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: 43491
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century
Reports of declining insect populations have received widespread media attention, but evidence for declines has been variable across regions and taxonomic groups. Edwards et al. examined trends in the most surveyed taxon: butterflies (see the Perspective by Inouye). Combining data from 35 citizen science programs across the continental US, the authors found declines in overall butterfly...
Authors
Collin B. Edwards, Elise F. Zipkin, Erica H. Henry, Nick M. Haddad, Matthew L. Forister, Kevin J. Burls, Steven P. Campbell, Elizabeth E. Crone, Jay Diffendorfer, Margaret R. Douglas, Ryan G. Drum, Candace E. Fallon, Jeffrey Glassberg, Eliza M. Grames, Richard G. Hatfield, Shiran V. Hershcovich, Scott Hoffman-Black, Elise A. Larsen, Wendy Leuenberger, Mary J. Linders, Travis Longcore, Daniel A. Marschalek, James Michielini, Naresh Neupane, Leslie Ries, Arthur M. Shapiro, Ann B. Swengel, Scott R. Swengel, Douglas J. Taron, Braeden Van Deynze, Jerome Wiedmann, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Cheryl B. Schultz
Using plant invasions to compare occurrence- and abundance-based calculations of biotic homogenisation: Are results complementary or contradictory? Using plant invasions to compare occurrence- and abundance-based calculations of biotic homogenisation: Are results complementary or contradictory?
Aim
Authors
D.M. Buonaiuto, David Barnett, Dana M. Blumenthal, Andrea N. Nebhut, Ian S. Pearse, Helen R. Sofaer, Cascade J.B. Sorte, Jeffrey D. Corbin, Regan Early, Magda Garbowski, Ines Ibanez, Daniel C. Laughlin, Laís Petri, Montserrat Vilà, Bethany A. Bradley
U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024 U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Tess M. McConnell, Donald E. Dennerline, Kevin L. Pope, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
Partial diel vertical migration and niche partitioning in Mysis revealed by stable isotopes Partial diel vertical migration and niche partitioning in Mysis revealed by stable isotopes
Diel vertical migration (DVM) is critical for moving energy and nutrients between surface and deep waters. Mysis sp. (Crustacea: Mysidae) facilitates this process by serving as predator and prey in both benthic and pelagic habitats. Mysis can also exhibit partial DVM (pDVM), where some individuals do not migrate into the pelagia at night or to the benthos during the day. However, whether...
Authors
Bianca Possamai, Rosaura J. Chapina, Daniel L. Yule, Jason D. Stockwell
How to model a new invader? US-invaded range models outperform global or combined range models after 100 occurrences How to model a new invader? US-invaded range models outperform global or combined range models after 100 occurrences
Invasive species are an economic and ecological burden, and efforts to limit their impact are greatly improved with reliable maps based on species distribution models (SDMs). However, the potential distribution of new invaders is difficult to anticipate because they are still spreading with few observations in their invaded habitat. Therefore, an accepted practice in predicting the...
Authors
Nicholas E. Young, Demetra A. Williams, Keana S. Shadwell, Ian S. Pearse, Catherine S. Jarnevich
Invasion of perennial sagebrush steppe by shallow-rooted exotic cheatgrass reduces stable forms of soil carbon in a warmer but not cooler ecoregion Invasion of perennial sagebrush steppe by shallow-rooted exotic cheatgrass reduces stable forms of soil carbon in a warmer but not cooler ecoregion
Soil organic carbon ('SOC') in drylands comprises nearly a third of the global SOC pool and has relatively rapid turnover and thus is a key driver of variability in the global carbon cycle. SOC is also a sensitive indicator of longer-term directional change and disturbance-responses of ecosystem C storage. Biome-scale disruption of the dryland carbon cycle by exotic annual grass...
Authors
Sydney Maya Katz, Toby Matthew Maxwell, Marie-Anne de Graaff, Matthew J. Germino
Estimating occupancy of focal bee species Estimating occupancy of focal bee species
Current bee monitoring efforts have a limited capacity for understanding factors affecting wild bee population changes, including the effects of management. To improve the effectiveness of wild bee monitoring, we first discuss principles of biological monitoring and provide a framework to design monitoring projects to estimate species occupancy, where occupancy is defined as the...
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Larissa L. Bailey, Brianne Du Clos, Tamara Smith, Elaine Evans, Ian S. Pearse, Saff Killingsworth, Sarina Jepsen, Hollis Woodard
Under the Ice: Lake Whitefish and winter conditions in a Great Lake Under the Ice: Lake Whitefish and winter conditions in a Great Lake
No abstract available.
Authors
Jessica Del Fiacco, Corbin David Hilling
Dynamic and context-dependent keystone species effects in kelp forests Dynamic and context-dependent keystone species effects in kelp forests
Sea otters are an iconic keystone predator that can maintain kelp forests by preying on grazing invertebrates such as sea urchins. However, the effects of sea otters on kelp forests vary over their geographic range. Here, we analyze two 30-y datasets on kelp forest communities during the reintroduction of sea otters along the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, and around San...
Authors
Ryan E. Langendorf, James A. Estes, Jane C. Watson, Michael C. Kenner, Brian B. Hatfield, M. T. Tinker, Ellen Waddle, Megan L. DeMarche, Daniel F. Doak
Piping Plover home ranges do not appear to be impacted by restoration of barrier islands and headlands Piping Plover home ranges do not appear to be impacted by restoration of barrier islands and headlands
Restoration of barrier island and headland habitats can alter existing and create new habitats, which may impact wildlife occupying these areas such as the threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). We used resight data from banded birds to develop minimum convex polygon (MCP) and kernel density estimates (KDE) of individual Piping Plover home ranges to investigate whether changes in...
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Amanda Nicole Anderson, Delaina LeBlanc, Robert C. Dobbs, Brock Geary, Hardin Waddle
Documenting, quantifying, and modeling a large glide avalanche in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA Documenting, quantifying, and modeling a large glide avalanche in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Glide avalanches present a significant and repetitive challenge to many operational forecasting programs, and they are likely to become more frequent. While the spatial location of glide release areas is extremely consistent, the onset of glide avalanche release is notoriously difficult to forecast, and their destructive potential can be immense. Thus, the timing and dynamics of glide...
Authors
James W. Dillon, Erich H. Peitzsch, Zachary Miller, Perry Bartelt, Kevin D. Hammonds