Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Ecosystems Mission Area

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides science to help America achieve sustainable management and conservation of biological resources in wild and urban spaces, and places in between.

News

link

Friday's Findings - June 9 2023

link

The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is here

link

In a changing ecosystem, Yellowstone grizzly bears are resilient

Publications

Calibration of the Trinity River Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) with extension to the Klamath River, California, 2006–17

The Trinity River is managed in two sections: (1) the upper 64-kilometer (km) “restoration reach” downstream from Lewiston Dam and (2) the 120-km lower Trinity River downstream from the restoration reach. The Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) has been previously constructed and calibrated for the restoration reach. In this report, we extended and parameterized S3 for the 120-km section of the lower T
Authors
John M. Plumb, Russell W. Perry, Nicholas A. Som, Damon H. Goodman, Aaron C. Martin, Justin S. Alvarez, Nicholas J. Hetrick

Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau

Factors such as soil type and precipitation vary across rangeland landscapes, and these factors affect restoration outcomes and ultimately mean that “one size fits all” management strategies are not effective across large, complex landscapes. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational rangeland species that is important to wildlife habitat across the western U.S. On the Colorado Platea
Authors
Kari E. Veblen, Eric Thacker, Mark Larese-Casanova, Kyle C. Nehring, Michael C. Duniway, Colby C. Brungard

Growth, drought response, and climate-associated genomic structure in whitebark pine in the Sierra Nevada of California

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) has experienced rapid population declines and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the United States. Whitebark pine in the Sierra Nevada of California represents the southernmost end of the species' distribution and, like other portions of its range, faces threats from an introduced pathogen, native bark beetles, and a rapidly warmi
Authors
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Elizabeth R. Milano, Joan Dudney, Jonathan C.B. Nesmith, Amy G. Vandergast, Harold S.J. Zald

Science

Sturgeon Occurrence and Behavior in the Outer Continental Shelf

A new study aims to collect information on sturgeon temporal and spatial distribution to inform offshore wind energy and sand leasing operations.
link

Sturgeon Occurrence and Behavior in the Outer Continental Shelf

A new study aims to collect information on sturgeon temporal and spatial distribution to inform offshore wind energy and sand leasing operations.
Learn More

USGS Science Supporting 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act

This Endangered Species Day, we’re celebrating the USGS science that helps achieve sustainable management and conservation of some of the Nation’s most endangered flora and fauna.
link

USGS Science Supporting 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act

This Endangered Species Day, we’re celebrating the USGS science that helps achieve sustainable management and conservation of some of the Nation’s most endangered flora and fauna.
Learn More

Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology

Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The...
link

Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology

Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The...
Learn More