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: 3110
How do foraging seabirds sample their environment? How do foraging seabirds sample their environment?
No abstract available.
Authors
G.L. Hunt, John F. Piatt, Kjell Einar Erikstad
The ecological and evolutionary consequences of body size: Introductory remarks The ecological and evolutionary consequences of body size: Introductory remarks
No abstract available.
Authors
John F. Piatt
Body size and foraging behavior in birds Body size and foraging behavior in birds
No abstract available.
Authors
R. Ian Goudie, John F. Piatt
Evidence for color phase effects on the breeding and life history of Northern Fulmars Evidence for color phase effects on the breeding and life history of Northern Fulmars
About 15% of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) breeding on the Semidi Islands in 1979 had light-phase plumage; the remainder were dark. Fulmars of different plumage types mated indiscriminantly, but the lighter member of a mixed pair was more likely to be male than female. Pairs that included at least one light-phase member had lower breeding success than dark/dark pairs in one of...
Authors
Scott A. Hatch
Vegetation patterns and environmental gradients in coastal meadows on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Vegetation patterns and environmental gradients in coastal meadows on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Tundra vegetation and environmental variables were sampled on the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta in western Alaska. On transects extending from intertidal mudflat to upland tundra, we estimated cover by vascular plant species, soil moisture, salinity, relative elevation, depth to permafrost, and distance upriver from the coast. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) classified 21...
Authors
Karen L. Kincheloe, Robert A. Stehn
A line transect model for aerial surveys A line transect model for aerial surveys
We employ a line transect method to estimate the density of the common and Pacific loon in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge from aerial survey data. Line transect methods have the advantage of automatically taking into account “visibility bias” due to detectability difference of animals at different distances from the transect line. However, line transect methods must overcome...
Authors
Pham Xuan Quang, Richard B. Lanctot
Inter- and intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in North American bears (Ursus) Inter- and intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in North American bears (Ursus)
We assessed mitochondrial DNA variation in North American black bears (Ursus americanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Divergent mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (0.05 base substitutions per nucleotide) were identified in populations of black bears from Montana and Oregon. In contrast, very similar haplotypes occur in black bears across North America. This...
Authors
Matthew A. Cronin, Steven C. Amstrup, Gerald W. Garner, Ernest R. Vyse
Mitochondrial-DNA phylogeny of deer (Cervidae) Mitochondrial-DNA phylogeny of deer (Cervidae)
Mitochondrial-DNA restriction-site maps were constructed for several cervid taxa in the subfamilies Cervinae and Odocoileinae. Parsimony analyses of restriction sites and pair-wise analyses of genetic distances resulted in dendrograms congruent with the subfamily designations. Relationships within the Odocoileinae determined from genetic distances generally were concordant with those for...
Authors
M. A. Cronin
Apparatus for precise regulation and chilling of water temperatures in laboratory studies Apparatus for precise regulation and chilling of water temperatures in laboratory studies
Laboratory simulation of water temperature regimes that occur in subarctic rivers through winter necessitates the ability to maintain near‐freezing conditions. A heat‐exchanging apparatus is described that provided a convenient means of simulating the range of temperatures (0.5–12°C) that incubating eggs of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) typically experience in south‐central Alaskan...
Authors
D.B. Wangaard, John P. McDonell, Carl V. Burger, R.L. Wilmot
Mitochondrial and nuclear genetic relationships of deer (Odocoileus spp.) in western North America Mitochondrial and nuclear genetic relationships of deer (Odocoileus spp.) in western North America
Odocoileus hemionus (mule deer and black-tailed deer) and Odocoileus virginanus (white-tailed deer) are sympatric in western North America and are characterized by distinct morphology, behavior, and allozyme allele frequencies. However, there is discordance among nuclear and mitochondrial genetic relationships, as mule deer (O. h. hemionus) and white-tailed deer have similar...
Authors
Matthew A. Cronin
A comparison of aerial and boat-based surveys for marbled murrelets in southeast Alaska, July 23-28, 1991 A comparison of aerial and boat-based surveys for marbled murrelets in southeast Alaska, July 23-28, 1991
Aerial and boat-based surveys for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) were conducted simultaneously over short transect distances (ca. 2 km) in three different areas of the Alexander Archipelago to assess the accuracy and variability of aerial counts compared to boat-based counts. Additional aerial surveys were conducted over a wider geographic area to assess temporal and...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Bruce Conant, Chris Iverson
The Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Background information to accompany folio of geologic and resource maps of the Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and western part of Karluk quadrangles, Alaska The Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Background information to accompany folio of geologic and resource maps of the Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and western part of Karluk quadrangles, Alaska
The Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and western part of Karluk quadrangles (1:250,000) are a part of the Alaska Peninsula in southwestern Alaska. This circular, in conjunction with a companion folio of MF-series maps, two I-series geologic maps, and three bulletins, represents the results of integrated field and laboratory studies on the geology, geophysics, geochemistry, paleontology...
Authors
Robert L. Detterman, J. E. Case, S. E. Church, J. G. Frisken, Frederic H. Wilson, M. E. Yount