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
Do life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae)? Do life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae)?
Avian immunology developed originally by investigating domesticated poultry species (Galliformes), but in recent decades eco-immunological studies of wild bird species have revealed that avian immune systems are more diverse than initially assumed. This study compares six immunological elements in eggs of six species within the same family, the New World blackbirds (Icteridae),whose...
Authors
Carol Fassbinder-Orth, Lawrence D. Igl, D. Caldwell Hahn, Kelsey M. Watts, Travis Wilcoxon, Katsi Ramos-Alvarez
Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region
Microbial interactions could play an important role in plant invasions. If invasive plants associate with relatively more mutualists or fewer pathogens than their native counterparts, then microbial communities could foster plant invasiveness. Studies examining the effects of microbes on invasive plants commonly focus on a single microbial group (e.g., bacteria) or measure only plant...
Authors
Wesley A. Bickford, Deborah E. Goldberg, Kurt P. Kowalski, Donald R. Zak
Modelling gully-erosion susceptibility in a semi-arid region, Iran: Investigation of applicability of certainty factor and maximum entropy models Modelling gully-erosion susceptibility in a semi-arid region, Iran: Investigation of applicability of certainty factor and maximum entropy models
Gully erosion susceptibility mapping is a fundamental tool for land-use planning aimed at mitigating land degradation. However, the capabilities of some state-of-the-art data-mining models for developing accurate maps of gully erosion susceptibility have not yet been fully investigated. This study assessed and compared the performance of two different types of data-mining models for...
Authors
Ali Azareh, Omid Rahmati, Elham Rafiei-Sardooi, Joel B. Sankey, Saro Lee, Himan Shahabi, Baharin Bin Ahmad
Energetic constraints and the paradox of a diffusing population in a heterogeneous environment Energetic constraints and the paradox of a diffusing population in a heterogeneous environment
Previous mathematical analyses have shown that, for certain parameter ranges, a population, described by logistic equations on a set of connected patches, and diffusing among them, can reach a higher equilibrium total population when the local carrying capacities are heterogeneously distributed across patches, than when carrying capacities having the same total sum are homogeneously...
Authors
Yuanshi Wang, Donald L. DeAngelis
Sex‐specific responses in neuroanatomy of hatchling American kestrels in response to embryonic exposure to the flame retardants bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate Sex‐specific responses in neuroanatomy of hatchling American kestrels in response to embryonic exposure to the flame retardants bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate
Bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate (BEH‐TEBP) and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate (EH‐TBB), flame retardant components of FireMaster 550® and 600® have been detected in tissues of wild birds. To address the paucity of information regarding potential impacts of flame retardants on the brain, brain volume regions of hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were...
Authors
Melanie F. Guigueno, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Lisa E. Peters, Vince P. Palace, Robert J. Letcher, Kim J. Fernie
Wildlife underpass use and environmental impact assessment: A southern California case study Wildlife underpass use and environmental impact assessment: A southern California case study
Environmental planners often rely on transportation structures (i.e., underpasses, bridges) to provide connectivity for animals across developed landscapes. Environmental assessments of predicted environmental impacts from proposed developments often rely on literature reviews or other indirect measures to establish the importance of wildlife crossings. Literature-based evaluations of...
Authors
Travis Longcore, Lindsay Almaleh, Brittany Chetty, Kathryn Francis, Robert Freidin, Ching-Sheng Huang, Brooke Pickett, Diane Schreck, Brooke Scruggs, Elise Shulman, Alissa Swauger, Alison Tashnek, Michael Wright, Erin E. Boydston
Canid vs. canid: Insights into coyote–dog encounters from social media Canid vs. canid: Insights into coyote–dog encounters from social media
While the relationship between coyotes (Canis latrans) and house cats (Felis catus) may be characterized as one between predators and their prey, coyote interactions with domestic dogs (C. lupus familiaris) appear to be more varied and may include behaviors associated with canid sociality. While encounters between coyotes and dogs are difficult to observe, we capitalized on publicly...
Authors
Erin E. Boydston, Eric S. Abelson, Ari Kazanjian, Daniel T. Blumstein
Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence
Emerging infectious pathogens are responsible for some of the most severe host mass mortality events in wild populations. Yet, effective pathogen control strategies are notoriously difficult to identify, in part because quantifying and forecasting pathogen spread and disease dynamics is challenging. Following an outbreak, hosts must cope with the presence of the pathogen, leading to host...
Authors
Graziella V. DiRenzo, Elise F. Zipkin, Evan H. Campbell Grant, J. Andrew Royle, Ana V. Longo, Kelly R. Zamudio, Karen R. Lips
Projected changes in climate and physical processes Projected changes in climate and physical processes
In Chapter 3, we examined how climate has changed in the Mid-Atlantic region during the past century. This chapter examines how climate is expected to change during the 21st century, including changes in extreme weather events and other climaterelated processes. General circulation models, also called global climate models (GCMs), are used to project future change at coarse spatial...
Authors
Patricia R. Butler-Leopold, Louis R. Iverson, Frank R. Thompson III, Leslie A. Brandt, Stephen D. Handler, Maria K. Janowiak, P. Danielle Shannon, Christopher W. Swanston, Scott Bearer, Alexander Bryan, Kenneth L. Clark, Greg Czarnecki, Philip DeSenze, William D. Dijak, Jacob S. Fraser, Paul F. Gugger, Andrea Hille, Justin Hynicka, Claire A. Jantz, Matthew C. Kelly, Katrina M. Krause, Inga P. La Puma, Deborah Landau, Richard G. Lathrop, Laura P. Leites, Evan Madlinger, Stephen N. Matthews, Gulnihal Ozbay, Matthew P. Peters, Anantha Prasad, David A. Schmit, Collin Shephard, Rebecca Shirer, Nicholas S. Skowronski, Al Steele, Susan Stout, Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, John Thompson, Richard M. Turcotte, David A. Weinstein, Alfonso Yanez
Coastal wetlands: A synthesis Coastal wetlands: A synthesis
This book and this synthesis address the pressing need for better management of coastal wetlands worldwide because these wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate; in some countries the loss is 70%–80% in the last 50 years. Managing requires understanding. Although our understanding of the functioning of coastal wetland ecosystems has grown rapidly over the past decade, still much...
Authors
Charles S. Hopkinson, Eric Wolanski, Donald R. Cahoon, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, Mark M. Brinson
Evaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands Evaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands
As restoration of tidal freshwater wetlands has progressed in North America and Eurasia, research findings have continued to emerge on the postrestoration success of these ecosystems. The most common approaches used to restore tidal freshwater wetlands involve excavation or placement of dredged sediment to restore tidal hydrology compatible with vegetation establishment and managed...
Authors
Andrew H. Baldwin, Richard S. Hammerschlag, Donald R. Cahoon
Fire changes the spatial distribution and sources of soil organic carbon in a grassland-shrubland transition zone Fire changes the spatial distribution and sources of soil organic carbon in a grassland-shrubland transition zone
Aims In many mixed grass-shrub ecosystems, increased shrub biomass tends to promote overall carbon storage, but the distribution of carbon pools may be complicated by disturbances such as wildfires. We investigated the spatial distribution of surface soil organic carbon (SOC) and its relative contribution from grasses and shrubs after fires in a grass-shrub transition zone in the...
Authors
Guan Wang, Junran Li, Sujith Ravi, Bethany P. Theiling, Joel B. Sankey