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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.

Filter Total Items: 5350

Assessing freshwater habitat of adult anadromous alewives using multiple approaches Assessing freshwater habitat of adult anadromous alewives using multiple approaches

After centuries of disturbance, environmental professionals now recognize the need to restore coastal watersheds for native fish and protect the larger ecosystems on which fish and other aquatic biota depend. Anadromous fish species are an important component of coastal ecosystems that are often adversely affected by human activities. Restoring native anadromous fish species is a common...
Authors
Martha E. Mather, Holly J. Frank, Joseph M. Smith, Roxann D. Cormier, Robert M. Muth, John T. Finn

Estimating White-tailed Deer abundance at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site Estimating White-tailed Deer abundance at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site

The mission at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site (GNMP-ENHS) is to preserve the historic character of the parks to enable current and future generations to understand and interpret the events that took place at each park. Management objectives include maintaining the landscape as it existed during the historic 1863 Civil War battle (e.g., dense...
Authors
David P. Stainbrook, Duane R. Diefenbach

Bird productivity and nest predation in agricultural grasslands Bird productivity and nest predation in agricultural grasslands

Effective conservation strategies for grassland birds in agricultural landscapes require understanding how nesting success varies among different grassland habitats. A key component to this is identifying nest predators and how these predators vary by habitat. We quantified nesting activity of obligate grassland birds in three habitats [remnant prairie, cool-season grass Conservation...
Authors
Christine Ribic, Michael J. Guzy, Travis J. Anderson, David W. Sample, Jamie L. Nack

Morphometric-based sexual determination of Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola) Morphometric-based sexual determination of Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola)

The Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) is a common passerine throughout the tropics and has been a convenient species for ecological studies. This species has sexually monomorphic plumage and cannot be reliably sexed unless in breeding condition. This is problematic for demographic and comparative studies, which are contingent upon accurately aging and sexing individuals. Although male...
Authors
Brent D. Bibles, Clint W. Boal

Use of occupancy models to evaluate expert knowledge-based species-habitat relationships Use of occupancy models to evaluate expert knowledge-based species-habitat relationships

Expert knowledge-based species-habitat relationships are used extensively to guide conservation planning, particularly when data are scarce. Purported relationships describe the initial state of knowledge, but are rarely tested. We assessed support in the data for suitability rankings of vegetation types based on expert knowledge for three terrestrial avian species in the South Atlantic...
Authors
Monica N. Iglecia, Jaime A. Collazo, Alexa McKerrow

Nutrient and algal responses to winterkilled fish-derived nutrient subsidies in eutrophic lakes Nutrient and algal responses to winterkilled fish-derived nutrient subsidies in eutrophic lakes

Fishes inhabiting shallow, glacial lakes of the Prairie Pothole Region in the United States and Canada periodically experience hypoxia in severe winters that can lead to extensive fish mortality resulting in high biomasses of dead fish. However, the role of carcass-derived nutrient subsidies in shallow, eutrophic lakes translocated to pelagic primary producers is not well documented...
Authors
Casey W. Schoenebeck, Michael L. Brown, Steven R. Chipps, David German

An application and extension of the constraints–effects–mitigation model to Minnesota waterfowl hunting An application and extension of the constraints–effects–mitigation model to Minnesota waterfowl hunting

This study extends modeling work on the leisure constraint negotiation process from physically active leisure and celebrity fandom to hunting. We test a model derived from the constraints–effects–mitigation model of leisure participation. The model is examined in the context of continued Minnesota waterfowl hunting among a sample of Minnesota residents who purchased a North Dakota...
Authors
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton, Jeffrey S. Lawrence, Steven D. Cordts

Adding the ocean to the study of seabirds: A brief history of at-sea seabird research Adding the ocean to the study of seabirds: A brief history of at-sea seabird research

We review the history of how research directed towards marine ornithology has led to an appreciation of seabirds as highly specialized marine organisms. Beginning with R. C. Murphy (Pacific), V. C. Wynne-Edwards (Atlantic), and associates in the early 1900s, the research approach grew from an emphasis on seabird single-species ecology to an appreciation of interacting species assemblages...
Authors
David G. Ainley, Christine A. Ribic, Eric J. Woehler

Expert knowledge as a foundation for the management of secretive species and their habitat Expert knowledge as a foundation for the management of secretive species and their habitat

In this chapter, we share lessons learned during the elicitation and application of expert knowledge in the form of a belief network model for the habitat of a waterbird, the King Rail (Rallus elegans). A belief network is a statistical framework used to graphically represent and evaluate hypothesized cause and effect relationships among variables. Our model was a pilot project to...
Authors
C. Ashton Drew, Jaime Collazo

Spatio-temporal variation in male white-tailed deer harvest rates in Pennsylvania: Implications for estimating abundance Spatio-temporal variation in male white-tailed deer harvest rates in Pennsylvania: Implications for estimating abundance

The performance of 2 popular methods that use age-at-harvest data to estimate abundance of white-tailed deer is contingent on assumptions about variation in estimates of subadult (1.5 yr old) and adult (≥2.5 yr old) male harvest rates. Auxiliary data (e.g., estimates of survival or harvest rates from radiocollared animals) can be used to relax some assumptions, but unless these...
Authors
Andrew S. Norton, Duane R. Diefenbach, Bret D. Wallingford, Christopher S. Rosenberry

Native rainbow smelt and nonnative alewife distribution related to temperature and light gradients in Lake Champlain Native rainbow smelt and nonnative alewife distribution related to temperature and light gradients in Lake Champlain

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) recently became established in Lake Champlain and may compete with native rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) for food or consume larval rainbow smelt. The strength of this effect depends partly on the spatial and temporal overlap of different age groups of the two species; therefore, we need a better understanding of factors affecting alewife and rainbow smelt
Authors
Donna L. Parrish, Paul W. Simonin, Lars G. Rudstam, Patrick J. Sullivan, Bernard Pientka
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