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: 5083
Mesocarnivores in residential yards: Influence of yard features on the occupancy, relative abundance, and overlap of coyotes, grey fox, and red fox Mesocarnivores in residential yards: Influence of yard features on the occupancy, relative abundance, and overlap of coyotes, grey fox, and red fox
Context As conversion of natural areas to human development continues, there is a lack of information about how developed areas can sustainably support wildlife. While large predators are often extirpated from areas of human development, some medium-bodied mammalian predators (hereafter, mesocarnivores) have adapted to co-exist in human-dominated areas. Aims How human-dominated areas...
Authors
Emily P. Johansson, Brett Alexander DeGregorio
Seroprevalence, blood chemistry, and patterns of canine parvovirus, distemper virus, plague, and tularemia in free-ranging coyotes (Canis latrans) in northern New Mexico, USA. Seroprevalence, blood chemistry, and patterns of canine parvovirus, distemper virus, plague, and tularemia in free-ranging coyotes (Canis latrans) in northern New Mexico, USA.
Wildlife diseases have implications for ecology, conservation, human health, and health of domestic animals. They may impact wildlife health and population dynamics. Exposure rates of coyotes (Canis latrans) to pathogens such as Yersinia pestis, the cause of plague, may reflect prevalence rates in both rodent prey and human populations. We captured coyotes in north-central New Mexico...
Authors
Leah M. White, Susan Gifford, Gail Kaufman, Eric Gese, Mark A. Peyton, Robert R. Parmenter, James W. Cain
Merging integrated population models and individual-based models to project population dynamics of recolonizing species Merging integrated population models and individual-based models to project population dynamics of recolonizing species
Recolonizing species exhibit unique population dynamics, namely dispersal to and colonization of new areas, that have important implications for management. A resulting challenge is how to simultaneously model demographic and movement processes so that recolonizing species can be accurately projected over time and space. We introduce a framework for spatially explicit projection modeling...
Authors
L.S. Petracca, B. Gardner, B.T. Maletzke, Sarah J. Converse
Offspring sex ratios are male-biased reflecting sex-biased dispersal in Idaho, USA, wolves. Offspring sex ratios are male-biased reflecting sex-biased dispersal in Idaho, USA, wolves.
Offspring sex ratios can vary widely across species, and the reasons for such variation have long intrigued ecologists. For group-living animals, predicting offspring sex ratios as a function of group and environmental characteristics can be challenging. Additionally, mortality of group members can upend traditional theory used to explain offspring sex ratios observed in populations...
Authors
David Edward Ausband
Recovery of working grasslands following a megafire in the southern mixed-grass prairie Recovery of working grasslands following a megafire in the southern mixed-grass prairie
While fire is a necessary ecological driver for grassland systems, Great Plains grasslands have undergone extensive land use change following European settlement (conversion, fragmentation, fire suppression, intensive grazing, etc.). Recent studies have documented the benefits of re-introducing fire to grasslands, but work has largely focused on small-scale, low-intensity fire, often at...
Authors
Nicholas J. Parker, Daniel S. Sullins, David A. Haukos, Kent A. Fricke, Christian A. Hagen
Diet of Dermatemys mawii, an aquatic turtle that relies heavily on terrestrial vegetation Diet of Dermatemys mawii, an aquatic turtle that relies heavily on terrestrial vegetation
Dermatemys mawii is a critically endangered freshwater turtle endemic to Central America. In the wild, these turtles are thought to be wholly herbivorous as adults and feed on a variety of vegetation; however, no studies have quantitatively assessed potential dietary differences based on biotic and abiotic factors. The purpose of our study was to describe and quantify the wild diet of D...
Authors
Nichole D. Bishop, John Polisar, Peter J. Eliazar, Raymond Carthy, Karen A. Bjorndal
Prioritizing imperiled native aquatic species for conservation propagation Prioritizing imperiled native aquatic species for conservation propagation
Native aquatic species are in decline, and hatcheries can play an important role in stemming these losses until larger ecological issues are addressed. However, as more federal and state agencies face budget uncertainty and the number of imperiled species increases, it is necessary to develop a tool to prioritize species for conservation propagation. Our objective was to create...
