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Publications

Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.

Filter Total Items: 10352

Gulf Coast vicariance shapes phylogeographic history of a North American freshwater mussel species complex Gulf Coast vicariance shapes phylogeographic history of a North American freshwater mussel species complex

Aim Freshwater mussels share habitat and are parasites of freshwater fishes during the larval life stage. Therefore, models of fish biogeography may also explain the historical biogeography of freshwater mussels. We tested this assumption using predictions of three biogeographic models constructed for northern Gulf of Mexico drainages on a freshwater mussel species complex. Specifically...
Authors
Sean M. Keogh, Nathan Johnson, James D. Williams, Charles R. Randklev, Andrew Simons

Piping plovers demonstrate regional differences in nesting habitat selection patterns along the U.S. Atlantic coast Piping plovers demonstrate regional differences in nesting habitat selection patterns along the U.S. Atlantic coast

Habitat studies that encompass a large portion of a species’ geographic distribution can explain characteristics that are either consistent or variable, further informing inference from more localized studies and improving management successes throughout the range. We identified landscape characteristics at Piping Plover nests at 21 sites distributed from Massachusetts to North Carolina...
Authors
Sara Lynn Zeigler, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Anne Hecht, Nathaniel Plant, Emily J. Sturdivant

Population density and stream-habitat relations of the Yellowcheek Darter (Nothonotus moorei) among the headwaters of the Little Red River in Arkansas Population density and stream-habitat relations of the Yellowcheek Darter (Nothonotus moorei) among the headwaters of the Little Red River in Arkansas

Nothonotus moorei (Yellowcheek Darter [YCD]) is an endangered species endemic to the headwaters of the Little Red River in north-central Arkansas. Population decline, habitat loss and fragmentation, and threats from land use and seasonal drought necessitate monitoring of population density and distribution to determine ecological and habitat associations. We evaluated YCD density and...
Authors
Lucas Driver, Billy Justus

Inclusion of pesticide transformation products is key to estimating pesticide exposures and effects in small U.S. streams Inclusion of pesticide transformation products is key to estimating pesticide exposures and effects in small U.S. streams

Improved analytical methods can quantify hundreds of pesticide transformation products (TPs), but understanding of TP occurrence and potential toxicity in aquatic ecosystems remains limited. We quantified 108 parent pesticides and 116 TPs in more than 3 700 samples from 442 small streams in mostly urban basins across five major regions of the United States. TPs were detected nearly as...
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Christopher Konrad, Peter Van Metre

Development and validation of a spatially-explicit agent-based model for space utilization by African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) based on determinants of movement Development and validation of a spatially-explicit agent-based model for space utilization by African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) based on determinants of movement

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are well-studied and inhabit diverse landscapes that are being transformed by both humans and natural forces. Most tools currently in use are limited in their ability to predict how elephants will respond to novel changes in the environment. Individual-, or agent-based modeling (ABM), may extend current methods in addressing and predicting spatial...
Authors
Stephanie G. Diaz, Donald L. DeAngelis, Michael S. Gaines, Andrew Purdon, Michael A. Mole, Rudi J. van Aarde

Assessment of peak flow scaling and Its effect on flood quantile estimation in the United Kingdom Assessment of peak flow scaling and Its effect on flood quantile estimation in the United Kingdom

Regional flood frequency analysis (RFFA) methods are essential tools to assess flood hazard and plan interventions for its mitigation. They are used to estimate flood quantiles when the at‐site record of streamflow data is not available or limited. One commonly used RFFA method is the index flood method (IFM), which assumes that peak floods satisfy the simple scaling hypothesis. In this...
Authors
Giuseppe Formetta, Thomas M. Over, Elizabeth Stewart

Simulation of dissolved organic carbon flux in the Penobscot Watershed, Maine Simulation of dissolved organic carbon flux in the Penobscot Watershed, Maine

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an important component of the carbon cycle as a measure of the hydrological transport of carbon between terrestrial carbon pools into soil pools and eventually into streams. As a result, changes in DOC in rivers and streams may indicate alterations in the storage of terrestrial carbon. Exploring the complex interactions between biogeochemical cycling and
Authors
Shabnam Rouhani, Crystal B. Schaaf, Thomas G. Huntington, Janet Choate

Isolating the AFFF signature in coastal watersheds using oxidizable PFAS precursors and unexplained organofluorine Isolating the AFFF signature in coastal watersheds using oxidizable PFAS precursors and unexplained organofluorine

Water supplies for millions of U.S. individuals exceed maximum contaminant levels for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Contemporary and legacy use of aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) is a major contamination source. However, diverse PFAS sources are present within watersheds, making it difficult to isolate their predominant origins. Here we examine PFAS source signatures...
Authors
Bridger J. Ruyle, Heidi M. Pickard, Denis R. LeBlanc, Andrea K. Tokranov, Colin P. Thackray, Xindi C. Hu, Chad D. Vecitis, Elsie M. Sunderland

Reproduction Reproduction

Lake charr Salvelinus namaycush are typically fall spawners although one ecotype has populations that spawn during spring and fall (siscowets in Lake Superior). Lake charr are iteroparous (reproduce more than once in a lifetime) with group-synchronous ovarian development and typically spawn once per year. However, lake charr may not reproduce every year, a phenomenon known as skipped...
Authors
Frederick W. Goetz, J. Ellen Marsden, Catherine A. Richter, Donald E. Tillitt, Shawn P. Sitar, Stephen Riley, Charles C. Krueger

Practical field survey operations for flood insurance rate maps Practical field survey operations for flood insurance rate maps

The U.S. Geological Survey assists the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its mission to identify flood hazards and zones for risk premiums for communities nationwide, by creating flood insurance rate maps through updating hydraulic models that use river geometry data. The data collected consist of elevations of river channels, banks, and structures, such as bridges, dams, and weirs...
Authors
Nicholas J. Taylor, Caelan E. Simeone

An increase in the slope of the concentration-discharge relation for total organic carbon in major rivers in New England, 1973 to 2019 An increase in the slope of the concentration-discharge relation for total organic carbon in major rivers in New England, 1973 to 2019

The mobilization and transport of organic carbon (OC) in rivers and delivery to the near-coastal ocean are important processes in the carbon cycle that are affected by both climate and anthropogenic activities. Riverine OC transport can affect carbon sequestration, contaminant transport, ocean acidification, the formation of toxic disinfection by-products, ocean temperature and...
Authors
Thomas G. Huntington, Michael Wieczorek

Review of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula spp. (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae) distribution in North America, 1924–2019 Review of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula spp. (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae) distribution in North America, 1924–2019

The bivalve Corbicula is one of the most successful aquatic mollusk invaders in the world. Since being intro­duced to North America from its native range in Asia, it has dispersed widely over a large portion of the continent from southern Canada to Panama. The first evidence of its introduc­tion in the Western Hemisphere was discovered in 1924 in British Columbia, Canada. A review of...
Authors
Amy J. Benson, James D. Williams
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