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: 43280
CrustCheck: A conceptual framework for interpreting biocrust trait–function relationships in drylands CrustCheck: A conceptual framework for interpreting biocrust trait–function relationships in drylands
Introduction Biocrusts are increasingly recognized for their contribution to soil stability, hydrology, nutrient cycling, and energy balance in drylands, yet practical field methods for assessing functional roles are limited. Existing approaches typically rely on cover estimates, taxonomic identification, or laboratory analyses, providing little insight into functional variation among...
Authors
Nicky Parker, Susanne Schmidt, Lea A. Condon, Jaidyn Eastaughffe, Peter S. Coates, Wendy Williams
Dormant-season prescribed fires can enhance forage quality for two growing seasons in the northwestern Great Plains Dormant-season prescribed fires can enhance forage quality for two growing seasons in the northwestern Great Plains
Fire is an ecological disturbance that can accelerate nutrient cycling and alter herbivore distribution in grasslands and shrublands. Historically and today, humans have used prescribed fire to enhance forage quality for wild and domestic herbivores, and to achieve other management objectives. Contextual factors such as ecosystem type, seasonality, and fuel characteristics can determine...
Authors
Lauren M. Porensky, J. Derek Scasta, Troy W. Ocheltree, Amy Symstad, Catherine E. Estep, Jacqueline P. Ott
Temperate wetlands lose climate-cooling capacity under warming Temperate wetlands lose climate-cooling capacity under warming
Temperate inland wetlands have long been viewed as climate regulators, with sustained CO₂ sequestration offsetting continuous CH₄ emissions over centennial–millennial timescales. However, the net climatic effect of these opposing fluxes remains uncertain under anthropogenic warming as they differ in both magnitude and atmospheric lifetime. We combine 19,000 CH₄ chamber measurements from...
Authors
Shizhou Ma, Irena F. Creed, Pascal Badiou, Sheel Bansal, Zhen Zhang
Bee-ing similar: Low diversity, no population structure, and signals of adaptation in two North Dakota bumble bees Bee-ing similar: Low diversity, no population structure, and signals of adaptation in two North Dakota bumble bees
Habitat fragmentation and destruction are driving widespread declines in ecosystem function, species abundance, and genetic diversity across the globe. Among the affected taxa are bumble bees (genus Bombus), which are essential pollinators. Bumble bee declines have been linked to anthropogenic pressures such as land-use change and climate change. To better understand how the environment...
Authors
Rhiannon Hall, Meggan A. Alston, Jason P. Harmon, Clint R.V. Otto, Travis Seaborn
Perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk differ between homeowners and trained assessors in wildland-urban interface communities across the western United States Perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk differ between homeowners and trained assessors in wildland-urban interface communities across the western United States
Wildfire risk mitigation on private property is central to reducing community wildfire vulnerability. Homeowners have control over many of the key factors that contribute to wildfire risk on their parcels, yet vulnerable conditions persist. One potential explanation is a misalignment between homeowners' and trained assessors' perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk. Prior research has...
Authors
Kelly Wallace, Grant Webster, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner, Christopher M. Barth, Josh Kuehn, Suzanne Wittenbrink, James R. Meldrum
Bridging remote sensing advances and management needs for small Prairie Pothole waterbodies using a multiscale accuracy assessment Bridging remote sensing advances and management needs for small Prairie Pothole waterbodies using a multiscale accuracy assessment
Remote sensing of surface water provides a powerful tool to inform the management of waterfowl habitat, but there is little information available to directly assess the relative accuracy of different remote sensing datasets. Our objective was to understand how the characteristics of remotely sensed inundation datasets inform dataset accuracy, the reliable detection of small waterbodies...
Authors
Audrey Claire Lothspeich, Owen P. McKenna, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
A practical framework for identifying genetic subpopulations and ESUs: Insights for IUCN assessments and broader management A practical framework for identifying genetic subpopulations and ESUs: Insights for IUCN assessments and broader management
Species conservation assessments evaluate extinction risk, and recovery potential, advancing species persistence through guiding resource prioritization and planning. Assessment frameworks, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and Green Status of Species, typically focus on species as a whole. Importantly, they do not routinely account for genetically...
Authors
Julia C. Geue, Laura D. Bertola, Paulette Bloomer, Anna Bruniche-Olsen, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Ancuta Fedorca, José A. Godoy, Catherine E. Grueber, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Evelyn L. Jensen, Alexander Kopatz, Anna J. MacDonald, Silvia Pérez-Espona, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Jennifer Pierson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Helen Senn, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Cock van Oosterhout, Deborah M. Leigh
Abundance, trends, and challenges facing mountain goats throughout their North American distribution Abundance, trends, and challenges facing mountain goats throughout their North American distribution
Recent declines among some mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations have heightened concern about their current status and ability to cope with future challenges. We conducted a range-wide assessment of the status of mountain goats across their distribution to understand the extent and patterns of change in recent years. We queried states, provinces, National Parks, and Indigenous
Authors
Richard B. Harris, Steve Bethune, Mark Biel, Roy T. Churchwell, Julie Cunningham, Rob Found, Tabitha A. Graves, Anne Hubbs, Tyler Jessen, Bill Jex, Joshua Kirk, Meghan Larivee, Chadwick P. Lehman, Brian MacBeth, Hollie Miyasaki, Tony W. Mong, William Moore, Susan Oehlers, Todd Rinaldi, Kristin M. Rine, Rusty Robinson, Zachary L. Robinson, Jennifer Sevigny, Michael Sevigny, Kyle Smith, David Vales, Kevin White, Don Whittaker, Carmen Wong, Travis Wyman
Landscape change and age ratios for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) herd units in Wyoming,1980-2019 Landscape change and age ratios for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) herd units in Wyoming,1980-2019
No abstract available.
Authors
Teagan A. Hayes, Aaron N. Johnston, L. Embere Hall, Jill Randall, Matthew J. Kauffman, Christopher Keefe, Kevin Monteith, Tabitha A. Graves
Dietary composition and diversity in an endemic island bat, the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus) Dietary composition and diversity in an endemic island bat, the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus)
Due to the importance of sufficient diets, conservation practices for endangered bats often involve protection and restoration of foraging resources. For insectivorous (or arthropodivorous) bats, detailed knowledge of prey consumption can inform effective management. In this study, we used metabarcoding techniques to investigate the diet of Lasiurus semotus, a primarily insectivorous...
Authors
Corinna Pinzari, P. Marcos Gorresen, Robert W. Peck, Karen Courtot
Incorporating location uncertainty improves inference with stop-level North American Breeding Bird Survey data Incorporating location uncertainty improves inference with stop-level North American Breeding Bird Survey data
Ecological models should account for uncertainty to be most effective and useful. Yet, uncertainty from model covariates—unlike that from other sources, such as sampling error or process variability—is seldom explicitly incorporated. This can cause underestimates of uncertainty to cascade through model parameter estimates, predictions, and downstream uses. Burner et al. proposed a method...
Authors
Ryan C. Burner, J. A. Hostetler, Alan Kirschbaum
Cultural benefits knowledge and social learning in Elwha River dam removal and ecosystem decision-making Cultural benefits knowledge and social learning in Elwha River dam removal and ecosystem decision-making
In a retrospective case study of the seminal Elwha River dam removal in Washington State, USA, we explore pathways through which ecosystem services (ES) knowledge can inform environmental decision-making. We specifically investigate how knowledge of cultural benefits linked to the Elwha River ecosystem was made available. Through interviews and historical document review we identify...
Authors
Kristin R. Hoelting, Doreen E. Martinez, Lucas Bair, Rudy Schuster, Michael C. Gavin