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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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On the origin and current distribution of the Oceania Snake-Eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus) in the Hawaiian archipelago On the origin and current distribution of the Oceania Snake-Eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus) in the Hawaiian archipelago
Because of its extreme isolation and lack of historical connection to a mainland, the Hawaiian Archipelago is thought to have no native nonvolant terrestrial reptiles. Several squamate species have been introduced to the archipelago, likely starting with early Polynesian contact, and increasing as human traffic in the Pacific has amplified. Of the earlier introductions, one species of...
Authors
Valentina Alvarez, Samuel R Fisher, Anthony J. Barley, Kevin L. Donmoyer, Mozes P. K. Blom, Robert C. Thomson, Robert N. Fisher
Positioning aquatic animals with acoustic transmitters Positioning aquatic animals with acoustic transmitters
Geolocating aquatic animals with acoustic tags has been ongoing for decades, relying on the detection of acoustic signals at multiple receivers with known positions to calculate a 2D or 3D position, and ultimately recreate the path of an aquatic animal from detections at fixed stations.This method of underwater geolocation is evolving with new software and hardware options available to...
Authors
Robert J. Lennox, Kim Aarestrup, Josep Alos, Robert Arlinghaus, Eneko Aspillaga, Michael G. Bertram, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Tomas Brodin, Steven J. Cooke, Lotte S. Dahlmo, Felicie Dhellemmes, Karl O. Gjelland, Gustav Hellstrom, Henry Hershey, Christopher M. Holbrook, Thomas Klefoth, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Christopher T. Monk, Cecilie Iden Nilsen, Ina Pauwels, Renanel Pickholtz, Marie Prchalova, Jan Reubens, Milan Říha, David Villegas-Rios, Knut Wiik Vollset, Samuel Westrelin, Henrik Baktoft
Food web changes reflected in age-0 piscivore diets and growth Food web changes reflected in age-0 piscivore diets and growth
Lake Erie walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) recruitment fluctuates annually and depends partially on their diet and growth during their first year of life. In recent decades, age-0 walleye diet and growth may be responding to food web changes in western Lake Erie. To determine how age-0 walleye have responded to changes in prey species and abundance, we compared diet between 2019, 2014 and...
Authors
T. Yang, Christine M Mayer, Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Mark Richard Dufour, Eric J. Weimer
North American wintering mallards infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza show few signs of altered local or migratory movements North American wintering mallards infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza show few signs of altered local or migratory movements
Avian influenza viruses pose a threat to wildlife and livestock health. The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds and poultry in North America in late 2021 was the first such outbreak since 2015 and the largest outbreak in North America to date. Despite its prominence and economic impacts, we know relatively little about how HPAI spreads in wild bird...
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Nicholas M. Masto, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Allison Keever, Rebecca L. Poulson, Deborah Carter, Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Corey Highway, Jamie Feddersen, Heath M. Hagy, Richard W. Gerhold, Bradley S. Cohen, Diann J. Prosser
Giardia and Cryptosporidium in resident wildlife species in Arctic Alaska Giardia and Cryptosporidium in resident wildlife species in Arctic Alaska
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are zoonotic protozoan parasites that can infect humans and other taxa, including wildlife, often causing gastrointestinal illness. Both have been identified as One Health priorities in the Arctic, where climate change is expected to influence the distribution of many wildlife and zoonotic diseases, but little is known about their prevalence in local wildlife...
Authors
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Lora Ballweber, David R. Sinnett, Todd C. Atwood, Anthony S. Fischbach, David Gustine, Kristy Pabilonia
A metasystem approach to designing environmental flows A metasystem approach to designing environmental flows
Accelerating the design and implementation of environmental flows (e-flows) is essential to curb the rapid, ongoing loss of freshwater biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. However, the effectiveness of e-flow programs may be limited by a singular focus on ensuring adequate flow conditions at local sites, which overlooks the role of other ecological processes. Recent...
Authors
Mathis L. Messager, Julian D. Olden, Jonathan Tonkin, Rachel Stubbington, Jane S. Rogosch, Michelle H. Busch, Chelsea J. Little, Annika W. Walters, Carla L. Atkinson, Margaret Shanafield, Songyan Yu, Kate Boersma, Dave Lytle, Richard H. Walker, Ryan M. Burrows, Thibault Datry
Predicting exotic annual grass abundance in rangelands of the western United States using various precipitation scenarios Predicting exotic annual grass abundance in rangelands of the western United States using various precipitation scenarios
Expansion of exotic annual grass (EAG), such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski), could cause irreversible changes to arid and semiarid rangeland ecosystems in the western United States. The distribution and abundance of EAG species are highly affected by weather variables such as temperature and precipitation. The study's goal is to
Authors
Devendra Dahal, Stephen P. Boyte, Michael Oimoen
Genomes & islands & evolution: Oh my! Genomes & islands & evolution: Oh my!
A central question in evolutionary biology is how lineages quickly diversify to occupy different ecological niches, along with determining genomic factors that facilitate evolutionary change. Isolated, oceanic archipelagos are famous for adaptive radiations characterized by endemic, species-rich clades with substantial ecological variation, yet genome resources key to determining eco-evo...
Authors
Mona Renee Bellinger
Fluorine-rich mafic lower crust in the southern Rocky Mountains: The role of pre-enrichment in generating fluorine-rich silicic magmas and porphyry Mo deposits Fluorine-rich mafic lower crust in the southern Rocky Mountains: The role of pre-enrichment in generating fluorine-rich silicic magmas and porphyry Mo deposits
Fluorine-rich granites and rhyolites occur throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, but the origin of F-enrichment has remained unclear. We test if F-enrichment could be inherited from ancient mafic lower crust by: (1) measuring amphibole compositions, including F and Cl contents, of lower crustal mafic granulite xenoliths from northern Colorado to determine if they are unusually...
Authors
Joshua Mark Rosera, Ryan Edward Frazer, Ryan D. Mills, Kristin Jacob, Sean P. Gaynor, Drew S. Coleman, G. Lang Farmer
Changes in chemical occurrence, concentration, and bioactivity in the Colorado River before and after replacement of the Moab, Utah wastewater treatment plant Changes in chemical occurrence, concentration, and bioactivity in the Colorado River before and after replacement of the Moab, Utah wastewater treatment plant
Long-term (2010–19) water-quality monitoring on the Colorado River downstream from Moab Utah indicated the persistent presence of Bioactive Chemicals (BC), such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals. This stream reach near Canyonlands National Park provides critical habitat for federally endangered species. The Moab wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall discharges to the Colorado River...
Authors
William A. Battaglin, Paul M. Bradley, Rebbecca Weissinger, Brett R. Blackwell, Jenna E. Cavallin, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Laura A. DeCicco, Julie Kinsey
Anaxyrus monfontanus (Hot Creek Toad). Reproduction Anaxyrus monfontanus (Hot Creek Toad). Reproduction
No abstract available.
Authors
Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead
The consequences of neglecting reservoir storage in national-scale hydrologic models: An appraisal of key streamflow statistics The consequences of neglecting reservoir storage in national-scale hydrologic models: An appraisal of key streamflow statistics
A better understanding of modeled streamflow errors related to basin reservoir storage is needed for large regions, which normally have many ungaged basins with reservoirs. We quantified the difference between modeled and observed streamflows for one process-based and three statistical-transfer hydrologic models, none of which explicitly accounted for reservoir storage. Streamflow...
Authors
Glenn A. Hodgkins, Thomas M. Over, Robert W. Dudley, Amy M. Russell, Jacob H. LaFontaine