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: 5294
Recruitment phenology and pelagic larval duration in Caribbean amphidromous fishes Recruitment phenology and pelagic larval duration in Caribbean amphidromous fishes
Amphidromous fishes are major components of oceanic tropical island stream ecosystems, such as those of the Caribbean island, Puerto Rico. Fishes with this life history face threats related to the requirement for connectivity between freshwater and marine environments during early life stages. Pelagic larval duration and recruitment phenology are 2 early life-history processes that are...
Authors
Augustin C. Engman, Thomas J. Kwak, Jesse R. Fischer
Integrating the effects of salinity on the physiology of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the northern Gulf of Mexico through a Dynamic Energy Budget model Integrating the effects of salinity on the physiology of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the northern Gulf of Mexico through a Dynamic Energy Budget model
We present a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model for the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, which enables the inclusion of salinity as a third environmental variable, on top of the standard foodr and temperature variables. Salinity changes have various effects on the physiology of oysters, potentially altering filtration and respiration rates, and ultimately impacting growth...
Authors
Romain Lavaud, Megan K. LaPeyre, Sandra M. Casas, C. Bacher, Jerome F. La Peyre
Responses of terrestrial herpetofauna to persistent, novel ecosystems resulting from mountaintop removal mining Responses of terrestrial herpetofauna to persistent, novel ecosystems resulting from mountaintop removal mining
Mountaintop removal mining is a large-scale surface mining technique that removes entire floral and faunal communities, along with soil horizons located above coal seams. In West Virginia, the majority of this mining occurs on forested mountaintops. However, after mining ceases the land is typically reclaimed to grasslands and shrublands, resulting in novel ecosystems. In this study, we...
Authors
Jennifer M. Williams, Donald J. Brown, Petra B. Wood
The blind men meet the elephant at the dam: Alternative spatial and taxonomic components reveal different insights about how low-head dams impact fish biodiversity The blind men meet the elephant at the dam: Alternative spatial and taxonomic components reveal different insights about how low-head dams impact fish biodiversity
Dams are ubiquitous environmental impacts that threaten aquatic ecosystems. The ability to compare across research studies is essential to conserve the native biodiversity that is impacted by the millions of low‐head dams that currently fragment streams and rivers. Here, we identify a previously unaddressed obstacle that impedes this generalization. Specifically, divergent spatial and...
Authors
Jane S. Fencl, Martha E. Mather, Joseph M. Smith, Sean M. Hitchman
The effectiveness of surrogate taxa to conserve freshwater biodiversity The effectiveness of surrogate taxa to conserve freshwater biodiversity
Establishing protected areas has long been an effective conservation strategy, and is often based on more readily surveyed species. The potential of any freshwater taxa to be a surrogate of other aquatic groups has not been fully explored. We compiled occurrence data on 72 species of freshwater fish, amphibians, mussels, and aquatic reptiles for the Great Plains, Wyoming. We used...
Authors
David R. Stewart, Zachary E. Underwood, Frank J. Rahel, Annika W. Walters
Trophic pathways supporting Arctic grayling in a small stream on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska Trophic pathways supporting Arctic grayling in a small stream on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska
Beaded streams are prominent across the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska, yet prey flow and food web dynamics supporting fish inhabiting these streams are poorly understood. Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) are a widely distributed upper-level consumer on the ACP and migrate into beaded streams to forage during the short 3-month open-water season. We investigated energy pathways...
Authors
Jason J. McFarland, Mark S. Wipfli, Matthew S. Whitman
The first hop: Use of Beaufort Sea deltas by hatch-year semipalmated sandpipers The first hop: Use of Beaufort Sea deltas by hatch-year semipalmated sandpipers
River deltas along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast are used by hatch-year semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) after leaving their terrestrial natal sites, but the drivers of their use of these stopover sites on the first “hop” of fall migration are unknown. We quantified sandpiper temporal distribution and abundance as related to food resources at three river deltas during the...
Authors
Roy T. Churchwell, Steve J. Kendall, Stephen C. Brown, Arny L. Blanchard, Tuula E. Hollmen, Abby Powell
Patterns of distribution, abundance, and change over time in a subarctic marine bird community Patterns of distribution, abundance, and change over time in a subarctic marine bird community
Over recent decades, marine ecosystems of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, have experienced concurrent effects of natural and anthropogenic perturbations, including variability in the climate system of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. We documented spatial and temporal patterns of variability in the summer marine bird community in relation to habitat and climate variability using boat...
Authors
Daniel Cushing, Daniel D. Roby, David B. Irons
Using genetic and phenotypic comparisons to evaluate apparent segregation among Kokanee spawning groups Using genetic and phenotypic comparisons to evaluate apparent segregation among Kokanee spawning groups
Genetic and phenotypic traits of spatially and temporally segregated kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka spawning groups in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, were compared to test for evidence of divergence on the basis of ecotype (stream spawners versus shoreline spawners) and spawn timing and to describe morphological, life history, and reproductive variation within and among groups. Early and late...
Authors
Steven L. Whitlock, Matthew R. Campbell, Michael C. Quist, Andrew M. Dux
Wanted dead or alive: A state-space mark-recapture-recovery model incorporating multiple recovery types and state uncertainty Wanted dead or alive: A state-space mark-recapture-recovery model incorporating multiple recovery types and state uncertainty
We developed a state-space mark-recapture-recovery model that incorporates multiple recovery types and state uncertainty to estimate survival of an anadromous fish species. We apply the model to a dataset of out-migrating juvenile steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) tagged with passive integrated transponders, recaptured during outmigration, and recovered on bird colonies in the...
Authors
Nathan J. Hostetter, Beth Gardner, Allen F. Evans, Bradley M. Cramer, Quinn Payton, Ken Collis, Daniel D. Roby
A concept for performance management for Federal science programs A concept for performance management for Federal science programs
The demonstration of clear linkages between planning, funding, outcomes, and performance management has created unique challenges for U.S. Federal science programs. An approach is presented here that characterizes science program strategic objectives by one of five “activity types”: (1) knowledge discovery, (2) knowledge development and delivery, (3) science support, (4) inventory and...
Authors
Kevin G. Whalen
Are shovelnose sturgeon a valid diet surrogate for endangered pallid sturgeon during the first year of life? Are shovelnose sturgeon a valid diet surrogate for endangered pallid sturgeon during the first year of life?
No abstract available.
Authors
N.J.C. Gosch, A. P. Civiello, T. R. Gemeinhardt, J. L. Bonneau, James M. Long