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: 5293
Exploring management options for moose at their southern range limits considering growing disease risk Exploring management options for moose at their southern range limits considering growing disease risk
1. Populations of cold-adapted species are increasingly vulnerable along their low-latitude range limits due to shifting environmental conditions, biotic interactions, and anthropogenic pressures. Managing these populations is particularly challenging because of complex ecological dynamics, conflicting stakeholder interests, and decision-making under uncertainty. 2. We explored...
Authors
Jennifer A. Grauer, Jacqueline L. Frair, Krysten L. Schuler, David W. Kramer, Angela K. Fuller
Multiscale resource selection for a reintroduced elk population Multiscale resource selection for a reintroduced elk population
Patterns of resource selection are driven by the decision-making processes of animals occurring at multiple scales from where to establish a home range (i.e., second order selection) to which resource patches to use within the home range (i.e., third order selection). Elk (Cervus canadensis) were reintroduced to southwestern Virginia, USA, from 2012 to 2014 following successful...
Authors
Braiden A. Quinlan, Brett R. Jesmer, Jacalyn P. Rosenberger, W. Mark Ford, Michael J. Cherry
Relative activity of three bat species Impacted by white-nose syndrome on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Relative activity of three bat species Impacted by white-nose syndrome on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
White-nose syndrome, a disease caused by the fungal-pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused drastic reductions in populations of several North American hibernating species of bats including Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat), Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat), and Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat). Recent data indicate that populations of Little Brown Bats...
Authors
Megan L. Moran, Amber S. Litterer, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Sabrina M. Deeley, W. Mark Ford
Seasonal and annual survival of acoustically tagged juvenile Gulf sturgeon in the Apalachicola River, Florida, USA Seasonal and annual survival of acoustically tagged juvenile Gulf sturgeon in the Apalachicola River, Florida, USA
Gulf sturgeon Acipenser desotoi are anadromous fish that have undergone major population declines throughout their range. Habitat alteration and previous overharvest in commercial fisheries led to the species being listed as ‘threatened’ under the US Endangered Species Act in 1991. An accurate understanding of population dynamics, including survival, is necessary for monitoring...
Authors
Russell T. Wilson, Adam J. Kaeser, Stephen W. Parker, Brian J. Irwin, Martin J. Hamel, Adam G. Fox
Potential causes of shedding aggregations in prairie rattlesnakes Potential causes of shedding aggregations in prairie rattlesnakes
Aggregation is common across taxa and typically confers clear benefits to group members (e.g., allo-parenting, group defense, thermoregulation, access to resources). But aggregation can also be costly. The mechanisms that underpin aggregation—and the cues that elicit it—inform our understanding of how animals resolve tradeoffs among selection pressures. Snakes sometimes form conspicuous
Authors
Emily Martin, Courtney J. Conway
Ungulate migrations of the Western United States, volume 6 Ungulate migrations of the Western United States, volume 6
This report, volume 6 in the “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States” report series, showcases the migrations of 23 ungulate herds in the Western United States. The report series is produced by the Corridor Mapping Team (CMT). Led by the U.S. Geological Survey, the CMT is a collaboration among 11 State agencies, as well as regional and Federal partners, and an expanding number...
Authors
Matthew J. Kauffman, Blake Lowrey, Jennifer L. McKee, Chloe J. Beaupre, Jeffrey Beck, Jon P. Beckmann, Scott Bergen, Joel Berger, Regan Berkley, Nathan Borg, Peyton Carl, Michelle Cowardin, Sarah Dewey, Katie M. Dugger, Amy Ehrhart, Jessica Fort, Eric Freeman, Ian Freeman, Emily R. Gelzer, David German, Jacob Gray, Evan Greenspan, Zach Gregory, Emily Hagler, Makeda Hanson, Valerie D. Hinojoza-Rood, Pat Hnilicka, Nick Jaffe, Andrew F. Jakes, Aran Johnson, Jaron T. Kolek, Art Lawson, Zach Lockyer, Daryl Lutz, Cody McKee, Jane McKeever, Jerod A. Merkle, Matthew A. Mumma, Dennis Newman, Erika Peckham, Jill E. Randall, Tempe Regan, Adele K. Reinking, Robert Ritson, William J. Rudd, Brianna M. Russo, Hall Sawyer, Cody Schroeder, Brandon Scurlock, Jeff Short, Bret Stansberry, Erik Steiner, Alethea Steingisser, Tom Stephenson, Eric VanNatta, Cody F. Wallace, Brad Weinmeister, Don Whittaker, Tatjana Woody, Sean Yancey
Cost of migration increased during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Cost of migration increased during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Migration is thought to be costly such that challenges faced during migration likely affect how birds migrate through direct selection on migratory behavior. Survival throughout the annual cycle and conditions that affect the survival costs of migration are therefore critical to our understanding of the causes and consequences of migration. Estimating daily survival throughout the annual...
