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: 42871
Monogenea of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll in the Central Pacific Monogenea of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll in the Central Pacific
A survey of the monogeneans of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll detected 16 species already reported from the Indo-West Pacific faunal region. A total of 653 individual fish from 44 species were collected from the sand flats bordering the lagoon of the atoll. Eighteen species of fish were infected with monogeneans. The monogenean species recovered were: Benedenia hawaiiensis...
Authors
Victor Manuel Vidal-Martinez, Lilia Catherinne Soler-Jimenez, Ma. Leopoldina Aguirre-Macedo, John Mclaughlin, Alejandra G. Jaramillo, Jenny C. Shaw, Anna James, Ryan F. Hechinger, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty
Mangrove ecosystems under climate change Mangrove ecosystems under climate change
This chapter assesses the response of mangrove ecosystems to possible outcomes of climate change, with regard to the following categories: (i) distribution, diversity, and community composition, (ii) physiology of flora and fauna, (iii) water budget, (iv) productivity and remineralization, (v) carbon storage in biomass and sediments, and (vi) the filter function for elements beneficial...
Authors
T.C. Jennerjahn, E. Gilman, Ken W. Krauss, L.D. Lacerda, I. Nordhaus, E. Wolanski
Acoustic tag detections of green sturgeon in the Columbia River and Coos Bay estuaries, Washington and Oregon, 2010–11 Acoustic tag detections of green sturgeon in the Columbia River and Coos Bay estuaries, Washington and Oregon, 2010–11
The Columbia River, in Washington and Oregon, and Coos Bay, in Oregon, are economically important shipping channels that are inhabited by several fishes protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Maintenance of shipping channels involves dredge operations to maintain sufficient in-channel depths to allow large ships to navigate the waterways safely. Fishes entrained by dredge...
Authors
Hal C. Hansel, Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry
Projecting species’ vulnerability to climate change: Which uncertainty sources matter most and extrapolate best? Projecting species’ vulnerability to climate change: Which uncertainty sources matter most and extrapolate best?
Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to assess potential climate change impacts on biodiversity, but several critical methodological decisions are often made arbitrarily. We compare variability arising from these decisions to the uncertainty in future climate change itself. We also test whether certain choices offer improved skill for extrapolating to a changed climate...
Authors
Valerie Steen, Helen Sofaer, Susan K. Skagen, Andrea J. Ray, Barry R. Noon
Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) on public lands: estimating density, activity, and diet in the Florida Keys Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) on public lands: estimating density, activity, and diet in the Florida Keys
Feral and free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) can have strong negative effects on small mammals and birds, particularly in island ecosystems. We deployed camera traps to study free-ranging cats in national wildlife refuges and state parks on Big Pine Key and Key Largo in the Florida Keys, USA, and used spatial capture–recapture models to estimate cat abundance, movement, and...
Authors
Michael V. Cove, Beth Gardner, Theodore R. Simons, Roland Kays, Allan F. O’Connell
Management of arthropod pathogen vectors in North America: Minimizing adverse effects on pollinators Management of arthropod pathogen vectors in North America: Minimizing adverse effects on pollinators
Tick and mosquito management is important to public health protection. At the same time, growing concerns about declines of pollinator species raise the question of whether vector control practices might affect pollinator populations. We report the results of a task force of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) that examined potential effects of vector management...
Authors
Howard S. Ginsberg, Timothy A. Bargar, Michelle L. Hladik, Charles Lubelczyk
Evaluating trade-offs in bull trout reintroduction strategies using structured decision making Evaluating trade-offs in bull trout reintroduction strategies using structured decision making
Structured decision making allows reintroduction decisions to be made despite uncertainty by linking reintroduction goals with alternative management actions through predictive models of ecological processes. We developed a decision model to evaluate the trade-offs between six bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) reintroduction decisions with the goal of maximizing the number of adults in...
Authors
William R. Brignon, James T. Peterson, Jason B. Dunham, Howard A. Schaller, Carl B. Schreck
Wanted dead or alive: A state-space mark-recapture-recovery model incorporating multiple recovery types and state uncertainty Wanted dead or alive: A state-space mark-recapture-recovery model incorporating multiple recovery types and state uncertainty
We developed a state-space mark-recapture-recovery model that incorporates multiple recovery types and state uncertainty to estimate survival of an anadromous fish species. We apply the model to a dataset of out-migrating juvenile steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) tagged with passive integrated transponders, recaptured during outmigration, and recovered on bird colonies in the...
Authors
Nathan J. Hostetter, Beth Gardner, Allen F. Evans, Bradley M. Cramer, Quinn Payton, Ken Collis, Daniel D. Roby
Predicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration Predicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration
Large Mississippi River (MR) diversions (peak water flow >1416 m3/s and sediment loads >165 kg/s) have been proposed as part of a suite of coastal restoration projects and are expected to rehabilitate and rebuild wetlands to alleviate the significant historic wetland loss in coastal Louisiana. These coastal wetlands are undergoing increasing eustatic sea‐level rise, land subsidence...
Authors
Hongqing Wang, Gregory D. Steyer, Brady Couvillion, Holly J. Beck, John M Rybczyk, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Ken W. Krauss, Jenneke M. Visser
Origins of lead in populations of raptors Origins of lead in populations of raptors
Although poisoning from anthropogenically derived lead threatens wildlife of many species, routes of lead exposure are unclear and rarely empirically tested. We used blood lead concentration and isotope ratio (207Pb/206Pb) data from populations of four species of raptors from across North America to test hypotheses associated with lead exposure via inhalation versus ingestion. Mean...
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, M J Stuber, V A Slabe, J T Anderson, J L Cooper, L L Rhea, B A Milsap
Linking spring phenology with mechanistic models of host movement to predict disease transmission risk Linking spring phenology with mechanistic models of host movement to predict disease transmission risk
Disease models typically focus on temporal dynamics of infection, while often neglecting environmental processes that determine host movement. In many systems, however, temporal disease dynamics may be slow compared to the scale at which environmental conditions alter host space-use and accelerate disease transmission. Using a mechanistic movement modelling approach, we made space-use...
Authors
Jerod Merkle, Paul C. Cross, Brandon M. Scurlock, Eric K. Cole, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Sarah Dewey, Matthew J. Kauffman
Marine infectious disease ecology Marine infectious disease ecology
To put marine disease impacts in context requires a broad perspective on the roles infectious agents have in the ocean. Parasites infect most marine vertebrate and invertebrate species, and parasites and predators can have comparable biomass density, suggesting they play comparable parts as consumers in marine food webs. Although some parasites might increase with disturbance, most...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty