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: 42884
The accuracy of capture per unit effort in predicting density of a cryptic snake was more sensitive to reductions in spatial than temporal coverage The accuracy of capture per unit effort in predicting density of a cryptic snake was more sensitive to reductions in spatial than temporal coverage
A critical component of monitoring wildlife populations is understanding changes in population size or abundance. However, for most populations a complete census is not possible; thus, trends or abundance need to be estimated through alternative means, such as indexes. An important aspect of using indexes, such as capture per unit effort (CPUE), is validating them as accurate or precise...
Authors
Melia Gail Nafus, Emma B. Hanslowe, Scott Michael Goetz
A fire deficit persists across diverse North American forests despite recent increases in area burned A fire deficit persists across diverse North American forests despite recent increases in area burned
Rapid increases in wildfire area burned across North American forests pose novel challenges for managers and society. Increasing area burned raises questions about whether, and to what degree, contemporary fire regimes (1984–2022) are still departed from historical fire regimes (pre-1880). We use the North American tree-ring fire-scar network (NAFSN), a multi-century record comprising...
Authors
Sean Parks, Chris Guiterman, Ellis Q. Margolis, Maggie Lonergan, Ellen Whitman, John T. Abatzoglou, Donald A. Falk, James B. Johnston, Lori D. Daniels, Charles W. Lafon, Rachel A. Loehman, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Cameron E. Naficy, Marc-Andre Parisien, Jeanne Portier, Michael C. Stambaugh, A. Park Williams, Andreas Paul Wion, Larissa Yocom
Climate change effects on ecosystem services: Disentangling drivers of mixed responses Climate change effects on ecosystem services: Disentangling drivers of mixed responses
Climate change is a pervasive hazard that impacts the supply and demand of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) that maintain human well-being. A recent review found that the impacts of climate change on EGS are sometimes mixed, posing challenges for managers who need to adapt to these changes. We expand on earlier work by exploring drivers of varying responses of EGS to climate within...
Authors
Marcy C. Delos, Ciara G. Johnson, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Janet Alice Cushing
A real-time fish detection system for partially dewatered fish to support selective fish passage A real-time fish detection system for partially dewatered fish to support selective fish passage
Recent advances in fish transportation technologies and deep machine learning-based fish classification have created an opportunity for real-time, autonomous fish sorting through a selective passage mechanism. This research presents a case study of a novel application that utilizes deep machine learning to detect partially dewatered fish exiting an Archimedes Screw Fish Lift (ASFL). A...
Authors
Jonathan Gregory, Scott M. Miehls, Jesse Eickholt, Daniel Zielinski
Using GPS tracking data to validate the conservation value of bird migration counts Using GPS tracking data to validate the conservation value of bird migration counts
Effective conservation of migratory birds requires gathering of information about their population trends, often acquired using migratory bird counts. These schemes ideally operate at migratory bottlenecks, through which a significant portion of the counted migratory populations is funneled. Yet it is rare to validate the conservation value of the data from these counts. Here we perform...
Authors
Ron Efrat, Yael Lehnardt, Daniel Berkowic, Yossi Leshem, Roi Dor, Alexander E. Bragin, Evgeny Bragin, Todd E. Katzner, Nir Sapir
Possible influence of water level management on nutrient flux in nearshore sediments of Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota, USA Possible influence of water level management on nutrient flux in nearshore sediments of Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota, USA
Lake water level fluctuations are an important factor driving variation in many ecosystem processes. The nearshore sediments that are periodically exposed and re-inundated can develop distinct physical and chemical characteristics, especially in relationship to the organic matter content of the sediments and the particle size distribution. These sediment characteristics in turn can alter...
Authors
James H. Larson, Sean Bailey, Ryan P. Maki, Victoria Christensen, Erin A. Stelzer, James C. Smith, Jamie F. LeDuc, Seth McWhorter
Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA
Migratory birds are species of concern that play important ecological roles while also supporting recreational opportunities for the hunting and birdwatching public. Direct and indirect effects of climate variability, extremes, and change on migratory bird health manifest at the individual, population, species, and community levels. This review focuses on the effects of climate on...
