Articles
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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.
Filter Total Items: 77863
Dominant Dolichospermum and microcystin production in Detroit Lake (Oregon, USA) Dominant Dolichospermum and microcystin production in Detroit Lake (Oregon, USA)
The excessive growth of harmful cyanobacteria, including Dolichospermum (formerly known as Anabaena), in freshwater bodies has become a pressing global concern. However, detailed information about the role of Dolichospermum in shaping bloom dynamics and producing cyanotoxins is limited. In this study, a bloom event dominated by Dolichospermum spp. at Detroit Lake (Oregon, USA) was...
Authors
Youchul Jeon, Ian Struewing, Kale Clausen, Nathan Reetz, Ned Fairchild, Lacey Goeres-Priest, Theo Dreher, Rochelle Labiosa, Kurt D. Carpenter, Barry Rosen, Eric Villegas, Jingrang Lu
Metabolic interactions underpinning high methane fluxes across terrestrial freshwater wetlands Metabolic interactions underpinning high methane fluxes across terrestrial freshwater wetlands
Current estimates of wetland contributions to the global methane budget carry high uncertainty, particularly in accurately predicting emissions from high methane-emitting wetlands. Microorganisms drive methane cycling, but little is known about their conservation across wetlands. To address this, we integrate 16S rRNA amplicon datasets, metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, and annual methane...
Authors
Emily Bechtold, Jared B. Ellenbogen, Jorge A. Villa, Djennyfer K. de Melo Ferreira, Angela M. Oliverio, Joel E. Kostka, Virginia I. Rich, Ruth K. Varner, Sheel Bansal, Eric J. Ward, Gil Bohrer, Mikayla A. Borton, Kelly C. Wrighton, Michael J. Wilkins
Food web structure of the Lake Superior fish community in 2021–2022 Food web structure of the Lake Superior fish community in 2021–2022
The trophic linkages and ecological requirements of the Lake Superior fish community have not been assessed on a whole lake scale in over a decade. Here, we investigated the trophic dynamics across multiple species and habitat zones of Lake Superior. From April to October of 2021 and 2022, a total of five piscivore, four planktivore, and six benthivore species were collected by region...
Authors
Ariel N. Edwards, Shawn P. Sitar, Ashley H. Moerke, Jonathon P. Doubek, Daniel L. Yule, Dray D. Carl, Cory A. Goldsworthy, Ian C. Harding, S. Ben Michaels, Eric K. Berglund, Seth A. Moore, Brandon S. Gerig
The relative influence of geographic and environmental factors on rare plant translocation outcomes The relative influence of geographic and environmental factors on rare plant translocation outcomes
Conservation translocations are an established method for reducing the extinction risk of plant species through intentional movement within or outside the indigenous range. Unsuitable environmental conditions at translocation recipient sites and a lack of understanding of species–environment relationships are often identified as critical barriers to translocation success. However...
Authors
Joe Bellis, Matthew A. Albrecht, Joyce Maschinski, Sarah E. Dalrymple, Matthew J. Keir, Timothy Chambers, Jennifer Possley, Edith D. Adkins, Elliott W. Parsons, Michael Kunz, Carrie Radcliffe, Emily Coffey, Thomas N. Kaye, Cheryl L. Peterson, David Aaron, Sterling A. Herron, Eric Menges, Timothy J. Bell, Michelle Coppoletta, Caityn Elam, Mceachern A. Kathryn, Paula Williamson, Deanna Boensch, Megan Bontrager, Breeden Cooper, Noah Frade, Doria R. Gordon, Steven O. Link, Tara Littlefield, Shelia Murray, Ryan O’Dell, Noel B. Pavlovic, Charlotte M. Reemts, David D. Taylor, Jonathan H. Titus, Priscilla J. Titus, Tina A. Stanley, Katherine D. Heineman
Predictive models are indeed useful for causal inference Predictive models are indeed useful for causal inference
The subject of investigating causation in ecology has been widely discussed in recent years, especially by advocates of a structural causal model (SCM) approach. Some of these advocates have criticized the use of predictive models and model selection for drawing inferences about causation. We argue that the comparison of model-based predictions with observations is a key step in...
