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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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Female and male grizzly bears differ in their responses to low-intensity recreation in a protected area Female and male grizzly bears differ in their responses to low-intensity recreation in a protected area
Strategies animals use to navigate human-dominated landscapes frequently mimic anti-predator responses employed by prey species. Understanding how large carnivores respond to outdoor recreation is important for conservation, particularly in protected areas with preservation mandates. Visitation to Yellowstone National Park doubled from 1980 to 2015, increasing the need to examine...
Authors
Elise Loggers, Andrea R. Litt, Mark Haroldson, Kerry A. Gunther, Frank T. van Manen
Ecotoxicological effects of crude oil to early life stage Danio rerio: A molecular, morphological and behavioral approach focused on swim bladder development Ecotoxicological effects of crude oil to early life stage Danio rerio: A molecular, morphological and behavioral approach focused on swim bladder development
Proper development and inflation of the swim bladder is essential for swimming and foraging behavior in fish. To characterize the effects of the Brazilian oil spill that occurred between 2019 and 2020 to early life stage fish, the expression of genes involved in swim bladder development were targeted, with biochemical assays, morphology, and behavior assessed. The swim bladder was...
Authors
Célio F. Mariz, Maria Karolaine de Melo Alves, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Italo Braga de Castro, Felix Augusto Silva de Andrade, Eliete Zanardi-Lamardo, Igor Dias Medeiros, Paulo S. Carvalho
The effects of forest harvesting on total and methylmercury concentrations in surface waters depend on harvest practices and physical site characteristics The effects of forest harvesting on total and methylmercury concentrations in surface waters depend on harvest practices and physical site characteristics
Forest harvesting can lead to mercury (Hg) mobilization from soils to aquatic habitats and promote the transformation of inorganic Hg to highly neurotoxic and bioaccumulative methyl-Hg (MeHg). Multiple past studies reveal broad variation of stream water MeHg and total Hg (THg) concentrations responses to forest harvesting, which has confounded messaging to forest and resource managers...
Authors
Karin Eklof, Heleen A. de Wit, Chris S. Eckley, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Susan L. Eggert, Robert W. Mackereth, Ulf Skyllberg, Liisa Ukonmaanaho, Matti Verta, Craig J Allan, Erik J.S. Emilson, Karen A. Kidd, Carl P.J. Mitchell, John Munthe, Tapani Sallantaus, Joel Segersten, Andrea Garcia Bravo, Randall Kolka, Colin P.R. McCarter, Petri Porvari, Eva Ring, Stephen Sebestyen, Ulf Sikstrom, Therese Zetterberg
A flexible conservation and connectivity tool to inform stream conservation prioritization A flexible conservation and connectivity tool to inform stream conservation prioritization
Healthy stream networks rely on diverse fish assemblages and the mobility of fish between habitats to maintain ecosystem structure and function. Anthropogenic structures that impede fish movement (e.g., roads, dams) disrupt life cycles of migratory fishes and isolate fish populations making them more sensitive to environmental stressors. Growing interest in barrier removal is driven by...
Authors
Sarah G. Winikoff, Craig Paukert, Nicholas Sievert, Jane S. Rogosch
Using integrated step-selection analyses to map high-risk electrocution areas for a highly mobile species Using integrated step-selection analyses to map high-risk electrocution areas for a highly mobile species
Knowledge of animal-movement patterns is a crucial component in identifying areas with high potential for human–wildlife conflict and in prioritizing associated management actions. Electrical energy infrastructure is a major source of mortality for animals worldwide, with millions of birds colliding with or being electrocuted by power lines and power-pole infrastructure each year...
Authors
Caroline D. Cappello, Kenneth V. Jacobson, James T. Driscoll, Kyle M. McCarty, Javan Mathias Bauder
Shared leadership can promote success in collaborative research networks in ecology Shared leadership can promote success in collaborative research networks in ecology
1. While collaborative science is becoming the norm in ecology, many ecologists participating in collaborations are less aware of the body of research that studies the processes by which collaborative teams organize and communicate. 2. Here, we discuss how we successfully used a shared leadership model in the Dry Rivers Research Coordination Network. We discuss how this model promote...
