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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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Phylogenomics of endangered troglobiotic rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from central Texas karst regions Phylogenomics of endangered troglobiotic rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from central Texas karst regions
The karst habitats of central Texas, USA, are home to an array of endemic subterranean-obligate (troglobiotic) invertebrates. This includes several species of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Here we developed a molecular dataset using sequence capture of Ultra-Conserved Elements (UCEs) from the Coleoptera-UCE-1.1 K v1 baits kit. These data were used to assess...
Authors
Perry L. Wood, Donald S. Chandler, Nicholas S. Gladstone, Anna Mitelberg, Julia G. Smith, Kemble White, Jenny Wilson, Amy G. Vandergast
East Greenland Ice Sheet retreat history from Scoresby Sund and Storstrømmen Glacier during the last deglaciation East Greenland Ice Sheet retreat history from Scoresby Sund and Storstrømmen Glacier during the last deglaciation
The lack of geological constraints on past ice-sheet change in marine-based sectors of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) following the Last Glacial Maximum limits our ability to assess (1) the drivers of ice-sheet change, and (2) the performance of ice-sheet models that are benchmarked against the paleo-record of GrIS change. Here, we provide new in situ 10Be surface exposure chronologies...
Authors
Jacob T. Anderson, Nicolas E. Young, Allie Balter-Kennedy, Karlee Prince, Caleb K. Walcott-George, Brandon L. Graham, Joanna Charton, Jason P. Briner, Joerg M. Shaefer
Cryptic life history diversity supports endangered species recovery in an ultra-urbanized landscape Cryptic life history diversity supports endangered species recovery in an ultra-urbanized landscape
Urban landscapes are often overlooked in conservation planning, allowing human activities to take precedence in ecosystem management. However, even heavily modified environments can support diverse species profiles, but continued expansion of the human footprint could transform these biodiversity hotspots into ecological traps that serve as hidden catalysts for demographic declines. In...
Authors
Shannon L. White, Amanda Higgs, Dewayne Fox
Carbon and nitrogen isotopes of different native fish tissues from the Santa Ana River, California Carbon and nitrogen isotopes of different native fish tissues from the Santa Ana River, California
Objective Stable isotopes are commonly used to understand the role of fishes in aquatic food webs. However, variability in species- and tissue-specific isotopic values can affect the inference that is drawn from a stable isotope study. We evaluated differences in stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) among three tissue types (white muscle, caudal fin rays, and eye lenses)...
Authors
Brock Huntsman, Matthew J. Young, Kai Palenscar, Kurt E. Anderson, William Ota, Jordan Mae-Jean Buxton, Justin K. Clause, Danielle L. Palm, Jeff Lee Gronemyer, Brett Mills, Kerwin Russell, Rebecca Christensen
Absolute radiometric calibration evaluation of Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Headwall and MicaSense sensors and improving data quality using the Empirical Line Method Absolute radiometric calibration evaluation of Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Headwall and MicaSense sensors and improving data quality using the Empirical Line Method
The use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UASs) for remote sensing applications has increased significantly in recent years due to their low cost, operational flexibility, and rapid advancements in sensor technologies. In many cases, UAS platforms are considered viable alternatives to conventional satellite and crewed airborne platforms, offering very high spatial, spectral, and temporal...
Authors
Mahesh Shrestha, Victoria Mary Scholl, Aparajithan Sampath, Jeffrey Irwin, Travis Kropuenske, Josip Adams, Matthew Alexander Burgess, Lance R Brady
Population demographics of invasive Silver Carp in a Great Plains river network Population demographics of invasive Silver Carp in a Great Plains river network
Objective Knowledge of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix population demographics and distributions may inform estimates of efforts necessary to achieve reductions in abundance and identify locations to conduct removal. Although extensively studied in other parts of their invasive range (e.g., Mississippi and Illinois rivers), less is known regarding Silver Carp population
Authors
Blake Logan, Mark Pegg, Kirk D. Steffensen, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
Quantitative PCR detection of endangered diamond darter Crystallaria Cincotta in environmental DNA: Employing locked nucleic acids and blocking probe for specificity Quantitative PCR detection of endangered diamond darter Crystallaria Cincotta in environmental DNA: Employing locked nucleic acids and blocking probe for specificity
This study presents a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the detection of the endangered diamond darter Crystallaria cincotta from environmental DNA (eDNA) in water samples. The assay design is based on an alignment of mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequences from 58 individuals representing 25 percid species. Leveraging genetic differences, a species-specific qPCR assay was designed...
