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: 5123
Mark-recapture models accurately predict growth trajectories of known-age Muskellunge in Green Bay, Lake Michigan Mark-recapture models accurately predict growth trajectories of known-age Muskellunge in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
Length-at-age data are commonly used to describe growth of fish, and obtaining these data typically involves estimating ages from calcified structures (e.g., fin spines or rays, otoliths, or cleithra). Verifying the accuracy of age and growth estimates for long-lived fish is often difficult because known-age fish are not available for all ages in a population. Mark–recapture methods...
Authors
Robert J. Sheffer, Steven R. Hogler, Daniel A. Isermann
Five years of monitoring a bio-engineered living shoreline: Comparison of oyster population development by reef technology. Five years of monitoring a bio-engineered living shoreline: Comparison of oyster population development by reef technology.
The Living Shoreline Demonstration Project (PO-148) used five bio-engineered reef technologies (Reef Balls in two configurations; Figure 1) acting as breakwaters to protect vulnerable shorelines. While the primary goal is to attenuate wave energy, the sustainability and success of these products as “living” shorelines are based on their ability to enhance oyster habitat, enabling the...
Authors
Lauren M. Swam, Danielle Aguilar Marshall, Megan K. La Peyre
Galliform exclusion from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has produced an alternate conservation path, but no evidence for differences in population status Galliform exclusion from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has produced an alternate conservation path, but no evidence for differences in population status
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) is critical to avian conservation in the United States, both through its protection of migratory birds and as a catalyst for a century of coordinated avian conservation. While more than 1,000 species are protected by MBTA, of extant bird species native to the continental U.S., only 20 species belonging to the order Galliformes are explicitly excluded
Authors
Erik J. Blomberg, Beth Ross, Casey J. Cardinal, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Daniel Gibson, Adrian P. Monroe, P Schwalenberg
Modelling physiological costs to assess impacts of climate change on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A Modelling physiological costs to assess impacts of climate change on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A
Amphibians are vital elements of ecosystems, serving as predator and prey. Their biphasic nature makes them dependent on aquatic and terrestrial habitats; as wet-skinned ectotherms, they are vulnerable to a range of environmental threats, including climate change. Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is becoming warmer and drier, and some wetlands important to amphibians have diminished...
Authors
Paul E. Bartelt, Peter E. Thornton, Robert W. Klaver
Estimating bee abundance: Can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols? Estimating bee abundance: Can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?
Wild bees are essential pollinators in natural and agricultural systems, but populations of some species have declined. Efforts to assess the status of wild bees are hindered by uncertainty in common sampling methods, such as pan traps and aerial netting, which may or may not provide a valid index of abundance across species and habitats. Mark-recapture methods are a common and effective...
Authors
Emma L. Briggs, Christopher Baranski, Olivia Munzer Schaetz, Gabriela Garrison, Elsa Youngsteadt, Jaime A. Collazo
Bear diets and human-bear conflicts: Insights from isotopic ecology Bear diets and human-bear conflicts: Insights from isotopic ecology
Bears, Ursidae, are considered omnivores, except for giant pandas Ailuropoda melanoleuca and polar bears Ursus maritimus. However, omnivory includes a wide range of dietary variation and trophic positions, making bear dietary ecology unclear. We inferred bear trophic positions from δ15N (‰) values and examined their correlation with diets reported in the literature, including frequency...
Authors
Nereyda Falconi, Tomas A. Carlo, Todd K. Fuller, Stephen DeStefano, John F. Organ
High densities of conspecifics buffer native fish from negative interactions with an ecologically similar invasive High densities of conspecifics buffer native fish from negative interactions with an ecologically similar invasive
Invasive species are a leading cause for native species declines, but it remains unclear whether maintenance of high native densities influence native persistence in freshwater systems. We designed complementary laboratory and field experiments to test whether high native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) densities affect competition with invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta). We...
Authors
Casey A. Pennock, W. Carl Saunders, Phaedra E. Budy
Tracking spatial regimes in animal communities: Implications for resilience-based management Tracking spatial regimes in animal communities: Implications for resilience-based management
Spatial regimes (the spatial extents of ecological states) exhibit strong spatiotemporal order as they expand or contract in response to retreating or encroaching adjacent spatial regimes (e.g., woody plant invasion of grasslands) and human management (e.g., fire treatments). New methods enable tracking spatial regime boundaries via vegetation landcover data, and this approach is being...
Authors
Caleb Powell Roberts, Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Larkin A. Powell, Brady W Allred, Matthew O. Jones, Jeremy D Maestas, Dirac Twidwell
Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea) Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea)
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint W. Boal, H. Madden
Direct and molecular observation of movement and reproduction by Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni, an endangered benthic stream fish in Virginia, USA Direct and molecular observation of movement and reproduction by Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni, an endangered benthic stream fish in Virginia, USA
Direct and indirect measures of individual movement provide valuable knowledge regarding a species’ resiliency to environmental change. Information on patterns of movement can inform species management and conservation but is lacking for many imperiled fishes. The Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni, is an endangered stream fish with a dramatically reduced distribution in Virginia in the...
Authors
Kathryn E. McBaine, Eric M. Hallerman, Paul L. Angermeier
Influences of channel and floodplain modification on expansion of woody vegetation into Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, USA Influences of channel and floodplain modification on expansion of woody vegetation into Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, USA
Ecosystem structure of wetlands in managed floodplains depends on hydrological processes controlled by geomorphology and water management. Overlapping effects of direct modifications and geomorphic adjustments to management can combine to trigger changes to floodplain ecosystem structure. We examined the case of woody vegetation encroaching into the depressional Catahoula Lake, Louisiana...
Authors
R.F. Keim, L. Dugue, K.D. Latuso, S. Joshi, Sammy L. King, F.L. Willis
Age-specific survival rates, causes of death, and allowable take of golden eagles in the western United States Age-specific survival rates, causes of death, and allowable take of golden eagles in the western United States
In the United States, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits take of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) unless authorized by permit, and stipulates that all permitted take must be sustainable. Golden eagles are unintentionally killed in conjunction with many lawful activities (e.g., electrocution on power poles, collision with wind turbines). Managers who issue permits for...
Authors
Brian Milsap, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, William L. Kendall, Joseph G. Barnes, Melissa A. Braham, Bryan E Bedrosian, Douglas A. Bell, Peter H. Bloom, Ross H. Crandall, Robert Domenech, Daniel Driscoll, Adam E. Duerr, Rick Gerhardt, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Alan R. Harmata, Kenneth Jacobson, Todd E. Katzner, Robert N. Knight, J. Michael Lockhart, Carol McIntyre, Robert K. Murphy, Steven J. Slater, Brian W. Smith, Jeff P. Smith, Dale W. Stahlecker, James W. Watson