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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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A short-term sublethal oral exposure to microcystin-LR disrupts cecal microbiome homeostasis in mallard A short-term sublethal oral exposure to microcystin-LR disrupts cecal microbiome homeostasis in mallard
Introduction: The frequency of cyanobacterial blooms seems to have increased globally in recent decades due to human induced eutrophication and climate change. Cyanobacterial blooms can produce several groups of toxins, among which microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is one of the most abundant. Effects of MC-LR on avian microbiome have not been studied and studies in laboratory murines have been...
Authors
Sergei V. Drovetski, Valerie Shearn-Bochsler, Erik K. Hofmeister, Natalie K. Karouna-Reiner, Robert J. Dusek
VIPER site analysis VIPER site analysis
We needed to evaluate available orbital data of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission area in order to derive a variety of maps to help the science team identify scientifically interesting places for the rover to visit and to provide scientific context for our mission. Some of these maps also fulfilled engineering and mission design needs to enable safe...
Authors
Ross A. Beyer, Mark Shirley, Anthony Colaprete, Caleb I. Fassett, Benjamin Fernando, Tanish P. Himani, Myriam Lemelin, José Martinez-Comacho, Matthew A. Siegler, Andrew M. Annex, Edward Balaban, Valentin T. Bickel, Joshua A. Coyan, Ariel N. Deutsch, Jennifer L. Heldmann, Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Kevin W. Lewis, Darlene S.S. Lim, Eldar Noe Dobrea
Rallus elegans (King Rail) occupancy is stable, but habitat is in short supply in the Arkansas Delta Rallus elegans (King Rail) occupancy is stable, but habitat is in short supply in the Arkansas Delta
Secretive marsh birds experienced precipitous declines due to losses in wetland habitat across North America. However, from 1998 to 2004, wetland area increased, and between 2009 and 2019, the extent of emergent wetlands did not significantly decrease. This raises the question: how did secretive marsh birds, which are tied to emergent wetlands, respond to this period of relative...
Authors
Caleb P. Roberts, Jessica Novobilsky, Paul Akpejeluh, Lauren L. Berry, Michael J. Budd, Michael C. Ferrara, Lindsey A. LaBrie, Lauren Luther, Vinita Karki, David Krementz, Karen Rowe, Michael Shaw, Kenneth Wilson, Auriel M.V. Fournier
Does tidal marsh restoration lead to the recovery of trophic pathways that support estuarine fishes? Does tidal marsh restoration lead to the recovery of trophic pathways that support estuarine fishes?
Evaluation of tidal marsh restoration success is typically based on the recovery of habitat size and target species. However, food-web structure may provide valuable insight into ecosystem functioning trajectories. Here, we studied restored tidal marshes of different ages (new, young, old; spanning 1–150 years) in comparison with nearby reference sites along the San Francisco Estuary. We...
Authors
Megan D. Pagliaro, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Isa Woo, Jake Sousa, Natalie Rich, Lenny Grimaldo, Denise Colombano, Albert Ruhí
Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator
Understanding the factors that regulate population dynamics is crucial for conserving imperiled species. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a piscivorous salmonid and one of North America's most threatened cold-water species, has declined significantly due to habitat loss, overfishing, invasive species, and climate change. While recovery efforts have primarily targeted these threats...
Authors
Madaline Cochrane, Timothy Cline, Travis S. Schmidt, James Dunnigan, Will Warnock, Clint C. Muhlfeld
Ubiquity and causes of soil water preferential flow across 17 ecoregions Ubiquity and causes of soil water preferential flow across 17 ecoregions
Preferential flow (PF) in soil causes the rapid transport of water, nutrients, and contaminants into the subsurface, influencing groundwater recharge and streamflow. Data scarcity has hindered the quantification of PF occurrence and the identification of its drivers across diverse ecoregions. We address this gap by analyzing high-frequency, multi-depth soil moisture data across 17...