Authors
Andrew P. Kinziger, Cameron M. Layne, Stuart A. Welsh
Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA) Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA)
Residual oil zones (ROZs) can offer significant oil resources via enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as well as subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) retention during injection. If injected CO2 is anthropogenic, the ROZs can offer a substantial geologic storage potential. The ROZs below the oil/water contact (OWC) of main pay zones (MPZ) in conventional reservoirs or brownfields, are more commonly...
Authors
C. Ozgen Karacan
DeepFaune New England: A species classification model for trail camera images in northeastern North America DeepFaune New England: A species classification model for trail camera images in northeastern North America
The DeepFaune New England model classifies wildlife species in trail camera images, identifying 24 taxa from northeastern North America with high (97%) accuracy. The model was adapted from the DeepFaune model for identifying European wildlife, demonstrating the practicality of transfer learning across continents. The majority of training data is openly licensed, and the model itself is...
Authors
Laurence A. Clarfeld, Katherine D. Gieder, Angela K. Fuller, Zhongqi Miao, Alexej P.K. Sirén, Shevenell M. Webb, Toni Lyn Morelli, Jillian R. Kilborn, Catherine B. Callahan, Leighlan S. Prout, Rachel Cliché, Riley K. Patry, Christopher Bernier, Susan Staats, Therese M. Donovan
Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping” Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping”
The spring is a critical period when polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) are thought to have peak access to seals and acquire the majority of their annual energy requirements during a period of hyperphagia. Pagano et al. (Pagano A.M., Atkinson S.N., and Archer L.C. 2025. Arctic Science.11:1-14. doi:10.1139/as-2024-0051) examined the intra-seasonal changes in body mass of 31 polar...
Authors
Anthony M. Pagano, Stephen N. Atkinson, Louise C. Archer
Rapid increase in antibodies to influenza A virus H5 and N1 in Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) following the introduction of 2.3.4.4B H5N1 into North America Rapid increase in antibodies to influenza A virus H5 and N1 in Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) following the introduction of 2.3.4.4B H5N1 into North America
Clade 2.3.4.4b Eurasian-origin H5N1 entered North America in late 2021 and spread across the continent. While studies have characterized the antibody response mounted by dabbling ducks following exposure, little data are available for diving ducks. This study sought to identify influenza A virus (IAV) infection and antibodies in Lesser and Greater Scaup captured in Maryland, Illinois...
Authors
Jeffery D. Sullivan, Rebecca L. Poulson, Glenn H. Olsen, Alicia Berlin, Zijing Cao, Deborah Carter, Josh Homyack, Jennifer Kilburn, Scott R. McWilliams, Joshua Osborn, Tori Mezebish Quinn, Hannah Schley, Matthew M. Weegman, Christopher A. Williams, David E. Stallknecht, Diann Prosser
Sensitive environmental DNA methods for low-risk surveillance of at-risk bumble bees Sensitive environmental DNA methods for low-risk surveillance of at-risk bumble bees
Terrestrial environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques have been proposed as a means of sensitive, non-lethal pollinator monitoring. To date, however, no studies have provided evidence that eDNA methods can achieve detection sensitivity on par with traditional pollinator surveys. Using a large-scale dataset of eDNA and corresponding net surveys, we show that eDNA methods enable sensitive...
Authors
Rodney T. Richardson, Grace Avalos, Cameron J. Garland, Regina Trott, Olivia Hager, Mark J. Hepner, Clayton D. Raines, Karen Goodell