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: 42702
Hookworm prevalence in ocelots in Costa Rica is inconsistent with spillover from domestic dogs despite high overlap Hookworm prevalence in ocelots in Costa Rica is inconsistent with spillover from domestic dogs despite high overlap
Spatial overlap between wildlife and related domestic animals can lead to disease transmission, with substantial evidence for viral and bacterial spillover. Domestic and wild animals can also share potentially harmful helminth parasites, many of which have environmental transmission stages that do not require direct contact between hosts. We used camera traps, fecal sampling, and...
Authors
Juan S. Vargas Soto, Katelyn M. Gstic, Natalka A. Melnycky, Julianna G. Johnson, Andrew P. Dobson, Peter S. Coates, Claire J. Standley, Peter K. Molnar
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Duluth, MN area: Exposure to and biomarker responses in tree swallows relative to known fire-fighting foam sources Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Duluth, MN area: Exposure to and biomarker responses in tree swallows relative to known fire-fighting foam sources
Tree swallow nest boxes were deployed at sites proximal to two putative aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) sources in the Duluth, MN area, as well as along the St. Louis River and a reference lake for comparative purposes in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The two AFFF sites were the current Duluth Air National Guard Base (ANG) and the Lake Superior College Emergency Response Training Center. Between...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Matthew A. Etterson, Jonathan T. Haselman, Sandra L. Schultz, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Cole W. Matson
Using parentage-based tagging to estimate survival of Chinook salmon fry in a large storage reservoir Using parentage-based tagging to estimate survival of Chinook salmon fry in a large storage reservoir
Research efforts focusing on salmonid populations have highlighted the need to better understand demographic parameters for the fry and parr life stages. Monitoring these small fish presents a challenge because negative effects from handling and tagging can bias subsequent parameter estimates. Removal models and associated sampling designs represent one class of mark-recapture models...
Authors
Adam Pope, Tobias Kock, Russell Perry, Karen M. Cogliati, Kathleen G. O'Malley, Christina Amy Murphy, Dalton Hance, Scott D. Fielding
U.S. Geological Survey climate science plan—Future research directions U.S. Geological Survey climate science plan—Future research directions
Executive Summary Climate is the primary driver of environmental change and is a key consideration in defining science priorities conducted across all mission areas in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Recognizing the importance of climate change to its future research agenda, the USGS’s Climate Science Steering Committee requested the development of a Climate Science Plan to identify...
Authors
Tamara Wilson, Ryan P. Boyles, Nicole DeCrappeo, Judith Z. Drexler, Kevin D. Kroeger, Rachel A. Loehman, John M. Pearce, Mark P. Waldrop, Peter D. Warwick, Anne M. Wein, Sara L. Zeigler, Beard
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Energy Resources Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Alaska Science Center, California Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data
Stable isotope data have made pivotal contributions to nearly every discipline of the physical and natural sciences. As the generation and application of stable isotope data continues to grow exponentially, so does the need for a unifying data repository to improve accessibility and promote collaborative engagement. This paper provides an overview of the design, development, and...
Authors
Oliver N. Shipley, Anna J. Dabrowski, Gabriel J. Bowen, Brian Hayden, Jonathan N. Pauli, Christopher Jordan, Lesleigh Anderson, Adriana Bailey, Clement P. Bataille, Carla Cicero, Hilary G. Close, Craig Cook, Joseph A. Cook, Ankur R. Desai, Jaivime Evaristo, Tim R. Filley, Christine France, Sora Lee Kim, Sebastian H. Kopf, Julie Loisel, Philip J. Manlick, Jamie M. McFarlin, Bailey C. McMeans, Tamsin C. O’Connel, Brice X. Semmens, Chris Stantis, Paul Szejner, Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch, Annie L. Putman, Craig A. Stricker, Tara L.E. Trammell, Mark D. Uhen, Samantha Weintraub-Leff, Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Williams, Christopher T. Yarnes, Hanna B. Vander Zanden, Seth D. Newsome
Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15) Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15)
Terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, and the inland waters within them, such as bogs, floodplains, lakes, rivers, springs, and wetlands, are foundational for life on earth. They provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage and sequestration, clean water, primary production, pollination, soil fertility, and erosion control. The human footprint on terrestrial and...
