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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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Bayesian multistate models for measuring invasive carp movement and evaluating telemetry array performance Bayesian multistate models for measuring invasive carp movement and evaluating telemetry array performance

Understanding the movement patterns of an invasive species can be a powerful tool in designing effective management and control strategies. Here, we used a Bayesian multistate model to investigate the movement of two invasive carp species, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis), using acoustic telemetry. The invaded portions of the Illinois and Des...
Authors
Jessica C. Stanton, Marybeth K. Brey, Alison A. Coulter, David R. Stewart, Brent Knights

Balancing ecology and practicality to rank waterbodies for preventative invasive species management Balancing ecology and practicality to rank waterbodies for preventative invasive species management

‘Early detection and rapid response’ (EDRR) is the most successful framework for preventative invasive species management, but prioritizing localized EDRR actions with limited resources is challenging. An approach that ranks individual locations, such as waterbodies, for EDRR by combining an invasive species' establishment risk with the practicality of managing it could help set...
Authors
Caleb Powell Roberts, William E. Grant, Matthew L. Horton, Lindsey A.P. LaBrie, Miranda R. Peterson, Jane S. Rogosch, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang

Spatial patterns of seed removal by harvester ants in a seed tray experiment Spatial patterns of seed removal by harvester ants in a seed tray experiment

Using a selection of native grass and forb seeds commonly seeded in local restoration projects, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate the effects of seed species, distance of seed patches from nests, and distance between patches on patterns of seed removal by Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus (Olsen) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). To provide context for ants’ seed preferences...
Authors
Michaela Ray Grossklaus, David S. Pilliod, T. Trevor Caughlin, Ian C. Robertson

A protocol for assessing bias and robustness of social network metrics using GPS based radio-telemetry data A protocol for assessing bias and robustness of social network metrics using GPS based radio-telemetry data

Background Social network analysis of animal societies allows scientists to test hypotheses about social evolution, behaviour, and dynamic processes. However, the accuracy of estimated metrics depends on data characteristics like sample proportion, sample size, and frequency. A protocol is urgently needed to assess for bias and robustness of social network metrics estimated for the...
Authors
Prabhleen Kaur, Simone Ciuti, Federico Ossi, Francesca Cagnacci, Nicolas Morellet, Anne Loison, Kamal Atmeh, Philip McLoughlin, Adele K. Reinking, Jeffrey L. Beck, Anna C. Ortega, Matthew J. Kauffman, Mark S. Boyce, Amy Haigh, Anna David, Laura L. Griffin, Kimberly Conteddu, Jane Faull, Michael Salter-Townshend

Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California

Groundwater resources are utilized near areas of intensive oil and gas development in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In this study, we examined chemical and isotopic data to assess if thermogenic gas or saline water from oil producing formations have mixed with groundwater near the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley. Major ion...
Authors
John G. Warden, Matthew K. Landon, Michael J. Stephens, Tracy Davis, Janice M. Gillespie, Peter B. McMahon, Justin T. Kulongoski, Andrew G. Hunt, David H. Shimabukuro, Riley Gannon, Lyndsay B. Ball

Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau

For many drylands, both long- and short-term drought conditions can accentuate landscape heterogeneity at both temporal (e.g., role of seasonal patterns) and spatial (e.g., patchy plant cover) scales. Furthermore, short-term drought conditions occurring over one season can exacerbate long-term, multidecadal droughts or aridification, by limiting soil water recharge, decreasing plant...
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, David L. Hoover, Anna C. Knight, Savannah Wilson, Tara Boyce Belnap Bishop, Robin H. Reibold, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway

Risk of capture is modified by hypoxia and interjurisdictional migration of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Risk of capture is modified by hypoxia and interjurisdictional migration of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

Interjurisdictional migrations lead to seasonally changing patterns of exploitation risk, emphasizing the importance of spatially explicit approaches to fishery management. Understanding how risk changes along a migration route supports time-area based fishery management, but quantifying risk can be complicated when multiple fishing methods are geographically segregated and when bycatch...
Authors
Richard Kraus, H. Andrew Cook, Alexis Sakis, Thomas MacDougall, Matthew Faust, Joseph Schmitt, Christopher Vandergoot

A robust quantitative method to distinguish runoff-generated debris flows from floods A robust quantitative method to distinguish runoff-generated debris flows from floods

Debris flows and floods generated by rainfall runoff occur in rocky mountainous landscapes and burned steeplands. Flow type is commonly identified post-event through interpretation of depositional structures, but these may be poorly preserved or misinterpreted. Prior research indicates that discharge magnitude is commonly amplified in debris flows relative to floods due to volumetric...
Authors
David B. Cavagnaro, Scott W. McCoy, Jason W. Kean, Matthew A. Thomas, Donald N. Lindsay, Brian W. McArdell, Jacob Hirschberg

The geochronology of White Sands Locality 2 is resolved The geochronology of White Sands Locality 2 is resolved

Rhode et al. (2024) allege that there are many “unresolved issues” with the geochronology of White Sands National Park (WHSA) Locality 2. They suggest there are substantial age offsets due to hard-water effects in the aquatic plants that were dated and that radiocarbon ages of pollen may be anomalously old due to reworking. In their view, the luminescence ages are likely to be maximum...
Authors
Jeffrey S. Pigati, Kathleen B. Springer, Harrison J. Gray, Matthew R. Bennett, David Bustos

Observations of flocs in an estuary and implications for computation of settling velocity Observations of flocs in an estuary and implications for computation of settling velocity

The settling velocity (ws) in estuarine environments can impact whether a region is eroding or accreting sediment on the bed, yet determining this rate can be an indirect process requiring a number of assumptions. Accurate determination of ws is especially needed for numerical models to reproduce observed sediment concentrations at the appropriate timescale. We collected information on...
Authors
Rachel Allen, Daniel Livsey, Samantha C. McGill

Climate-Smart Siting for renewable energy expansion Climate-Smart Siting for renewable energy expansion

A massive expansion of renewable energy (RE) is underway to meet the world’s climate goals. Although RE serves to reduce threats from climate change, it can also pose threats to species whose current and future ranges intersect with RE installations. Here, we propose a “Climate-Smart Siting” framework for addressing potential conflicts between RE expansion and biodiversity conservation...
Authors
Uzma Ashraf, Toni Lyn Morelli, Adam B. Smith, Rebecca Hernandez
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