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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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From water to web: Trophic transfer of neonicotinoids from a wastewater effluent-dominated stream to riparian spiders From water to web: Trophic transfer of neonicotinoids from a wastewater effluent-dominated stream to riparian spiders
Municipal wastewater is a known point source of organic contaminants, including pharmaceuticals and neonicotinoid insecticides. Emergent aquatic insects can provide a direct aquatic-to-terrestrial contaminant transfer route to the food web, with implications for terrestrial food web dispersal of wastewater-derived organic contaminants. We quantified 17 target pharmaceuticals and...
Authors
A. L. Mianecki, J. R. Behrens, Dana W. Kolpin, G. R. Hemphill, K. Kapoor, G. H. LeFevre
Prevalence and potential for biological effects of several chemicals of interest in Lake Superior tributaries Prevalence and potential for biological effects of several chemicals of interest in Lake Superior tributaries
Lake Superior is typically assumed to have excellent water quality, but its tributaries have been understudied for contaminants relative to other Great Lakes. This study monitored polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols (AP) and alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), bisphenols, and neonicotinoid pesticides in 18 sites on 17 United States tributaries to Lake Superior in 2022...
Authors
Sophia LaFond-Hudson, Matthew A. Pronschinske, Sarah M. Elliott, Steven R. Corsi
Genetic structure of an expanding population of Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon Genetic structure of an expanding population of Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon
Objective Humpback Chub (HBC) Gila cypha in Grand Canyon declined in abundance and distribution over the latter part of the 20th century but have substantially increased in abundance and distribution over the past two decades. Although previous genetic work suggested that HBC in Grand Canyon belong to one genetic group, here we evaluate the genetic structure of HBC in Grand Canyon to...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Robert Massatti, Charles B. Yackulic, Emily Omana-Smith, Kirk Young
Beach nourishment response and recent morphological evolution of Minnesota Point, Lake Superior Beach nourishment response and recent morphological evolution of Minnesota Point, Lake Superior
Beach nourishments are a popular nature-based alternative to armoring for shoreline erosion mitigation, but nourishments have been criticized due to their environmental impacts and uncertain sustainability. Monitoring is often nonexistent or insufficient to constrain nourishment longevity and inform the renourishment interval required to maintain shoreline protection. This study uses a...
Authors
Collin J. Roland, Joel T. Groten, J. William Lund, Jenny L. Hanson
Evaluating large wood additions as a scalable method of urban stream restoration Evaluating large wood additions as a scalable method of urban stream restoration
Urbanization is associated with increased erosion and habitat homogenization in stream ecosystems. This habitat degradation often has biological consequences, such as decreased species richness. Conventional stream restoration practices are costly, and projects are limited to small areas with easy access. A scalable, low-cost method of stream restoration is needed to address the...
Authors
Peter Grap, Stephen F. Matter, Adam Lehmann, Dylan Ward, Michael Thomas Booth
Blowing in the wind: Anemochory in blackbrush habitat of South Texas Blowing in the wind: Anemochory in blackbrush habitat of South Texas
Wind dispersal has the potential to carry seeds long-distances and could inform the management and restoration of natural vegetation along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Plant species with the potential to disperse seeds in arid landscapes fragmented by border barrier infrastructure include foundational native, invasive, and federally endangered plant species. Wind dispersal traps constructed...
Authors
Beth Middleton, Emily J. Lain
Female and male grizzly bears differ in their responses to low-intensity recreation in a protected area Female and male grizzly bears differ in their responses to low-intensity recreation in a protected area
Strategies animals use to navigate human-dominated landscapes frequently mimic anti-predator responses employed by prey species. Understanding how large carnivores respond to outdoor recreation is important for conservation, particularly in protected areas with preservation mandates. Visitation to Yellowstone National Park doubled from 1980 to 2015, increasing the need to examine...
Authors
Elise Loggers, Andrea R. Litt, Mark A. Haroldson, Kerry A. Gunther, Frank T. van Manen
Ecotoxicological effects of crude oil to early life stage Danio rerio: A molecular, morphological and behavioral approach focused on swim bladder development Ecotoxicological effects of crude oil to early life stage Danio rerio: A molecular, morphological and behavioral approach focused on swim bladder development
Proper development and inflation of the swim bladder is essential for swimming and foraging behavior in fish. To characterize the effects of the Brazilian oil spill that occurred between 2019 and 2020 to early life stage fish, the expression of genes involved in swim bladder development were targeted, with biochemical assays, morphology, and behavior assessed. The swim bladder was...
Authors
Célio F. Mariz, Maria Karolaine de Melo Alves, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Italo Braga de Castro, Felix Augusto Silva de Andrade, Eliete Zanardi-Lamardo, Igor Dias Medeiros, Paulo S. Carvalho
The effects of forest harvesting on total and methylmercury concentrations in surface waters depend on harvest practices and physical site characteristics The effects of forest harvesting on total and methylmercury concentrations in surface waters depend on harvest practices and physical site characteristics
Forest harvesting can lead to mercury (Hg) mobilization from soils to aquatic habitats and promote the transformation of inorganic Hg to highly neurotoxic and bioaccumulative methyl-Hg (MeHg). Multiple past studies reveal broad variation of stream water MeHg and total Hg (THg) concentrations responses to forest harvesting, which has confounded messaging to forest and resource managers...
Authors
Karin Eklof, Heleen A. de Wit, Chris S. Eckley, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Susan L. Eggert, Robert W. Mackereth, Ulf Skyllberg, Liisa Ukonmaanaho, Matti Verta, Craig J Allan, Erik J.S. Emilson, Karen A. Kidd, Carl P.J. Mitchell, John Munthe, Tapani Sallantaus, Joel Segersten, Andrea Garcia Bravo, Randall Kolka, Colin P.R. McCarter, Petri Porvari, Eva Ring, Stephen Sebestyen, Ulf Sikstrom, Therese Zetterberg
Special issue "Effects of surface geology on seismic motion (ESG): General state-of-research" Special issue "Effects of surface geology on seismic motion (ESG): General state-of-research"
To understand and predict the behaviors of strong ground motions incurred during devastating earthquakes, studies focused on the “effects of surface geology (ESG) on seismic motions” (following tradition, herein contracted as: “ESG”) have progressed steadily in the last three decades. These ESG studies typically involve in situ measurements of the wavefield and commonly apply both...
Authors
Hiroshi Kawase, Alan Yong, Hideo Aochi, Shinichi Matsushima, Cécile Cornou, Fabrice Cotton
A flexible conservation and connectivity tool to inform stream conservation prioritization A flexible conservation and connectivity tool to inform stream conservation prioritization
Healthy stream networks rely on diverse fish assemblages and the mobility of fish between habitats to maintain ecosystem structure and function. Anthropogenic structures that impede fish movement (e.g., roads, dams) disrupt life cycles of migratory fishes and isolate fish populations making them more sensitive to environmental stressors. Growing interest in barrier removal is driven by...
Authors
Sarah G. Winikoff, Craig Paukert, Nicholas Sievert, Jane S. Rogosch
Using integrated step-selection analyses to map high-risk electrocution areas for a highly mobile species Using integrated step-selection analyses to map high-risk electrocution areas for a highly mobile species
Knowledge of animal-movement patterns is a crucial component in identifying areas with high potential for human–wildlife conflict and in prioritizing associated management actions. Electrical energy infrastructure is a major source of mortality for animals worldwide, with millions of birds colliding with or being electrocuted by power lines and power-pole infrastructure each year...
Authors
Caroline D. Cappello, Kenneth V. Jacobson, James T. Driscoll, Kyle M. McCarty, Javan Mathias Bauder