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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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Putting people first: Using social science to reduce risk Putting people first: Using social science to reduce risk
Wildland-urban interface residents, who occupy the areas where wildlands meet and mix with human development, are both contributors to and recipients of the disastrous effects of wildland fires. They contribute through fire starts, flammable homes, unmitigated properties, opposition to mitigation on nearby public lands, and land use planning efforts. We argue that successful, sustainable...
Authors
Patricia A. Champ, Christopher M. Barth, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Lilia C. Falk, Jamie Gomez, James R. Meldrum
USGS 2020 critical minerals review USGS 2020 critical minerals review
Concerns about the lack of domestic production and availability of essential mineral raw materials were a recurring theme throughout the 20th century, particularly in the periods around armed conflicts (Congressional Research Service, 2019). These concerns resulted in the designation of particular minerals as “strategic” or “critical,” terms that commonly depend on the perspective of the...
Authors
Steven M. Fortier, Nedal T. Nassar, Karen D. Kelley, Graham W. Lederer, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Warren C. Day, Robert R. Seal,
Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk
Our knowledge of the conservation status of reptiles, the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates, has improved dramatically over the past decade, but still lags behind that of the other tetrapod groups. Here, we conduct the first comprehensive assessment (~92% of the world’s ~1,714 described species) of the conservation status of skinks (Scincidae), the most speciose reptile...
Authors
David G. Chapple, Uri Roll, Monika Böhm, Rocio Aguilar, Andrew P. Amey, Chris C. Austin, Maureen Baling, Anthony J. Barley, Michael F. Bates, Aaron M. Bauer, Daniel G. Blackburn, Phil Bowles, Rafe M. Brown, S. R. Chandramouli, Laurent Chirio, Hal Cogger, Guarino R. Colli, Werner Conradie, Patrick J. Couper, Mark A. Cowan, Michael D. Craig, Indraneil Das, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Chris R. Dickman, Ryan J. Ellis, Aaron L. Fenner, Stewart Ford, S. R. Ganesh, Michael G. Gardner, Peter Geissler, Graeme R. Gillespie, Frank Glaw, Matthew J. Greenlees, Oliver W. Griffith, L. Lee Grismer, Margaret L. Haines, D. James Harris, S. Blair Hedges, Rod A. Hitchmough, Conrad J. Hoskin, Mark N. Hutchinson, Ivan Ineich, Jordi Janssen, Gregory R. Johnston, Benjamin R. Karin, J. Scott Keogh, Frederick Kraus, Matthew LeBreton, Petros Lymberakis, Rafaqat Masroor, Peter J. McDonald, Sven Mecke, Jane Melville, Sabine Melzer, Damian R. Michael, Aurelien Miralles, Nicola J. Mitchell, Nicola J. Nelson, Truong Q. Nguyen, Cristiano de Campos Nogueira, Hidetoshi Ota, Panayiotis Pafilis, Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Ana Perera, Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Robert Reed, Marco A. Ribeiro-Junior, Julia L. Riley, Sara Rocha, Pamela L. Rutherford, Ross A. Sadlier, Boaz Shacham, Glenn M. Shea, Richard Shine, Alex Slavenko, Adam Stow, Joanna Sumner, Oliver J. S. Tallowin, Roy Teale, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Jean-Francois Trape, Peter Uetz, Kanishka D. B. Ukuwela, Leonie E. Valentine, James U. Van Dyke, Dylan van Winkel, Raquel Vasconcelos, Miguel Vences, Philipp Wagner, Erik Wapstra, Geoffrey M. While, Martin J. Whiting, Camilla M. Whittington, Steve Wilson, Thomas Ziegler, Reid Tingley, Shai Meiri
Nocturnal incubation recess and flushing behavior by duck hens Nocturnal incubation recess and flushing behavior by duck hens
Incubating birds must balance the needs of their developing embryos with their own physiological needs, and many birds accomplish this by taking periodic breaks from incubation. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (Mareca strepera) hens typically take incubation recesses in the early morning and late afternoon, but recesses can also take place at night. We examined nocturnal...
