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
Relative influence of human harvest, carnivores, and weather on adult female elk survival across western North America Relative influence of human harvest, carnivores, and weather on adult female elk survival across western North America
Well-informed management of harvested species requires understanding how changing ecological conditions affect demography and population dynamics, information that is lacking for many species. We have limited understanding of the relative influence of carnivores, harvest, weather and forage availability on elk Cervus elaphus demography, despite the ecological and economic importance of...
Authors
Jedediah Brodie, Heather E. Johnson, Michael Mitchell, Peter Zager, Kelly Proffitt, Mark Hebblewhite, Matthew Kauffman, Bruce Johnson, John Bissonette, Chad Bishop, Justin Gude, Jeff Herbert, Kent Hersey, Mark Hurley, Paul M. Lukacs, Scott McCorquodale, Eliot McIntire, Josh Nowak, Hall Sawyer, Douglas Smith, P.J. White
Review of the negative influences of non-native salmonids on native fish species Review of the negative influences of non-native salmonids on native fish species
Non-native salmonids are often introduced into areas containing species of concern, yet a comprehensive overview of the short- and long-term consequences of these introductions is lacking in the Great Plains. Several authors have suggested that non-native salmonids negatively inflfluence species of concern. The objective of this paper is to review known interactions between non-native...
Authors
Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope
Energy cost of vessel disturbance to Kittlitz's Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris Energy cost of vessel disturbance to Kittlitz's Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris
We evaluated the energy cost of vessel disturbance for individual Kittlitz’s Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, USA. We used Monte Carlo simulations to model the daily energy expense associated with flight from vessels by both breeding and non-breeding birds and evaluated risk based on both the magnitude of costs incurred and the...
Authors
Alison M. Agness, Kristin N. Marshall, John F. Piatt, James C. Ha, Glenn R. VanBlaricom
Air - water temperature relationships in the trout streams of southeastern Minnesota’s carbonate - sandstone landscape Air - water temperature relationships in the trout streams of southeastern Minnesota’s carbonate - sandstone landscape
Carbonate-sandstone geology in southeastern Minnesota creates a heterogeneous landscape of springs, seeps, and sinkholes that supply groundwater into streams. Air temperatures are effective predictors of water temperature in surface-water dominated streams. However, no published work investigates the relationship between air and water temperatures in groundwater-fed streams (GWFS) across
Authors
Lori A. Krider, Joseph A. Magner, Jim Perry, Bruce C. Vondracek, Leonard C. Ferrington
Self-reporting bias in Chinook salmon sport fisheries in Idaho: implications for roving creel surveys Self-reporting bias in Chinook salmon sport fisheries in Idaho: implications for roving creel surveys
Self-reporting bias in sport fisheries of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Idaho was quantified by comparing observed and angler-reported data. A total of 164 observed anglers fished for 541 h and caught 74 Chinook Salmon. Fifty-eight fish were harvested and 16 were released. Anglers reported fishing for 604 h, an overestimate of 63 h. Anglers reported catching 66 fish; four...
Authors
Joshua L. McCormick, Michael C. Quist, Daniel J. Schill
Species- and community-level responses combine to drive phenology of lake phytoplankton Species- and community-level responses combine to drive phenology of lake phytoplankton
Global change is leading to shifts in the seasonal timing of growth and maturation for primary producers. Remote sensing is increasingly used to measure the timing of primary production in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but there is often a poor correlation between these results and direct observations of life-history responses of individual species. One explanation may be that...
Authors
Annika Walters, Maria de los Angeles Gonzalez Sagrario, Daniel E. Schindler
Distribution and exploitation of Nile perch Lates niloticus in relation to stratification in Lake Victoria, East Africa Distribution and exploitation of Nile perch Lates niloticus in relation to stratification in Lake Victoria, East Africa
Stratification restricts habitable areas forcing fish to balance between favourable temperature and minimum dissolved oxygen requirements. Acoustic surveys conducted during the stratified and isothermal periods on tropical Lake Victoria indicated that stratification of temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) affected vertical distribution of Nile perch. There was higher mean temperature...
Authors
A. Taabu-Munyaho, Robert J. Kayanda, Inigo Everson, Timothy B. Grabowski, Gudrun Marteinsdottir
Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones
Methane (CH4) emissions from the northern high-latitude region represent potentially significant biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system. We compiled a database of growing-season CH4 emissions from terrestrial ecosystems located across permafrost zones, including 303 sites described in 65 studies. Data on environmental and physical variables, including permafrost conditions, were...
Authors
David Olefeldt, Merritt R. Turetsky, Patrick M. Crill, A. David McGuire
Power to detect trends in abundance of secretive marsh birds: effects of species traits and sampling effort Power to detect trends in abundance of secretive marsh birds: effects of species traits and sampling effort
Standardized protocols for surveying secretive marsh birds have been implemented across North America, but the efficacy of surveys to detect population trends has not been evaluated. We used survey data collected from populations of marsh birds across North America and simulations to explore how characteristics of bird populations (proportion of survey stations occupied, abundance at...
Authors
Robert J. Steidl, Courtney J. Conway, Andrea R. Litt
Estimating occupancy and predicting numbers of gray wolf packs in Montana using hunter surveys Estimating occupancy and predicting numbers of gray wolf packs in Montana using hunter surveys
Reliable knowledge of the status and trend of carnivore populations is critical to their conservation and management. Methods for monitoring carnivores, however, are challenging to conduct across large spatial scales. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, wildlife managers need a time- and cost-efficient method for monitoring gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations. Montana Fish, Wildlife and...
Authors
Lindsey N. Rich, Robin E. Russell, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude, Kevin M. Podruzny, Carolyn A. Sime, Kent Laudon, David E. Ausband, James D. Nichols
Modeling prey consumption by native and non-native piscivorous fishes: implications for competition and impacts on shared prey in an ultraoligotrophic lake in Patagonia Modeling prey consumption by native and non-native piscivorous fishes: implications for competition and impacts on shared prey in an ultraoligotrophic lake in Patagonia
We examined trophic interactions of the nonnative salmonids Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, Brown Trout Salmo trutta, and Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalisand the main native predator Creole Perch Percichthys trucha in Lake Nahuel Huapi (Patagonia, Argentina) to determine the relative impact of each predator on their forage base and to evaluate the potential vulnerability of each...
Authors
Romina Juncos, David A. Beauchamp, Pablo H. Viglianoc
Plasticity of parental care under the risk of predation: how much should parents reduce care? Plasticity of parental care under the risk of predation: how much should parents reduce care?
Predation can be an important agent of natural selection shaping parental care behaviours, and can also favour behavioural plasticity. Parent birds often decrease the rate that they visit the nest to provision offspring when perceived risk is high. Yet, the plasticity of such responses may differ among species as a function of either their relative risk of predation, or the mean rate of
Authors
Thomas E. Martin