Authors
James D. Nichols, Evan Cooch
Haunted Summerville: Ghostly lights or earthquake lights? Haunted Summerville: Ghostly lights or earthquake lights?
Among the colorful local lore in the Charleston, South Carolina, area, are a number of ghost stories, shared not only over campfires but also in published books. Among the most well-known of the stories is the tale of the Summerville Light. Local lore holds that a strange light sometimes seen in a remote area is a lantern carried by the ghost of a local woman who once waited hours for...
Authors
Susan E. Hough
Recovering the American horseshoe crab through a commitment to collaboration Recovering the American horseshoe crab through a commitment to collaboration
American horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus populations are recovering because of cooperation among diverse stakeholders and data-driven collective action. Limulus polyphemus is one of four extant species facing common threats, and conservation successes and limitations hold lessons applicable to all the species. We review the advancement in management and monitoring over recent decades...
Authors
David R. Smith, Mark Botton, Paul Shin
Variation in energetic balance among free-ranging polar bears during the spring mating and foraging season Variation in energetic balance among free-ranging polar bears during the spring mating and foraging season
Large carnivores are capable of consuming substantial biomasses that can significantly alter their body mass and condition over short periods. Here we examine the intra-seasonal variation of polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) body mass, energy intake, and condition in the spring from two subpopulations. We evaluate the biological and temporal factors that may have driven changes...
Authors
Anthony M. Pagano, Stephen N. Atkinson, Louise C. Archer
Multiple dimensions define thresholds for population resilience of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica Multiple dimensions define thresholds for population resilience of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica
A species' distribution depends on its tolerance to environmental conditions. These conditions are defined by a minimum, maximum, and optimal ranges of single and combined factors. Forays into environmental conditions outside the minimum or maximum tolerance of a species (i.e., thresholds) are predicted to have large effects on a species' population and may help predict population...
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, H. Wang, Shaye E. Sable, Wei Wu, Bin Li, Devin Comba, Carlos Perez, Melanie Bates, Lauren M. Swam
Slow slip detectability in seafloor pressure records offshore Alaska Slow slip detectability in seafloor pressure records offshore Alaska
In subduction zones worldwide, seafloor pressure data are used to observe tectonic deformation, particularly from megathrust earthquakes and slow slip events (SSEs). However, such measurements are also sensitive to oceanographic circulation-generated pressures over a range of frequencies that conflate with tectonic signals of interest. Using seafloor pressure and temperature data from...
Authors
Erik Fredrickson, Joan S. Gomberg, William Wilcock, Susan Hautala, Albert Hermann, H. Paul Johnson
The effectiveness of harvest for limiting wildlife disease: Insights from 20 years of chronic wasting disease in Wyoming The effectiveness of harvest for limiting wildlife disease: Insights from 20 years of chronic wasting disease in Wyoming
Effective, practical options for managing disease in wildlife populations are limited, especially after diseases become established. Removal strategies (e.g., hunting or culling) are used to control wildlife diseases across a wide range of systems, despite conflicting evidence of their effectiveness. This is especially true for chronic wasting disease (CWD), an untreatable, fatal prion...
Authors
Wynne Emily Moss, Justin Binfet, L. Embere Hall, Samantha E. Allen, William H. Edwards, Jessica E. Jennings-Gaines, Paul DELETE Cross
Neonicotinoid exposure causes behavioral impairment and delayed mortality of the federally threatened American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Neonicotinoid exposure causes behavioral impairment and delayed mortality of the federally threatened American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus
Among the most immediate drivers of American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) declines, nontarget toxicity to pesticides is poorly understood. Acute, episodic exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides at environmentally relevant concentrations is linked to negative impacts on beneficial terrestrial insect taxa. Beyond mortality, behavioral indicators of toxicity are often...
Authors
Michael C. Cavallaro, Michelle L. Hladik, R. Shane McMurry, Samantha Hittson, Leon K. Boyles, W. Wyatt Hoback