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The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 65,000 articles authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
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Invasive African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) in Washington State: Status, response efforts, and lessons learned Invasive African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) in Washington State: Status, response efforts, and lessons learned
The African clawed frog (ACF, Xenopus laevis), which is indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, is an aquatic invasive species known to have severe ecological impacts on native fauna when introduced into non-endemic regions. In 2015, ACFs were detected in Washington State, U.S. for the first time, and the species is now documented at three cities across western Washington: Lacey, Bothell, and...
Authors
Eveline J. Emmenegger, Rebecca A. Lavier, Emily J. Struck, Vasilisa P. Tyurina, Evan A. Eskew, Megan R. Friesen, Mark A. Taylor, Emma K. Bueren, David R. Kyle, Jesse M. Schultz, Allen Pleus, Richard H. Visser, Reed Ojala-Barbour, Christoper D. Anderson, Jeffrey S. Jensen, Martha Keller, Thomas S. Jenkinson, Katherine H. Haman, Tony R. Capps, Kenneth I. Warheit, Timothy Quinn, Justin Bush, Max R. Lambert
Object detection-assisted workflow facilitates cryptic snake monitoring Object detection-assisted workflow facilitates cryptic snake monitoring
Camera traps are an important tool used to study rare and cryptic animals, including snakes. Time-lapse photography can be particularly useful for studying snakes that often fail to trigger a camera's infrared motion sensor due to their ectothermic nature. However, the large datasets produced by time-lapse photography require labor-intensive classification, limiting their use in large...
Authors
Storm Miller, Michael Kirkland, Kristen Hart, Robert A. McCleery
Landsat surface product validation instrumentation: The BigMAC exercise Landsat surface product validation instrumentation: The BigMAC exercise
Users of Earth remotely sensed optical imagery are increasingly demanding a surface reflectance or surface temperature product instead of the top-of-atmosphere products that have been produced historically. Validating the accuracy of surface products remains a difficult task since it involves assessment across a range of atmospheric profiles, as well as many different land surface types...
Authors
Dennis Helder, Mahesh Shrestha, Joshua J. Mann, Emily Maddox, Jeffrey Irwin, Larry Leigh, Aaron Gerace, Rehman Eon, Lucy Falcon, David Conran, Nina G. Raqueno, Timothy Bauch, Christopher Durell, Brandon Russell
The demise of an icehouse: Calibrating the end of the LPIA The demise of an icehouse: Calibrating the end of the LPIA
Earth has experienced three complete icehouse-greenhouse turnovers in the Phanerozoic, with the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) recognized as the last and most extreme icehouse. The nature, scale and dynamics of the LPIA are characterized by periods of intense glaciation, which are often interrupted by short-lived (1–2 Myrs) intervals associated with ice-free or distal from ice conditions...
Authors
Neil Patrick Griffis, Roland Mundil, Isabel Montañez, Pierre Dietrich, Daniel Le Heron, Roberto Iannuzzi, Bastien Linol, Thammy Mottin, John Richey, Christoph Kettler
Habitat and predator influences on the spatial ecology of nine-banded armadillos Habitat and predator influences on the spatial ecology of nine-banded armadillos
Mesopredator suppression has implications for community structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem function, but mesopredators with physical defenses may not avoid apex predators. We investigated nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in southwestern Oklahoma (USA) to evaluate if a species with physical defenses was influenced by a dominant predator, the coyote (Canis latrans). We...
Authors
Robert Charles Lonsinger, Ben P. Murley, Daniel T. McDonald, Christine E. Fallon, Kara M. White
Microbiome data management in action workshop: Atlanta, GA, USA, June 12–13, 2024 Microbiome data management in action workshop: Atlanta, GA, USA, June 12–13, 2024
Microbiome research is revolutionizing human and environmental health, but the value and reuse of microbiome data are significantly hampered by the limited development and adoption of data standards. While several ongoing efforts are aimed at improving microbiome data management, significant gaps still remain in terms of defining and promoting adoption of consensus standards for these...
