Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
We are focused on some of the most significant issues society faces, and our science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics.
Filter Total Items: 175006
Common-garden experiment reveals outbreeding depression and region-of-origin effects on reproductive success in a frequently translocated tortoise Common-garden experiment reveals outbreeding depression and region-of-origin effects on reproductive success in a frequently translocated tortoise
Human-mediated animal movement can expose wildlife populations to novel environments. Phenotypic plasticity can buffer against the challenges presented by novel environments, while adaptation to local ecosystems may limit resilience in novel ecosystems. Outbreeding depression during the mixing of disparate gene pools can also reduce reproductive success after long-distance movement. Here...
Authors
Kevin J. Loope, J. Nicole DeSha, Matthew J. Aresco, Kevin T. Shoemaker, Elizabeth Ann Hunter
Body mass changes of dabbling and diving ducks wintering in California Body mass changes of dabbling and diving ducks wintering in California
Bird body mass is often used as an index of body condition and fluctuates throughout the year in response to environmental conditions and avian life-history events. We examined the body mass of 59,572 ducks representing 13 species (7 dabbling duck species and 6 diving duck species) harvested within the 3 regions of the Central Valley in California, USA (Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh...
Authors
Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman, Jeffrey D. Kohl, Brady Lynn Fettig, C. Alex Hartman, Sarah H. Peterson, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph P. Fleskes
Estimating traffic volume and road age in Wyoming to inform resource management planning: An application with wildlife-vehicle collisions Estimating traffic volume and road age in Wyoming to inform resource management planning: An application with wildlife-vehicle collisions
Road networks and their associated vehicular traffic disturb many terrestrial systems, but inventories of roads used to assess these effects often focus on the ‘where’ (e.g., local road type and density) and neglect the ‘when’ (e.g., temporal disturbance) or ‘how much’ (e.g., traffic volume disturbance). We developed annual estimates of the ‘when’ (road age) and ‘how much’ (vehicular...
Authors
Richard D. Inman, Benjamin Seward Robb, Michael S. O’Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Matthew J Holloran, Cameron L. Aldridge
Riverine dissolved organic matter transformations increase with watershed area, water residence time, and Damköhler numbers in nested watersheds Riverine dissolved organic matter transformations increase with watershed area, water residence time, and Damköhler numbers in nested watersheds
Quantifying the relative influence of factors and processes controlling riverine ecosystem function is essential to predicting future conditions under global change. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a fundamental component of riverine ecosystems that fuels microbial food webs, influences nutrient and light availability, and represents a significant carbon flux globally. The...
Authors
Kevin Alexander Ryan, Vanessa Garayburu-Caruso, Byron Crump, Ted Bambakidis, Peter Raymond, Shaoda Liu, James Stegen
It's about time: A multistate semicontinuous time mark–recapture model to evaluate seasonal survival and movement rates of juvenile Coho Salmon in a small coastal watershed It's about time: A multistate semicontinuous time mark–recapture model to evaluate seasonal survival and movement rates of juvenile Coho Salmon in a small coastal watershed
Objective Many mark–recapture models assume that releases and recaptures are discrete events, and researchers often aggregate continuous recapture data (e.g., passive integrated transponder [PIT] detections) into coarse temporal scales to satisfy this assumption. This temporal discretization could result in parameter biases by ignoring the individual heterogeneity in the time susceptible...
Authors
Nicholas P. Van Vleet, Darren Ward, Nicholas A. Som, Daniel C. Barton, Colin Anderson, Mark J. Henderson
A heuristic method to evaluate consequences for flight control and stability induced by attachment of biologging devices to birds and bats A heuristic method to evaluate consequences for flight control and stability induced by attachment of biologging devices to birds and bats
Biologging is central to the study of wildlife, but questions remain about the minimization of effects of biologging devices. Rarely considered are changes biologging devices induce on an animal's centre of mass (COM) and resulting losses of flight control and stability.We applied established aeronautical principles to estimate how the COM of a flying bird or bat may be affected by the...
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, George Young
In-situ valve opening response of eastern oysters to estuarine conditions In-situ valve opening response of eastern oysters to estuarine conditions
High-frequency recordings of valve opening behavior (VOB) in bivalves are often used to detect changes in environmental conditions. However, generally a single variable such as temperature or the presence of toxicants in the water is the focus. A description of routine VOB under non-stressful conditions is also important for interpreting responses to environmental changes. Here we...