Authors
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail J. Lynch, Samuel J. Smidt, E. Ashley Steel, Scott Dowd, Robert Britton, Xue Bai, Trista Brophy Cerquera, Genaro Guerrero, Jeantel Cheramy, Aaron A. Koning, Fatemeh F. Maghsood, Ashley M. Piccillo, Grace Schuppie
Aspects of the demography of a relict population of southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida) in a West Mojave Desert stream in California Aspects of the demography of a relict population of southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida) in a West Mojave Desert stream in California
We studied Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle) in Amargosa Creek, near Palmdale, CA, from 1997 to 2023. The population in the upper creek was the focus of a mark–recapture study from 1997 to 2003 during monitoring required by a road-construction project. An estimated 193 (95% CI = 142–256) turtles were present in 1997 or recruited to the upper creek population between 1997 and...
Authors
David Muth, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Rodrigo Macip-Rios, Doug Gomez, Kristy L. Cummings, Michele R. Puffer, Charles Yackulic
Testing food web theory in a large lake: The role of body size in habitat coupling in Lake Michigan Testing food web theory in a large lake: The role of body size in habitat coupling in Lake Michigan
The landscape theory of food web architecture (LTFWA) describes relationships among body size, trophic position, mobility, and energy channels that serve to couple heterogenous habitats, which in turn promotes long-term system stability. However, empirical tests of the LTFWA are rare and support differs among terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. Further, it is unclear whether the...
Authors
Bryan M. Maitland, Harvey A. Bootsma, Charles R. Bronte, David Bunnell, Zachary S. Feiner, Kari Fenske, William Fetzer, Carolyn Foley, Brandon Gerig, Austin Happell, Tomas O. Hook, Friedrich W. Keppeler, Matthew Kornis, Ryan F. Lepak, Andrew McNaught, Brian Roth, Ben Turschak, Joel C. Hoffman, Olaf P. Jensen
Combining storm flood water level and topography to prioritize inter-basin transfer of non-native aquatic species in the United States Combining storm flood water level and topography to prioritize inter-basin transfer of non-native aquatic species in the United States
Flooded areas can create temporary connections between adjacent drainages and are a relatively understudied pathway for the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database’s Flood and Storm Tracker maps were developed to help natural resource managers with post-storm aquatic invasive species detection and assessment efforts. As of the summer of 2023, 16...
Authors
Ian Pfingsten, Kristen M. Reaver, Emily Marie Dean, Matthew Neilson, Bogdan Chivoiu, Wesley Daniel
Chronic effects of metal releases from historical mining on threatened crayfish in Madison County Missouri, USA Chronic effects of metal releases from historical mining on threatened crayfish in Madison County Missouri, USA
The Little St. Francis River and its tributaries drain metals-contaminated areas of the Madison County Mines National Priority List Superfund site (MCM) which was designated in 2003 to facilitate remediation of metals contamination within the MCM. One concern for natural resource trustees in the MCM is the potential effects of elevated metals concentrations on the federally threatened St...
Authors
Ann Allert, Danielle M. Cleveland, Robert J. DiStefano, Mark L. Wildhaber, Leslie K. Lueckenhoff
Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river
Dams commonly restrict fish movements in large rivers but can also help curtail the spread of invasive species, such as invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp). To determine how dams in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) affect large-scale invasive and native fish migrations, we tracked American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and bigheaded carp across > 600 river km (rkm) and 16...
Authors
Mark W. Fritts, Daniel Gibson-Reinemer, Douglas Appel, Katharine Lieder, Cody Henderson, Amanda S. Milde, Marybeth K. Brey, James T. Lamer, Dominque Turney, Zachary Witzel, Emily Szott, Grace Loppnow, Joel Stiras, Kayla Zankle, Devon Oliver, John Hoxmeier, Andrea K. Fritts
Managing climate-change refugia to prevent extinctions Managing climate-change refugia to prevent extinctions
Earth is facing simultaneous biodiversity and climate crises. Climate-change refugia – areas that are relatively buffered from climate change – can help address both of these problems by maintaining biodiversity components when the surrounding landscape no longer can. However, this capacity to support biodiversity is often vulnerable to severe climate change and other stressors. Thus...
Authors
Gunnar Keppel, Diana Stralberg, Toni Lyn Morelli, Zoltán Bátori