Authors
Neil Paprocki, Jeff W Kidd, Courtney J. Conway
Local and landscape-level environmental conditions drive habitat selection across terrestrial mammal species Local and landscape-level environmental conditions drive habitat selection across terrestrial mammal species
Aim
Authors
Björn H. Franke, Aafke M. Schipper, Tal Avgar, Luca Börger, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Thomas Müller, Brian J. Smith, Briana Abrahms, Abdullahi H. Ali, Nina Attias, Hattie L. Bartlam-Brooks, Floris M. van Beest, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean E. Beyer, Niels Blaum, Michael B. Brown, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Francesca Cagnacci, Simon Chamaillé-Jammes, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Jasja Dekker, Arnaud L. Desbiez, Julian Fennessy, Christina Fischer, Ilya Fischhoff, Adam T. Ford, Benedikt Gehr, Jacob R. Goheen, Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato, Mark Hebblewhite, Robert Hering, Marco Heurich, A. J. Hewison, Lynne A. Isbell, Matthew J. Kauffman, Andrew F. Jakes, René Janssen, Paul F. Jones, Bob Jonge Poerink, Clayton T. Lamb, John D. Linnell, A. Catherine Markham, Courtney J. Marneweck, Jenny Mattisson, John F. McEvoy, Erling Meisingset, Evelyn Merrill, Guilherme de Miranda Mourão, Bram Van Moorter, Nicolas Morellet, Atle Mysterud, John Odden, Kirk A. Olson, Agustín Paviolo, Tyler R. Petroelje, Kelly M. Proffitt, Kasim Rafiq, Nathan Ranc, Christer Moe Rolandsen, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Sonia Saïd, Hall Sawyer, Niels Martin Schmidt, Nuria Selva, Agnieszka Sergiel, Erling Johan Solberg, Melissa Songer, Jonas Stiegler, Olav Strand, Siva R. Sundaresan, Jeffrey J. Thompson, Wiebke Ullmann, Dorj Usukhjargal, Ulrich Voigt, Filip Zięba, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Mark A. Huijbregts, Marlee A. Tucker
Leveraging local species data, a global database, and an occupancy model to explore bee–plant interactions Leveraging local species data, a global database, and an occupancy model to explore bee–plant interactions
Global declines in bee populations are threatening the ecosystem services they provide, including pollination. Many bee–plant interactions are understudied, producing an incomplete understanding of resulting ecosystem-level vulnerabilities. The last decade has generated a wealth of opportunistic data originating from natural history collection records, published ecological datasets, and...
Authors
Michelle J. Lee, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Chengyi Diao, Katja C. Seltmann
Genomic selection for low salinity tolerance in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica in Louisiana and Chesapeake Bay populations Genomic selection for low salinity tolerance in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica in Louisiana and Chesapeake Bay populations
The use of genomic selection (GS) to improve traits of interest in aquaculture species is growing with the availability of genomic resources for those species. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a major aquaculture product and keystone species along the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Populations and production of C. virginica are threatened by several environmental...
Authors
Lindsey C. Schwartz, Beth A. Stauffer, Romain Lavaud, Megan La Peyre, Ann Fairly Pandelides, Alexandra J. McCarty, Jessica M. Small, Louis V. Plough
Development of a SWAT+ model to improve conservation practice efficacy for protecting stream health in karst pasturelands Development of a SWAT+ model to improve conservation practice efficacy for protecting stream health in karst pasturelands
Placing appropriate conservation practices in critical source areas of pollutants can benefit stream health in karst environments susceptible to agricultural pollution. Watershed models, such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool+ (SWAT+), can optimize both practice selection and placement across the landscape, but to our knowledge no studies have tested this model in karst pasturelands...
Authors
Joshua B. Mouser, Serena Ciparis, Michael J. White, Paul L. Angermeier, Jonathan A. Czuba
Longitudinal variability of demographics and life history in an anadromous spawning population within a large, unimpeded East Coast, USA, watershed Longitudinal variability of demographics and life history in an anadromous spawning population within a large, unimpeded East Coast, USA, watershed
Objective The goal of this study was to characterize the variability in age, growth, and life history of sea-run fish throughout a large, East Coast, USA, watershed to improve the parameterization of longitudinal variation in demographics and spawning histories in an undammed river.Methods Both live and dead American Shad Alosa sapidissima were collected during spring 2020 and 2021. Sex...
Authors
Matthew Best, William E. Eakin, Daryl Pierce, Joseph D. Zydlewski, Daniel S. Stich