Authors
Molly A. H. Webb, Christopher S. Guy, Hilary B. Treanor, Krissy W. Wilson, Cassie D. Mellon, Paul Abate, Harry J. Crockett, Jordan Hofmeier, Chelsey Pasbrig, Patrick Isakson
Upper thermal tolerances of two native and one invasive crayfish in Missouri, USA Upper thermal tolerances of two native and one invasive crayfish in Missouri, USA
The spread of invasive crayfish requires invaded habitats to be thermally suitable, and differences in thermal tolerances among species could provide thermal refugia for native crayfish affected by the invader. We estimated upper thermal tolerances for the invasive Faxonius hylas and native F. peruncus and F. quadruncus in Missouri, USA, using critical thermal maxima (CTmax) methodology...
Authors
Jacob Thomas Westhoff, Hisham A. Abdelrahman, James A. Stoeckel
Evaluating growth rates of captive, wild, and reintroduced populations of the imperiled Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) Evaluating growth rates of captive, wild, and reintroduced populations of the imperiled Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)
Reintroduction of species at sites where populations have been extirpated has become a common technique in wildlife conservation. To track progress towards reintroduction success, effective postrelease monitoring is needed to document vital rates of individuals and the corresponding impact on population trajectories. We assessed growth and body size in Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon...
Authors
Houston C. Chandler, David Steen, Jack Blue, James E. Bogan, M. Rebecca Bolt, Tony Brady, David R. Breininger, Jorge Buening, Matt Elliott, James Godwin, Craig Guyer, Robert L. Hill, Michelle Hoffman, Natalie L. Hyslop, Christopher L. Jenkins, Chris Lechowicz, Matt Moore, Robert A. Moulis, Sara Piccolomini, Robert Redmond, Frankie H. Snow, Benjamin S. Stegenga, Dirk J. Stevenson, James Stiles, Sierra Stiles, Mark Wallace, Jimmy Waters, Michael Wines, Javan Mathias Bauder
Ectoparasitism and energy infrastructure limit survival of preadult Golden Eagles in the Southern Great Plains Ectoparasitism and energy infrastructure limit survival of preadult Golden Eagles in the Southern Great Plains
Much of the US Southern Great Plains (SGP) continues to undergo intensive energy development that could affect the region's Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), yet the species' population status there is unknown. During 2011–2020, we used satellite telemetry to assess annual survival rates and causes of mortality among 40 preadult (
Authors
Robert K. Murphy, Brian A. Millsap, Dale W. Stahlecker, Clint W. Boal, Brian W. Smith, Shea D. Mullican, Corrie C. Borgman
Declining American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) nest site habitat suitability in a timber production landscape: Effects of abiotic, biotic, and forest management factors Declining American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) nest site habitat suitability in a timber production landscape: Effects of abiotic, biotic, and forest management factors
Conservation of the American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus; hereafter goshawk) has been contentious in relation to forest management. Higher quality goshawk nesting habitat is generally considered to consist of contiguous tracts of mature forest, due to goshawks' large home ranges, territoriality, and food requirements. The large trees of mature forest have the greatest economic value...
Authors
Jason E. Bruggeman, Patricia L. Kennedy, David E. Andersen, Shelly Deisch, Eileen Dowd Stukel
Movement beyond the mean: decoupling sources of individual variation in brook trout movement across seasons Movement beyond the mean: decoupling sources of individual variation in brook trout movement across seasons
Movement is an important eco-evolutionary process that can shape population and ecosystem structure and function. Accordingly, a firm understanding of species movement ecology is often foundational to effective management and conservation. However, despite movement being an inherently individual-level behavior, there remains a tendency to describe dispersal and migration patterns using...
Authors
Shannon L. White, Jason Keagy, Sarah Batchelor, Julia Langlois, Natalie Thomas, Tyler Wagner