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: 42768
Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands
Mangroves’ ability to store carbon (C) has long been recognized, but little is known about whether planted mangroves can store C as efficiently as naturally established (i.e., intact) stands and in which time frame. Through Bayesian logistic models compiled from 40 years of data and built from 684 planted mangrove stands worldwide, we found that biomass C stock culminated at 71 to 73% to...
Authors
Carine F. Bourgeois, Richard A. MacKenzie, Sahadev Sharma, Rupesh K. Bhomia, Nels G. Johnson, Andre S. Rovai, Thomas A. Worthington, Ken Krauss, Kangkuso Analuddin, Jacob J. Bukoski, Jose Alan Castillo, Angie Elwin, Leah Glass, Tim C. Jennerjahn, Mwita M. Mangora, Cyril Marchand, Michael Osland, Ismael A. Ratefinjanahary, Raghab Ray, Severino G. Salmo, Sigit D. Sasmito, Rempei Suwa, Pham Hong Tinh, Carl C. Trettin
Effects of harmful algal blooms on amphibians and reptiles are under-reported and under-represented Effects of harmful algal blooms on amphibians and reptiles are under-reported and under-represented
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a persistent and increasing problem globally, yet we still have limited knowledge about how they affect wildlife. Although semi-aquatic and aquatic amphibians and reptiles have experienced large declines and occupy environments where HABs are increasingly problematic, their vulnerability to HABs remains unclear. To inform monitoring, management, and future...
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Kelly Smalling, Blake R. Hossack
Histological analysis of deepwater sculpin ovaries supports single spawning reproductive strategy Histological analysis of deepwater sculpin ovaries supports single spawning reproductive strategy
Deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were considered extirpated from Lake Ontario prior to the 1990s but have since resurged and are now an abundant offshore demersal species. As deepwater sculpin reproduction is poorly described, an investigation of their gonadal development and fecundity was conducted to better understand their reproductive biology. To evaluate spawning period...
Authors
Jarrod R. Ludwig, Brian Weidel, Brian O’Malley, Michael Connerton, Jacques Rinchard
Low-level dietary clothianidin exposure preferentially causes prepupal mortality of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) Low-level dietary clothianidin exposure preferentially causes prepupal mortality of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)
Data from prior research indicate the prepupal stage of the monarch butterfly life cycle is more sensitive to clothianidin exposure than the larval stage. A set of experiments was conducted to determine if the dietary clothianidin exposures that cause prepupal mortality are environmentally relevant. Monarch larvae were raised from egg to pupae on clothianidin-contaminated swamp milkweed...
Authors
Timothy Bargar
Rangewide occupancy of a flagship species, the Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) in southern California: Habitat associations and recovery from wildfire Rangewide occupancy of a flagship species, the Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) in southern California: Habitat associations and recovery from wildfire
The Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), a federally threatened species, is a flagship species for regional conservation planning in southern California (USA). An inhabitant of coastal sage scrub vegetation, the gnatcatcher has declined in response to habitat loss and fragmentation, exacerbated by catastrophic wildfires. We documented the status of...
Authors
Barbara E. Kus, Kristine L. Preston, Alexandra Houston
Effect of water delivery and irrigation for riparian restoration in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico Effect of water delivery and irrigation for riparian restoration in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico
Along Mexico's arid Colorado River Delta, the riparian corridor lacks water due to a reduction in frequent flows, climate change, human infrastructure, and altered riparian landcover from disturbances to invasive species, fire, and high soil and water salinities, which have led to declines in riparian plant health in recent decades. Restoration efforts focusing on small plots have...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Ibrahima Sall, Martha Gomez-Sapiens, Karl W. Flessa, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Kamel Didan
Persistence of pesticide residues in weathered avian droppings Persistence of pesticide residues in weathered avian droppings
Avian droppings (combination of fecal matter and urates) provide a non-lethal and non-invasive matrix for measuring pesticide exposures. In the field, droppings may be collected days or weeks after excretion and the persistence of pesticide residues in weathered droppings is not known. Thus, we studied the effects of weathering on pesticide residues in droppings. Domestic chicken (Gallus...
Authors
Nimish B. Vyas, Paula F. P. Henry, Lukasz Binkowski, Michelle L. Hladik, Michael S. Gross, Michael A. Schroeder, Dawn M. Davis
Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks
Globally, glaciers and icefields contribute significantly to sea level rise. Here we show that ice loss from Juneau Icefield, a plateau icefield in Alaska, accelerated after 2005 AD. Rates of area shrinkage were 5 times faster from 2015–2019 than from 1979–1990. Glacier volume loss remained fairly consistent (0.65–1.01 km3 a−1) from 1770–1979 AD, rising to 3.08–3.72 km3 a−1 from 1979...
Authors
Bethan Davies, Robert McNabb, Jacob Bendle, Jonathan Carrivick, Jeremy Ely, Tom Holt, Bradley Markle, Christopher J. McNeil, Lindsey Nicholson, Mauri Pelto
Multidisciplinary characterisation of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea Multidisciplinary characterisation of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea
The first multidisciplinary characterisation of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea was conducted to provide new baseline knowledge of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of this seamount. A dropframe camera transect 1483–1562 m deep on the seamount documented 77 megafaunal taxa including Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem indicator taxa such as sponges, cold...
Authors
Lea-Anne Henry, Igor Yashayaev, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, F. Javier Murillo, Ellen Kenchington, Struan Smith, Jenny Maccali, Jill Bourque, Louis L. Whitcomb, J. Murray Roberts
Synoptic analysis and WRF-Chem model simulation of dust events in the southwestern United States Synoptic analysis and WRF-Chem model simulation of dust events in the southwestern United States
Dust transported from rangelands of the Southwestern United States (US) to mountain snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin during spring (March-May) forces earlier and faster snowmelt, which creates problems for water resources and agriculture. To better understand the drivers of dust events, we investigated large-scale meteorology responsible for organizing two Southwest US dust...
Authors
Saroj Dhital, Nicholas P. Webb, Adrian Chappell, Michael L. Kaplan, Travis W. Nauman, Gayle Loren Tyree, Michael C. Duniway, Brandon L. Edwards, Sandra L. LeGrand, Theodore W. Letcher, S. McKenzie Skiles, Patrick Naple, Nathaniel W. Chaney, Jiaxuan Cai
Pacific Lamprey responses to stressors: Dewatering and electrofishing Pacific Lamprey responses to stressors: Dewatering and electrofishing
The Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) is a collaboration of Tribes, Federal, and State agencies working together to protect and restore Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and other native lampreys (i.e., Lampetra spp.) in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts and facilitates the PLCI, and the Columbia River Tribes...
Authors
Theresa L. Liedtke, Lisa K. Weiland, Joe Skalicky, Julie Harris, Monica R. Blanchard, Ann B. Grote, Ann E. Gray, Brian K. Ekstrom
Lake Ontario April prey fish survey results and Alewife assessment, 2024 Lake Ontario April prey fish survey results and Alewife assessment, 2024
The Lake Ontario April bottom trawl survey assesses pelagic prey fish populations, in particular Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, which are the primary prey supporting the lake’s sport fish populations. The 2024 survey included 234 trawls in the main lake and embayments and sampled depths from 3.9 to 245 m (13 – 809 ft). The survey captured 441,942 fish from 28 species with a total weight...
Authors
Brian Weidel, Jessica Goretzke, Jeremy P. Holden, Scott David Stahl, Olivia Margaret Mitchinson, Scott P. Minihkeim