Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 3090
Variation in brood behavior of Black Brant Variation in brood behavior of Black Brant
We studied behavior of broods of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) during five summers between 1987 and 1993, a period in which the local breeding population increased >3-fold. Goslings spent more time foraging than adults of either sex, while adult males spent more time alert and less time foraging than adult females. Percentage of time spent alert was positively correlated with...
Authors
James S. Sedinger, Michael W. Eichholz, Paul L. Flint
Some tests of the "migration hypothesis" for anadromous Dolly Varden (southern form) Some tests of the "migration hypothesis" for anadromous Dolly Varden (southern form)
Some aspects of a previously described migratory paradigm for the southern form of anadromous Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma were investigated with seven 3‐year mark–recapture experiments on fish that used lakes in eight watersheds as their winter residence. Weirs on Kodiak Island, around Prince William Sound, and near Juneau, Alaska, were used to capture Dolly Varden as they emigrated to...
Authors
David R. Bernard, Kelley R. Hepler, J. Douglas Jones, Mary E. Whalen, Douglas N. McBride
Survival rates of radio-collared female polar bears and their dependent young Survival rates of radio-collared female polar bears and their dependent young
Polar bears are hunted throughout most of their range. In addition to hunting, polar bears of the Beaufort Sea region are exposed to mineral and hydrocarbon extraction and related human activities such as shipping, road building, and seismic testing. As human populations increase and demands for polar bears and other arctic resources escalate, reliable estimates of survivorship
Authors
Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner
Earthquakes in Alaska Earthquakes in Alaska
Earthquake risk is high in much of the southern half of Alaska, but it is not the same everywhere. This map shows the overall geologic setting in Alaska that produces earthquakes. The Pacific plate (darker blue) is sliding northwestward past southeastern Alaska and then dives beneath the North American plate (light blue, green, and brown) in southern Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, George Plafker
Abundance, distribution and population status of Marbled Murrelets in Alaska Abundance, distribution and population status of Marbled Murrelets in Alaska
Ship-based surveys conducted throughout Alaska during the 1970's and 1980's, and more recent small boat surveys conducted in the northern Gulf of Alaska, suggest that about 280,000 murrelets reside in Alaska during summer. Most Marbled Murrelets are concentrated offshore of large tracts of coastal coniferous forests in southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, and the Kodiak Archipelago...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Nancy L. Naslund
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)
No abstract available
Authors
Richard B. Lanctot, C.D. Laredo
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
No abstract available
Authors
Craig R. Ely, Alexander Dzubin
Classification of vegetation communities in which geese rear broods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Classification of vegetation communities in which geese rear broods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Plant communities are described from an area on the Yukon – Kuskokwim (Y-K) delta of Alaska that is used extensively for brood rearing by three species of geese. Earlier studies identified plant species important as food for young geese, but few studies describe or quantify plant communities. We classified species presence or absence information from over 700 quadrats using a two-way...
Authors
Christopher Babcock, Craig R. Ely
Phylogeny and evolution of the auks (subfamily Alcinae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences Phylogeny and evolution of the auks (subfamily Alcinae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences
The genetic divergence and phylogeny of the auks was assessed by mitochondrial DNA sequence comparisons in a study using 19 of the 22 auk species and two outgroup representatives. We compared more than 500 nucleotides from each of two mitochondrial genes encoding 12S rRNA and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6. Divergence times were estimated from transversional substitutions. The dovekie...
Authors
Truls Moum, Steinar Johansen, Kjell Einar Erikstad, John F. Piatt
Cytonuclear genetics of experimental fish hybrid zones inside Biosphere 2 Cytonuclear genetics of experimental fish hybrid zones inside Biosphere 2
Two species of mosquitofish (family Poeciliidae) known to hybridize in nature were introduced into freshwater habitats inside Biosphere 2, and their population genetics were monitored after 2 years. Within four to six generations, nuclear and cytoplasmic markers characteristic of Gambusia holbrooki had risen greatly in frequency, although some Gambusia affinis alleles and haplotypes were...
Authors
K.T. Scribner, John C. Avise
Blood sampling in juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers: Movement, weight change and survival Blood sampling in juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers: Movement, weight change and survival
The effect of blood sampling on juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) was evaluated by comparing movements, mass, and survival of 10 broods (37 chicks) that were bled and eight broods (31 chicks) that were not bled. Blood was sampled from the jugular vein of chicks when they weighed 9.1 ± 0.9 g (x̄ ± SD) on or within 1 d of hatch. Chicks showed few short-term...
Authors
Richard B. Lanctot