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Publications

Browse publications authored by our scientists.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more. **Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Filter Total Items: 4348

Habitat use of woodpeckers in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas

The Big Woods of eastern Arkansas contain some of the highest densities of woodpeckers recorded within bottomland hardwood forests of the southeastern United States. A better understanding of habitat use patterns by these woodpeckers is a priority for conservationists seeking to maintain these high densities in the Big Woods and the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley as a whole. Hence, we used line
Authors
David G. Krementz, Sarah E. Lehnen, J.D. Luscier

Effects of lead on Na+, K+-ATPase and hemolymph ion concentrations in the freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata

Freshwater mussels are an imperiled fauna exposed to a variety of environmental toxicants such as lead (Pb) and studies are urgently needed to assess their health and condition to guide conservation efforts. A 28-day laboratory toxicity test with Pb and adult Eastern elliptio mussels (Elliptio complanata) was conducted to determine uptake kinetics and to assess the toxicological effects of Pb expo
Authors
Shad Mosher, W. Gregory Cope, Frank X. Weber, Damian Shea, Thomas J. Kwak

Novel microsatellite loci for studies of Thamnophis Gartersnake genetic identity and hybridization

Butler’s Gartersnakes (BGS; Thamnophis butleri) are confined to open and semi-open canopy wetlands and adjacent uplands, habitats under threat of development in Wisconsin. To address issues of species identity and putative hybridization with congeneric snakes, a suite of 18 microsatellite loci capable of cross-species amplification of Plains Gartersnakes (T. radix) and Common Gartersnakes (T. sirt
Authors
Brian L. Sloss, Gregor W. Schuurman, Rori A. Paloski, Owen D. Boyle, Joshua M. Kapfer

An artificial perch to help Snail Kites handle an exotic Apple Snail

In the United States, the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) is a federally endangered species and restricted to the wetlands of south-central Florida where the current population numbers less than 1,500. The Snail Kite is an extreme dietary specialist, previously feeding almost exclusively on one species of snail, the Florida Apple Snail (Pomacea paludosa). Within the past decade, an exo
Authors
Kyle E. Pias, Zach C. Welch, Wiley M. Kitchens

A direct-gradient multivariate index of biotic condition

Multimetric indexes constructed by summing metric scores have been criticized despite many of their merits. A leading criticism is the potential for investigator bias involved in metric selection and scoring. Often there is a large number of competing metrics equally well correlated with environmental stressors, requiring a judgment call by the investigator to select the most suitable metrics to i
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, J.N. Aycock, K. J. Killgore

Biological assessment of environmental flows for Oklahoma

Large-scale patterns in fish assemblage structure and functional groups are influenced by alterations in streamflow regime. In this study, we defined an objective threshold for alteration for Oklahoma streams using a combination of the expected range of 27 flow indices and a discriminant analysis to predict flow regime group. We found that fish functional groups in reference flow conditions had sp
Authors
William L. Fisher, Titus S. Seilheimer, Jason M. Taylor

Development and evaluation of a boat-mounted RFID antenna for monitoring freshwater mussels

Development of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags has substantially increased the ability of researchers and managers to monitor populations of aquatic organisms. However, use of transportable RFID antenna systems (i.e., backpack-mounted) is currently limited to wadeable aquatic environments (
Authors
Jesse R. Fischer, Travis E. Neebling, Michael C. Quist

A study of the spawning ecology and early life history survival of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout

We completed a large‐scale field experiment in four tributaries of the Logan River, Utah, where the largest metapopulation of imperiled Bonneville cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii utah persists. We documented the spatial and temporal distributions of spawners, quantified substrate use versus substrate availability, and evaluated differences in hatch and emergence fry success between and among
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Sara Wood, Brett B. Roper

American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

The American Oystercatcher is a large, conspicuous shorebird, common in coastal salt marshes and along sand beaches throughout the central part of its range. One of the few birds to specialize on bivalve mollusks living in saltwater, this species is completely restricted to marine habitats. Two races breed in North America—the eastern nominate race along the Atlantic coast from southern Maine sout
Authors
Theodore R. Simons, E. Nol, R. Boettcher

The structure of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems across environmental and human gradients, and conservation implications

Historical exploitation of the Mediterranean Sea and the absence of rigorous baselines makes it difficult to evaluate the current health of the marine ecosystems and the efficacy of conservation actions at the ecosystem level. Here we establish the first current baseline and gradient of ecosystem structure of nearshore rocky reefs at the Mediterranean scale. We conducted underwater surveys in 14 m
Authors
Enric Sala, Enric Ballesteros, Panagiotis Dendrinos, Antonio Di Franco, Francesco Ferretti, David Foley, Simonetta Fraschetti, Alan M. Friedlander, Joaquim Garrabou, Harun Guclusoy, Paolo Guidetti, Benjamin S. Halpern, Bernat Hereu, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Zafer Kizilkaya, Enrique Macpherson, Luisa Mangialajo, Simone Mariani, Fiorenza Micheli, Antonio Pais, Kristin Riser, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Marta Sales, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Rick Starr, Fiona Tomas, Mikel Zabala

Winter ecology and habitat use of lesser prairie-chickens in west Texas, 2008-11

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has experienced declines in population and occupied range by more than 90 percent since the late 1800s. The lesser prairie-chicken has been listed as a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act and is undergoing review for actual listing. Populations and distribution of lesser prairie-chickens in Texas are thought to b
Authors
Clint W. Boal, Nicholas E. Pirius

Trends in Marine Debris along the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawai’i 1998-2007

We assessed amounts, composition, and trends of marine debris for the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawai’i using National Marine Debris Monitoring Program data. Hawai’i had the highest debris loads; the North Pacific Coast region had the lowest debris loads. The Southern California Bight region had the highest land-based debris loads. Debris loads decreased over time for all source categories in all reg
Authors
Christine Ribic, Seba B. Sheavly, David J. Rugg, Eric S. Erdmann
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