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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: 5294

Use of early-successional managed northern forest by mature-forest species during the post-fledging period Use of early-successional managed northern forest by mature-forest species during the post-fledging period

In eastern North America, after the young fledge, both adult and juvenile mature-forest birds may use regenerating clearcuts, although which species frequent early-successional forest and during which life stages is not well documented. To assess whether birds nesting in mature forest in north-central Minnesota use regenerating clearcuts 2–10 years old, we netted after birds fledged...
Authors
Henry M. Streby, Sean M. Peterson, Tara L. McAllister, David E. Andersen

Common loon nest defense against an American mink Common loon nest defense against an American mink

We describe a successful nest defense strategy of an adult Gavia immer (Common Loon) during an attempted predation event by a Nevison vison (American Mink) at Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, NH. It is suspected that mink occasionally depredate loon nests, but defense strategies have not been described previously.
Authors
Kyle P. McCarthy, Stephen DeStefano

Evaluation of hypotheses for explaining temporal trends in Atlantic salmon parr densities in Northeast U.S. Rivers Evaluation of hypotheses for explaining temporal trends in Atlantic salmon parr densities in Northeast U.S. Rivers

Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the USA have declined dramatically and their persistence is heavily dependent on stocking juvenile fish, predominantly fry. The success of stocking hatchery fry is evaluated annually throughout New England by electrofishing surveys targeting age-1 parr. The objective of this study was to examine temporal trends in Atlantic salmon parr densities throughout...
Authors
Tyler Wagner, John A. Sweka

Movement and spawning of American shad transported above dams on the Roanoke River, North Carolina and Virginia Movement and spawning of American shad transported above dams on the Roanoke River, North Carolina and Virginia

American shad Alosa sapidissima are in decline throughout much of their native range as a result of overfishing, pollution, and habitat alteration in coastal rivers where they spawn. One approach to restoration in regulated rivers is to provide access to historical spawning habitat above dams through a trap-and-transport program. We examined the initial survival, movement patterns...
Authors
Julianne E. Harris, Joseph E. Hightower

Mysid and fish zooplanktivory in Lake Ontario: quantification of direct and indirect effects Mysid and fish zooplanktivory in Lake Ontario: quantification of direct and indirect effects

Mysis relicta and planktivorous fish feed on zooplankton in Lake Ontario and form a trophic triangle that includes intraguild predation by fish on mysids. Thus, fish affect zooplankton both directly and indirectly. To evaluate the importance of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and mysids as zooplanktivores in Lake Ontario, we measured abundances and...
Authors
Gideon Gal, Lars G. Rudstam, Edward L. Mills, Jana R. Lantry, Ora E. Johannsson, C. Greene

Microhabitat use and seasonal movements of hatchery-reared and wild shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River, South Carolina--Georgia Microhabitat use and seasonal movements of hatchery-reared and wild shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River, South Carolina--Georgia

Radio and acoustic telemetry were used to monitor the seasonal movement of hatchery-reared and wild shortnose sturgeon (622-927 mm total length) in the Savannah River. Diploid, and sterile hatchery-reared shortnose sturgeon, and wild shortnose sturgeon showed apparent similar seasonal patterns of movement within the river. We were unable to detect any significant differences in the...
Authors
D.G. Trested, K.M. Ware, R. Bakal, J. Jeffery Isely

Identification and evaluation of shark bycatch in Georgia’s commercial shrimp trawl fishery with implications for management Identification and evaluation of shark bycatch in Georgia’s commercial shrimp trawl fishery with implications for management

Many US states have recreational and commercial fisheries that occur in nursery areas occupied by subadult sharks and can potentially affect their survival. Georgia is one of few US states without a directed commercial shark fishery, but the state has a large, nearshore penaeid shrimp trawl fishery in which small sharks occur as bycatch. During our 1995-1998 investigation of bycatch in...
Authors
C.N. Belcher, Cecil A. Jennings

Ecosystem services provided by playas in the High Plains: potential influences of USDA conservation programs Ecosystem services provided by playas in the High Plains: potential influences of USDA conservation programs

Playas are shallow depressional wetlands and the dominant wetland type in the non-glaciated High Plains of the United States. This region is one of the most intensively cultivated regions in the Western Hemisphere, and playas are profoundly impacted by a variety of agricultural activities. Conservation practices promoted through Farm Bills by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...
Authors
Loren M. Smith, David A. Haukos, Scott T. McMurry, David Willis

Using multilevel models to quantify heterogeneity in resource selection Using multilevel models to quantify heterogeneity in resource selection

Models of resource selection are being used increasingly to predict or model the effects of management actions rather than simply quantifying habitat selection. Multilevel, or hierarchical, models are an increasingly popular method to analyze animal resource selection because they impose a relatively weak stochastic constraint to model heterogeneity in habitat use and also account for...
Authors
Tyler Wagner, Duane R. Diefenbach, Sonja Christensen, Andrew S. Norton

Implications of community concordance for assessing stream integrity at three nested spatial scales in Minnesota, U.S.A. Implications of community concordance for assessing stream integrity at three nested spatial scales in Minnesota, U.S.A.

1. Fish and invertebrate assemblage data collected from 670 stream sites in Minnesota (U.S.A.) were used to calculate concordance across three nested spatial scales (statewide, ecoregion and catchment). Predictive taxa richness models, calibrated using the same data, were used to evaluate whether concordant communities exhibited similar trends in human‐induced taxa loss across all three...
Authors
Christine L. Dolph, David D. Huff, Christopher J. Chizinski, Bruce C. Vondracek

Development and assessment of a landscape-scale ecological threat index for the Lower Colorado River Basin Development and assessment of a landscape-scale ecological threat index for the Lower Colorado River Basin

Anthropogenic disturbances impact freshwater biota but are rarely incorporated into conservation planning due to the difficulties in quantifying threats. There is currently no widely accepted method to quantify disturbances, and determining how to measure threats to upstream catchments using disturbance metrics can be time consuming and subjective. We compared four watershed-scale...
Authors
Craig P. Paukert, K.L. Pitts, Joanna B. Whittier, Julian D. Olden

Effects of spatial disturbance on common loon nest site selection and territory success Effects of spatial disturbance on common loon nest site selection and territory success

The common loon (Gavia immer) breeds during the summer on northern lakes and water bodies that are also often desirable areas for aquatic recreation and human habitation. In northern New England, we assessed how the spatial nature of disturbance affects common loon nest site selection and territory success. We found through classification and regression analysis that distance to and...
Authors
Kyle P. McCarthy, Stephen DeStefano
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