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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Laying sequence and oceanographic factors affect egg size in Scripps's Murrelets Synthliboramphus scrippsi at Santa Barbara Island Laying sequence and oceanographic factors affect egg size in Scripps's Murrelets Synthliboramphus scrippsi at Santa Barbara Island
Egg size is an important avian life history parameter, with larger eggs indicating greater investment of resources in the chick. Prey availability can affect such investment. We investigated the effects of oceanographic conditions and laying sequence on Scripps's Murrelet Synthliboramphus scrippsi egg size at Santa Barbara Island, California during 2009-2017. We evaluated oceanographic...
Authors
Marcela I. Todd Zaragoza, Amelia J. DuVall, Jim A. Howard, David M. Mazurkiewicz, Sarah J. Converse
Effects of large-scale disturbance on animal space use: Functional responses by greater sage-grouse after megafire Effects of large-scale disturbance on animal space use: Functional responses by greater sage-grouse after megafire
Global change has altered the nature of disturbance regimes, and megafire events are increasingly common. Megafires result in immediate changes to habitat available to terrestrial wildlife over broad landscapes, yet we know surprisingly little about how such changes shape space use of sensitive species in habitat that remains. Functional responses provide a framework for understanding...
Authors
Bryan S. Stevens, Shane Roberts, Courtney J. Conway, Devin K. Engelstead
Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on the winter thermal regime of two urban Colorado South Platte tributaries Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on the winter thermal regime of two urban Colorado South Platte tributaries
Wastewater treatment plant effluent can increase stream water temperature from near freezing to 5°C–12°C in winter months. Recent research in the South Platte River Basin in Colorado showed that this warming alters the reproductive timing of some fishes. However, the spatial extent and magnitude of this warming are unknown. Thus, we created winter water temperature models both upstream...
Authors
Catherine M. Adams, Dana L. Winkelman, Ryan M. Fitzpatrick
Hypoxia and anoxia tolerance in diploid and triploid eastern oysters at high temperature Hypoxia and anoxia tolerance in diploid and triploid eastern oysters at high temperature
Increasing reliance on the use of triploid oysters to support aquaculture production relies on their generally superior growth rate and meat quality over that of diploid oysters. Reports of elevated triploid mortality have generated questions about potential trade-offs between growth and tolerance to environmental stressors. These questions are particularly relevant as climate change...
Authors
Nicholas Coxe, Genesis Mize, Sandra M. Casas, Megan K. La Peyre, Romain Lavaud, Brian Callam, Scott Rikard, Jerome F. La Peyre
High-resolution recording of foraging behaviour over multiple annual cycles shows decline in old Adélie penguins’ performance High-resolution recording of foraging behaviour over multiple annual cycles shows decline in old Adélie penguins’ performance
Age-related variation in foraging performance can result from both within-individual change and selection processes. These mechanisms can only be disentangled by using logistically challenging long-term, longitudinal studies. Coupling a long-term demographic data set with high-temporal-resolution tracking of 18 Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae, age 4–15 yrs old) over three consecutive...
Authors
Amélie Lescroël, Annie Schmidt, David G. Ainley, Katie Dugger, Megan Elrod, Dennis Jongsomjit, Virginia Morandini, Suzanne Winquist, Grant Ballard
Nocturnal basking in freshwater turtles: A global assessment Nocturnal basking in freshwater turtles: A global assessment
Diurnal basking (“sunning”) is common in many ectotherms and is generally thought to be a behavioural mechanism for thermoregulation. Recent studies have reported the occurrence of nocturnal basking in a few distantly-related species of freshwater turtles, but the true extent of this behaviour is unknown, and it may be underreported due to sampling biases (e.g., not surveying for turtles...
