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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.

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Seabird use of discards from a nearshore shrimp fishery in the South Atlantic Bight, USA Seabird use of discards from a nearshore shrimp fishery in the South Atlantic Bight, USA

Shrimp trawling is common throughout the southeastern and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the USA and is the primary contributor to fisheries discards in these regions. Tens of thousands of nearshore seabirds nest near shrimp trawling grounds in the USA, but to date, there has been no assessment of the relationship between seabirds and shrimp trawlers. We examined the taxonomic composition of...
Authors
Patrick G.R. Jodice, Lisa C. Wickliffe, Elena B. Sachs

Fish and land use influence Gammarus lacustris and Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda) densities in large wetlands across the upper Midwest Fish and land use influence Gammarus lacustris and Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda) densities in large wetlands across the upper Midwest

Gammarus lacustris and Hyalella azteca (hereafter G. lacustris and H. azteca, respectively) are important components of secondary production in wetlands and shallow lakes of the upper Midwest, USA. Within the past 50 years, amphipod densities have decreased while occurrences of fish and intensity of agricultural land use have increased markedly across this landscape. We investigated...
Authors
Michael J. Anteau, Alan D. Afton, Andrea C.E. Anteau, E. Barry Moser

Population demographics of catostomids in large river ecosystems: effects of discharge and temperature on recruitment dynamics and growth Population demographics of catostomids in large river ecosystems: effects of discharge and temperature on recruitment dynamics and growth

Catostomids are among the most widespread and ecologically important groups of fishes in North America, particularly in large river systems. Despite their importance, little information is available on their population demographics and even less is known about factors influencing their population dynamics. The objectives of this study were to describe annual mortality, recruitment...
Authors
M.C. Quist, J.R. Spiegel

Breeding bird response to partially harvested riparian management zones Breeding bird response to partially harvested riparian management zones

We compared avian communities among three timber harvesting treatments in 45-m wide even-age riparian management zones (RMZs) placed between upland clearcuts and along one side of first- or second-order streams in northern Minnesota, USA. The RMZs had three treatments: (1) unharvested, (2) intermediate residual basal area (RBA) (targeted goal 11.5 m2/ha, realized 16.0 m2/ha), and (3) low...
Authors
Christopher J. Chizinski, Anna Peterson, JoAnn Hanowski, Charles R. Blinn, Bruce C. Vondracek, Gerald Niemi

Quantifying home range habitat requirements for bobcats (Lynx rufus) in Vermont, USA Quantifying home range habitat requirements for bobcats (Lynx rufus) in Vermont, USA

We demonstrate how home range and habitat use analysis can inform landscape-scale conservation planning for the bobcat, Lynx rufus, in Vermont USA. From 2005 to 2008, we outfitted fourteen bobcats with GPS collars that collected spatially explicit locations from individuals every 4 h for 3–4 months. Kernel home range techniques were used to estimate home range size and boundaries, and to...
Authors
Therese Donovan, Mark Freeman, Hanem Abouelezz, Kim Royar, Alan D. Howard, R. Mickey

The cost of fear The cost of fear

What should parents do when they detect indications of more predators nearby that might eat their babies? This scenario is commonly faced by parents in the wild, and the consequences are important. The number of offspring that organisms produce has a major influence on fitness and, when averaged across a population, affects whether this population will increase or decrease. Offspring...
Authors
Thomas E. Martin

Soil clay content underlies prion infection odds Soil clay content underlies prion infection odds

Environmental factors—especially soil properties—have been suggested as potentially important in the transmission of infectious prion diseases. Because binding to montmorillonite (an aluminosilicate clay mineral) or clay-enriched soils had been shown to enhance experimental prion transmissibility, we hypothesized that prion transmission among mule deer might also be enhanced in ranges...
Authors
W. David Walter, D.P. Walsh, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Dana L. Winkelman, M.W. Miller

Behavioral response of manatees to variations in environmental sound levels Behavioral response of manatees to variations in environmental sound levels

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) inhabit coastal regions because they feed on the aquatic vegetation that grows in shallow waters, which are the same areas where human activities are greatest. Noise produced from anthropogenic and natural sources has the potential to affect these animals by eliciting responses ranging from mild behavioral changes to extreme aversion...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Tyler Wagner

Long term retention, survival, growth, and physiological indicators of salmonids marked with passive integrated transponder tags Long term retention, survival, growth, and physiological indicators of salmonids marked with passive integrated transponder tags

To track individuals in situ, over 12 million salmon and trout have been marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the Columbia River Basin, USA. However, few studies have examined long term tag retention as well as tag effects on juvenile salmon and trout. We marked juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch (N = 207), steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout) O. mykiss (N =...
Authors
Kenneth G. Ostrand, Gayle B. Zydlewski, William L. Gale, Joseph D. Zydlewski

Status and management of moose in the northeastern United States Status and management of moose in the northeastern United States

Moose (Alces alces) populations have recolonized much of their historic range in the northeastern United States in the past 30 years, with their southern range edge extending to southern New England and northern New York. This southerly expansion occurred when certain other populations in the United States were in decline along the southern range edge, with climate change often cited as...
Authors
David W. Wattles, Stephen DeStefano

Algal bioassessment metrics for wadeable streams and rivers of Maine, USA Algal bioassessment metrics for wadeable streams and rivers of Maine, USA

Many state water-quality agencies use biological assessment methods based on lotic fish and macroinvertebrate communities, but relatively few states have incorporated algal multimetric indices into monitoring programs. Algae are good indicators for monitoring water quality because they are sensitive to many environmental stressors. We evaluated benthic algal community attributes along a...
Authors
Thomas J. Danielson, Cynthia S. Loftin, Leonidas Tsomides, Jeanne L. DiFranco, Beth Connors

Genetic methods for biodiversity assessment Genetic methods for biodiversity assessment

No abstract available.
Authors
Melanie Culver, Robert R. Fitak, Hans-Werner Herrmann
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