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: 42768
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
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
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
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
Perissodactyla diet Perissodactyla diet
Perissodactyla (Schoch 1989) includes tapirs, rhinoceros, wild asses, horses, and zebras. It is the order of hoofed mammals referred to as “odd-toed ungulates” because its members have one to three weight-bearing toes and walk on hoofs or “ungules.” They are herbivores that are specialized to exploit grasslands and brushy habitat (rhinos, horses, asses, zebras) or dense tropical forests...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker
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
Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings
On an annual basis, federal and state agencies are responsible for mapping and removing large expanses of aquatic nuisance vegetation from navigable waterways. This study set out to achieve four primary objectives: (1) utilize recent advancements in remote sensing techniques to classify the extent and distribution of aquatic vegetation in coastal ecosystems using satellite imagery, (2)...
Authors
Glenn M. Suir, Kevin J. Suir, Sijan Sapkota
Estimating wetland connectivity to streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An isotopic and remote sensing approach Estimating wetland connectivity to streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An isotopic and remote sensing approach
Understanding hydrologic connectivity between wetlands and perennial streams is critical to understanding the reliance of stream flow on inputs from wetlands. We used the isotopic evaporation signal in water and remote sensing to examine wetland‐stream hydrologic connectivity within the Pipestem Creek watershed, North Dakota, a watershed dominated by prairie‐pothole wetlands. Pipestem...
Authors
J. R. Brooks, David M. Mushet, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Scott G. Leibowitz, J. R. Christensen, Brian Neff, Donald O. Rosenberry, W. D. Rugh, L.C. Alexander
Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms
Polymer identification of plastic marine debris can help identify its sources, degradation, and fate. We optimized and validated a fast, simple, and accessible technique, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), to identify polymers contained in plastic ingested by sea turtles. Spectra of consumer good items with known resin identification codes...
Authors
Melissa R. Jung, F. David Horgen, Sara V. Orski, Viviana Rodriguez, Kathryn L. Beers, George H. Balazs, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, Kayla C. Brignac, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, David K. Hyrenbach, Brenda A. Jensen, Jennifer M. Lynch