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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: 42712

Variation in DNA methylation is associated with migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the St. Clair River Variation in DNA methylation is associated with migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the St. Clair River

Lake sturgeon populations show a variety of movement patterns, but this variation is poorly understood. To compare two migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon in the St. Clair River, multiple data types were analyzed. Individual fish were classified into migratory phenotypes based on acoustic telemetry data from 2012-2015. Lake sturgeon consistently showed movement from the St. Clair River...
Authors
Justine Whitaker, Amy B. Welsh, Darryl W. Hondorp, James C. Boase, George T. Merovich, Stuart A. Welsh, Charles C. Krueger

Testing infrared camera surveys and distance analyses to estimate feral horse abundance in a known population Testing infrared camera surveys and distance analyses to estimate feral horse abundance in a known population

We tested the use of high‐resolution infrared (IR) camera technology and distance sampling analyses to estimate abundance of feral horses (Equus caballus) during 2015–2016 in the McCullough Peaks Herd Management Area, Wyoming, USA. Infrared technology is becoming more common in ungulate population monitoring. The quality of IR cameras now allows ungulate species to be differentiated...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Paul Doherty, Jacob Hourt, John Romero

The ecology of movement and behaviour: a saturated tripartite network for describing animal contacts The ecology of movement and behaviour: a saturated tripartite network for describing animal contacts

Ecologists regularly use animal contact networks to describe interactions underlying pathogen transmission, gene flow, and information transfer. However, empirical descriptions of contact often overlook some features of individual movement, and decisions about what kind of network to use in a particular setting are commonly ad hoc. Here, we relate individual movement trajectories to...
Authors
Kezia R. Manlove, Christina M. Aiello, Pratha Sah, Bree Cummins, Peter J. Hudson, Paul C. Cross

Shorebirds adjust spring arrival schedules with variable environmental conditions: Four decades of assessment on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Shorebirds adjust spring arrival schedules with variable environmental conditions: Four decades of assessment on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Arctic summers are brief, and there has been strong selection for migratory birds to arrive in Arctic nesting areas as early as possible to time breeding with peak food availability and complete reproduction. The timing of emergence of nesting habitat in spring is, however, extremely variable in the Arctic, and few long-term studies have examined the ability of avian migrants to track...
Authors
Craig R. Ely, Brian McCaffery, Robert E. Gill

Estimates of tidal-marsh bird densities using Bayesian networks Estimates of tidal-marsh bird densities using Bayesian networks

Conserving tidal-marsh bird communities requires strategies to address continuing pressures from human development to the effects of increasing rates of sea-level rise. Knowing tidal-marsh bird distributions and population sizes are important for developing these strategies. In the Northeast United States, where estimates of sea-level rise are 3 times higher than the global average, 5...
Authors
Whitney A. Wiest, Maureen D. Correll, Bruce G. Marcot, Brian J. Olsen, Chris Elphick, Thomas P. Hodgman, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, W. Gregory Shriver

Patch age since disturbance drives patch dynamics for flycatchers breeding in both reservoir and riverine habitat Patch age since disturbance drives patch dynamics for flycatchers breeding in both reservoir and riverine habitat

Species dependent upon early-successional landscapes often occupy patches at different stages of recovery after disturbance. The demographic processes that drive patch dynamics in these systems have rarely been described but are important for developing effective conservation and management plans, especially when humans have modified the timing and intensity of disturbances that drive...
Authors
Tad C Theimer, Mark K. Sogge, Eben H. Paxton

A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers

Introduction The term “STEM” has been used to group together the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to describe education and professions related to these fields. The professional fields connected to STEM education are thought of as engineering, medicine, and computer technology. Yet these professional fields are merely the tip of the iceberg. Numerous...
Authors
Susan C. Aragon-Long, Virginia R. Burkett, Holly S. Weyers, Susan M. Haig, Marjorie S. Davenport, Kelly L. Warner

Evaluating airsoft electric guns for control of invasive brown treesnakes Evaluating airsoft electric guns for control of invasive brown treesnakes

Firearms are often used in lethal control of invasive vertebrates, but safety and regulatory aspects limit the circumstances under which they can be used. During August 2016 at the Brown Treesnake Project laboratory on Guam, we evaluated hobby‐grade Airsoft Electric Guns (AEGs)—a lower powered, less‐hazardous, and less‐regulated alternative to firearms—for capture and control of small...
Authors
Adam J Knox, Bjorn Lardner, Amy Yackel, Robert Reed

Tradeoffs of a portable, field-based environmental DNA platform for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in Alaska Tradeoffs of a portable, field-based environmental DNA platform for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in Alaska

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has improved detection probabilities of aquatic invasive species but lab-based analytical platforms for eDNA analyses slow opportunities for rapid response. Effective approaches that address this analytical bottleneck and improve capacity for rapid response are urgently needed. We tested the sensitivity of a portable, field-based eDNA platform relative to widely...
Authors
Adam J. Sepulveda, Patrick R. Hutchins, Robert L. Massengill, Kristine J. Dunker

A bioenergetics evaluation of temperature‐dependent selection for the spawning phenology by Snake River fall Chinook salmon A bioenergetics evaluation of temperature‐dependent selection for the spawning phenology by Snake River fall Chinook salmon

High water temperatures can increase the energetic cost for salmon to migrate and spawn, which can be important for Snake River fall‐run Chinook salmon because they migrate great distances (>500 km) at a time when river temperatures (18–24°C) can be above their optimum temperatures (16.5°C). Average river temperatures and random combinations of migration and spawning dates were used to...
Authors
John M. Plumb

Survey-based assessment of the frequency and potential impacts of recreation on polar bears Survey-based assessment of the frequency and potential impacts of recreation on polar bears

Conservation plans for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) typically cannot prescribe management actions to address their primary threat: sea ice loss associated with climate warming. However, there may be other stressors that compound the negative effects of sea ice loss which can be mitigated. For example, Arctic tourism has increased concurrent with polar bears increasingly using...
Authors
Karyn D. Rode, Jennifer K. Fortin, Dave Garshelis, Markus Dyck, Vicki Sahanatien, Todd C. Atwood, Stanislav Belikov, Kristin L. Laidre, Susanne Miller, Martyn E. Obbard, Dag Vongraven, Jasmine V. Ware, James Wilder

El Niño increases high‐tide flooding in tidal wetlands along the U.S. Pacific coast. El Niño increases high‐tide flooding in tidal wetlands along the U.S. Pacific coast.

Periodic oscillations between El Niño and La Niña conditions in the Pacific Basin affect oceanographic and meteorological phenomena globally, with impacts on the abundance and distribution of marine species. However, El Niño effects on estuarine hydrology and tidal wetland processes have seldom been examined rigorously. We used detailed wetland elevation and local inundation data from 10...
Authors
Arianna Goodman, Karen M. Thorne, Kevin Buffington, Chase M. Freeman, Christopher N. Janousek
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