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
Low-cost grass restoration using erosion barriers in a degraded African rangeland Low-cost grass restoration using erosion barriers in a degraded African rangeland
Rangeland degradation, typified by extensive bare ground and soil erosion, is a serious problem around the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, rangeland degradation threatens the food security of millions of people who depend on livestock and the region's large mammalian wildlife diversity. We tested the ability of five simple, low-cost erosion barriers to promote grass and forb establishment...
Authors
David W Kimiti, Corinna Riginos, Jayne Belnap
U.S. Geological Survey—Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2016 U.S. Geological Survey—Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2016
Recent growth and development of renewable energy and unconventional oil and gas extraction are rapidly diversifying the energy supply of the United States. Yet, as our Nation works to advance energy security and conserve wildlife, some conflicts have surfaced. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting innovative research and developing workable...
Gut content analysis of Lake Michigan waterbirds in years with avian botulism type E mortality, 2010–2012 Gut content analysis of Lake Michigan waterbirds in years with avian botulism type E mortality, 2010–2012
Waterbird die-offs caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) have occurred sporadically in the Great Lakes since the late 1960s, with a recent pulse starting in the late 1990s. In recent die-offs, round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) have been implicated as vectors for the transfer of BoNT/E to fish-eating birds due to the round goby invasion history and their...
Authors
David A. Essian, Jennifer G. Chipault, Brenda M. Lafrancois, Jill B.K. Leonard
Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA
Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time or space. We examined the relationships among...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Christopher B. Rees, Alison A. Coulter, Christopher M. Merkes, S. Grace McCalla, Katherine F Touzinsky, Liza R. Walleser, Reuben R. Goforth, Jon Amberg
Genetic analysis shows that morphology alone cannot distinguish asian carp eggs from those of other cyprinid species Genetic analysis shows that morphology alone cannot distinguish asian carp eggs from those of other cyprinid species
Fish eggs and embryos (hereafter collectively referred to as “eggs”) were collected in the upper Mississippi River main stem (~300 km upstream of previously reported spawning by invasive Asian carp) during summer 2013. Based on previously published morphological characteristics, the eggs were identified as belonging to Asian carp. A subsample of the eggs was subsequently analyzed by using...
Authors
James H. Larson, S. Grace McCalla, Duane Chapman, Christopher B. Rees, Brent C. Knights, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Amy E. George, William B. Richardson, Jon Amberg
Predation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions Predation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions
The feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids into reservoirs above high-head dams is affected by the suitability of the reservoir habitat for rearing and the interactions of the resident fish with introduced fish. We evaluated the predation risk to anadromous salmonids considered for reintroduction in Merwin Reservoir on the North Fork Lewis River in Washington State for two...
Authors
Mark H. Sorel, Adam G. Hansen, Kristin A. Connelly, Andrew C. Wilson, Erin D. Lowery, David A. Beauchamp
Projected wetland densities under climate change: Habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy Projected wetland densities under climate change: Habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy
Climate change poses major challenges for conservation and management because it alters the area, quality, and spatial distribution of habitat for natural populations. To assess species’ vulnerability to climate change and target ongoing conservation investments, researchers and managers often consider the effects of projected changes in climate and land use on future habitat...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Susan K. Skagen, Joseph J. Barsugli, Benjamin S. Rashford, Gordon C. Reese, Jennifer A. Hoeting, Andrew W. Wood, Barry R. Noon
Growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints Growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints
Increased freshwater growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss improved survival to smolt and adult stages, thus prompting an examination of factors affecting growth during critical periods that influenced survival through subsequent life stages. For three tributaries with contrasting thermal regimes, a bioenergetics model was used to evaluate how feeding rate and energy density...
Authors
Jamie N. Thompson, David A. Beauchamp
Renewable energy and wildlife conservation Renewable energy and wildlife conservation
The renewable energy sector is rapidly expanding and diversifying the power supply of the country. Yet, as our Nation works to advance renewable energy and to conserve wildlife, some conflicts arise. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting innovative research and developing workable solutions to reduce impacts of renewable energy production on...
Authors
Mona Khalil
Mechanistic variables can enhance predictive models of endotherm distributions: The American pika under current, past, and future climates Mechanistic variables can enhance predictive models of endotherm distributions: The American pika under current, past, and future climates
How climate constrains species’ distributions through time and space is an important question in the context of conservation planning for climate change. Despite increasing awareness of the need to incorporate mechanism into species distribution models (SDMs), mechanistic modeling of endotherm distributions remains limited in this literature. Using the American pika (Ochotona princeps)...
Authors
Paul Mathewson, Lucas Moyer-Horner, Erik A. Beever, Natalie Briscoe, Michael T. Kearney, Jeremiah Yahn, Warren P. Porter
Consistent response of bird populations to climate change on two continents Consistent response of bird populations to climate change on two continents
Global climate change is a major threat to biodiversity. Large-scale analyses have generally focused on the impacts of climate change on the geographic ranges of species and on phenology, the timing of ecological phenomena. We used long-term monitoring of the abundance of breeding birds across Europe and the United States to produce, for both regions, composite population indices for two...
Authors
Philip A. Stephens, Lucy R. Mason, Rhys E. Green, Richard D. Gregory, John R. Sauer, Jamie Alison, Ainars Aunins, Lluis Brotons, Stuart H.M. Butchart, Tommaso Campedelli, Tomasz Chodkiewicz, Przemyslaw Chylarecki, Olivia Crowe, Jaanus Elts, Virginia Escandell, Ruud P.B. Foppen, Henning Heldbjerg, Sergi Herrando, Magne Husby, Frederic Jiguet, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Ake Lindstrom, David G. Noble, Jean-Yves Paquet, Jiri Reif, Thomas Sattler, Tibor Szep, Norbert Teufelbauer, Sven Trautmann, Arco Van Strien, Chris van Turnhout, Petr Vorisek, Stephen G. Willis
Piscivorous fish exhibit temperature-influenced binge feeding during an annual prey pulse Piscivorous fish exhibit temperature-influenced binge feeding during an annual prey pulse
Understanding the limits of consumption is important for determining trophic influences on ecosystems and predator adaptations to inconsistent prey availability. Fishes have been observed to consume beyond what is sustainable (i.e. digested on a daily basis), but this phenomenon of hyperphagia (or binge-feeding) is largely overlooked. We expect hyperphagia to be a short-term (1-day)...
Authors
Nathan B. Furey, Scott G. Hinch, Matthew G. Mesa, David A. Beauchamp