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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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Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients
Lack of tree fecundity data across climatic gradients precludes the analysis of how seed supply contributes to global variation in forest regeneration and biotic interactions responsible for biodiversity. A global synthesis of raw seedproduction data shows a 250-fold increase in seed abundance from cold-dry to warm-wet climates, driven primarily by a 100-fold increase in seed production...
Authors
Valentin Journe, Robert A. Andrus, Marie-Claire Aravena Acuna, Davide Ascoli, Roberta Berretti, Daniel Berveiller, Michal Bogdziewicz, Thomas Boivin, Raul Bonal, Thomas Caignard, Rafael Calama, J. Julio Camarero, Chia-Hao Chang-Yang, Benoit Courbaud, Francois Courbet, Thomas Curt, Adrian J. Das, Evangelia Daskalakou, Hendrik Davi, Nicolas Delpierre, Sylvain Delzon, Michael Dietze, Sergio Donoso Calderon, Laurent Dormont, Josep Maria Espelta, Timothy J. Fahey, William Farfan-Rios, Catherine A. Gehring, Gregory S. Gilbert, Georg Gratzer, Cathryn H. Greenberg, Qinfeng Guo, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Arndt Hampe, Qingmin Han, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Ines Ibanez, Jill F. Johnstone, Daisuke Kabeya, Roland Kays, Thomas Kitzberger, Johannes M. H. Knops, Richard K. Kobe, Georges Kunstler, Jonathan G. A. Lageard, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Theodor Leininger, Jean-Marc Limousin, James A. Lutz, Diana Macias, Eliot J. B. McIntire, Christopher M. Moore, Emily V. Moran, Renzo Motta, Jonathan A. Myers, Thomas A. Nagel, Kyotaro Noguchi, Jean-Marc Ourcival, Robert Parmenter, Ian S. Pearse, Ignacio M. Perez-Ramos, Lukasz Piechnik, John Poulsen, Renata Poulton-Kamakura, Tong Qiu, Miranda D. Redmond, Chantal D. Reid, Kyle C. Rodman, Francisco Rodriguez-Sanchez, Javier D Sanguinetti, C. Lane Scher, Harald Schmidt Van Marle, Barbara Seget, Shubhi Sharma, Miles Silman, Michael A. Steele, Nathan L. Stephenson, Jacob N. Straub, Jennifer J. Swenson, Margaret Swift, Peter A. Thomas, Maria Uriarte, Giorgio Vacchiano, Thomas T. Veblen, Amy V. Whipple, Thomas G. Whitham, Boyd Wright, S. Joseph Wright, Kai Zhu, Jess K. Zimmerman, Roman Zlotin, Magdalena Zywiec, James S. Clark
A suction pump sampler for invertebrate drift detects exceptionally high concentrations of small invertebrates that drift nets miss A suction pump sampler for invertebrate drift detects exceptionally high concentrations of small invertebrates that drift nets miss
Invertebrate drift is a key process in riverine ecosystems controlling aquatic invertebrate movement, distribution, and availability to fish as prey. However, accurately sampling drift across a wide range of invertebrate sizes is difficult because small invertebrates slip through coarse-mesh drift nets, and fine mesh clogs more easily, which reduces filtration efficiency and measurement...
Authors
Jason R. Neuswanger, Erik R. Schoen, Mark S. Wipfli, Carol J. Volk, James W. Savereide
A framework to integrate innovations in invasion science for proactive management A framework to integrate innovations in invasion science for proactive management
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a rising threat to biodiversity, national security, and regional economies, with impacts in the hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars annually. Proactive or predictive approaches guided by scientific knowledge are essential to keeping pace with growing impacts of invasions under climate change. Although the rapid development of diverse technologies and...
Authors
Charles B. van Rees, Brian K. Hand, Sean C. Carter, Charles Bargeron, Timothy Joseph Cline, Wesley M. Daniel, Jason A. Ferrante, Keith Gaddis, Margaret E. Hunter, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Melodie A. McGeoch, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Matthew E. Neilson, Helen E. Roy, Mary Ann Rozance, Adam Sepulveda, Rebekah D. Wallace, Diane Whited, Taylor Wilcox, John S. Kimball, Gordon Luikart
Defining oyster resource zones across coastal Louisiana for restoration and aquaculture Defining oyster resource zones across coastal Louisiana for restoration and aquaculture
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are a critical ecological and commercial resource in the northern Gulf of Mexico facing changing environmental conditions from river management and climate change. In Louisiana, USA, development of restored reefs, and off-bottom aquaculture would benefit from the identification of locations supportive of sustainable oyster populations (i.e...