Authors
Renee A. McPherson, Katrina E. Alger, Erik K. Hofmeister
Time-varying rates of organic and inorganic mass accumulation in southeast Louisiana marshes: Relationships to sea-level anomalies and tropical storms Time-varying rates of organic and inorganic mass accumulation in southeast Louisiana marshes: Relationships to sea-level anomalies and tropical storms
Louisiana's coastal wetlands are complex systems that require a continuous input of organic and inorganic material to keep pace with relative sea-level rise. Coastal restoration projects such as sediment diversions are being implemented to mitigate land loss and increase availability of inorganic sediment to coastal wetlands, and marshes specifically rely on organic material to build...
Authors
Sophie Vincent, Carol Wilson, Gregg A. Snedden, Tracy Quirk
Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems
Over the past billion years, the fungal kingdom has diversified to more than two million species, with over 95% still undescribed. Beyond the well-known macroscopic mushrooms and microscopic yeast, fungi are heterotrophs that feed on almost any organic carbon, recycling nutrients through the decay of dead plants and animals and sequestering carbon into Earth’s ecosystems. Human-directed
Authors
Nicola T. Case, Sarah J. Gurr, Matthew C. Fisher, David S. Blehert, Charles Boone, Arturo Casadevall, Anuradha Chowdhary, Christina A. Cuomo, Cameron R. Currie, David W. Denning, Iuliana V. Ene, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Aleeza C. Gerstein, Neil A. R. Gow, Asiya Gusa, Iliyan D. Iliev, Timothy Y. James, Hailing Jin, Regine Kahmann, Bruce S. Klein, James W. Kronstad, Kyla S. Ost, Kabir G. Peay, Rebecca S. Shapiro, Donald C. Sheppard, Neta Shlezinger, Jason E. Stajich, Eva H. Stukenbrock, John W. Taylor, Gerard D. Wright, Leah E. Cowen, Joseph Heitman, Julia A. Segre
Cell penetrating peptide-mediated delivery of gene-silencing nucleic acids to the invasive common reed Phragmites australis via foliar application Cell penetrating peptide-mediated delivery of gene-silencing nucleic acids to the invasive common reed Phragmites australis via foliar application
As a popular tool for gene function characterization and gene therapy, RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene silencing has been increasingly explored for potential applications to control invasive species. At least two major hurdles exist when applying this approach to invasive plants: (1) the design and screening of species- and gene-specific biomacromolecules (i.e., gene-silencing agents...
Authors
Qing Ji, Kurt P. Kowalski, Edward M. Golenberg, Seung Ho Chung, Natalie D. Barker, Wesley A. Bickford, Ping Gong
Systematic shifts in the variation among host individuals must be considered in climate-disease theory Systematic shifts in the variation among host individuals must be considered in climate-disease theory
To make more informed predictions of host–pathogen interactions under climate change, studies have incorporated the thermal performance of host, vector and pathogen traits into disease models to quantify effects on average transmission rates. However, this body of work has omitted the fact that variation in susceptibility among individual hosts affects disease spread and long-term...
Authors
Joseph R. Mihaljevic, David James Páez
Preprint: Simulated seasonal loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus by major source from watersheds draining to Washington waters of the Salish Sea, 2005 through 2020 Preprint: Simulated seasonal loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus by major source from watersheds draining to Washington waters of the Salish Sea, 2005 through 2020
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) have developed watershed models of seasonal load estimates of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) discharging into the Washington waters of the Salish Sea from 2005 through 2020. The modeling approach used was dynamic SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes), a...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Cristiana Figueroa-Kaminsky, Daniel Wise, Jamie K. Wasielewski, Zachary Johnson, Robert W. Black