Authors
Donald T. McKnight, Kendall Ard, Renoir J. Auguste, Gaurav Barhadiya, Michael F. Benard, Paige Boban, Martin L. Dillon, Colleen T. Downs, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Brad Glorioso, Rachel M. Goodman, Coen Hird, Ethan C. Hollender, Malcolm Kennedy, Rosie A. Kidman, Andrhea Massey, Pearson McGovern, Max Muhlenhaupt, Kayhan Ostovar, Danusia Podgorski, Cormac Price, Beth A. Reinke, Louise M. Streeting, Jane Venezia, Jeanne Young, Eric J. Nordberg
Predicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms using physiologically guided species abundance models Predicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms using physiologically guided species abundance models
Poikilothermic animals comprise most species on Earth and are especially sensitive to changes in environmental temperatures. Species conservation in a changing climate relies upon predictions of species responses to future conditions, yet predicting species responses to climate change when temperatures exceed the bounds of observed data is fraught with challenges. We present a...
Authors
Tyler Wagner, Erin M. Schliep, Joshua S. North, Holly Kundel, Christopher A. Custer, Jenna K. Ruzich, Gretchen J.A. Hansen
Landscape transcriptomics as a tool for addressing global change effects across diverse species Landscape transcriptomics as a tool for addressing global change effects across diverse species
Landscape transcriptomics is an emerging field studying how genome-wide expression patterns reflect dynamic landscape-scale environmental drivers, including habitat, weather, climate, and contaminants, and the subsequent effects on organismal function. This field is benefitting from advancing and increasingly accessible molecular technologies, which in turn are allowing the necessary
Authors
Jason Keagy, Chloe P. Drummond, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Christina Grozinger, Jill Hamilton, Heather M. Hines, Jesse Lasky, Cheryl A. Logan, Ruairidh Sawers, Tyler Wagner
Using decision analysis to determine the feasibility of a conservation translocation Using decision analysis to determine the feasibility of a conservation translocation
Conservation translocations, intentional movements of species to protect against extinction, have become widespread in recent decades and are projected to increase further as biodiversity loss continues worldwide. The literature abounds with analyses to inform translocations and assess whether they are successful, but the fundamental question of whether they should be initiated at all is...
Authors
Laura Keating, Lea Randall, Rebecca Stanton, Casey McCormack, Michael Lucid, Travis Seaborn, Sarah J. Converse, Stefano Canessa, Axel Moehrenschlager
Pandemic-driven changes in the nearshore non-commercial fishery in Hawai'i: Catch photos posted to social media capture changes in fisher behavior Pandemic-driven changes in the nearshore non-commercial fishery in Hawai'i: Catch photos posted to social media capture changes in fisher behavior
Using social media, we collect evidence for how nearshore fisheries are impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic in Hawai’i. We later confirm our social media findings and obtain a more complete understanding of the changes in nearshore non-commercial fisheries in Hawai’i through a more conventional approach—speaking directly with fishers. Resource users posted photographs to social...
Authors
Timothy B. Grabowski, Michelle E. Benedum, Andrew Curley, Cole Dill-De, Michelle L. Shuey
Diverse portfolios: Investing in tributaries for restoration of large river fishes in the Anthropocene Diverse portfolios: Investing in tributaries for restoration of large river fishes in the Anthropocene
Rehabilitation of large Anthropocene rivers requires engagement of diverse stakeholders across a broad range of sociopolitical boundaries. Competing objectives often constrain options for ecological restoration of large rivers whereas fewer competing objectives may exist in a subset of tributaries. Further, tributaries contribute toward building a “portfolio” of river ecosystem assets...
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Brian D. Healy, Michael J. Moore, Corey Garland Dunn, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Craig P. Paukert
Drawdown, habitat, and kokanee populations in a western U.S. reservoir Drawdown, habitat, and kokanee populations in a western U.S. reservoir
Greater drought frequency and severity due to climate change will result in greater drawdown of water storage reservoirs. However, changes to oxythermal regimes due to drawdown are reservoir specific and interface with fish species-specific habitat requirements, producing varying effects on coldwater fish populations. We examined the effect of drawdown on the oxythermal habitat and...
Authors
John S. McLaren, Robert W. Van Kirk, Arthur J. Mabaka, Soren Brothers, Phaedra E. Budy