Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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: 42773

Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions

As large-scale restoration plans for degraded aquatic habitats evolve, it is essential that multiorganizational collaborations have a common vision to achieve consensus on restoration goals. Development of restoration targets and postrestoration monitoring strategies can be focused using a viability analysis framework that supports an adaptive management process. Viability analysis is a...
Authors
Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Jason E. Ross, Kurt R. Newman, Russell M. Strach

Long‐term plant community trajectories suggest divergent responses of native and non‐native perennials and annuals to vegetation removal and seeding treatments Long‐term plant community trajectories suggest divergent responses of native and non‐native perennials and annuals to vegetation removal and seeding treatments

Land managers frequently apply vegetation removal and seeding treatments to restore ecosystem function following woody plant encroachment, invasive species spread, and wildfire. However, the long‐term outcome of these treatments is unclear due to a lack of widespread monitoring. We quantified how vegetation removal (via wildfire or management) with or without seeding and environmental...
Authors
Stella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. Butterfield, Kevin L. Gunnell

Diversity and abundance of wild bees in an agriculturally dominated landscape of eastern Colorado Diversity and abundance of wild bees in an agriculturally dominated landscape of eastern Colorado

Agricultural intensification has resulted in loss of natural and semi-natural habitats impacting several important ecosystem services. One group of organisms that has suffered greatly are the bees and hence pollination, the supporting ecosystem service they complete. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has implemented conservation...
Authors
H. S. Arathi, Mark W. Vandever, Brian S. Cade

Current trends and future directions in swan research: Insights from the 6th International Swan Symposium Current trends and future directions in swan research: Insights from the 6th International Swan Symposium

Given their popularity with researchers and public alike, together with their welldocumented importance in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, fundamental and applied research on swans continues to develop in the 21st century. The 6th International Swan Symposium (6th ISS), was held at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia, in October 2018. The symposium brought...
Authors
Kevin Wood, Lei Cao, P. Clausen, Craig R. Ely, L. Luigujoe, Eileen Rees, Jeffrey Snyder, D. Solovyeva, R. Wlodarczyk

Effects of land use on greenhouse gas flux in playa wetlands and associated watersheds in the High Plains, USA Effects of land use on greenhouse gas flux in playa wetlands and associated watersheds in the High Plains, USA

In the High Plains, U.S., native prairie conversion to cropland agriculture has resulted in a loss of service delivery capabilities from most depressional wetlands as a result of sedimentation. Restoring historic hydrological conditions to affected wetlands may rejuvenate some services, however, there may be tradeoffs due to emissions of CH4 and N2O. We evaluated the influence of two...
Authors
Dale W. Daniel, Loren M. Smith, Scott T. McMurry, Brian Tangen, Charles F. Dahl, Ned Euliss, Ted LaGrange

Complete genome sequences of the index isolates of two genotypes of Pacific salmon paramyxovirus Complete genome sequences of the index isolates of two genotypes of Pacific salmon paramyxovirus

We report here the genome sequences of two index strains of Pacific salmon paramyxovirus isolated in 1982 and 1983 from adult salmon in Oregon. The isolates are most closely related to Atlantic salmon paramyxovirus, the type species of the genus Aquaparamyxovirus, but are sufficiently distinct to be considered two genotypes of a novel species.
Authors
James Winton, William N. Batts, Rachel L. Powers, Maureen K. Purcell

Observations on the range and nesting biology of the Mexican endemic rufous-capped brush-finch (Atlapetes Pileatus Pileatus) Observations on the range and nesting biology of the Mexican endemic rufous-capped brush-finch (Atlapetes Pileatus Pileatus)

The Rufous-capped Brush-finch (Atlapetes pileatus) is a species endemic to Mexico, whose breeding biology has received little attention. We studied two nests of the nominate subspecies from the mountains of southern Sonora. Nests were untidy, broad, open cups, placed in low, thick vegetation. Clutch size at one nest consisted of three immaculate white eggs. The second nest contained two...
Authors
Harold F. Greeney, Jeff Port, Charles van Riper

Multi-species duck harvesting using dynamic programming and multi-criteria decision analysis Multi-species duck harvesting using dynamic programming and multi-criteria decision analysis

1.Multiple species are often exposed to a common hunting season, but harvest and population objectives may not be fully achieved if harvest potential varies among species and/or species abundances are not correlated through time. Our goal was to develop an approach for setting a common hunting season that would recognize heterogeneity in species productivity and would select annual...
Authors
Fred Johnson, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Min Huang, Paul I. Padding, Greg Balkcom, Michael Runge, Patrick K. Devers

Mississippi river sediment diversions and coastal wetland sustainability: Synthesis of responses to freshwater, sediment, and nutrient inputs Mississippi river sediment diversions and coastal wetland sustainability: Synthesis of responses to freshwater, sediment, and nutrient inputs

Management and restoration of coastal wetlands require insight into how inundation, salinity, and the availability of mineral sediment and nutrients interact to influence ecosystem functions that control sustainability. The Mississippi River Delta, which ranks among the world's largest and most productive coastal wetland complexes, has experienced extensive deterioration over the last...
Authors
Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Sean A. Graham, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Gregg Snedden, John W. Day, Gary P. Shaffer, Leigh Anne Sharp, Robert R. Twilley, James Pahl, R.R. Lane

Stream characteristics associated with feeding type in silver(Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) and northern brook (I. fossor) lampreys and tests for phenotypic plasticity Stream characteristics associated with feeding type in silver(Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) and northern brook (I. fossor) lampreys and tests for phenotypic plasticity

In most lamprey genera, “paired” species exist in which the larvae are morphologically indistinguishable but adult feeding type differs. The lack of diagnostic genetic differences in many pairs has led to suggestions that they constitute a single gene pool with environmentally influenced feeding types. To investigate whether stream characteristics are correlated with feeding type in the...
Authors
Fraser Neave, Todd B. Steeves, Thomas C. Pratt, Robert L. McLaughlin, Jean V. Adams, Margaret F. Docker

Resource concentration mechanisms facilitate foraging success in simulations of a pulsed oligotrophic wetland Resource concentration mechanisms facilitate foraging success in simulations of a pulsed oligotrophic wetland

Context Movement of prey on hydrologically pulsed, spatially heterogeneous wetlands can result in transient, high prey concentrations, when changes in landscape features such as connectivity between flooded areas alternately facilitate and impede prey movement. Predators track and exploit these concentrations, depleting them as they arise. Objectives We sought to describe how prey pulses...
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Donald L. DeAngelis

Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems

Within isolated and fragmented populations, species interactions such as predation can cause shifts in community structure and demographics in tidal marsh ecosystems. It is critical to incorporate species interactions into our understanding when evaluating the effects of sea‐level rise and storm surges on tidal marshes. In this study, we hypothesize that avian predators will increase...
Authors
Karen M. Thorne, Kyle A. Spragens, Kevin Buffington, Jordan A. Rosencranz, John Takekawa
Was this page helpful?