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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: 42962

Diet patterns of island foxes on San Nicolas Island relative to feral cat removal Diet patterns of island foxes on San Nicolas Island relative to feral cat removal

Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are a species of conservation concern that occur on six of the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California. We analysed island fox diet on San Nicolas Island during 2006–12 to assess the influence of the removal of feral cats (Felis catus) on the food use by foxes. Our objective was to determine whether fox diet patterns shifted in response to...
Authors
Brian L. Cypher, Erica C. Kelly, Francesca J. Ferrara, Charles A. Drost, Tory L. Westall, Brian Hudgens

Riparian soil development linked to forest succession above and below dams along the Elwha River, Washington, USA Riparian soil development linked to forest succession above and below dams along the Elwha River, Washington, USA

Riparian forest soils can be highly dynamic, due to frequent fluvial disturbance, erosion, and sediment deposition, but effects of dams on riparian soils are poorly understood. We examined soils along toposequences within three river segments located upstream, between, and downstream of two dams on the Elwha River to evaluate relationships between riparian soil development and forest age
Authors
Laura G Perry, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven S. Perakis

Spatial demographic models to inform conservation planning of golden eagles in renewable energy landscapes Spatial demographic models to inform conservation planning of golden eagles in renewable energy landscapes

Spatial demographic models can help guide monitoring and management activities targeting at-risk species, even in cases where baseline data are lacking. Here, we provide an example of how site-specific changes in land use and anthropogenic stressors can be incorporated into a spatial demographic model to investigate effects on population dynamics of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Our...
Authors
J. David Wiens, Nathan H. Schumaker, Richard D. Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kathleen M. Longshore, Kenneth E. Nussear

Earth Stewardship: An initiative by the Ecological Society of America to foster engagement to sustain Planet Earth Earth Stewardship: An initiative by the Ecological Society of America to foster engagement to sustain Planet Earth

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has responded to the growing commitment among ecologists to make their science relevant to society through a series of concerted efforts, including the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative (1991), scientific assessment of ecosystem management (1996), ESA’s vision for the future (2003), Rapid Response Teams that respond to environmental crises (2005)...
Authors
F. Stuart Chapin, Steward T. A. Pickett, Mary E. Power, Scott L. Collins, Jill S. Baron, David W. Inouye, Monica G. Turner

Effectiveness of environmental flows for riparian restoration in arid regions: A tale of four rivers Effectiveness of environmental flows for riparian restoration in arid regions: A tale of four rivers

Environmental flows have become important restoration tools on regulated rivers. However, environmental flows are often constrained by other demands within the river system and thus typically are comprised of smaller water volumes than the natural flows they are meant to replace, which can limit their functional efficacy. We review environmental flow programs aimed at restoring riparian...
Authors
Edward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Patrick B. Shafroth, Christopher Jarchow

Extending the habitat concept to the airspace Extending the habitat concept to the airspace

Habitat is one of the most familiar and fundamental concepts in the fields of ecology, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and management. Humans interact with habitats through their senses and experiences and education to such a degree that their perceptions of habitat have become second nature. For this reason, it may be difficult at first to accept the airspace as habitat, an...
Authors
Robert H. Diehl, Anna C. Peterson, Rachel T. Bolus, Douglas H. Johnson

Co-producing simulation models to inform resource management: a case study from southwest South Dakota Co-producing simulation models to inform resource management: a case study from southwest South Dakota

Simulation models can represent complexities of the real world and serve as virtual laboratories for asking “what if…?” questions about how systems might respond to different scenarios. However, simulation models have limited relevance to real-world applications when designed without input from people who could use the simulated scenarios to inform their decisions. Here, we report on a...
Authors
Brian W. Miller, Amy J. Symstad, Leonardo Frid, Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Gregor W. Schuurman

Disentangling the complexities of how legumes and their symbionts regulate plant nitrogen access and storage Disentangling the complexities of how legumes and their symbionts regulate plant nitrogen access and storage

Nitrogen (N) availability strongly influences the structure and function of ecosystems (e.g. Vitousek & Howarth, 1991), but only a relatively small number of microbial groups have the ability to convert the N2 in our atmosphere into biologically available forms.This process, N2 fixation, is the dominant source of new N to the biosphere outside of anthropogenic inputs (Vitousek et al., 2013...
Authors
Sasha C. Reed

Acoustic assessment of pelagic planktivores, 2016 Acoustic assessment of pelagic planktivores, 2016

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) are the most abundant pelagic planktivores in Lake Ontario (Weidel et al 2017), and the most important prey for salmon and trout, making up greater than 90% of the diet of the top predator, Chinook salmon (Lantry 2001, Brandt 1986), and supporting a multimillion dollar sportfishery. Alewife are also important prey for warm...
Authors
Jeremy P. Holden, Michael J. Connerton, Brian Weidel

Spatio-temporal development of vegetation die-off in a submerging coastal marsh Spatio-temporal development of vegetation die-off in a submerging coastal marsh

In several places around the world, coastal marsh vegetation is converting to open water through the formation of pools. This is concerning, as vegetation die-off is expected to reduce the marshes' capacity to adapt to sea level rise by vegetation-induced sediment accretion. Quantitative analyses of the spatial and temporal development of marsh vegetation die-off are scarce, although...
Authors
Lennert Schepers, Matt L. Kirwan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Stijn Temmerman
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