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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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Common ravens disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking behavior in the Great Basin, USA Common ravens disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking behavior in the Great Basin, USA
Expansion of human enterprise has contributed to increased abundance and distribution of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) across sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems within western North America. Ravens are highly effective nest predators of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse), a species of high conservation concern. Sage-grouse population trends are...
Authors
Joseph Atkinson, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Ian A. Dwight, Mark A. Ricca, Pat J. Jackson
Homeowners’ willingness to adopt environmentally beneficial landscape practices in an urbanizing watershed Homeowners’ willingness to adopt environmentally beneficial landscape practices in an urbanizing watershed
Streams in urbanizing watersheds often experience low flows in summer due to increased water use for residential landscaping and decreased base flow as impervious land cover limits aquifer recharge. Environmentally beneficial landscape practices that save water and infiltrate runoff have the potential to provide multiple ecological benefits including reducing stress on urban streams, but...
Authors
Johanna Stacy, Robert L. Ryan, Allison H. Roy, Anita Milman
A seasonal electric barrier blocks invasive adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and reduces production of larvae A seasonal electric barrier blocks invasive adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and reduces production of larvae
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control is achieved in the Laurentian Great Lakes by applying lamprey-specific pesticides (lampricides) to habitats containing larval sea lamprey. Lampricide treatments cost less and are more effective in watersheds where dams block adult sea lamprey migration and limit larval distribution relative to watersheds with no barriers to migration. However...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Brian Snow, Tyler Bruning, Aaron K. Jubar
An adaptive management implementation framework for evaluating supplemental sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) controls in the Laurentian Great Lakes An adaptive management implementation framework for evaluating supplemental sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) controls in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin have been suppressed for over 60 years primarily by migration barriers and lamprey-specific pesticides. Improving control outcomes by supplementing barriers and pesticides with additional control strategies has been a long-standing objective of managers and stakeholders, but progress towards this...
Authors
Sean A. Lewandoski, Travis O. Brenden, Michael J. Siefkes, Nicholas S. Johnson
Secretive marsh bird habitat associations in the Mississippi Flyway: A meta-analysis Secretive marsh bird habitat associations in the Mississippi Flyway: A meta-analysis
Secretive marsh birds, including rails and bitterns, have experienced widespread population declines due to the loss of wetland habitat on which they depend. Because of their cryptic behavior, secretive marsh birds are challenging to study and information on their habitat requirements is limited, especially across the full annual cycle. Quantifying habitat associations throughout the...
Authors
K.M. Malone, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. Mengel, L. Kearns, S.W. Matteson, A.E. McKellar
Do wolves control their own numbers? Do wolves control their own numbers?
No abstract available.
Authors
L. David Mech
Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats
The black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata is an Endangered seabird endemic to the western North Atlantic. Although estimated at ~1000 breeding pairs, only ~100 nests have been located at 2 sites in Haiti and 3 sites in the Dominican Republic. At sea, the species primarily occupies waters of the western Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Due to limited data, there is...
Authors
Patrick G.R. Jodice, P.E. Michael, J.S. Gleason, J.C. Haney, Y.G. Satge
Low occurrence of ranavirus in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana and North Dakota (USA) contrasts with prior surveys Low occurrence of ranavirus in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana and North Dakota (USA) contrasts with prior surveys
Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens that have caused mortality events in amphibians worldwide. Despite the negative effects of ranaviruses on amphibian populations, monitoring efforts are still lacking in many areas, including in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America. Some PPR wetlands in Montana and North Dakota (USA) have been contaminated by energy-related saline...
Authors
Brian J. Tornabene, Erica J Crespi, Bernardo A. Traversari, Kenzi M Stemp, Creagh W Breuner, Caren S. Goldberg, Blake R. Hossack
Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion
Detection of invasive species and decisions centered around early detection and rapid response (EDRR) are notorious challenges for decision makers. Detection probability is low for cryptic species, resources are limited, and ecological harm (especially for island ecosystems) can result from failure to remove invasive species due to inadequate or delayed surveillance efforts. Due to the...
Authors
Amy A. Yackel Adams, Patrick D Barnhart, Gordon H. Rodda, Eric T. Hileman, Melia Gail Nafus, Robert Reed
Wolf use of humanmade objects during pup-rearing Wolf use of humanmade objects during pup-rearing
Some animals use humanmade objects for building and constructing nests or shelter and even for play. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) gather and use humanmade objects discovered in their natural environment. Gathering humanmade objects is a peculiar behavior particularly when there is no immediately apparent benefit to survival or reproduction. I opportunistically documented 46 different types...
Authors
David Edward Ausband
NGA-Subduction research program NGA-Subduction research program
This article summarizes the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) Subduction (NGA-Sub) project, a major research program to develop a database and ground motion models (GMMs) for subduction regions. A comprehensive database of subduction earthquakes recorded worldwide was developed. The database includes a total of 214,020 individual records from 1,880 subduction events, which is by far the...
Authors
Yousef Bozorgnia, Norman A. Abrahamson, Sean Kamran Ahdi, Timothy D. Ancheta, Linda Al Atik, Ralph J. Archuleta, Gail M. Atkinson, David M Boore, Kenneth W. Campbell, Brian S-J Chiou, Victor Contreras, Robert B. Darragh, Sahar Derakhshan, Jennifer L Donahue, Nick Gregor, Zeynep Gulerce, Izzat M Idriss, Chengxin Jiang, Tadahiro Kishida, Albert R. Kottke, Nicolas Kuehn, Dongyoup Kwak, Annie O-L Kwok, Person Lin, Jorge Macedo, Silvia Mazzoni, Saburoh Midorikawa, Sifat Muin, Grace Alexandra Parker, Sanaz Rezaeian, Hongjun Si, Walter J Silva, Jonathan P. Stewart, Melanie Walling, Katie Wooddell, Robert R Youngs
Geographic variation in dispersal of western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) populations across North America Geographic variation in dispersal of western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) populations across North America
Dispersal is one of the key elements of species’ metapopulation dynamics and, hence, influences global conservation status. Furthermore, determining the geographic variation in magnitude and direction of dispersal throughout a species’ distribution may expand our understanding of the causes of population declines in species of conservation concern. For instance, western burrowing owl...
Authors
Alberto Macias-Duarte, Courtney J. Conway