Authors
Rebecca Croston, Sarah H. Peterson, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman
Habitat heterogeneity, temperature, and primary productivity drive elevational gradients in avian species diversity Habitat heterogeneity, temperature, and primary productivity drive elevational gradients in avian species diversity
Aim Anticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change on species diversity in montane ecosystems requires a mechanistic understanding of drivers of current patterns of diversity. We documented the shape of elevational gradients in avian species richness in North America and tested a suite of a priori predictions for each of five mechanistic hypotheses to explain those patterns...
Authors
Kristen G. Dillon, Courtney J. Conway
Wetlands in intermittently closed estuaries can build elevations to keep pace with sea-level rise Wetlands in intermittently closed estuaries can build elevations to keep pace with sea-level rise
Sea-level rise is a threat to coastal ecosystems, which have important conservation and economic value. While marsh response to sea-level rise has been well characterized for perennially open estuaries, bar-built intermittently-closed estuaries and their sea-level rise response are seldom addressed in the literature – despite being common globally. We seek to advance the conceptual...
Authors
Karen M. Thorne, Kevin J. Buffington, Scott Jones, John L. Largier
Differential reliance on aquatic prey subsidies influences mercury exposure in riparian arachnids and songbirds Differential reliance on aquatic prey subsidies influences mercury exposure in riparian arachnids and songbirds
Cross-ecosystem subsidies move substantial amounts of nutrients between ecosystems. Emergent aquatic insects are a particularly important prey source for riparian songbirds but may also move aquatic contaminants, such as mercury (Hg), to riparian food webs. While many studies focus on species that eat primarily emergent aquatic insects, we instead study riparian songbirds with flexible...
Authors
Allyson K. Jackson, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, W Douglas Robinson
Factors influencing the use of water-filled tree cavities by eastern ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) Factors influencing the use of water-filled tree cavities by eastern ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)
For some animals, specific microhabitats may be particularly important for certain behaviors and/or age or sex classes. Here we explore the use of previously unrecognized retreat sites (water-filled tree cavities) by Eastern Ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis). During 4 y of radio telemetry, approximately half of the 45 ratsnakes monitored used water-filled cavities. Typically, water...
Authors
Brett Alexander DeGregorio, J. H. Sperry, P. J. Weatherhead
Cognitive and behavioral coping in response to wildlife disease: The case of hunters and chronic wasting disease Cognitive and behavioral coping in response to wildlife disease: The case of hunters and chronic wasting disease
The transactional model of stress and coping (TMSC) provides a conceptual framework for understanding adaptations to stressors like chronic wasting disease (CWD). Understanding hunter response to stressors is important because decreased participation and satisfaction can affect individual well-being, cultural traditions, agency revenue, and local economies. Using TMSC, we explored how...
Authors
Susan A. Schroeder, Adam Landon, Louis J. Cornicelli, David C. Fulton, Leslie McInenly
Widespread Ranavirus and Perkinsea infections in Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) invading New Orleans, USA Widespread Ranavirus and Perkinsea infections in Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) invading New Orleans, USA
Invasive species can negatively impact ecosystems in numerous ways, including vectoring pathogenic organisms. In amphibians, a lineage globally threatened by multiple pathogens, this spread of disease via invasive species could contribute to declines in native populations. The Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) is invasive in the southeastern USA. To assess whether O...
Authors
Net Galt, Matthew S Atkinson, Brad Glorioso, Hardin Waddle, Melanie Litton, Anna E. Savage
Effect of temperature on survival of Lost River Suckers with a natural infection of Ichthyobodo spp. Effect of temperature on survival of Lost River Suckers with a natural infection of Ichthyobodo spp.
To compensate for low natural survival of endangered Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Klamath Tribes have initiated captive rearing programs. We conducted laboratory experiments intended to determine the temperature for optimum growth of juvenile Lost River Suckers; however, due to an unanticipated infection with Ichthyobodo spp., we...
Authors
Barbara A. Martin, Summer M. Burdick, Maureen K. Purcell, Rachel L. Powers
Optimal strategies for managing wildlife harvest under climate change Optimal strategies for managing wildlife harvest under climate change
Wildlife populations are experiencing shifting dynamics due to climate and landscape change. Management policies that fail to account for non‐stationary dynamics may fail to achieve management objectives. We establish a framework for understanding optimal strategies for managing a theoretical harvested population under non‐stationarity. Building from harvest theory, we develop scenarios
Authors
Anna Maureen Tucker, Michael C. Runge