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: 42707
Toxicity assessment of groundwater contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons at a well-characterized, aged, crude oil release site Toxicity assessment of groundwater contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons at a well-characterized, aged, crude oil release site
Management of petroleum-impacted waters by monitored natural attenuation requires an understanding of the toxicology of both the original compounds released and the transformation products formed during natural breakdown. Here, we report data from a groundwater plume consisting of a mixture of crude oil compounds and transformation products in an effort to bridge the gap between...
Authors
Jennifer T. McGuire, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Barbara A. Bekins, Hannah Link, Dalma Martinović-Weigelt
Preliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight Preliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight
Small unmanned aircraft systems present an emerging technology with the potential to survey colonial waterbird populations while reducing disturbance in comparison to traditional ground counts. Recent research with these systems has been performed on some colonially nesting avian species; however, none have focused on wading bird species. During 2015–2016, this study tested the...
Authors
Kaitlyn Reintsma, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Tom Collier, David Gray, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann J. Prosser
Occupancy modeling species–environment relationships with non‐ignorable survey designs Occupancy modeling species–environment relationships with non‐ignorable survey designs
Statistical models supporting inferences about species occurrence patterns in relation to environmental gradients are fundamental to ecology and conservation biology. A common implicit assumption is that the sampling design is ignorable and does not need to be formally accounted for in analyses. The analyst assumes data are representative of the desired population and statistical...
Authors
Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Wilson J. Wright, Anthony R. Olsen
A geostatistical state‐space model of animal densities for stream networks A geostatistical state‐space model of animal densities for stream networks
Population dynamics are often correlated in space and time due to correlations in environmental drivers as well as synchrony induced by individual dispersal. Many statistical analyses of populations ignore potential autocorrelations and assume that survey methods (distance and time between samples) eliminate these correlations, allowing samples to be treated independently. If these...
Authors
Daniel J. Hocking, James T. Thorson, Kyle O’Neil, Benjamin H. Letcher
Floristic and climatic reconstructions of two Lower Cretaceous successions from Peru Floristic and climatic reconstructions of two Lower Cretaceous successions from Peru
Climate during the Early Cretaceous in tropical South America has often been reconstructed as arid. However, some areas seem to have been humid. We reconstructed the floristic composition of two tropical stratigraphic successions in Peru using quantitative palynology (rarefied species richness and abundance), and used the abundance of aridity vs. humidity indicator species to infer the...
Authors
Paula J. Mejia-Velasquez, Steven R. Manchester, Carlos A. Jaramillo, Luiz Quiroz, Lucas B. Fortini
Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using >500,000 time-series observations for 81...
Authors
David A.W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Staci M. Amburgey, M. J. Adams, Maxwell B. Joseph, J. Hardin Waddle, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Maureen E. Ryan, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Daniel L. Calhoun, Courtney L. Davis, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Tracy A.G. Rittenhouse, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Sam S. Cruickshank, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas, Ward Hughson, David S. Pilliod, Steven J. Price, Andrew M. Ray, Walter Sadinski, Daniel Saenz, William J. Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Cheryl S. Brehme, Rosi Dagit, Katy S. Delaney, Brad M. Glorioso, Lee B. Kats, Patrick M. Kleeman, Christopher Pearl, Carlton J. Rochester, Seth P. D. Riley, Mark F. Roth, Brent Sigafus
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Vegetative community response to landscape-scale post-fire herbicide (imazapic) application Vegetative community response to landscape-scale post-fire herbicide (imazapic) application
Disturbances such as wildfire create time-sensitive windows of opportunity for invasive plant treatment, and the timing of herbicide application relative to the time course of plant community development following fire can strongly influence herbicide effectiveness. We evaluated the effect of herbicide (imazapic) applied in the first winter or second fall after the 113,000 ha Soda...
Authors
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, Matthew Fisk
Great Lakes coastal fish habitat classification and assessment Great Lakes coastal fish habitat classification and assessment
Basin-scale assessment of fish habitat in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems would increase our ability to prioritize fish habitat management and restoration actions. As a first step in this direction, we identified key habitat factors associated with highest probability of occurrence for several societally and ecologically important coastal fish species as well as community metrics, using...
Authors
K. E. Kovalenko, L.B. Johnson, C. M. Riseng, M. J. Cooper, K. Johnson, L. A. Mason, James E. McKenna, B. L. Sparks-Jackson, D.G. Uzarski
Resistance to deltamethrin in prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) fleas in the field and in the laboratory Resistance to deltamethrin in prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) fleas in the field and in the laboratory
Sylvatic plague poses a substantial risk to black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and their obligate predator, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). The effects of plague on prairie dogs and ferrets are mitigated using a deltamethrin pulicide dust that reduces the spread of plague by killing fleas, the vector for the plague bacterium. In portions of Conata Basin, Buffalo...
Authors
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Jonathan Bowser, Janet McAllister, Randall Griebel, Eddie Childers, Travis M. Livieri, Cristi Painter, Lindsey Sterling Krank, Kristy Bly
Wind River subbasin restoration annual report of USGS activities January 2017 through December 2017 Wind River subbasin restoration annual report of USGS activities January 2017 through December 2017
We used Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT)-tagging and a series of instream PIT-tag interrogation systems (PTISs) to investigate life-histories, populations, and efficacy of habitat restoration actions for wild Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Wind River subbasin, WA. No hatchery Steelhead have been planted in the Wind River subbasin since 1997, and hatchery adults are estimated to...
Authors
Ian Jezorek
Effectiveness of ultrasonic imaging for evaluating presence and maturity of eggs in fishes in remote field locations Effectiveness of ultrasonic imaging for evaluating presence and maturity of eggs in fishes in remote field locations
Ultrasonic imaging is an effective, nonlethal method used to determine sex and maturity in a variety of fishes. However, many previous studies of this technique have been performed in laboratory environments. Using Common Carp Cyprinus carpio, we developed a standardized method for ultrasonically scanning cyprinids, and we accurately sexed 78% (N = 58) of those individuals. We then...
Authors
Morgan E. Brizendine, David Ward, Scott A. Bonar
Development of the Wildlife Adaptation Menu for Resource Managers Development of the Wildlife Adaptation Menu for Resource Managers
The Climate Change Response Framework is an example of a collaborative, cross-boundary approach to create a set of tools, partnerships, and actions to support climate-informed conservation and land management. Historically, this effort has focused on the needs of forest managers and forestry professionals. In recent years, however, there has been increasing demand for science and tools...
Authors
Olivia E. LeDee, Stephen D. Handler, Chris Hoving, Christopher W. Swanston, Benjamin Zuckerberg