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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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Prioritization of research on drought assessment in a changing climate Prioritization of research on drought assessment in a changing climate
Drought is a period of abnormally dry weather that leads to hydrological imbalance. Drought assessments determine the characteristics, severity, and impacts of a drought. Climate change adds conceptual and quantitative challenges to traditional drought assessments. This paper highlights the challenges of assessing drought in a climate made non-stationary by human activities or natural...
Authors
Joel Lisonbee, Britt Parker, Erica Fleishman, Trent Ford, R. Kyle Bocinsky, Gretel Follingstad, Abby G. Frazier, Zachary H. Hoylman, Amy R. Hudson, John W. Nielsen-Gammon, Natalie A. Umphlett, Elliot Wickham, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Royce Fontenot, Brian Fuchs, John C. Hammond, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Mike Hobbins, Andy Hoell, Jacob Jones, Erin Lane, Zack Leasor, Yongqiang Liu, Jason A. Otkin, Amanda Sheffield, Dennis Todey, Roger Pulwarty
The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring
Despite > 700,000 km of unpaved roads in the western United States, our knowledge of how roads impact instream sediment is unclear. We combined two studies, including (1) a regional analysis linking stream habitat data from a large-scale monitoring program with road density data to identify generalizable relationships between roads and streambed sediment distributions and (2) a targeted...
Authors
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Geoffrey C. Poole, Cameron Thomas, Carl Saunders, Brett B. Roper, Shane Hendrickson, Cory Davis, Kyle Crapster, Eric Archer
Genetics of wild, whirling disease resistant rainbow trout populations in Colorado Genetics of wild, whirling disease resistant rainbow trout populations in Colorado
Introduction: Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite responsible for salmonid whirling disease, was unintentionally introduced to and became established in Colorado in the 1990s. Mortality of young-of-year fish due to infection by M. cerebralis resulted in recruitment failure and subsequent significant declines in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations. The complex multistage...
Authors
Brian W. Avila, Eric R. Fetherman, Dana L. Winkelman, Melinda R. Baerwald
Thamnophis eques megalops (Northern Mexican Gartersnake). Longevity Thamnophis eques megalops (Northern Mexican Gartersnake). Longevity
No abstract available.
Authors
Mason J Ryan, Matt Goode, Anthony Pawlicki, Javan Mathias Bauder, C. Drew Foster, Damien Renner, Bradley Lawrence
Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury
No abstract available.
Authors
Andrew John Louros, Spencer James Williams, Katherine L. Baumberger, Jared Nicholas Heath, Gage L. Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Gallegos, Adam R. Backlin, Robert D. Fisher
Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet
No abstract available.
Authors
Spencer James Williams, Andrew John Louros, Robert D. Fisher
Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review
Shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds (hereafter coastal birds) have experienced considerable losses over the last century and require proactive conservation management to stabilize or grow populations. Habitat loss and/or degradation and human disturbance are among the most urgent threats faced by coastal bird populations. Identifying effective conservation management techniques to...
Authors
Jennifer L. Fuller, Nicole L. Michel, Evan M. Adams, Abigail J. Darrah, Auriel Fournier, Jacquelyn K. Grace, Lianne Koczur, Bethany A.C. Kraft, Terri J. Maness, Sarah P. Saunders, Caz M. Taylor, Kiara L. Valentine, Theodore J. Zenzal
Pesticide contamination detected across five wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley of California Pesticide contamination detected across five wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley of California
An important goal for the applied ecological sciences is to understand the extent to which the biodiversity on conserved or managed lands is exposed to anthropogenic stressors. Among the various categories of conserved lands in the United States, the National Wildlife Refuge System is focused on the protection and management of native wildlife and plant populations. Refuge lands can be...
Authors
Angie Lenard, Therese Burns, Michelle L. Hladik, Kaylene Keller, Samantha Marcum, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Matthew L. Forister
Living on the edge: Identifying demographic bottlenecks in an isolated sage-grouse population Living on the edge: Identifying demographic bottlenecks in an isolated sage-grouse population
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus: hereafter sage-grouse) population in Modoc County California is geographically isolated and contains a single lek (from 56 leks in the 1940s), despite significant efforts to increase the population through translocations and habitat improvement. Repeated wildfire within the landscape has led to an increase in invasive annual grasses and...
Authors
Chelsea E. Sink, Katie M. Dugger, Christian A. Hagen, John N. Vradenburg
Urbanization and host relatedness shape virome composition in a widespread, generalist carnivore Urbanization and host relatedness shape virome composition in a widespread, generalist carnivore
Urban wildlife species have the potential to serve as links in disease transmission between wildlife, humans and domestic animals at the wildland–urban interface (WUI), contributing to both sustained cross-species transmission of pathogens and the emergence of diseases in susceptible populations. However, the relative roles of host and environmental factors in shaping the composition of...
Authors
Natalie Payne, Desiree Andersen, Cheryl Mollohan, Koenraad Van Doorslaer, Leigh Combrink, Melanie Culver
Book review: Ecology of Dakota landscapes: Past, present, and future, by W. Carter Johnson and Dennis H. Knight Book review: Ecology of Dakota landscapes: Past, present, and future, by W. Carter Johnson and Dennis H. Knight
“Ecology of Dakota Landscapes” is an excellent example of fusing observation and scientific studies to describe the origins and development of the landscape of North and South Dakota, the impact of European settlement, the introduction of agriculture to the area, predictions for the future in the face of a changing climate, and a scientific framework for conservation and sustainability...
Authors
Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Spatiotemporal causal inference with mechanistic ecological models: Evaluating targeted culling on chronic wasting disease dynamics in cervids Spatiotemporal causal inference with mechanistic ecological models: Evaluating targeted culling on chronic wasting disease dynamics in cervids
Spatiotemporal causal inference methods are needed to detect the effect of interventions on indirectly measured epidemiological outcomes that go beyond studying spatiotemporal correlations. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) causes neurological degeneration and eventual death to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Wisconsin. Targeted culling involves removing deer after traditional...
Authors
Juan Francisco Mandujano Reyes, Ting Fung Ma, Ian P. McGahan, Daniel J. Storm, Daniel P. Walsh, Jun Zhu