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: 77787
Milkweed and floral resource availability for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the United States Milkweed and floral resource availability for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the United States
The global decline of pollinators, particularly insects, underscores the importance of enhanced monitoring of their populations and habitats. However, monitoring some pollinator habitat is challenging due to widespread species distributions and shifts in habitat requirements through seasons and life stages. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a migratory insect pollinator that...
Authors
Laura Lukens, Jennifer Thieme, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Real-time invasive sea lamprey detection using machine learning classifier models on embedded systems Real-time invasive sea lamprey detection using machine learning classifier models on embedded systems
Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has historically inflicted considerable economic and ecological damage in the Great Lakes and continues to be a major threat. Accurately monitoring sea lampreys are critical to enabling the deployment of more targeted and effective control measures to minimize the impact associated with this species. This paper presents the first stand-alone...
Authors
Ian Gonzalez-Afanador, Claudia Chen, Gerardo Morales-Torres, Scott M. Miehls, Hongyang Shi, Xiaobo Tan, Nelson Sepulveda
Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal
Effective management of invasive species benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the species’ behavior and interactions with the invaded system. We investigated temporal dynamics of telemetry detections and the potential utility of a traitor approach for informing response efforts to the invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population in the Sandusky River, a major...
Authors
Matthew Ross Acre, Tyler Michael Hessler, Sophia Marie Bonjour, James Roberts, Scott F. Colborne, Travis O. Brenden, Lucas R. Nathan, Dustin Broaddus, Christopher S. Vandergoot, Christine M. Mayer, Song S. Qian, Robert D. Hunter, Ryan E. Brown, Robin D. Calfee
Multinational evaluation of genetic diversity indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Multinational evaluation of genetic diversity indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
Under the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 196 Parties committed to reporting the status of genetic diversity for all species. To facilitate reporting, three genetic diversity indicators were developed, two of which focus on processes contributing to genetic diversity conservation: maintaining genetically distinct populations and ensuring populations are...
Authors
Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Jessica M. da Silva, Catherine E. Grueber, Luis Castillo-Reina, Viktoria Koppa, Brenna R. Forester, W. Chris Funk, Myriam Heuertz, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Joachim Mergeay, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Victor Julio Rincon-Parra, Maria Alejandra Rodriguez-Morales, Libertad Arredondo-Amezcua, Gaelle Brahy, Matt DeSaix, Lily Durkee, Ashley Hamilton, Margaret E. Hunter, Austin Koontz, Iris Lang, Maria Camila Latorre-Cardenas, Tanya Latty, Alexander Llanes-Quevedo, Anna J. MacDonald, Meg Mahoney, Caitlin Miller, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Santiago Ramirez-Barahona, Erica Robertson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Metztli Arcila Santiago, Robyn E. Shaw, Glenn M. Shea, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Emma Suzuki Spence, Taylor Stack, Sofia Suarez, Akio Takenaka, Henrik Thurfjell, Sheela P. Turbek, Marlien van der Merwe, Fleur Visser, Ana Wegier, Georgina Wood, Eugenia Zarza, Linda Laikre, Sean M. Hoban
Declining groundwater storage expected to amplify mountain streamflow reductions in a warmer world Declining groundwater storage expected to amplify mountain streamflow reductions in a warmer world
Groundwater interactions with mountain streams are often simplified in model projections, potentially leading to inaccurate estimates of streamflow response to climate change. Here, using a high-resolution, integrated hydrological model extending 400 m into the subsurface, we find groundwater an important and stable source of historical streamflow in a mountainous watershed of the...
Authors
Rosemary W.H. Carroll, Richard G. Niswonger, Craig Ulrich, Charuleka Varadharajan, Erica Siirila-Woodburn, Kenneth H. Williams
Browsing the literature Browsing the literature
For this edition of Browsing the Literature, we have two new papers from Rangeland Ecology & Management, a series of basic ecology papers with an international scope from journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Science, and Nature, and several papers advancing our understanding of drought and carbon at global scales. Additionally, several papers on...
Authors
Matthew J. Germino
Examining inequality in aquatic ecosystem services: Evidence from large-scale monitoring programs Examining inequality in aquatic ecosystem services: Evidence from large-scale monitoring programs
We hypothesize that aquatic ecosystem services are likely to be inequitably accessible and addressing this hypothesis requires systematic assessment at regional and national scales. We used existing data from large-scale aquatic monitoring programs (National Coastal Condition Assessment, National Lakes Assessment) to examine relationships between ecosystem condition, approximating a...
Authors
Katya E. Kovalenko, Sergey Ilyushkin, Holly Wellar-Kelly, Justine Annaliese Neville, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Does the extent of glacial cover across watersheds and discharge periods affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska? Does the extent of glacial cover across watersheds and discharge periods affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska?
Northern high-latitude glaciers impact nearshore marine ecosystems through the discharge of cold and fresh waters, including nutrients and organic matter. Fishes are important integrators of ecosystem processes and hold key positions in the transfer of energy to higher trophic positions in such systems. This study used a natural gradient in space and time, including watershed glacial...
Authors
Lindsey Stadler, Kristen Gorman, Vanessa R. von Biela, Andrew C. Seitz, Katrin Iken
How to select an objective function using information theory How to select an objective function using information theory
In machine learning or scientific computing, model performance is measured with an objective function. But why choose one objective over another? According to the information-theoretic paradigm, the “best” objective function is whichever minimizes information loss. To evaluate different objectives, transform them into likelihoods. The ratios of these likelihoods represent how strongly we...
Authors
Timothy O. Hodson, Thomas M. Over, Smith Tyler, Lucy A. Marshall
Genetic analysis of harvest samples reveals population structure in a highly mobile generalist carnivore Genetic analysis of harvest samples reveals population structure in a highly mobile generalist carnivore
Delineating wildlife population boundaries is important for effective population monitoring and management. The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a highly mobile generalist carnivore that is ecologically and economically important. We sampled 1225 bobcats harvested in South Dakota, USA (2014–2019), of which 878 were retained to assess genetic diversity and infer population genetic structure using...
Authors
Stuart C. Fetherston, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Lora B. Perkins, Chadwick P. Lehman, Jennifer R. Adams, Lisette P. Waits
Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci
Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) is a disease of salmonid fish that is caused by the IHN virus (IHNV), which can cause substantial mortality and economic losses in rainbow trout aquaculture and fisheries enhancement hatchery programs. In a previous study on a commercial rainbow trout breeding line that has undergone selection, we found that genetic resistance to IHNV is controlled...
Authors
Yniv Palti, Roger L. Vallejo, Maureen K. Purcell, Guangtu Gao, Kristy L. Shewbridge, Roseanna L. Long, Christopher Setzke, Breno O. Fragomeni, Hao Cheng, Kyle E. Martin, Kerrry A. Naish
Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage
Natural ecosystems store large amounts of carbon globally, as organisms absorb carbon from the atmosphere to build large, long-lasting, or slow-decaying structures such as tree bark or root systems. An ecosystem’s carbon sequestration potential is tightly linked to its biological diversity. Yet when considering future projections, many carbon sequestration models fail to account for the...
Authors
Sarah R. Weiskopf, Forest Isbell, Maria Isabel Arce-Plata, Moreno Di Marco, Mike Harfoot, Justin A. Johnson, Susannah B. Lerman, Brian W. Miller, Toni Lyn Morelli, Akira S. Mori, Ensheng Weng, Simon Ferrier