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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: 42707

Investigating seagrass in Toxoplasma gondii transmission in Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Antillean (T. m. manatus) manatees Investigating seagrass in Toxoplasma gondii transmission in Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Antillean (T. m. manatus) manatees

Toxoplasma gondii is a feline protozoan reported to cause morbidity and mortality in manatees and other marine mammals. Given the herbivorous nature of manatees, ingestion of oocysts from contaminated water or seagrass is presumed to be their primary mode of infection. The objectives of this study were to investigate oocyst contamination of seagrass beds in Puerto Rico and determine the
Authors
Heidi M. Wyrosdick, Richard W. Gerhold, Chunlei Su, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Robert K. Bonde, Alycia Chapman, Carla Riviera-Perez, Jessica Martinez, Debra L. Miller

Normalized difference vegetation index as an estimator for abundance and quality of avian herbivore forage in arctic Alaska Normalized difference vegetation index as an estimator for abundance and quality of avian herbivore forage in arctic Alaska

Tools that can monitor biomass and nutritional quality of forage plants are needed to understand how arctic herbivores may respond to the rapidly changing environment at high latitudes. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been widely used to assess changes in abundance and distribution of terrestrial vegetative communities. However, the efficacy of NDVI to measure...
Authors
Kyle R. Hogrefe, Vijay P. Patil, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Brandt W. Meixell, Michael E. Budde, Jerry W. Hupp, David H. Ward

Do observed levels of exploitation from consumption-oriented and trophy-oriented fisheries reduce relative stock densities of Muskellunge below target levels in northern Wisconsin? Do observed levels of exploitation from consumption-oriented and trophy-oriented fisheries reduce relative stock densities of Muskellunge below target levels in northern Wisconsin?

Muskellunge anglers desire to catch large fish, and release rates by recreational anglers often approach 100% (Isermann et al. 2011). Muskellunge are also a culturally significant fish for Chippewa tribes and support a subsistence spearing fishery in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory (Erickson 2007). Although Muskellunge populations within the state’s Ceded Territory are exposed to both...
Authors
Matthew D. Faust, Michael J. Hansen

Weekly summer diet of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota Weekly summer diet of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota

Wolves (Canis lupus) are opportunistic predators and will capitalize on available abundant food sources. However, wolf diet has primarily been examined at monthly, seasonal, or annual scales, which can obscure short-term responses to available food. We examined weekly wolf diet from late June to early October by collecting scats from a single wolf pack in northeastern Minnesota. During...
Authors
Thomas D. Gable, Steve K. Windels, John G. Bruggink, Shannon Barber-Meyer

Evidence for migratory spawning behavior by morphologically distinct Cisco (Coregonus artedi) from a small inland lake Evidence for migratory spawning behavior by morphologically distinct Cisco (Coregonus artedi) from a small inland lake

Conservation and management of rare fishes relies on managers having the most informed understanding of the underlying ecology of the species under investigation. Cisco (Coregonus artedi), a species of conservation concern, is a cold-water pelagic fish that is notoriously variable in morphometry and life history. Published reports indicate, at spawning time, Cisco in great lakes may...
Authors
Alexander J. Ross, Brian Weidel, Mellisa Leneker, Christopher T. Solomon

North American Breeding Bird Survey in Mississippi North American Breeding Bird Survey in Mississippi

Does it seem like you are hearing fewer Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) calls in recent years than you remember when you were younger? Conversely, have you also noticed hearing more “cooing” of Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto)? Do such experiences reflect changes in bird populations or are they false impressions? Well, fortunately for us, we have one of the most...
Authors
Daniel J. Twedt, Keith L. Pardieck

Sage grouse Sage grouse

Sage grouse are a group of chicken-sized birds with a unique breeding behavior and dependence on sagebrush shrubs (genus Artemisia) for food and shelter throughout their life cycle. In the last century, human population expansion throughout western North America has reduced the amount of sagebrush and degraded and fragmented the remaining areas. Vanishing sagebrush has resulted in sage...
Authors
Shawna Zimmerman, Jennifer M. Timmer, Cameron L. Aldridge, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Clait E. Braun, Jessica R. Young

An extirpated lineage of a threatened frog species resurfaces in southern California An extirpated lineage of a threatened frog species resurfaces in southern California

Southern California has experienced widespread amphibian declines since the 1960s. One species, the Vulnerable California red-legged frog Rana draytonii, is now considered to be extirpated from most of southern California. In February 2017 a population of R. draytonii was discovered in the southern foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains of Riverside County, California, near the edge...
Authors
Adam R. Backlin, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Elizabeth Gallegos, Clinton K. Christensen, Robert N. Fisher

Anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity to non-target wildlife under controlled exposure conditions Anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity to non-target wildlife under controlled exposure conditions

Much of our understanding of anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity to non-target wildlife has been derived from molecular through whole animal research and registration studies in domesticated birds and mammals, and to a lesser degree from trials with captive wildlife. Using these data, an adverse outcome pathway identifying molecular initiating and anchoring events (inhibition of vitamin K...
Authors
Barnett A. Rattner, F. Nicholas Mastrota

Anticoagulant rodenticides and wildlife: Introduction Anticoagulant rodenticides and wildlife: Introduction

Rodents have interacted with people since the beginning of systematic food storage by humans in the early Neolithic era. Such interactions have had adverse outcomes such as threats to human health, spoiling and consumption of food sources, damage to human infrastructure and detrimental effects on indigenous island wildlife (through inadvertent anthropogenic assisted introductions). These...
Authors
Nico W. van den Brink, John E. Elliott, Richard F. Shore, Barnett A. Rattner

Anticoagulant rodenticides and wildlife: Concluding remarks Anticoagulant rodenticides and wildlife: Concluding remarks

Rodents are known to affect human society globally in various adverse ways, resulting in a widespread demand for their continuous control. Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) have been, and currently remain, the cornerstone of rodent control throughout the world. Although alternative control methods exist, they are generally less effective. ARs work by affecting vitamin K metabolism...
Authors
Nico W. van den Brink, John E. Elliott, Richard F. Shore, Barnett A. Rattner
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