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: 42700
Wind River Subbasin Restoration, Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities, January 2016 through December 2016 Wind River Subbasin Restoration, Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities, January 2016 through December 2016
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 steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Wind River subbasin, WA. Our tagging focused on parr in headwaters areas of the subbasin and our instream readers provided information on...
Authors
Ian G. Jezorek, Patrick J. Connolly
Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate
Synchrony between reproduction and food availability is important in mammals due to the high energetic costs of gestation and lactation. Female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) must accumulate sufficient energy reserves during spring through autumn to produce and nurse cubs during the winter months in snow dens. Adequate time in a den is important to optimize cub development for...
Authors
Karyn D. Rode, Jay Olson, Dennis L. Eggett, David C. Douglas, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Eric V. Regehr, Ryan H. Wilson, Tom Smith, Michelle St. Martin
Fine-scale heterogeneity drives forest use by spring migrant landbirds across a broad, contiguous forest matrix Fine-scale heterogeneity drives forest use by spring migrant landbirds across a broad, contiguous forest matrix
Much of our understanding of en route landbird habitat use comes from research performed at local scales, ignoring effects at larger spatial scales. We used a multiscale approach to investigate stopover habitat use by landbirds using transect surveys in 68 forested sites in southwestern Michigan, USA, during the springs of 2002 and 2003. We modeled relationships of bird density and...
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Robert J. Smith, David N. Ewert, Robert H. Diehl, Jeffrey J. Buler
Modulators of mercury risk to wildlife and humans in the context of rapid global change Modulators of mercury risk to wildlife and humans in the context of rapid global change
Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination is an urgent global health threat. The complexity of Hg in the environment can hinder accurate determination of ecological and human health risks, particularly within the context of the rapid global changes that are altering many ecological processes, socioeconomic patterns, and other factors like infectious disease incidence, which can affect Hg...
Authors
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Ellen K. Silbergeld, Niladri Basu, Paco Bustamante, Fernando Diaz-Barriga, William A. Hopkins, Karen A. Kidd, Jennifer F. Nyland
Deciphering the link between doubly uniparental inheritance of mtDNA and sex determination in bivalves: Clues from comparative transcriptomics Deciphering the link between doubly uniparental inheritance of mtDNA and sex determination in bivalves: Clues from comparative transcriptomics
Bivalves exhibit an astonishing diversity of sexual systems and sex-determining mechanisms. They can be gonochoric, hermaphroditic or androgenetic, with both genetic and environmental factors known to determine or influence sex. One unique sex-determining system involving the mitochondrial genome has also been hypothesized to exist in bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of...
Authors
Charlotte Capt, Sébastien Renaut, Fabrizio Ghiselli, Liliana Milani, Nathan A. Johnson, Bernard E. Sietman, Donald Stewart, Sophie Breton
“Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota “Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota
Wilderness areas in the United States are preserved for their untrammeled naturalness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has these qualities, but long-term recreation visitation pressures on campsites can cause significant ecological changes. This article explores changes on campsites, specifically examining non-native plant ecology...
Authors
Holly Eagleston, Jeffrey L. Marion
Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA
Poor condition of many streams and concerns about future droughts in the arid and semi-arid western USA have motivated novel restoration strategies aimed at accelerating recovery and increasing water resources. Translocation of beavers into formerly occupied habitats, restoration activities encouraging beaver recolonization, and instream structures mimicking the effects of beaver dams...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Ashley T. Rohde, Susan Charnley, Rachael R Davee, Jason B. Dunham, Hannah Gosnell, Gordon E. Grant, Mark B. Hausner, Justin L. Huntington, Caroline Nash
A global audit of the status and trends of Arctic and Northern Hemisphere goose populations A global audit of the status and trends of Arctic and Northern Hemisphere goose populations
This report attempts to review the abundance, status and distribution of natural wild goose populations in the northern hemisphere. The report comprises three parts that 1) summarise key findings from the study and the methodology and analysis applied; 2) contain the individual accounts for each of the 68 populations included in this report; and 3) provide the datasets compiled for this...
Authors
Joel A. Schmutz
Effects of environmental variables on invasive amphibian activity: Using model selection on quantiles for counts Effects of environmental variables on invasive amphibian activity: Using model selection on quantiles for counts
Many different factors influence animal activity. Often, the value of an environmental variable may influence significantly the upper or lower tails of the activity distribution. For describing relationships with heterogeneous boundaries, quantile regressions predict a quantile of the conditional distribution of the dependent variable. A quantile count model extends linear quantile...
Authors
Benjamin J. Muller, Brian S. Cade, Lin Schwarzkoph
Spatial patterns in occupancy and reproduction of Golden Eagles during drought: Prospects for conservation in changing environments Spatial patterns in occupancy and reproduction of Golden Eagles during drought: Prospects for conservation in changing environments
We used a broad-scale sampling design to investigate spatial patterns in occupancy and breeding success of territorial pairs of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Diablo Range, California, USA, during a period of exceptional drought (2014–2016). We surveyed 138 randomly selected sample sites over 4 occasions each year and identified 199 pairs of eagles, 100 of which were detected...
Authors
David Wiens, Patrick Kolar, W. Grainger Hunt, Teresa Hunt, Mark R. Fuller, Douglas A. Bell
Contaminant-associated health effects in fishes from the Ottawa and Ashtabula Rivers, Ohio Contaminant-associated health effects in fishes from the Ottawa and Ashtabula Rivers, Ohio
The health of resident fishes serves as a biologically relevant barometer of aquatic ecosystem integrity. Here, the health of the Ottawa River and Ashtabula River (both within the Lake Erie Basin) were assessed using morphological and immunological biomarkers in brown bullheads (Ameiurus nebulosus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Biomarker metrics were compared to fish...
Authors
Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Cassidy H. Shaw, David S. DeVault, Jo A. Banda
Use of real-time dust monitoring and surface condition to evaluate success of unpaved road treatments Use of real-time dust monitoring and surface condition to evaluate success of unpaved road treatments
No abstract available.
Authors
Bethany K. Kunz, Nicholas S. Green, Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Edward E. Little