Authors
Julia Kelliher, Mashael Aljumaah, Sarah R. Bordenstein, J. Rodney Brister, Patrick Chain, JosePablo Dunduore-Arias, Joanne B. Emerson, Vanessa Moreira C. Ferdandes, Roberto Flores, Antonio Gonzalez, Zoe A. Hansen, Eneida L. Hatcher, Scott A. Jackson, Christina A. Kellogg, Ramana Madupu, Cassandra Maria Luz Miller, Chloe Mirzayi, Emmanuel F. Mongodin, Ahmed M. Moustafa, Chris Mungall, Aaron Oliver, Nonia Pariente, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Sydne Record, Linta Reji, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Virginia Rich, Lorna Richardson, Lynn M. Schriml, Reed S. Shabman, Maria Sierra, Matthew Sullivan, Punithavathi Sundaramurthy, K. M. Thibault, Luke R. Thompson, Scott W. Tighe, Ethell Vereen, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh
Cardiac and behavioral responses to chemical and electrical immobilization in Lake Trout Cardiac and behavioral responses to chemical and electrical immobilization in Lake Trout
Objective Immobilizing or anesthetizing fish is important for promoting fish welfare in numerous routine activities that involve handling. Electroanesthesia, an alternative to traditional chemical anesthetics, uses weak electrical current to immobilize fish while current is applied, resulting in near-immediate induction and recovery. The physiological effects of electroanesthesia appear...
Authors
Tyler Reid Funnell, Thomas R. Binder, Christopher S. Vandergoot
Satellite-based evidence of recent decline in global forest recovery rate from tree mortality events Satellite-based evidence of recent decline in global forest recovery rate from tree mortality events
Climate-driven forest mortality events have been extensively observed in recent decades, prompting the question of how quickly these affected forests can recover their functionality following such events. Here we assessed forest recovery in vegetation greenness (normalized difference vegetation index) and canopy water content (normalized difference infrared index) for 1,699 well...
Authors
Yuchao Yan, Songbai Hong, Anping Chen, Josep Peñuelas, Craig D. Allen, William M. Hammond, Seth M. Munson, Ranga B. Myneni, Shilong Piao
Vulnerability of gulf ribbed mussels to marsh surface maximum temperatures Vulnerability of gulf ribbed mussels to marsh surface maximum temperatures
Gulf ribbed mussels (Geukensia granosissima) act as ecosystem engineers and reside within the marsh platform of saltmarshes across the northern Gulf of Mexico. With climate models projecting increasing temperatures, and more frequent and extreme heat events, these mussels face increasing temperature-related risks. Marsh surface and subsurface (5-cm depth) temperature was measured...
Authors
Skylar R. Liner, Brian J. Roberts, Nicholas Coxe, Romain Lavaud, Jerome F. La Peyre, Megan La Peyre
Observations reveal changing coastal storm extremes around the United States Observations reveal changing coastal storm extremes around the United States
Understanding extreme storm surge events that threaten low-lying coastal communities is key to effective flood mitigation/adaptation measures. However, observational estimates are sparse and highly uncertain along most coastal regions with a lack of observational evidence about long-term underlying trends and their contribution to overall extreme sea-level changes. Here, using a...
Authors
Joao Morim, Thomas Wahl, D.J . Rasmussen, Francisco Calafat, Sean Vitousek, Soenke Dangendorf, Robert Kopp, Michael Oppenheimer
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and chain pickerel (Esox niger) identified as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt predators in a reservoir system Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and chain pickerel (Esox niger) identified as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt predators in a reservoir system
Reservoir predation has been identified as a leading mortality source for smolts migrating through impounded river systems. We investigated smolt predation risk for an endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) population in the Weldon Dam reservoir in the Penobscot River, Maine, USA. In spring 2022, we characterized the fates of 390 tethered smolts. Smolts were exclusively predated by two...
Authors
Matthew A. Mensinger, Andrea N. Casey, Alessio Mortelliti, Joseph D. Zydlewski
Stressor-driven changes in freshwater biological indicators inform spatial management strategies using expert knowledge, observational data, and hierarchical models Stressor-driven changes in freshwater biological indicators inform spatial management strategies using expert knowledge, observational data, and hierarchical models
Stream ecosystems face continuous pressures from multiple anthropogenic stressors that reshape biological communities and impact ecosystem health and services. Managers can encounter challenges in stewarding ecosystems threatened by multiple stressors, in part because most multiple stressor studies are experimental and, while valuable, offer limited management relevance in targeting...
Authors
Sean Cassian Emmons, Matthew J. Cashman, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Greg Pond, Gregory E. Noe, Taylor Woods, Kelly O. Maloney