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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

Does food availability affect energy expenditure rates of nesting seabirds? A supplemental-feeding experiment with Black-Legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) Does food availability affect energy expenditure rates of nesting seabirds? A supplemental-feeding experiment with Black-Legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)

We used a supplemental-feeding experiment, the doubly labeled water technique, and a model-selection approach based upon the Akaike Information Criterion to examine effects of food availability on energy expenditure rates of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) raising young. Energy expenditure rates of supplementally fed females (n = 14) and males (n = 16) were 34 and 20% lower...
Authors
Patrick G.R. Jodice, Daniel D. Roby, Scott A. Hatch, Verena A. Gill, Richard B. Lanctot, G. Henk Visser

Fragmentation: Is the message clear? Fragmentation: Is the message clear?

In this paper, we briefly discuss some of the fundamental problems arising from the inherent complexity of larger-scale ecological systems. We examine the tenuous assumption of a direct correspondence between ecological data and theory, we comment on a recent report that evaluated the efficacy of fragmentation experiments, and we briefly assess its implications for ecological research...
Authors
J.A. Bissonette, Ilse Storch

Influence of topography on density of grassland passerines in pastures Influence of topography on density of grassland passerines in pastures

Pastures provide substantial habitat for grassland birds of management concern in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin. The rolling topography in this region is characterized by lowland valleys surrounded by relatively steep and often wooded slopes which are set apart from more expansive treeless uplands. We hypothesized that there would be lower densities of area sensitive...
Authors
R.B. Renfrew, C. A. Ribic

A comparison of diets of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in a large southeastern U.S. Reservoir A comparison of diets of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in a large southeastern U.S. Reservoir

The objective of this study was to determine dietary overlap between blueback herring and threadfin shad in J. Strom Thrumond Reservoir, South Carolina/Georgia. We also evaluated prey selectivity for each speices and diet differences between two size categories of blueback herring. Diet and zooplankton samples were collected every other month from April 1992 to February 1994. We examined...
Authors
Dana L. Winkelman, Michael J. Van Den Avyle

Carbon balance of the terrestrial biosphere in the twentieth century: analyses of CO2, climate and land use effects with four process-based ecosystem models Carbon balance of the terrestrial biosphere in the twentieth century: analyses of CO2, climate and land use effects with four process-based ecosystem models

The concurrent effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, climate variability, and cropland establishment and abandonment on terrestrial carbon storage between 1920 and 1992 were assessed using a standard simulation protocol with four process-based terrestrial biosphere models. Over the long-term(1920–1992), the simulations yielded a time history of terrestrial uptake that is...
Authors
A. D. McGuire, S. Sitch, Joy S. Clein, R. Dargaville, G. Esser, J. Foley, Martin Heimann, F. Joos, J. Kaplan, D. W. Kicklighter, R.A. Meier, J. M. Melillo, B. Moore, I. C. Prentice, N. Ramankutty, T. Reichenau, A. Schloss, H. Tian, L.J. Williams, U. Wittenberg

Extinctions of marine mammals Extinctions of marine mammals

No abstract available.
Authors
Glenn R. VanBlaricom, Leah R. Gerber, Robert L. Brownwell

Short-term variability and long-term change in the composition of the littoral zone fish community in Spirit Lake, Iowa Short-term variability and long-term change in the composition of the littoral zone fish community in Spirit Lake, Iowa

We assessed short-term variability and long-term change in the composition of the littoral fish community in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Fish were sampled in several locations at night with large beach seines during spring, summer and fall of 1995–1998. Long-term changes were inferred from comparison with a similar study conducted over 70 y earlier in Spirit Lake. We found 26 species in the...
Authors
Clay Pierce, M. D. Sexton, M. E. Pelham, J. G. Larscheid

Moose, caribou, and grizzly bear distribution in relation to road traffic in Denali National Park, Alaska Moose, caribou, and grizzly bear distribution in relation to road traffic in Denali National Park, Alaska

Park managers are concerned that moose (Alces alces), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) may be avoiding areas along the 130 km road through Denali National Park as a result of high traffic volume, thus decreasing opportunities for visitors to view wildlife. A wildlife monitoring system was developed in 1996 that used 19 landscape level view sheds, stratified...
Authors
A. C. Yost, R.G. Wright

Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup

We studied nutrient reserve dynamics of female Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) to identify sources of intraspecific variation in strategies of nutrient acquisition for meeting the high nutritional and energetic costs of egg formation. We collected data from interior Alaska and combined these with data for Lesser Scaup from midcontinent breeding areas (Afton and Ankney 1991), allowing a...
Authors
Daniel Esler, J. Barry Grand, Alan D. Afton

The swift fox in rangeland and cropland in western Kansas: Relative abundance, mortality, and body size The swift fox in rangeland and cropland in western Kansas: Relative abundance, mortality, and body size

We assessed suitability of cropland and shortgrass rangeland for swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in western Kansas. Relative abundance and survival were similar for foxes in rangeland and cropland. Mortality resulting from non-traumatic causes, coyotes, and motor vehicles differed significantly between habitats. Predation by coyotes, motor vehicles, and non-traumatic causes were responsible...
Authors
R.S. Matlack, P. S. Gipson, D.W. Kaufman

Development of a grid-cell topographic surface for Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia Development of a grid-cell topographic surface for Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia

The Okefenokee Swamp is a 160,000 ha freshwater wetland in Southeast Georgia, USA that developed in a landscape basin. Hydrologic variability across the swamp suggests that water-surface elevations are not uniform across the swamp. The topographic surface map discussed herein was developed to describe the swamp topography at local to landscape scales and relate the swamp peat- and sand...
Authors
Cynthia S. Loftin, Wiley Rasberry, Wiley M. Kitchens
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