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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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Dabbling duck eggs hatch after nest abandonment in the wild Dabbling duck eggs hatch after nest abandonment in the wild
In most birds, parental incubation of eggs is necessary for embryo development and survival. Using a combination of weekly nest visits, temperature dataloggers, infrared video cameras, and GPS tracking of hens, we documented several instances of duck eggs hatching after being abandoned by the incubating female. Of 2826 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Gadwall (Mareca strepera) nests...
Authors
Carley Rose Schacter, Brady Lynn Fettig, Sarah H. Peterson, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman
Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation
Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams in the...
Authors
Daniel Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Grant Hilderbrand, Joy Erlenbach, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin
Deep learning for pockmark detection: Implications for quantitative seafloor characterization Deep learning for pockmark detection: Implications for quantitative seafloor characterization
Occurring globally, pockmarks are seafloor depressions associated with seabed fluid escape. Pockmark ubiquity and morphologic heterogeneity result in an irregular seafloor that can be difficult to quantitatively describe. To address this challenge, we test the hypothesis that deep-learning based object detection and segmentation can be used to develop data-driven models for pockmark...
Authors
Mark Lundine, Laura L. Brothers, Arthur Trembanis
Reproductive success of Red-Billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) on St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands Reproductive success of Red-Billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) on St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands
The daily nest-survival rates of Red-billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) were estimated over six breeding seasons on St. Eustatius in the Caribbean. We analyzed 338 nesting attempts between 2013 and 2020. The daily survival rate (DSR) of tropicbird nests was modeled as a function of nest initiation date, sea surface temperature (SST), elevation, vegetation in front of the nest, and...
Authors
H. Madden, M. Leopold, F. Rivera-Milán, K. Verdel, E. Eggermont, Patrick G.R. Jodice
Factors affecting post-challenge survival of Flavobacterium psychrophilum in susceptible rainbow trout from the literature Factors affecting post-challenge survival of Flavobacterium psychrophilum in susceptible rainbow trout from the literature
Infectious bacterial pathogens are a concern for aquaculture as estimates suggest that billions of US dollars are lost annually in aquaculture due to disease. One of the most prevalent salmonid pathogens is the bacterium Flavobacterium psychrophilum that causes bacterial coldwater disease. We reviewed the published F. psychrophilum literature and conducted a Bayesian analysis to examine...
Authors
Brian W. Avila, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Dana L. Winkelman, Eric R. Fetherman
Framework for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine birds Framework for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine birds
Offshore wind energy development (OWED) is rapidly expanding globally and has the potential to contribute significantly to renewable energy portfolios. However, development of infrastructure in the marine environment presents risks to wildlife. Marine birds in particular have life history traits that amplify population impacts from displacement and collision with offshore wind...
Authors
Donald A Croll, Aspen A Ellis, Josh Adams, Aonghais S. C. P. Cook, Stefan Garthe, Morgan Wing Goodale, C. Scott Hall, Elliott L. Hazen, Bradford S. Keitt, Emily C. Kelsey, Jeffery B Leirness, Don E Lyons, Matthew W. McKown, Astrid Potiek, Kate R Searle, Floor H. Soudjin, R. Cotton Rockwood, Bernie R. Tershy, Martin Tinker, Eric A. Vanderwerf, Kathryn A Williams, Lindsay C. Young, Kelly Zilliacus
Trends in vegetation and height of the topographic surface in a tidal freshwater swamp experiencing rooting zone saltwater intrusion Trends in vegetation and height of the topographic surface in a tidal freshwater swamp experiencing rooting zone saltwater intrusion
A decrease in the ground surface height of coastal wetlands is of worldwide concern because of its relationship to peat loss, coastal carbon, and biodiversity in freshwater wetlands. We asked if it is possible to determine indicators of impending transitions of freshwater swamps to other coastal types by examining long-term changes in the environment and vegetation. In a tidal Taxodium...
Authors
Beth Middleton, John L. David
The 2020 Westmorland, California earthquake swarm as aftershocks of a slow slip event sustained by fluid flow The 2020 Westmorland, California earthquake swarm as aftershocks of a slow slip event sustained by fluid flow
Swarms are bursts of earthquakes without an obvious mainshock. Some have been observed to be associated with transient aseismic fault slip, while others are thought to be related to fluids. However, the association is rarely quantitative due to insufficient data quality. We use high-quality GPS/GNSS, InSAR, and relocated seismicity to study a swarm of >2,000 earthquakes which occurred...
Authors
K. Sirorattanakul, Z.E. Ross, M. Khoshmanesh, Elizabeth S. Cochran, M. Acosta, J.-P. Avouac
Ecological and socioeconomic factors associated with the human burden of environmentally mediated pathogens: A global analysis Ecological and socioeconomic factors associated with the human burden of environmentally mediated pathogens: A global analysis
Background Billions of people living in poverty are at risk of environmentally mediated infectious diseases—that is, pathogens with environmental reservoirs that affect disease persistence and control and where environmental control of pathogens can reduce human risk. The complex ecology of these diseases creates a global health problem not easily solved with medical treatment alone...
Authors
Susanne H. Sokolow, Nicole Nova, Isabel J. Jones, Chelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty, Andres Garchitorena, Skylar R. Hopkins, Andrea J Lund, Andrew J MacDonald, Christopher LeBoa, Alison J. Peel, Erin A. Mordecai, Meghan E Howard, Julia C Buck, David Lopez-Carr, Michele Barry, Matthew H Bonds, Giulio A. De Leo
Invasive corallimorpharians at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are no match for lye and heat Invasive corallimorpharians at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are no match for lye and heat
Invasive marine species are well documented but options to manage them are limited. At Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (Central North Pacific), native invasive corallimorpharians, Rhodactis howesii, have smothered live native corals since 2007. Laboratory and field trials were conducted evaluating two control methods to remove R. howesii overgrowing the benthos at Palmyra Atoll...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Renee Breeden, Robert Rameyer, Vernon Born, Tim Clark, Jeremy Rainal, Chris Gillies, Julia Rose, Alex Wegmann, Stefan Kropidlowski
High dispersal rates in hybrids drive expansion of maladaptive hybridization High dispersal rates in hybrids drive expansion of maladaptive hybridization
Hybridization between native and invasive species, a major cause of biodiversity loss, can spread rapidly even when hybrids have reduced fitness. This paradox suggests that hybrids have greater dispersal rates than non-hybridized individuals, yet this mechanism has not been empirically tested in animal populations. Here, we test if non-native genetic introgression increases reproductive...
Authors
Samuel Bourret, Ryan P. Kovach, Timothy Joseph Cline, Jeffrey Strait, Clint C. Muhlfeld
Tough places and safe spaces: Can refuges save salmon from a warming climate? Tough places and safe spaces: Can refuges save salmon from a warming climate?
The importance of thermal refuges in a rapidly warming world is particularly evident for migratory species, where individuals encounter a wide range of conditions throughout their lives. In this study, we used a spatially explicit, individual-based simulation model to evaluate the buffering potential of cold-water thermal refuges for anadromous salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.)...
Authors
Marcia N. Snyder, Nathan H. Schumaker, Jason Dunham, Joseph L. Ebersole, Mathew L Keefer, Jonathan Halama, Randy L Comeleo, P.T. Leinenbach, Allen Brookes, Ben Cope, Jennifer Wu, John Palmer