss, Stuart E. Hamilton, Shing Yip Lee, Richard Lucas, Jurgenne Primavera, Anusha Rajkaran, Suhua Shi
An evaluation of sedatives for use in transport of juvenile endangered fishes in plastic bags An evaluation of sedatives for use in transport of juvenile endangered fishes in plastic bags
Trucks and aircraft typically transport rare or endangered fishes in large unsealed tanks containing large volumes of water (typically hundreds of liters) during conservation efforts. Ornamental fishes, however, are commonly sent by mail in small sealed plastic bags filled with oxygen, minimal water, and a small amount of sedative to reduce weight and overall shipping costs. Our goal was...
Authors
Laura A. Tennant, Ben M. Vaage, David L. Ward
Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse
Spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions can prolong food availability by desynchronizing the timing of ephemeral, high‐magnitude resource pulses. Spatial patterns of water temperature are highly variable among rivers as determined by both natural and anthropogenic features, but the influence of this variability on freshwater resource pulse phenology is poorly documented. We...
Authors
Heidi E. Anderson, Lindsey K. Alberson, David Walters
Estrogen receptor 1 expression and methylation of Esr1 promoter in mouse fetal prostate mesenchymal cells induced by gestational exposure to bisphenol A or ethinylestradiol Estrogen receptor 1 expression and methylation of Esr1 promoter in mouse fetal prostate mesenchymal cells induced by gestational exposure to bisphenol A or ethinylestradiol
Fetal/neonatal environmental estrogen exposures alter developmental programing of the prostate gland causing onset of diseases later in life. We have previously shown in vitro that exposures to 17β-estradiol (E2) and the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A, at concentrations relevant to human exposure, cause an elevation of estrogen receptor α (Esr1) mRNA in primary cultures of...
Authors
Ramji K. Bhandari, Julia A. Taylor, Jennifer Sommerfeld-Sager, Donald E. Tillitt, William A. Ricke, Frederick S. vom Saal
Paleoclimate of the subtropical Andes during the latest Miocene, Lauca Basin, Chile Paleoclimate of the subtropical Andes during the latest Miocene, Lauca Basin, Chile
Uplift of the Andean Cordillera during the Miocene and Pliocene produced large-scale changes in regional atmospheric circulation that impacted local ecosystems. The Lauca Basin (northern Chilean Altiplano) contains variably fluvial and lacustrine sedimentary sequences spanning the interval from 8.7 to 2.3 Ma. Field samples were collected from paleo-lacustrine sediments in the basin...
Authors
Melina Feitl, Andrea Kern, Amanda Jones, Sherilyn Fritz, Paul E. Baker, Joeckel . R.M., Wout Salenbien, Debra A. Willard
Enhancing reproductive assessments of the Florida manatee Trichechus manatus latirostris by establishing optimal time period and inhibin B baseline concentrations Enhancing reproductive assessments of the Florida manatee Trichechus manatus latirostris by establishing optimal time period and inhibin B baseline concentrations
The Florida manatee Trichechus manatus latirostris occupies coastal and riverine habitats that may influence the species’ endogenous biological rhythms, including its reproductive potential. Inhibin B provides a biomarker of gonadal function and reproductive potential in humans and other eutherian mammals. This study examined the influence of size, sex, and time of year on inhibin B...
Authors
Dana L Wetzel, John Elliot Reynolds, Robert Bonde, Ryan W Schloesser, Leslie Schwierzke-Wade, William E Roudebush
Carbon chemistry of intact versus chronically drained peatlands in the southeastern USA Carbon chemistry of intact versus chronically drained peatlands in the southeastern USA
The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) is a large temperate swamp in Virginia/North Carolina with peat soils historically resistant to microbial decomposition. However, this peatland has been subject to ~200 years of disturbance during which extensive drainage, fire suppression, and wide-spread logging have increased decomposition and dramatically decreased the distribution of Atlantic white cedar...
Authors
Craig A. Stricker, Judith Z. Drexler, Kevin A. Thorn, Jamie A. Duberstein, Sam Rossman
Fish and habitat assessment in Rock Creek, Klickitat County, Washington 2016–17 Fish and habitat assessment in Rock Creek, Klickitat County, Washington 2016–17
Executive Summary Intermittent streams are important and productive for salmonid habitat. Rock Creek, in southeastern Washington, flows south to the Columbia River at river kilometer (rkm) 368 and is an intermittent stream of great significance to the Yakama Nation and to the Kah-miltpah (Rock Creek) Band in particular. Historically, native steelhead (anadromous form of rainbow trout...
Authors
Jill M. Hardiman, Elaine Harvey
The Yellow-billed Loon The Yellow-billed Loon
The Yellow-billed Loon, known in Europe as the White-billed Diver, is a relatively rare bird nesting in arctic tundra regions of North America and Eurasia. This species was first described by G. R. Gray in 1859 (1), and named (Gavia adamsii) after the surgeon Dr. Edward Adams (who collected the first specimen) aboard the H.M.S. Enterprise on a voyage through Bering Strait. The Yellow...
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Mike North, Joel A. Schmutz
Local, temporal trajectories explain population-level responses to climate change in saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) Local, temporal trajectories explain population-level responses to climate change in saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
Population demography is typically assumed to be strongly influenced by climatic factors, particularly with succulent plants and cacti. The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a long‐lived columnar cactus of the Sonoran Desert that experiences episodic recruitment and mortality. Previous studies have attributed long‐term changes in saguaro populations to climatic factors, including...
Authors
Susana Rodriguez-Buritica, Daniel E. Winkler, Robert H. Webb, Lawrence Venable