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: 42922
A statement of common ground regarding the role of wildfire in forested landscapes of the western United States A statement of common ground regarding the role of wildfire in forested landscapes of the western United States
For millennia, wildfires have markedly influenced forests and non-forested landscapes of the western United States (US), and they are increasingly seen as having substantial impacts on society and nature. There is growing concern over what kinds and amounts of fire will achieve desirable outcomes and limit harmful effects on people and nature. Moreover, the increasing complexity...
Authors
Max A. Moritz, Chris Topik, Craig D. Allen, Paul F. Hessburg, Penelope Morgan, Dennis C. Odion, Thomas T. Veblen, Ian M. McCullough
United States bat species of concern: A synthesis United States bat species of concern: A synthesis
In 1994 the federal government designated 24 species or subspecies of bats in the United States (U.S.) and its territories as Category 2 candidates for listing as Endangered or Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Category 2 was eliminated in 1996, but taxa previously receiving this designation were informally considered “species of concern”. Various state and federal...
Authors
Thomas J. O’Shea, Paul M. Cryan, Michael A. Bogan
Late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA Late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA
Many amphibians use multiple habitats across seasons. Information on seasonal habitat use, movement between seasonal habitat types, and habitats that may be particularly valuable is important to conservation and management. We used radio-telemetry to study late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa) at nine sites from four populations along the Cascade...
Authors
Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Jennifer Rowe, M. J. Adams
A spatially discrete, integral projection model and its application to invasive carp A spatially discrete, integral projection model and its application to invasive carp
Natural resource managers and ecologists often desire an understanding of spatial dynamics such as migration, dispersion, and meta-population dynamics. Network-node models can capture these salient features. Additionally, the state-variable used with many species may be appropriately modeled as a continuous variable (e.g., length) and management activities sometimes can only target...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Eric E. Eager, Patrick Kocovsky, David C. Glover, Jahn L. Kallis, K. R. Long
Does proximity to wetlands matter? A landscape-level analysis of the influence of local wetlands on the public’s concern for ecosystem services and conservation involvement Does proximity to wetlands matter? A landscape-level analysis of the influence of local wetlands on the public’s concern for ecosystem services and conservation involvement
The success of landscape-level conservation depends on public support and an understanding of public opinion. However, perceptions of wetlands’ importance may differ based on proximity to a wetland. This study used a mail-out survey across the entire U.S. (n=1,030) to investigate the public’s knowledge of local wetlands, visitation to wetlands, concern over losing ecosystem services...
Authors
Emily J. Wilkins, Wilson Sinclair, Holly M. Miller, Rudy M. Shuster
Effects of leg flags on nest survival of four species of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds Effects of leg flags on nest survival of four species of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds
Marking wild birds is an integral part of many field studies. However, if marks affect the vital rates or behavior of marked individuals, any conclusions reached by a study might be biased relative to the general population. Leg bands have rarely been found to have negative effects on birds and are frequently used to mark individuals. Leg flags, which are larger, heavier, and might...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Megan L. Boldenow, Jenny A. Cunningham, Andrew C. Doll, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Willow B. English, Samantha E. Franks, Kristen Grond, Patrick Herzog, Brooke L. Hill, Steve J. Kendall, Eunbi Kwon, David B. Lank, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Jennie Rausch, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Audrey R. Taylor, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
Local factors associated with on‐host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies Local factors associated with on‐host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies
Outbreaks of plague, a flea‐vectored bacterial disease, occur periodically in prairie dog populations in the western United States. In order to understand the conditions that are conducive to plague outbreaks and potentially predict spatial and temporal variations in risk, it is important to understand the factors associated with flea abundance and distribution that may lead to plague...
Authors
Robin E. Russell, Rachel C. Abbott, Daniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke
Temperature regimes, growth, and food consumption for female and male adult walleye in Lake Huron and Lake Erie: a bioenergetics analysis Temperature regimes, growth, and food consumption for female and male adult walleye in Lake Huron and Lake Erie: a bioenergetics analysis
Bioenergetics modeling was used to assess the relative importance of food availability and water temperature in determining walleye (Sander vitreus) growth. Temperature regimes experienced by both female and male adult walleye in three basins of Lake Huron and in Lake Erie were determined by use of surgically implanted temperature loggers and acoustic telemetry. Temperatures experienced...
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian, Todd A. Hayden, Tyler B. Peat, Christopher Vandergoot, David G. Fielder, Ann Marie Gorman, Steven A. Pothoven, John M. Dettmers, Steven J. Cooke, Yingming Zhao, Charles C. Krueger
Variation in the vital rates of an Antarctic marine predator: the role of individual heterogeneity Variation in the vital rates of an Antarctic marine predator: the role of individual heterogeneity
Variation in life‐history traits such as lifespan and lifetime reproductive output is thought to arise, in part, due to among‐individual differences in the underlying probabilities of survival and reproduction. However, the stochastic nature of demographic processes can also generate considerable variation in fitness‐related traits among otherwise‐identical individuals. An improved...
Authors
J. Terrill Paterson, Jay J. Rotella, William A. Link, Robert A. Garrott
Drivers of chaparral type conversion to herbaceous vegetation in coastal Southern California Drivers of chaparral type conversion to herbaceous vegetation in coastal Southern California
Aim In Southern California, native woody shrublands known as chaparral support exceptional biodiversity. However, large‐scale conversion of chaparral into largely exotic herbaceous cover is a major ecological threat and serious conservation concern. Due to substantial uncertainty regarding the causes and extent of this vegetation change, we aimed to quantify the primary drivers of and...
Authors
Alexandra D. Syphard, Teresa J. Brennan, Jon E. Keeley
Carbon storage potential in a recently created brackish marsh in eastern North Carolina, USA Carbon storage potential in a recently created brackish marsh in eastern North Carolina, USA
Carbon (C) sequestration through accumulated plant biomass and storage in soils can potentially make wetland ecosystems net C sinks. Here, we collected GHG flux, plant biomass, and litter decomposition data from three distinct vegetation zones (Spartinaalterniflora, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina patens) on a 7-year-old created brackish marsh in North Carolina, USA, and integrate these...
Authors
Yo-Jin Shiau, Michael R. Burchell, Ken W. Krauss, Stephen W. Broome, Francois Birgand
A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language
Recent studies hypothesize various causes of species‐level trait covariation, namely size (e.g., metabolic theory of ecology and leaf economics spectrum), pace‐of‐life (e.g., slow‐to‐fast continuum; lifestyle continuum), evolutionary history (e.g., phylogenetic conservatism), and ecological conditions (e.g., stabilizing selection). Various methods have been used in attempts to partition...
Authors
James P. Cronin, Donald Schoolmaster