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: 5125
Preparing future fisheries professionals to make good decisions Preparing future fisheries professionals to make good decisions
Future fisheries professionals will face decision-making challenges in an increasingly complex field of fisheries management. Though fisheries students are well trained in the use of the scientific method to understand the natural world, they are rarely exposed to structured decision making (SDM) as part of an undergraduate or graduate education. Specifically, SDM encourages users (e.g...
Authors
Michael E. Colvin, James T. Peterson
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 year in review Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 year in review
Summary The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) Program had a productive year in 2016. Despite vacancies in our scientist ranks exceeding 20 percent, our research, training, and teaching portfolio was full and we graduated 93 students and published 398 manuscripts primarily focused on addressing the real conservation challenges of our cooperators. As I’ve stated before...
Authors
John F. Organ, John D. Thompson, Donald E. Dennerline, Dawn E. Childs
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 year in review postcard Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 year in review postcard
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 Year in Review postcard This postcard provides details about the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) Program—2016 Year in Review, Circular 1424. This Circular provides information relating to fish and wildlife science, students, staffing, vacancies, research funding, outreach and training, science themes, background...
Authors
John F. Organ, John D. Thompson, Don E. Dennerline, Dawn E. Childs
Predictors of breeding site occupancy by amphibians in montane landscapes Predictors of breeding site occupancy by amphibians in montane landscapes
Ecological relationships and processes vary across species’ geographic distributions, life stages and spatial, and temporal scales. Montane landscapes are characterized by low wetland densities, rugged topographies, and cold climates. Consequently, aquatic-dependent and low-vagility ectothermic species (e.g., pool-breeding amphibians) may exhibit unique ecological associations in montane
Authors
Luke A. Groff, Cynthia S. Loftin, Aram J.K. Calhoun
Managing American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) population qrowth by targeting nesting season vital rates Managing American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) population qrowth by targeting nesting season vital rates
In populations of long-lived species, adult survival typically has a relatively high influence on population growth. From a management perspective, however, adult survival can be difficult to increase in some instances, so other component rates must be considered to reverse population declines. In North Carolina, USA, management to conserve the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus...
Authors
Shilo K. Felton, Nathan J. Hostetter, Kenneth H. Pollock, Theodore R. Simons
The invasive ant, Solenopsis invicta, reduces herpetofauna richness and abundance The invasive ant, Solenopsis invicta, reduces herpetofauna richness and abundance
Amphibians and reptiles are declining globally. One potential cause of this decline includes impacts resulting from co-occurrence with non-native red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Although a growing body of anecdotal and observational evidence from laboratory experiments supports this hypothesis, there remains a lack of field scale manipulations testing the effect of fire ants...
Authors
Craig R. Allen, Hannah E. Birge, J. Slater, E. Wiggers
Hard choices in assessing survival past dams — a comparison of single- and paired-release strategies Hard choices in assessing survival past dams — a comparison of single- and paired-release strategies
Mark–recapture models are widely used to estimate survival of salmon smolts migrating past dams. Paired releases have been used to improve estimate accuracy by removing components of mortality not attributable to the dam. This method is accompanied by reduced precision because (i) sample size is reduced relative to a single, large release; and (ii) variance calculations inflate error. We...
Authors
Joseph D. Zydlewski, Daniel S. Stich, Douglas B. Sigourney
Size and age structure of anadromous and landlocked populations of Rainbow Smelt Size and age structure of anadromous and landlocked populations of Rainbow Smelt
Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax are widely distributed in both anadromous and landlocked populations throughout northeastern North America; abundance, size at age, and maximum size vary widely among populations and life histories. In the present study, size at age, von Bertalanffy growth parameters, population age distributions, and precision and bias in age assessment based on scales and...
Authors
Andrew O’Malley, Claire Enterline, Joseph D. Zydlewski
The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Working Group: 15 years of collaborative focal species research and management The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Working Group: 15 years of collaborative focal species research and management
The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Working Group formed spontaneously in 2001 as coastal waterbird biologists recognized the potential for American Oystercatchers to serve as focal species for collaborative research and management. Accomplishments over the past 15 years include the establishment of rangewide surveys, color-banding protocols, mark-resight studies, a...
Authors
Theodore R. Simons
Terrestrial ecosystem model performance in simulating productivity and its vulnerability to climate change in the northern permafrost region Terrestrial ecosystem model performance in simulating productivity and its vulnerability to climate change in the northern permafrost region
Realistic projection of future climate-carbon (C) cycle feedbacks requires better understanding and an improved representation of the C cycle in permafrost regions in the current generation of Earth system models. Here we evaluated 10 terrestrial ecosystem models for their estimates of net primary productivity (NPP) and responses to historical climate change in permafrost regions in the...
Authors
Jianyang Xia, A. David McGuire, David Lawrence, Eleanor J. Burke, Guangsheng Chen, Xiaodong Chen, Christine Delire, Charles Koven, Andrew MacDougall, Shushi Peng, Annette Rinke, Kazuyuki Saito, Wenxin Zhang, Ramdane Alkama, Theodore J. Bohn, Philippe Ciais, Bertrand Decharme, Isabelle Gouttevin, Tomohiro Hajima, Daniel J. Hayes, Kun Huang, Duoying Ji, Gerhard Krinner, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Paul A. Miller, John C. Moore, Benjamin Smith, Tetsuo Sueyoshi, Zheng Shi, Liming Yan, Junyi Liang, Lifen Jiang, Qian Zhang, Yiqi Luo
An integrated data model to estimate spatiotemporal occupancy, abundance, and colonization dynamics An integrated data model to estimate spatiotemporal occupancy, abundance, and colonization dynamics
Ecological invasions and colonizations occur dynamically through space and time. Estimating the distribution and abundance of colonizing species is critical for efficient management or conservation. We describe a statistical framework for simultaneously estimating spatiotemporal occupancy and abundance dynamics of a colonizing species. Our method accounts for several issues that are...
Authors
Perry J. Williams, Mevin Hooten, Jamie N. Womble, George G. Esslinger, Michael R. Bower, Trevor J. Hefley
Factors influencing detection of the federally endangered Diamond Darter Crystallaria cincotta: Implications for long-term monitoring strategies Factors influencing detection of the federally endangered Diamond Darter Crystallaria cincotta: Implications for long-term monitoring strategies
Population monitoring is an essential component of endangered species recovery programs. The federally endangered Diamond Darter Crystallaria cincotta is in need of an effective monitoring design to improve our understanding of its distribution and track population trends. Because of their small size, cryptic coloration, and nocturnal behavior, along with limitations associated with...
Authors
Austin A. Rizzo, Donald J. Brown, Stuart A. Welsh, Patricia A. Thompson