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Publications

Find out more about Biological Threat and Invasive Species Research through our publications.

Filter Total Items: 329

Realizing the potential of eDNA biodiversity monitoring tools in the marine environment with application to offshore renewable energy Realizing the potential of eDNA biodiversity monitoring tools in the marine environment with application to offshore renewable energy

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researches the biological diversity and distribution of species to support management, conservation, and resource use decisions. USGS scientists advance detection and monitoring technologies to assess changes in fish and wildlife populations, biodiversity, and the health of ecosystems. The United States is planning to install 30 gigawatts of offshore...
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Cheryl L. Morrison, Margaret Hunter, Mona Khalil

Zebra and Quagga mussels in the United States—Dreissenid mussel research by the U.S. Geological Survey Zebra and Quagga mussels in the United States—Dreissenid mussel research by the U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers high-quality data, technologies, and decision-support tools to help managers both reduce existing populations and control the spread of dreissenid mussels. The USGS researches ecology, biology, risk assessment, and early detection and rapid response methods; provides decision support; and develops and tests control measures.
Authors
Cayla R. Morningstar, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Michael E. Colvin, Timothy D. Counihan, Wesley M. Daniel, Peter C. Esselman, Cathy A. Richter, Adam Sepulveda, Diane L. Waller

Florida Kingsnake (Lampropeltis floridana) consumes a juvenile Burmese Python (Python molurus bivitattus) in southern Florida Florida Kingsnake (Lampropeltis floridana) consumes a juvenile Burmese Python (Python molurus bivitattus) in southern Florida

The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) is an invasive constrictor established across southern Florida. These snakes are dietary generalists with large home ranges and broad habitat requirements and their introduction has had severe impacts on native species and ecosystems in the region. We describe the first observation of a Florida kingsnake (Lampropeltis floridana) that...
Authors
Peter F. Crawford, Jose A. Torres, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Andrea Faye Currylow, Lisa Marie McBride, Gretchen Erika Anderson, Matthew F. McCollister, Christina M. Romagosa, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Kristen Hart

Modeling habitat suitability across different levels of invasive plant abundance Modeling habitat suitability across different levels of invasive plant abundance

Predicting where invasive plants are likely to spread and become abundant is critical for informing invasive plant management. Species distribution models are a key tool for informing the geography of invasion risk, but most distribution models are limited by their use of presence data, including no information on invader population abundance. In this study, we ask how habitat...
Authors
Evelyn M. Beaury, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Ian S. Pearse, Annette E. Evans, Nathan Teich, Peder Engelstad, Jillian LaRoe, Bethany A. Bradley

Modeling, mapping, and measuring the risk of freshwater invasive species across Alaska Modeling, mapping, and measuring the risk of freshwater invasive species across Alaska

Freshwater ecosystems of the Alaskan Arctic and Subarctic provide resources that are culturally, ecologically, and economically invaluable. Presently, these regions are relatively free of the impacts from invasive species compared to southern latitudes. To date, there have been relatively few verified introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) to freshwater ecosystems in Alaska. The...
Authors
Marcus Geist, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Anjanette Steer, Jeanne Osnas, Michael P. Carey, Aaron C. Martin, Tammy Davis, Rachel Kelty

Maximum clutch size of an invasive Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) in Florida, USA Maximum clutch size of an invasive Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) in Florida, USA

Native to southeastern Asia, the Burmese Python (Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820) is an invasive species established in southern Florida (Snow et al. 2007; Krysko et al. 2016; Krysko et al. 2019). Pythons are documented as having negative effects on the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and they have proven to be a complex problem for managers trying to control populations (Guzy et al. 2023)...
Authors
Andrea Faye Currylow, Teah Evers, Gretchen Erika Anderson, Lisa Marie McBride, Matthew McCollister, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Christina Romagosa, Kristen Hart, Amy A. Yackel Adams

A meta-analysis of the stony coral tissue loss disease microbiome finds key bacteria in unaffected and lesion tissue in diseased colonies A meta-analysis of the stony coral tissue loss disease microbiome finds key bacteria in unaffected and lesion tissue in diseased colonies

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has been causing significant whole colony mortality on reefs in Florida and the Caribbean. The cause of SCTLD remains unknown, with the limited concurrence of SCTLD-associated bacteria among studies. We conducted a meta-analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene datasets generated by 16 field and laboratory SCTLD studies to find consistent bacteria...
Authors
Stephanie M. Rosales, Lindsay K. Huebner, James S. Evans, Amy Apprill, Andew C. Baker, Anthony J. Bellantuono, Marilyn E. Brandt, Abigail S. Clark, Javier del Campo, Caroline E. Dennison, Katherine R. Eaton, Naomi E. Huntley, Christina A. Kellogg, Monica Medina, Julie L. Meyer, Erinn M. Muller, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty, Jennifer L. Salerno, W. Bane Schill, Erin N. Shilling, Julia Marie Stewart, Joshua D. Voss

Natives bite back: Depredation and mortality of invasive juvenile Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Natives bite back: Depredation and mortality of invasive juvenile Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem

Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus Kuhl, 1820) are one of the world’s largest snake species, making them a highly successful and biologically damaging invasive predator in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA. Though we have knowledge of python diet within this system, we understand very little of other interactions with native species. Effects native species have on invasive...
Authors
Andrea Faye Currylow, Austin Lee Fitzgerald, Matthew T.H. Goetz, Jared L. Draxler, Gretchen Erika Anderson, Matthew McCollister, Christina Romagosa, Amy A. Yackel Adams

Functional stability of vegetation following biocontrol of an invasive riparian shrub Functional stability of vegetation following biocontrol of an invasive riparian shrub

Understanding plant community response to environmental change is a crucial aspect of biological conservation and restoration, but species-based approaches are limited in that they do not reveal the underlying mechanisms driving vegetation dynamics. An understanding of trait-environment relationships is particularly important in the case of invasive species which may alter abiotic...
Authors
Annie L. Henry, Eduardo Gonzalez-Sargas, Patrick B. Shafroth, Alexander R.B. Goetz, Anna A. Sher
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