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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: 42864

Microsatellite marker development from next-generation sequencing in the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and cross-amplification in the eastern cottontail (S. floridanus) Microsatellite marker development from next-generation sequencing in the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and cross-amplification in the eastern cottontail (S. floridanus)

Objective The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a species of high conservation priority in the Northeastern United States, and was a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act until a recent decision determined that conservation actions were sufficient to preclude listing. The aim of this study was to develop a suite of microsatellite loci to guide...
Authors
Tim L. King, Michael S. Eackles, Aaron W. Aunins, Thomas J. McGreevy, Thomas P. Husband, Anthony Tur, Adrienne I. Kovach

Lessons from the past: isotopes of an endangered rail as indicators of underlying change to tidal marsh habitats Lessons from the past: isotopes of an endangered rail as indicators of underlying change to tidal marsh habitats

Introduction: Tidal marsh systems along the Pacific coast of the United States have experienced substantial stress and loss of area and ecosystem function, which we examined by using the endangered California Ridgway’s Rail, Rallus obsoletus obsoletus (‘rail’) as an indicator of its tidal marsh habitat in the San Francisco Estuary. We organized a collection of historical (1885-1940) and...
Authors
Angela M. Merritt, Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, John Y. Takekawa, Thomas P. Hahn, Joshua M. Hull

A case study examining the efficacy of drainage setbacks for limiting effects to wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, USA A case study examining the efficacy of drainage setbacks for limiting effects to wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, USA

The enhancement of agricultural lands through the use of artificial drainage systems is a common practice throughout the United States, and recently the use of this practice has expanded in the Prairie Pothole Region. Many wetlands are afforded protection from the direct effects of drainage through regulation or legal agreements, and drainage setback distances typically are used to...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro

Case studies of capacity building for biodiversity monitoring Case studies of capacity building for biodiversity monitoring

Monitoring the status and trends of species is critical to their conservation and management. However, the current state of biodiversity monitoring is insufficient to detect such for most species and habitats, other than in a few localised areas. One of the biggest obstacles to adequate monitoring is the lack of local capacity to carry out such programs. Thus, building the capacity to do...
Authors
Dirk S. Schmeller, Christos Arvanitidis, Monika Bohm, Neil Brummitt, Eva Chatzinikolaou, Mark John Costello, Hui Ding, Michael J. Gill, Peter Haase, Romain Juillard, Jaime Garcia-Moreno, Nathalie Pettorelli, Cui Peng, Corinna Riginos, Ute Schmiedel, John P. Simaika, Carly Waterman, Jun Wu, Haigen Xu, Jayne Belnap

Effectiveness of common fish screen materials for protecting lamprey ammocoetes—Influence of sweeping velocities and decreasing flows Effectiveness of common fish screen materials for protecting lamprey ammocoetes—Influence of sweeping velocities and decreasing flows

In previous tests of the effectiveness of four common fish screen materials for excluding lamprey ammocoetes, we determined that woven wire (WW) allowed substantially more entrainment than perforated plate (PP), profile bar (PB), or Intralox (IL) material. These tests were simplistic because they used small vertically-oriented screens positioned perpendicular to the flow without a bypass...
Authors
Matthew G. Mesa, Theresa L. Liedtke, Lisa K. Weiland, Helena E. Christiansen

Vegetation response of a dry shrubland community to feral goat management on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i Vegetation response of a dry shrubland community to feral goat management on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their unique ecosystem assemblages that have a high proportion of endemic flora and fauna. However, since human colonization of this archipelago—starting with the arrival of Polynesian sailors approximately 1,200 years ago, and particularly following western contact in 1778—thousands of non-native species have been introduced to the Islands and...
Authors
James D. Jacobi, Jonathan D. Stock

Are ranger patrols effective in reducing poaching-related threats within protected areas? Are ranger patrols effective in reducing poaching-related threats within protected areas?

Poaching is one of the greatest threats to wildlife conservation world-wide. However, the spatial and temporal patterns of poaching activities within protected areas, and the effectiveness of ranger patrols and ranger posts in mitigating these threats, are relatively unknown.We used 10 years (2006–2015) of ranger-based monitoring data and dynamic multi-season occupancy models to quantify...
Authors
Jennnifer F. Moore, Felix Mulindahabi, Michel K. Masozera, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Ezechiel Turikunkiko, Madan K. Oli

Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome

Globalization has facilitated the worldwide movement and introduction of pathogens, but epizoological reconstructions of these invasions are often hindered by limited sampling and insufficient genetic resolution among isolates. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungal pathogen causing the epizootic of white-nose syndrome in North American bats, has exhibited few genetic polymorphisms in...
Authors
Kevin P. Drees, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Sebastein J. Puechmaille, Katy L. Parise, Gudrun Wibbelt, Joseph R. Hoyt, Keping Sun, Ariunbold Jargalsaikhan, Munkhnast Dalannast, Jonathan M. Palmer, Daniel L. Linder, Marm Kilpatrick, Talima Pearson, Paul S. Keim, David S. Blehert, Jeffrey T. Foster

Erratum: Understanding interaction effects of climate change and fire management on bird distributions through combined process and habitat models Erratum: Understanding interaction effects of climate change and fire management on bird distributions through combined process and habitat models

This article corrects: Understanding Interaction Effects of Climate Change and Fire Management on Bird Distributions through Combined Process and Habitat Models Volume 25, Issue 3, 536–546, Article first published online: 28 April 2011
Authors
Kevin J. Gutzwiller, Joseph D. White, Wylie C. Barrow, Lori A. Randall

Making do with less: Must sparse data preclude informed harvest strategies for European waterbirds? Making do with less: Must sparse data preclude informed harvest strategies for European waterbirds?

The demography of many European waterbirds is not well understood because most countries have conducted little monitoring and assessment, and coordination among countries on waterbird management has little precedent. Yet intergovernmental treaties now mandate the use of sustainable, adaptive harvest strategies, whose development is challenged by a paucity of demographic information. In...
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Mikko Alhainen, Anthony D. Fox, Jesper Madsen, Matthieu Guillemain

First evidence of bighead carp wild recruitment in Western Europe, and its relation to hydrology and temperature First evidence of bighead carp wild recruitment in Western Europe, and its relation to hydrology and temperature

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) have been introduced throughout Europe, mostly unintentionally, and little attention has been given to their potential for natural reproduction. We investigated the presence of young-of-the-year bighead carp in an irrigation canal network of Northern Italy and the environmental conditions associated with spawning in 2011–2015. The adult bighead...
Authors
Marco Milardi, Duane Chapman, James M. Long, Giuseppe Castaldelli

To reduce the global burden of human schistosomiasis, use ‘old fashioned’ snail control To reduce the global burden of human schistosomiasis, use ‘old fashioned’ snail control

Control strategies to reduce human schistosomiasis have evolved from ‘snail picking’ campaigns, a century ago, to modern wide-scale human treatment campaigns, or preventive chemotherapy. Unfortunately, despite the rise in preventive chemotherapy campaigns, just as many people suffer from schistosomiasis today as they did 50 years ago. Snail control can complement preventive chemotherapy...
Authors
Susanne H. Sokolow, Chelsea L. Wood, Isabel J. Jones, Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand Kuris, Michael H. Hsieh, Giulio A. De Leo
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