Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
We are focused on some of the most significant issues society faces, and our science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics.
Filter Total Items: 176661
Biological and environmental drivers of early life fawn survival in a declining pronghorn population Biological and environmental drivers of early life fawn survival in a declining pronghorn population
Pronghorn Antilocapra americana occupy only a portion of their historical range and in Oklahoma occur at the eastern edge of the species' contemporary distribution. Monitoring has suggested pronghorn populations in Oklahoma have declined in recent years. We captured and collared 125 adult females across two winters, monitored them for signs of parturition during each subsequent spring...
Authors
Derek P. Hahn, Robert Charles Lonsinger, M. Colter Chitwood, Anna K. Moeller, Matthew T. Turnley, Marlin M. Dart, Levi J. Heffelfinger, Evan P. Tanner, Michael J. Cherry, H. George Wang, W. Sue Fairbanks
Biological, environmental, and geomorphological factors influencing reach-specific survival of spring Chinook Salmon smolts upstream of the Columbia–Snake River hydrosystem Biological, environmental, and geomorphological factors influencing reach-specific survival of spring Chinook Salmon smolts upstream of the Columbia–Snake River hydrosystem
Objective Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are exhibiting catastrophic declines throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, and juvenile mortality contributions are disproportionately high. Many Pacific salmon smolt populations are exhibiting high natal stream mortality; however, detailed natal stream reach-specific survival knowledge is lacking. Our objectives were to estimate natal...
Authors
Scott D. Favrot, Russell W. Perry, Sean W. Kimbrel
Biophysical controls on sediment erodibility in shallow estuarine embayments Biophysical controls on sediment erodibility in shallow estuarine embayments
The erodibility of cohesive sediment is known to vary both spatially and temporally but the factors governing its variation are not well understood. We conducted a field investigation of the influence of hydrodynamic forcing, sediment properties, and benthic infauna on erodibility in the muddy shallows of San Pablo and Grizzly Bays in northern San Francisco Bay in summer 2019 and winter...
Authors
Jessica R. Lacy, Samantha C. McGill, Janet Thompson, Rachel Allen, Francis Parchaso, David Hart, Lukas T. WinklerPrins, Joseph K. Fackrell, Andrew W. Stevens
Bird breeding success in restored grasslands compared to croplands and natural grasslands: A meta-analysis Bird breeding success in restored grasslands compared to croplands and natural grasslands: A meta-analysis
Reproductive success is central to long-term population persistence, yet it is rarely assessed in ecosystem restoration. We performed a multilevel meta-analysis to assess whether bird breeding success increases from croplands to restored grasslands or from restored grasslands to natural grasslands. We quantified five comparisons of two breeding success variables between croplands and...
Authors
Csaba P. Nagy, Márton Szabolcs, Stephen K. Davis, Christine A. Ribic, Daniel Shelby Sullins, Kimberley A. With, Szabolcs Lengyel
Bird guilds exhibit varied responses to floodplain forest restoration in the Colorado River delta, Mexico Bird guilds exhibit varied responses to floodplain forest restoration in the Colorado River delta, Mexico
Grouping species into guilds can be useful to inform management decisions locally and at broader scales because guilds lack species-specificity. We investigated the response of five breeding bird guilds to riparian habitat restoration in the arid Colorado River delta, based on two decades of bird detections (2002–2021) at 230 bird count stations across 7 routes in actively revegetated (...
Authors
Eduardo González-Sargas, Timothy D. Meehan, Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Stefanny Villagomez-Palma, Christopher Dodge, Martha Gómez-Sapiens, Pamela L. Nagler, Patrick B. Shafroth
Bird migration and energetics simulations incorporating oil spill effects Bird migration and energetics simulations incorporating oil spill effects
Oil spills are well-known for causing acute mortality of birds, but sublethal and delayed impacts are less understood. Focusing on the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), we used simulation modeling to explore how sublethal oiling may affect avian survival and breeding ground body condition. We used empirically informed migration and energetics simulations to model hypothetical spills...
Authors
Benjamin M West, Mark L. Wildhaber, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Michael J. Hooper
Bird predation obscures detection of acoustic telemetry tags in fish Bird predation obscures detection of acoustic telemetry tags in fish
Increasing application of acoustic telemetry for determining survival, migration and habitat use of fishes highlights the need to improve interpretation of tracks that end abruptly: when is fishing mortality, predation, or some other cause to be inferred? Significant technological advances have led to the development of tags that “sense” predation and can be used to infer information...
Authors
Richard Kraus, James J. Roberts, Mark Richard Dufour, Branden E. Kohler
Birds, breakpoints, and baselines: How citizen science data can reveal ecological boundaries in Kenya’s Upper Tana watershed Birds, breakpoints, and baselines: How citizen science data can reveal ecological boundaries in Kenya’s Upper Tana watershed
Tropical watersheds are increasingly threatened by climate change, land-use conversion, and resource extraction, yet conventional biodiversity monitoring in these systems is often spatially and temporally limited. Citizen science offers a complementary approach, enabling biodiversity data collection over large areas that can supplement professional scientific surveys. We analyzed 10...
Authors
Edwin Njuguna, Christina Amy Murphy, Cynthia Loftin, Malcolm Hunter, David Courtemanch, Peter Njoroge
Black abalone surveys at Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California—2023 annual report Black abalone surveys at Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California—2023 annual report
The U.S. Geological Survey monitors a suite of intertidal black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) sites at San Nicolas Island, California, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, which owns the island. The nine rocky intertidal sites were established in 1980 to study the potential effect of translocated sea otters on the intertidal black abalone population at the island. The sites were monitored...
Authors
Michael C. Kenner, Julie L. Yee
Blanchard's cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) have re-expanded northward since mid-2000s: Landscape predictors of occupancy Blanchard's cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) have re-expanded northward since mid-2000s: Landscape predictors of occupancy
Blanchard's Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi) declined along their northern range edge in the upper Midwest in the mid-to late 1900s. The causes of these declines remain poorly understood, as does the current status of this species and their habitat requirements. In 2024, we revisited more than 300 locations previously sampled between 2003 and 2008 along this range edge in Minnesota...
Authors
Ryan C. Burner, Mark Roth, Aubrey A. Schwonek, Jason Tendler, Walter Sadinski, Andrew F. Badje, Rori A. Paloski
Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels
Aim: Trait-based approaches are increasingly recognized as a tool for understanding species’ vulnerabilities to intensifying global change. For species with complex life histories that involve a parasitic life stage, a combination of traits associated with either the host or parasite could influence extinction risk. Location: United States of America Taxon: Freshwater mussels are a...
Authors
Garrett W. Hopper, Sean M. Keogh, Carla L. Atkinson, Traci P. Dubose, Jeffrey D. Lozier, John M. Pfeiffer, Irene Sánchez González
Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario’s benthic prey fish community, 2025 Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario’s benthic prey fish community, 2025
Since 1978, bottom trawl surveys in Lake Ontario have provided information on the status and trends of the benthic prey fish community related to Fish Community Objectives that include understanding prey fish population dynamics and community diversity. Beginning in 2015, the benthic prey fish survey expanded from only U.S. sites to incorporate Canadian sites, increasing the survey’s...
Authors
Brian O’Malley, Olivia Margaret Mitchinson, Scott David Stahl, Brian Weidel, Jessica A Goretzke, Lucus Sunderland