Authors
Lauren M. Swam, Brady Couvillion, Brian Callam, Jerome F. La Peyre, Megan K. La Peyre
Response of alewife abundance to the bacterial kidney disease outbreak in the Chinook salmon population of Lake Michigan: Importance of predation Response of alewife abundance to the bacterial kidney disease outbreak in the Chinook salmon population of Lake Michigan: Importance of predation
Prey fish abundance can be influenced by predation (top-down) and food limitation (bottom-up) effects. I characterized temporal trends in yearling and older (YAO) alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) biomass density, as estimated by a long-term bottom trawl survey, in Lake Michigan during 1973–2019. Special attention was given to the bacterial kidney disease (BKD) outbreak in the population of...
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian
A novel herpesvirus detected in 3 different species of chelonians A novel herpesvirus detected in 3 different species of chelonians
Herpesviruses are found in free-living and captive chelonian populations, often in association with morbidity and mortality. To date, all known chelonian herpesviruses fall within the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. We detected a novel herpesvirus in 3 species of chelonians: a captive leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) in western TX, USA; a steppe tortoise (Testudo [Agrionemys]...
Authors
John M. Winter, James F. X. Wellehan, Kathleen Apakupakul, Jamie Palmer, Maris Brenn-White, Kali Standorf, Kristin H. Berry, April L. Childress, Pete Koplos, Michael M. Garner, Sharon L. Deem
Complex magmatic-tectonic interactions during the 2020 Makushin Volcano, Alaska, earthquake swarm Complex magmatic-tectonic interactions during the 2020 Makushin Volcano, Alaska, earthquake swarm
On June 15, 2020, at 21:16 UTC, a locally-felt earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck Unalaska Island, Alaska, ∼15 km west of the town of Unalaska and the large fishing port of Dutch Harbor. The event was followed by a M4.1 earthquake at 00:34 UTC and several M3+ aftershocks, initiating a prolific sequence with hundreds of earthquakes recorded into late December. The earthquakes all locate...
Authors
Federica Lanza, Diana Roman, John Power, Clifford H. Thurber, Thomas Hudson
Integrating Earth–life systems: A geogenomic approach Integrating Earth–life systems: A geogenomic approach
For centuries, scientists have recognized and worked to understand how Earth’s mutable landscape and climate shape the distribution and evolution of species. Here, we describe the emerging field of geogenomics, which uses the reciprocal and deep integration of geologic, climatic, and population genomic data to define and test cause–effect relationships between Earth and life at...
Authors
Greer A. Dolby, Scott E.K. Bennett, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Maya Stokes, Brett R. Riddle, Andres Lira-Noriega, Adrian Munguia-Vega, Benjamin T. Wilder
The North American Freshwater Migratory Fish Database (NAFMFD): Characterizing the migratory life histories of freshwater fishes of Canada, the United States and Mexico The North American Freshwater Migratory Fish Database (NAFMFD): Characterizing the migratory life histories of freshwater fishes of Canada, the United States and Mexico
Aim
Authors
Emily M. Dean, Arthur R. Cooper, Lizhu Wang, Wesley M. Daniel, Solomon David, Clayton Ernzen, Keith B. Gido, Edward Hale, Tim J. Haxton, William Kelso, Nancy J. Leonard, Chris Lido, Joseph Margraf, Michael D. Porter, Casey A. Pennock, David L. Propst, Jared Ross, Michelle Staudinger, Dana M. Infante, Gary Whelan
Topographic controls on ice flow and recession for Juneau Icefield (Alaska/British Columbia) Topographic controls on ice flow and recession for Juneau Icefield (Alaska/British Columbia)
Globally, mountain glaciers and ice caps are losing dramatic volumes of ice. The resultant sea-level rise is dominated by contributions from Alaska. Plateau icefields may be especially sensitive to climate change due to the non-linear controls their topography imparts on their response to climate change. However, Alaskan plateau icefields have been subject to little structural...
Authors
Bethan Davies, Jacob Bendle, Jonathan L. Carrivick, Robert McNabb, Christopher J. McNeil, Mauri Pelto, Seth Campbell, Tom Holt, Jeremy Ely, Bradley Markle
Sandhill crane colt survival in Minnesota Sandhill crane colt survival in Minnesota
Age-structured population models require reliable estimates of cohort-specific survival rates, yet vital rates of younger age classes are often difficult to estimate because of the logistical challenges of monitoring young animals. As part of a study of sandhill cranes Antigone canadensis in the zone of contact between breeding distributions of the Eastern Population and Midcontinent...
Authors
William J. Severud, David Wolfson, John Fieberg, David E. Andersen
Ecological and social strategies for managing fisheries using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework Ecological and social strategies for managing fisheries using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Fisheries management is a complex task made even more challenging by rapid and unprecedented socioecological transformations associated with climate change. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework can be a useful tool to support fisheries management in facing the high uncertainty and variability associated with aquatic ecosystem transformations. Here, RAD strategies are presented to...
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, Frank J. Rahel, Douglas Limpinsel, Suresh Sethi, Agustin C. Engman, David J. Lawrence, Katherine E. Mills, Wendy Morrison, Jay O. Peterson, Mark T. Porath