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
Plasticity in physiological condition of female brown bears across diverse ecosystems Plasticity in physiological condition of female brown bears across diverse ecosystems
Variation in life history strategies facilitates the near global distribution of mammals by expanding realized niche width. We investigated physiological plasticity in the spring body composition of adult female brown bears (Ursus arctos) across 4 diverse Alaskan ecosystems. Brown bears are a highly intelligent omnivore with a historic range spanning much of North America, Europe, and...
Authors
Grant V. Hilderbrand, David Gustine, Buck A. Mangipane, Kyle Joly, William Leacock, Lindsey Mangipane, Joy Erlenbach, Mathew Sorum, Matthew Cameron, Jerrold L. Belant, Troy Cambier
Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America
Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Yohannes Berhane, David E. Swayne, David E. Stallknecht
Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska
We explored the abundance of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli among migratory birds at remote sites in Alaska and used a comparative approach to speculate on plausible explanations for differences in detection among species. At a remote island site, we detected antibiotic-resistant E. coli phenotypes in samples collected from glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), a species...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Jorge Hernandez, Veronica Tyrlov, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Clara Atterby, Josef D. Jarhult, Jonas Bonnedahl
Phylogeny and species traits predict bird detectability Phylogeny and species traits predict bird detectability
Avian acoustic communication has resulted from evolutionary pressures and ecological constraints. We therefore expect that auditory detectability in birds might be predictable by species traits and phylogenetic relatedness. We evaluated the relationship between phylogeny, species traits, and field‐based estimates of the two processes that determine species detectability (singing rate and...
Authors
Peter Solymos, Steven M. Matsuoka, Diana Stralberg, Nicole K. S. Barker, Erin M. Bayne
Mineral constraints on arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus): a spatial and phenological perspective Mineral constraints on arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus): a spatial and phenological perspective
Arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have the longest terrestrial migration of any ungulate but little is known about the spatial and seasonal variation of minerals in summer forages and the potential impacts of mineral nutrition on the foraging behavior and nutritional condition of arctic caribou. We investigated the phenology, availability, and mechanistic relationships of calcium...
Authors
K. W. Oster, P.S. Barboza, David D. Gustine, Kyle Joly, R. D. Shively
Analyzing floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using 25 years of space-borne SAR imagery Analyzing floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using 25 years of space-borne SAR imagery
Late-winter lake ice regimes are controlled by water depth relative to maximum ice thickness (MIT). When MIT exceeds maximum water depth, lakes freeze to the bottom with bedfast ice (BI) and when MIT is less than maximum water depth lakes have floating ice (FI). Both airborne radar and space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery (Ku-, X-, C-, and L-band) have been used previously...
Authors
Melanie Engram, Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Olaniyi A Ajadi, Franz J Meyer
Avian predator buffers against variability in marine habitats with flexible foraging behavior Avian predator buffers against variability in marine habitats with flexible foraging behavior
How well seabirds compensate for variability in prey abundance and composition near their breeding colonies influences their distribution and reproductive success. We used tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) as forage fish samplers to study marine food webs from the western Aleutian Islands (53°N, 173°E) to Kodiak Island (57°N, 153°W), Alaska, during August 2012–2014. Around each colony...
Authors
Sarah K. Schoen, John F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Brielle Heflin, Erica N. Madison, Gary S. Drew, Martin Renner, Nora A. Rojek, David C. Douglas, Anthony R. DeGange
Energetic solutions of Rock Sandpipers to harsh winter conditions rely on prey quality Energetic solutions of Rock Sandpipers to harsh winter conditions rely on prey quality
Rock Sandpipers Calidris ptilocnemis have the most northerly non-breeding distribution of any shorebird in the Pacific Basin (upper Cook Inlet, Alaska; 61°N, 151°W). In terms of freezing temperatures, persistent winds and pervasive ice, this site is the harshest used by shorebirds during winter. We integrated physiological, metabolic, behavioural and environmental aspects of the non...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Anne Dekinga, Robert E. Gill, Theunis Piersma
Volcanic ash deposition, eelgrass beds, and inshore habitat loss from the 1920s to the 1990s at Chignik, Alaska Volcanic ash deposition, eelgrass beds, and inshore habitat loss from the 1920s to the 1990s at Chignik, Alaska
We quantified the shallowing of the seafloor in five of six bays examined in the Chignik region of the Alaska Peninsula, confirming National Ocean Service observations that 1990s hydrographic surveys were shallower than previous surveys from the 1920s. Castle Bay, Chignik Lagoon, Hook Bay, Kujulik Bay and Mud Bay lost volume as calculated from Mean Lower Low Water (Chart Datum) to the...
Authors
Mark Zimmermann, Gregory T. Ruggerone, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Nicole Kinsman, David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe
Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans
The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals’ movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus...
Authors
A. M. M. Sequeira, J.P. Rodriguez, V. M. Eguíluz, R. Harcourt, M. Hindell, D.W. Sims, C.M. Duarte, D.P. Costa, J. Fernandez-Gracia, L.C. Ferreira, G.C. Hays, M. R. Heupel, M.G. Meekan, A. Aven, F. Bailleul, A. M. M. Baylis, M. L. Berumen, C. D. Braun, J. Burns, M.J. Caley, R. Campbell, R.H. Carmichael, E. Clua, L. D. Einoder, Ari Friedlaender, M. E. Goebel, S.D. Goldsworthy, C. Guinet, J. Gunn, D. Hamer, N. Hammerschlag, M. Hammill, L.A. Hückstädt, N.E. Humphries, M.-A. Lea, A. Lowther, A. Mackay, E. McHuron, J. Mckenzie, L. McLeay, C.R. McMahon, K. Mengersen, M. M. C. Muelbert, Anthony M. Pagano, B. Page, N. Queiroz, P. W. Robinson, S. A. Shaffer, M. Shivji, G. B. Skomal, S. Thorrold, S. Villegas-Amtmann, M. Weise, R. Wells, B. Wetherbee, A. Wiebkin, B. Wienecke, M. Thums
Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic provenance evolution of sedimentary rocks in and adjacent to the Farewell terrane (interior Alaska) Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic provenance evolution of sedimentary rocks in and adjacent to the Farewell terrane (interior Alaska)
New detrital zircon U-Pb data from the Farewell terrane of interior Alaska illuminate its early provenance evolution and connections with other Alaskan terranes. Five samples come from Neoproterozoic units in the central Farewell terrane. Basal “ferruginous beds” and the overlying Windy Fork Formation have prominent detrital zircon age populations between 2000 and 1800 Ma, with the Windy...
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin, James V. Jones, Dwight Bradley, Alison B. Till, Stephen E. Box, Paul B. O’Sullivan
Dietary plasticity in a nutrient-rich system does not influence brown bear (Ursus arctos) body condition or denning Dietary plasticity in a nutrient-rich system does not influence brown bear (Ursus arctos) body condition or denning
Behavioral differences within a population can allow use of a greater range of resources among individuals. The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a generalist omnivore that occupies diverse habitats and displays considerable plasticity in food use. We evaluated whether brown bear foraging that resulted in deviations from a proposed optimal diet influenced body condition and, in turn, denning...
Authors
Lindsey S. Mangipane, Jerrold L. Belant, Diana J. R. Lafferty, David D. Gustine, Tim L. Hiller, Michael E. Colvin, Buck A. Mangipane, Grant V. Hilderbrand