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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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Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves
Predator non-consumptive effects (NCE) can alter prey foraging time and habitat use, potentially reducing fitness. Prey can mitigate NCEs by increasing vigilance, chewing-vigilance synchronization, and spatiotemporal avoidance of predators. We quantified the relationship between Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) predation risk and elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior. We conducted...
Authors
Zachary J. Farley, Cara J. Thompson, Scott T. Boyle, Nicole M. Tatman, James W. Cain
Melded integrated population models Melded integrated population models
Integrated population models provide a framework for assimilating multiple datasets to understand population dynamics. Understanding drivers of demography is key to improving wildlife management, and integrated population models have informed conservation practices for many species of conservation concern. Motivated by multiple surveys of lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus...
Authors
Justin J. Van Ee, Christian A. Hagen, David C. Pavlacky, David A. Haukos, Andrew J . Lawrence, Ashley M Tanner, Blake A. Grisham, Kent A. Fricke, Liza G. Rossi, Grant M. Beauprez, Kurt E. Kuklinski, Russell Martin, Matthew D. Koslovsky, Troy B. Rintz, Mevin B. Hooten
Impact of Hurricane Irma on coral reef sediment redistribution at Looe Key Reef, Florida, USA Impact of Hurricane Irma on coral reef sediment redistribution at Looe Key Reef, Florida, USA
Understanding event-driven sediment transport in coral reef environments is essential to assessing impacts on reef species, habitats, restoration, and mitigation, yet a global knowledge gap remains due to limited quantitative studies. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Lower Florida Keys with sustained 209 km h−1 winds and waves greater than 8 m on 10 September 2017, directly impacting...
Authors
Kimberly Yates, Zachery Fehr, Selena Anne-Marie Johnson, David G. Zawada
Best practices for genetic and genomic data archiving Best practices for genetic and genomic data archiving
Genetic and genomic data are collected for a vast array of scientific and applied purposes. Despite mandates for public archiving, data are typically used only by the generating authors. The reuse of genetic and genomic datasets remains uncommon because it is difficult, if not impossible, due to non-standard archiving practices and lack of contextual metadata. But as the new field of...
Authors
Deborah M. Leigh, Amy G. Vandergast, Margaret Hunter, Eric D. Crandall, W. Chris Funk, Colin J Garroway, Sean M. Hoban, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Christian Rellstab, Gernot Segelbacher, Chloe Schmidt, Ella Vazquez-Dominguez, Ivan Paz-Vinas
Structural heterogeneity predicts ecological resistance and resilience to wildfire in arid shrublands Structural heterogeneity predicts ecological resistance and resilience to wildfire in arid shrublands
Context
Authors
Andrii Zaiats, Megan E Cattau, David S. Pilliod, Rongsong Liu, Patricia Kaye T. Dumandan, Ahmad Hojatimalekshah, Donna M. Delparte, Trevor Caughlin
Reframing wildlife disease management problems with decision analysis Reframing wildlife disease management problems with decision analysis
Contemporary wildlife disease management is complex because managers need to respond to a wide range of stakeholders, multiple uncertainties, and difficult trade-offs that characterize the interconnected challenges of today. Despite general acknowledgment of these complexities, managing wildlife disease tends to be framed as a scientific problem, in which the major challenge is lack of...
Authors
Margaret McEachran, Johanna A. Harvey, Riley Olivia Mummah, Molly Bletz, Claire S. Teitelbaum, Elias Rosenblatt, F. Javiera Rudolph, Fernando Arce, Shanglai Yin, Diann J. Prosser, Brittany A. Mosher, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Jannelle Couret, Michael C. Runge, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jonathan D. Cook
Testing megathrust rupture models using tsunami deposits Testing megathrust rupture models using tsunami deposits
The 26 January 1700 CE Cascadia subduction zone earthquake ruptured much of the plate boundary and generated a tsunami that deposited sand in coastal marshes from northern California to Vancouver Island. Although the depositional record of tsunami inundation is extensive in some of these marshes, few sites have been investigated in enough detail to map the inland extent of sand...
Authors
SeanPaul La Selle, Alan R. Nelson, Robert C. Witter, Bruce E. Jaffe, Guy Gelfenbaum, Jason Scott Padgett
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 J. 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