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
Effect of copper mill waste material on benthic invertebrates and zooplankton diversity and abundance Effect of copper mill waste material on benthic invertebrates and zooplankton diversity and abundance
Copper (Cu) stamp mill mining in North America from the early 1900s produced a pulverized ore by-product now known as stamp sands (SS). In a mining operation near the city of Gay (Michigan, USA), SS were originally deposited near a Lake Superior beach, but erosion and wave action have moved many SS into beaches and reefs that are critical spawning and nursery areas for native fish (e.g...
Authors
James H. Larson, Michael R. Lowe, Sean Bailey, Amanda H. Bell, Danielle M. Cleveland
A survey of mammal and fish genetic diversity across the global protected area network A survey of mammal and fish genetic diversity across the global protected area network
Global conservation targets aim to expand protected areas and maintain species’ genetic diversity. Whether protected areas capture genetic diversity is unclear. We examined this question using a global sample of nuclear population-level microsatellite data comprising genotypes from 2513 sites, 134,183 individuals, and 176 mammal and marine fish species. The genetic diversity and...
Authors
Chloe Schmidt, Eleana Karachaliou, Amy G. Vandergast, Eric D. Crandall, Jeff T. Falgout, Margaret Hunter, Francine Kershaw, Deborah M. Leigh, David O'Brien, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Gernot Segelbacher, Colin J. Garroway
Cytotype and local adaptation drive phenotypic variation in two subspecies of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Cytotype and local adaptation drive phenotypic variation in two subspecies of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a widespread and locally dominant shrub throughout many ecosystems in western North America. A. tridentata ssps. tridentata and wyomingensis are two subspecies whose populations occupy the warm-arid regions of the species range and whose trailing edge is threatened by climate change. Previous studies have presented conflicting results in relation...
Authors
Spencer R. Roop, Keith Reinhardt, Ken A. Aho, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce A. Richardson
The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring
Despite > 700,000 km of unpaved roads in the western United States, our knowledge of how roads impact instream sediment is unclear. We combined two studies, including (1) a regional analysis linking stream habitat data from a large-scale monitoring program with road density data to identify generalizable relationships between roads and streambed sediment distributions and (2) a targeted...
Authors
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Geoffrey C. Poole, Cameron Thomas, Carl Saunders, Brett B. Roper, Shane Hendrickson, Cory Davis, Kyle Crapster, Eric Archer
Multi-year amphibian sampling for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans in a tributary of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama Multi-year amphibian sampling for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans in a tributary of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama
Amphibians are susceptible to various diseases, including infectious diseases, neoplasia, toxicosis, and nutritional and environmental deficits (reviewed by Hyatt et al. 2000; Densmore and Green 2007). Since the 1990s, chytrid fungi have become widely recognized as causing chytridiomycosis, a severe disease of keratinized skin tissues that poses a major threat to amphibian species...
Authors
Justin Bagley, John Aho, Daniel A. Grear, Megan Winzeler, Oliver Hyman, Chloe Andress, Nathinee Batten, Stacey Bozeman, Harshavardhan Budo Shet, Serenity Dorsey, Honora Dozier, Kayin Dunn, Itzel Garcia, Kyla Garcia, Grace Gibson, Syieve Glenn, Tyeshia Henry, Clemari Hill, Megan Johnson, Lauren Jordan, Kharis Julien, Rupinder Kaur, Sakira Khan, Chartavia Langford, Jessica Lebron Lopez, Nathan Lochte, Lara Logan, Erin Makowski, Nixon Mejia, Khushlaly Panchal, Alexus Robbins, Terry Scott, Jasmine Shirosky, Derrik Slemp, Brittney Smith, Josh Wilson, Junxiang Xu, Denise Stoeckel, Maria Florencia Breitman
Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury
No abstract available.
Authors
Andrew John Louros, Spencer James Williams, Katherine L. Baumberger, Jared Nicholas Heath, Gage L. Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Gallegos, Adam R. Backlin, Robert D. Fisher
Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet
No abstract available.
Authors
Spencer James Williams, Andrew John Louros, Robert D. Fisher
Mammalian responses to select Type 3 Watershed Experiment prescriptions in the Olympic Experimental State Forest: A camera-based monitoring approach Mammalian responses to select Type 3 Watershed Experiment prescriptions in the Olympic Experimental State Forest: A camera-based monitoring approach
The Type 3 Watershed Experiment is a landscape-scale management experiment designed to assess the ecological, economic, and social benefits of timber harvest and post-harvest management prescriptions in upland and riparian systems of the Washington Coast Range ecoregion. The experiment is being conducted on state trust lands in the Olympic Experimental State Forest (OESF), which are...
Authors
Katy R Goodwin, Kyle D Martens, Teodora V Minkova, Rebecca M. McCaffery
Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review
Shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds (hereafter coastal birds) have experienced considerable losses over the last century and require proactive conservation management to stabilize or grow populations. Habitat loss and/or degradation and human disturbance are among the most urgent threats faced by coastal bird populations. Identifying effective conservation management techniques to...
Authors
Jennifer L. Fuller, Nicole L. Michel, Evan M. Adams, Abigail J. Darrah, Auriel Fournier, Jacquelyn K. Grace, Lianne Koczur, Bethany A.C. Kraft, Terri J. Maness, Sarah P. Saunders, Caz M. Taylor, Kiara L. Valentine, Theodore J. Zenzal
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2024 Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2024
A comprehensive understanding of fish populations and their interactions is the cornerstone of modern fishery management and the basis for Lake Erie’s Fish Community Objectives (FCOs) developed in 2020 (Francis et al. 2020). The 2024 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Lake Erie Biological Station Annual Report is responsive to these FCOs and the USGS obligations via a Memorandum of...
Authors
Mark Richard Dufour, Francesco Guzzo, Corbin David Hilling, Kevin R. Keretz, Richard Kraus, Richard Cole Oldham, James J. Roberts, Joseph Schmitt
Flow cytometric detection of waterborne bacteria metabolic response to anthropogenic chemical inputs to aquatic ecosystems Flow cytometric detection of waterborne bacteria metabolic response to anthropogenic chemical inputs to aquatic ecosystems
Typical investigations into the biological consequences of suspected xenobiotics or nutrients introduced in watersheds include analytical chemistry screens of environmental samples—such as periphyton responses or studies of fish condition—which are all costly in terms of equipment, reagents, time, and human resources. An alternative is to assess pollutant effects on waterborne bacteria...
Authors
Jill Jenkins, Scott Mize, Darren Johnson, Bonnie L. Brown
A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments
Given the rise in anthropogenic, environmental, and disease events contributing to marine bird mortality, there is a critical need to improve the rigor of mortality assessments. Deficits in data collection and mortality estimation can hinder a manager’s ability to document event scales and inform population level impacts. Therefore, to inform decisions required during activities such as
Authors
Johanna Alexandra Harvey, Andrew M. Ramey, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Gregory Robertson, Marc Romano, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Megan Boldenow, Philip W. Atkinson, Diann J. Prosser