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.
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Mission Area Publications
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Water availability drives instream conditions and life-history of an imperiled desert fish: A case study to inform water management Water availability drives instream conditions and life-history of an imperiled desert fish: A case study to inform water management
In arid ecosystems, available water is a critical, yet limited resource for human consumption, agricultural use, and ecosystem processes—highlighting the importance of developing management strategies to meet the needs of multiple users. Here, we evaluated how water availability influences stream thermal regimes and life-history expressions of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus...
Authors
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Roger Peka, Erik Horgen, Daniel J. Kaus, Tim Loux, Lisa Heki
Forest bird populations at the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Hawai‘i Forest bird populations at the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Hawai‘i
Endemic Hawaiian forest birds have experienced dramatic population declines. The Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex (BINWRC) was created for conservation of endangered Hawaiian forest birds and their habitats. Surveys have been conducted at two units of BINWRC to monitor forest bird populations and their response to management actions. We analyzed survey data from 1987 to 2019...
Authors
Steven J. Kendall, Rachel A. Rounds, Richard J. Camp, Ayesha Genz
Fungal endophyte effects on invasive Phragmites australis performance in field and growth chamber environments Fungal endophyte effects on invasive Phragmites australis performance in field and growth chamber environments
Manipulating plant microbiomes may provide control of invasive species. Invasive Phragmites australis has spread rapidly in North American wetlands, causing significant declines in native biodiversity. To test microbiome effects on host growth, we inoculated four common fungal endophytes into replicated Phragmites genotypes and monitored their growth in field and growth chamber...
Authors
Quynh N Quach, Thomas T Thrasher, Kurt P. Kowalski, Keith Clay
Ecological consequences of neonicotinoid mixtures in streams Ecological consequences of neonicotinoid mixtures in streams
Neonicotinoid mixtures are common in streams worldwide, but corresponding ecological responses are poorly understood. We combined experimental and observational studies to narrow this knowledge gap. The mesocosm experiment determined that concentrations of the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin (range of exposures, 0 to 11.9 μg/liter) above the hazard concentration for 5% of...
Authors
Travis S. Schmidt, Janet L. Miller, Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Daren M. Carlisle, Patrick W. Moran, Paul M. Bradley
Working with dynamic earthquake rupture models: A practical guide Working with dynamic earthquake rupture models: A practical guide
Dynamic rupture models are physics‐based simulations that couple fracture mechanics to wave propagation and are used to explain specific earthquake observations or to generate a suite of predictions to understand the influence of frictional, geometrical, stress, and material parameters. These simulations can model single earthquakes or multiple earthquake cycles. The objective of this...
Authors
Marlon D. Ramos, Prithvi Thakur, Yihe Huang, Ruth A. Harris, Kenny J. Ryan
Soil depth and precipitation moderate soil textural effects on seedling survival of a foundation shrub species Soil depth and precipitation moderate soil textural effects on seedling survival of a foundation shrub species
In drylands, there is a need for controlled experiments over multiple planting years to examine how woody seedlings respond to soil texture and the potentially interactive effects of soil depth and precipitation. Understanding how multiple environmental factors interactively influence plant establishment is critical to restoration ecology and in this case to broad-scale restoration...
Authors
Kari E. Veblen, Kyle C. Nehring, Michael C. Duniway, Anna C. Knight, Thomas A. Monaco, Eugene W. Schupp, Janis L Boettinger, Juan J Villalba, Steven Fick, Colby C. Brungard, Eric Thacker
Summer/fall diet and macronutrient assimilation in an Arctic predator Summer/fall diet and macronutrient assimilation in an Arctic predator
Free-ranging predator diet estimation is commonly achieved by applying molecular-based tracers because direct observation is not logistically feasible or robust. However, tracers typically do not represent all dietary macronutrients, which likely obscures resource use as prey proximate composition varies and tissue consumption can be specific. For example, polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Authors
Craig A. Stricker, Karyn D. Rode, Brian D. Taras, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Lara Horstmann, Lori T. Quakenbush
Surface-water-quality data to support implementation of revised freshwater aluminum water-quality criteria in Massachusetts, 2018–19 Surface-water-quality data to support implementation of revised freshwater aluminum water-quality criteria in Massachusetts, 2018–19
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, performed a study to inform the development of the department’s guidelines for the collection and use of water-chemistry data to support calculation of site-dependent aluminum criteria values. The U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed discrete water-quality samples at four...
Authors
David S. Armstrong, Jennifer G. Savoie, Leslie A. DeSimone, Kaitlin L. Laabs, Richard O. Carey
Seed menus: An integrated decision-support framework for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert Seed menus: An integrated decision-support framework for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert
The combination of ecosystem stressors, rapid climate change, and increasing landscape-scale development has necessitated active restoration across large tracts of disturbed habitats in the arid southwestern United States. In this context, programmatic directives such as the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration have increasingly emphasized improved restoration...
Authors
Daniel F. Shryock, Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd Esque
Global genetic diversity status and trends: Towards a suite of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) for genetic composition Global genetic diversity status and trends: Towards a suite of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) for genetic composition
Biodiversity underlies ecosystem resilience, ecosystem function, sustainable economies, and human well-being. Understanding how biodiversity sustains ecosystems under anthropogenic stressors and global environmental change will require new ways of deriving and applying biodiversity data. A major challenge is that biodiversity data and knowledge are scattered, biased, collected with...
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Frederick I. Archer, Laura D. Bertola, Jason G. Bragg, Martin F. Breed, Michael W. Bruford, Melinda A. Coleman, Robert Ekblom, W. Chris Funk, Catherine E. Grueber, Brian K. Hand, Rodolfo Jaffé, Evelyn Jensen, Jeremy S. Johnson, Francine Kershaw, Libby Liggins, Anna J. MacDonald, Joachim Mergeay, Joshua M. Miller, Frank Muller-Karger, David O'Brien, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Kevin M. Potter, Orly Razgour, Cristiano Vernesi, Margaret Hunter
Lack of evidence for indirect effects from stonefly predators on primary production under future climate warming scenarios Lack of evidence for indirect effects from stonefly predators on primary production under future climate warming scenarios
Consumptive and non-consumptive interactions of predators and prey can have strong direct and indirect effects on primary producers, such as stream algae. Increasing water temperatures may alter these interactions and thus influence productivity in streams. For each of 3 temperature treatments (‘ambient’, +2°C and +4°C), we measured the amount of algal biomass removed by grazing mayflies...
Authors
Scott G. Morton, Travis S. Schmidt, N. LeRoy Poff
The potential of using fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) in earthquake early warning applications The potential of using fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) in earthquake early warning applications
As the seismological community embraces fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), DAS arrays are becoming a logical, scalable option to obtain strain and ground‐motion data for which the installation of seismometers is not easy or cheap, such as in dense offshore arrays. The potential of strain data in earthquake early warning (EEW) applications has been recently demonstrated using...
Authors
Noha Farghal, Jessie Kate Saunders, Grace Alexandra Parker