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
Identifying translocation sites for a climate relict population of Finescale Dace Identifying translocation sites for a climate relict population of Finescale Dace
Translocation is a management strategy that seeks to address threats to fish and wildlife populations by establishing new populations in ecologically suitable areas. Populations of Finescale Dace Chrosomus neogaeus in the Great Plains may benefit from translocation, as they exhibit a climate relict natural history that has led to a disjunct distribution and minimal dispersal...
Authors
Evan C.J. Booher, Annika W. Walters
Surveillance for diseases, pathogens, and toxicants of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) in Pennsylvania and surrounding regions Surveillance for diseases, pathogens, and toxicants of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) in Pennsylvania and surrounding regions
Using diagnostic data and contemporary sampling efforts, we conducted surveillance for a diversity of pathogens, toxicants, and diseases of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus). Between 1977 and 2019, 26 diagnostic cases were examined from Kansas and throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, USA. We identified multiple causes of mortality in muskrats, but trauma (8/26), Tyzzer’s disease (5/6)...
Authors
Laken S. Ganoe, Justin D. Brown, Matthew J. Lovallo, Michael J. Yabsley, Kayla B. Garrett, Alec T. Thompson, Robert H. Poppenga, Mark G. Ruder, W. David Walter
Using social values in the prioritization of research: Quantitative examples and generalizations Using social values in the prioritization of research: Quantitative examples and generalizations
Identifying critical uncertainties about ecological systems can help prioritize research efforts intended to inform management decisions. However, exclusively focusing on the ecological system neglects the objectives of natural resource managers and the associated social values tied to risks and rewards of actions.I demonstrate how to prioritize research efforts for a harvested...
Authors
Matthew Richard Falcy
Visualizing social-ecological intensities for management of recreation visitors in a multiuse system Visualizing social-ecological intensities for management of recreation visitors in a multiuse system
Accounting for the variation of visitor conflicts and ecological disturbance of outdoor recreation activities across space and time can cause difficulty for managers seeking to make decisions in social-ecological systems (SESs). We develop a method to quantify and visualize social and ecological intensities resulting from outdoor recreation. We demonstrate the utility of our method at...
Authors
O. A. DaRugna, C. J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, L. A. Powell, M. A. Kaemik
A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
A reliable chlorophyll–nutrient relationship (CNR) is essential for lake eutrophication management. Although the spatial variability of CNRs has been extensively explored, temporal variations of CNRs at the individual lake scale has rarely been discussed. The paucity of information about temporal dependence in CNRs may in part be due to the lack of a suitable statistical framework that...
Authors
Qianlinglin Qiu, Zhongyao Liang, Yaoyang Xu, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Tyler Wagner
Wild juvenile salmonid abundance in Wisconsin tributaries indicates limited contributions to Lake Michigan fisheries Wild juvenile salmonid abundance in Wisconsin tributaries indicates limited contributions to Lake Michigan fisheries
Natural reproduction of salmonids occurs in many Lake Michigan tributaries, yet little is known about abundance and the potential contribution of wild fish hatching in Wisconsin tributaries. The objectives of our study were to determine if: 1) abundance of wild juvenile salmonids (primarily adfluvial rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, referred to as steelhead) varied among selected...
Authors
Eric Wegleitner, Joshua Raabe, Daniel Dembkowski, Nicholas Legler, Daniel A. Isermann
Population genomics of free-ranging Great Plains white-tailed and mule deer reflects a long history of interspecific hybridization Population genomics of free-ranging Great Plains white-tailed and mule deer reflects a long history of interspecific hybridization
Hybridization is a natural process at species-range boundaries that may variably promote the speciation process or break down species barriers but minimally will influence management outcomes of distinct populations. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) have broad and overlapping distributions in North America and a recognized capacity for...
Authors
Fraser J. Combe, Levi Jaster, Andrew Ricketts, David A. Haukos, Andrew G. Hope
Warming conditions boost reproductive output for a northern gopher tortoise population Warming conditions boost reproductive output for a northern gopher tortoise population
The effects of climate change on at-risk species will depend on how life history processes respond to climate and whether the seasonal timing of local climate changes overlaps with species-specific windows of climate sensitivity. For long-lived, iteroparous species like gopher tortoises Gopherus polyphemus, climate likely has a greater influence on reproduction than on adult survival...
Authors
Elizabeth Ann Hunter, Kevin J. Loope, K. Kristina Drake, Kaitlyn Hanley, Douglas N. Jones, Kevin T. Shoemaker, David C. Rostal
An introduction to decision science for conservation An introduction to decision science for conservation
Biodiversity conservation decisions are difficult, especially when they involve differing values, complex multidimensional objectives, scarce resources, urgency, and considerable uncertainty. Decision science embodies a theory about how to make difficult decisions and an extensive array of frameworks and tools that make that theory practical. We sought to improve conceptual clarity and...
Authors
Victoria Hemming, Abbey E. Camaclang, Megan Adams, Mark Burgman, Katherine Carbeck, Josie Carwardine, Iadine Chades, Lia Chalifour, Sarah J. Converse, Lindsay Davidson, Georgia E. Garrard, Riley Finn, Jesse R. Fleri, Jacqueline Huard, Helen Mayfield, Eve McDonald Madden, Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis, Hugh P. Possingham, Libby Rumpff, Michael C. Runge, Daniel Stewart, Vivitskaia J. D. Tulloch, Terry Walshe, Tara G. Martin
Integrated tools for identifying optimal flow regimes and evaluating alternative minimum flows for recovering at-risk salmonids in a highly managed system Integrated tools for identifying optimal flow regimes and evaluating alternative minimum flows for recovering at-risk salmonids in a highly managed system
Water resource managers are faced with difficult decisions on how to satisfy human water needs while maintaining or restoring riverine ecosystems. Decision sciences have developed approaches and tools that can be used to break down difficult water management decisions into their component parts. An essential aspect of these approaches is the use of quantitative models to evaluate...
Authors
James T. Peterson, Jessica E. Pease, Luke Whitman, James White, Laurel E. Stratton Garvin, Stewart A. Rounds, J. Rose Wallick
Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise). Twinning Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise). Twinning
No abstract available.
Authors
Kevin J. Loope, J. Nicole DeSha, Garrett R. Lawson, Elizabeth Ann Hunter
Assessing cormorant populations and association with fish stocking in Texas Assessing cormorant populations and association with fish stocking in Texas
—Double-Crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) and Neotropic Cormorants (Nannopterum brasilianum) are thought to be expanding their populations across Texas. This expansion is cause for a concern for both fish stocking and fisheries management in public waters. To examine the historic and current populations and distributions of cormorants, we first evaluated the temporal and spatial...
Authors
Sophie A. Morris, Clint W. Boal, Reynaldo Patino