Authors
Bonan Li, Matthias Sprenger, Briana Wyatt, Daniel Giménez, Daniel Hirmas, Hoori Ajami, Inge Wiekenkamp, Jannis Groh, John R. Nimmo, Matthew Amato, Nitin Singh, Octavia Crompton, Ryoko Araki, Tianfang Xu, Pamela L. Sullivan
The abiotic background as a central component of a Sample Safety Assessment Protocol for Mars Sample Return The abiotic background as a central component of a Sample Safety Assessment Protocol for Mars Sample Return
Martian rock and regolith samples are being collected and cached by NASA’s Perseverance rover, with the goal of returning them to Earth as soon as the mid-2030s. Upon return, samples would be housed in a sample receiving facility under biological containment to prevent exposing Earth’s biosphere to any potential biohazards that might be present. Samples could be released from high...
Authors
Bronwyn L. Teece, David W. Beaty, H. Graham, Gerald McDonnell, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, S. Siljeström, Andrew Steele, SSAP Tiger Team, Rachel Mackelprang, B. M. Ahern, N. Baird, Noel Cressie, Richard Davis, Katherine L. French, Mihaela Glamoclija, K. B. Hummel, Lisa E. Mayhew, John McQuiston, William Page, N. Pearce, Aaron B. Regberg, D. Relman, Mark Sephton, Timothy B. Shirey, J. Vanhomwegen, M.B. Wilhelm
Agronomic practices vs. natural soil factors: Influences on nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields. Agronomic practices vs. natural soil factors: Influences on nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields.
Nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and major contributor to climate change, is primarily released through agricultural activities. To better understand and quantify how land management practices, local climate conditions, and soil physicochemical properties affect these agricultural N2O emissions, we conducted a review of the peer-reviewed literature on N2O emission from...
Authors
Jamshid Ansari, Morgan Davis, Chenhui Li, Sheel Bansal
Sapsucker wells as a keystone nutritional resource: Evaluating methods for detection of secondary sap consumers Sapsucker wells as a keystone nutritional resource: Evaluating methods for detection of secondary sap consumers
North American sapsuckers are considered double keystone species because they (1) excavate nest cavities that are used by other birds, small mammals, and invertebrates, and (2) create and maintain sap wells, a temporary nutritional resource available to a variety of secondary consumers. Most previous reports of secondary sap consumption relied on human observers and were based on either...
Authors
Richard Clawges, Shannon Blair, Jan H. Eitel, Leona Kay Svancara, Lee A. Vierling, Kerri Vierling
Initial responses of songbird communities to forest reclamation on legacy surface mines Initial responses of songbird communities to forest reclamation on legacy surface mines
Surface coal mining and subsequent reclamation efforts in the Appalachian Mountains, USA, transform the ecological characteristics of natural landscapes. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a mine reclamation method that emphasizes best management practices in forestry. FRA practices have demonstrated success in establishing native forests and accelerating natural succession on...
Authors
Rebecca N. Davenport, Christopher D. Barton, John J. Cox, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Lauren Sherman, Jeffery L. Larkin, Todd Fearer, Steven J. Price
Postrelease movements of captive-reared adult Atlantic Salmon in two Maine rivers Postrelease movements of captive-reared adult Atlantic Salmon in two Maine rivers
Objective Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar remain at critically low levels in the United States, with the last remaining populations located in the state of Maine. In 2021, a pilot captive-rearing program, similar to a smolt-to-adult supplementation, was implemented to boost naturally spawning adults in support of recovery goals.Methods We conducted a 2-year acoustic telemetry study to track...
Authors
Carolyn A. Merriam, Danielle Frechette, Joseph D. Zydlewski
Application of a data-limited stock assessment model to understand the historical population of cisco in Lake Erie Application of a data-limited stock assessment model to understand the historical population of cisco in Lake Erie
Historically, cisco (Coregonus artedi) supported one of the largest commercial fisheries in Lake Erie with over 25 million kilograms landed in a single year during the fisheries’ peak in 1912. Like many other coregonines in the Laurentian Great Lakes, the Lake Erie cisco population eventually collapsed and is now considered extirpated. Management interest in restoring coregonine...
Authors
Laura M. Lee, John A. Sweka, Brian Weidel