Authors
Romain Lavaud, Stephanie K. Archer, Megan K. La Peyre, Finella M. Campanino, Sandra M. Casas, Jerome F. La Peyre
The Amazon Basin’s rivers and lakes support Nearctic-breeding shorebirds during southward migration The Amazon Basin’s rivers and lakes support Nearctic-breeding shorebirds during southward migration
Identifying the migration routes and stopover sites used by declining species is critical for developing targeted conservation actions. Long-distance migratory shorebirds are among the groups of birds declining most rapidly, yet we frequently lack detailed knowledge about the routes and stopover sites they use during their hemisphere-spanning migrations. This is especially true for...
Authors
Jennifer A. Linscott, Enzo Basso, Rosalyn Bathrick, Juliana Bosi de Almeida, Alexandra Anderson, Fernando Angulo-Pratolongo, Bart M Ballard, Joel Bety, Stephen Brown, Katherine S. Christie, Sarah J. Clements, Christian Friis, Callie Gesmundo, Marie-Andree Giroux, Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Christopher M. Harwood, Jason M. Hill, James A. Johnson, Bart Kempenaers, Benoit Laliberte, Jean-Francois Lamarre, Richard B. Lanctot, Christopher Latty, Nicolas Lecomte, Laura Anne McDuffie, Juan G. Navedo, Erica Nol, Zachary M. Pohlen, Jennie Rausch, R.B. Renfrew, Jorge Ruiz, Mike Russell, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Brett K. Sandercock, Shiloh A. Schulte, Paul A Smith, Audrey R. Taylor, T. Lee Tibbitts, Mihai Valcu, Mitch D. Weegman, James R. Wright, Nathan R. Senner
Comparison of imaging flow cytometry and microscopy for freshwater algal bloom detection Comparison of imaging flow cytometry and microscopy for freshwater algal bloom detection
Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) is an emerging tool that allows for rapid identification and enumeration of phytoplankton in freshwater systems. However, few studies have assessed the effects of preservation on IFC results or compared live IFC and microscopy results in freshwater systems. Understanding the effects of preservation and differences between IFC and microscopy will improve...
Authors
Sabina R. Gifford, A. St. Amand, Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Cory Sauve, Denise Clark, Hannah Schroeder-Larkins
Volcanoes of American Samoa Volcanoes of American Samoa
Upu Amata (Introduction) O le Atu-Samoa o le tasi lenei o faʻasologa motu mauga mu i le Vasa Pasefika i Saute. O motu e pito i sasaʻe o nei faʻasologa mauga mu o le Atu-Samoa, o motu ia o Amerika Samoa. E tofu lava mauga mu taʻitasi o Amerika Samoa ma ona talaaga aemaise tulaga e tutupu e ono pa ai i le lumanai. O loʻo galulue faʻatasi le Ofisa o le U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ma le...
Authors
Natalia I. Deligne, Drew T. Downs, Elinor Lutu-McMoore, Steven Sobieszczyk, Wendy K. Stovall
Threshold changes in winter temperature and precipitation drive threshold responses across nine global climate zones and associated biomes Threshold changes in winter temperature and precipitation drive threshold responses across nine global climate zones and associated biomes
Globally, winter temperatures are rising, and snowpack is shrinking or disappearing entirely. Despite previous research and published literature reviews, it remains unknown whether biomes across the globe will cross important thresholds in winter temperature and precipitation that will lead to significant ecological changes. Here, we combine the widely used Köppen–Geiger climate...
Authors
Alexandra R. Contosta, Kyle A. Arndt, Helen M. Baulch, Nora J. Casson, Adrian Harpold, Toni Lyn Morelli, Alexej P.K. Siren, Pamela H. Templer
eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam
River flow patterns are primary drivers of lotic ecosystems, and hundreds of metrics have been developed to quantify flow attributes. Although existing metrics have been a powerful tool in designing environmental flows, they are often developed with specific resources in mind and are rarely directly comparable with each other (i.e., units are often different). Here, we focus on natural...
Authors
Emily C. Palmquist, Bridget Deemer, Anya Metcalfe, Theodore Kennedy, Lucas Bair, Helen C. Fairley, Paul E. Grams, Joel B. Sankey, Charles Yackulic