Authors
Daniel C. Allen, Amy J. Burgin, Erin C. Seybold, Walter K. Dodds, Michelle H. Busch, Anna Bergstrom, Corey A. Krabbenhoft, Kate S. Boersma, James C. Stegen, Julian D. Olden, Carla L. Atkinson, C. Nathan Jones, Thibault Datry, Sarah E. Godsey, Arial J. Shogren, Annika W. Walters, Stephen Plont, Richard H. Walker, Margaret Shanafield, Meryl C. Mims, Adam N. Price, Chelsea R. Smith, Yaqi You, Michael T. Bogan, Ryan M. Burrows, Mathis L. Messager, Rachel Stubbington, Margaret A. Zimmer
Occurrence and tissue distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fishes from waterbodies with point and non-point sources in Massachusetts, USA Occurrence and tissue distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fishes from waterbodies with point and non-point sources in Massachusetts, USA
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with known bioaccumulative and toxic effects in aquatic ecosystems. This study assessed site-specific differences in PFAS contamination in fish from Ashumet Pond, Sudbury River, and Great Herring Pond (reference site) in Massachusetts. Fish from Ashumet Pond exhibited the highest PFAS concentrations...
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Emma Lord, Stephen T. Hurley, Denis R. LeBlanc
Hydrologic variability and groundwater age of springs in eastern Oregon and northern Nevada, USA Hydrologic variability and groundwater age of springs in eastern Oregon and northern Nevada, USA
The ecological importance of springs in semiarid regions is far greater than their small size and sparse distribution, yet little is known about the hydrologic functioning of these systems. During 2016–22, 261 springs were visited in the volcanic terrane of eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. When conditions were suitable, measurements of discharge, water temperature, and specific...
Authors
Henry M. Johnson
A streamflow permanence classification model for forested streams that explicitly accounts for uncertainty and extrapolation A streamflow permanence classification model for forested streams that explicitly accounts for uncertainty and extrapolation
Accurate mapping of headwater streams and their flow status has important implications for understanding and managing water resources and land uses. However, accurate information is rare, especially in rugged, forested terrain. We developed a streamflow permanence classification model for forested lands in western Oregon using the latest light detection and ranging-derived hydrography...
Authors
Jonathan D. Burnett, Kristin L. Jaeger, Sherri L Johnson, Steven M. Wondzell, Jason Dunham, Matthew Irwin Barker, Emily Dawn Heaston, Nathan Chelgren, Michael G. Wing, Brian Staab, Michael E. Brown
Long-term dynamics of earthquake swarms in the Yellowstone caldera Long-term dynamics of earthquake swarms in the Yellowstone caldera
The factors controlling the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of earthquake swarms in volcanic systems remain unclear. We leverage leading-edge deep learning algorithms and a detailed three-dimensional velocity model to construct a 15-year high-resolution earthquake catalog of the Yellowstone caldera region. More than half of the region’s earthquakes are clustered into swarm...
Authors
Manuel Florez, Bing Q. Li, David R. Shelly, Mia Angulo, Jose Sanabria-Gomez
Tailwater residency patterns of Silver Carp at Kentucky Lock and Dam Tailwater residency patterns of Silver Carp at Kentucky Lock and Dam
Objective The management of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix in the Tennessee River basin focuses on removal, and there is interest in extending removal efforts to the tailwater environments of high-head locks and dams along the Tennessee River, such as Kentucky Dam. We used acoustic telemetry data from Silver Carp to understand important ecological associations...
Authors
William R Budnick, Kyle Mosel, Joshua Tompkins, Brent Knights, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Marybeth K. Brey, Andrea K. Fritts
Perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS) induces innate immune toxicity through the NF-κB pathway in early life stage zebrafish Perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS) induces innate immune toxicity through the NF-κB pathway in early life stage zebrafish
Perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS), a long-chain polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), is widely detected in aquatic environments and increasingly recognized for its environmental persistence and bioaccumulative potential; however, its immunotoxicity remains poorly understood in aquatic biota. In this study, early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to environmentally relevant...
Authors
Chengwei Zhou, Wei Cheng, Rongrong Xuan, Xinyuan Kang, Jiazhen Wang, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Jialin Li, Di Fang, Wenhui Qiu