Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 10382
Interpreting a sudden population decline in a long-lived species (Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum) Interpreting a sudden population decline in a long-lived species (Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum)
Long-term ecological studies are critical for providing insight into population dynamics and detecting population declines, particularly for species of conservation concern. However, spatiotemporal variation and logistical challenges make the identification of sudden population declines difficult. We conducted an in-water capture-mark-recapture study of mangrove diamond-backed terrapins
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Brian J. Smith, Mathew Denton, Michael Cherkiss, David Roche, Andrew G. Crowder, Kristen Hart
Practical genetic diversity protection: an accessible framework for IUCN subpopulation and Evolutionarily Significant Unit identification Practical genetic diversity protection: an accessible framework for IUCN subpopulation and Evolutionarily Significant Unit identification
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) sets global conservation standards, including the Red List of Threatened Species and the Green Status of Species. Recent analyses showed that genetic diversity has not been effectively considered by IUCN species assessments, despite being fundamental to species’ fitness and adaptive potential. Incorporation of genetic diversity...
Authors
Julia C. Geue, Laura D. Bertola, Paulette Bloomer, Anna Bruniche-Olsen, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Ancuta Fedorca, Jose A. Godoy, Catherine E. Grueber, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Evelyn L. Jensen, Alexander Kopatz, Anna J. MacDonald, Silvia Pérez-Espona, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Jennifer C. Pierson, Helen Senn, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Cock van Oosterhout, Deborah M. Leigh
Wet antecedent soil moisture increases atmospheric river streamflow magnitudes non-linearly Wet antecedent soil moisture increases atmospheric river streamflow magnitudes non-linearly
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) drive most riverine floods on the United States (U.S.) West Coast. However, estimating flood risk based solely on AR intensity and duration is challenging because precipitation phase, antecedent conditions, and physical watershed characteristics (e.g., slope and soil depth) can influence the magnitude of floods. Here, we analyze how antecedent soil moisture (ASM)
Authors
Mariana J. Webb, Christine M. Albano, Adrian A. Harpold, Daniel M. Wagner, Anna M. Wilson
Fisheries dependent and independent data inform a capture technique for an emerging invasive fish species in the mainstem Mississippi River; Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus Fisheries dependent and independent data inform a capture technique for an emerging invasive fish species in the mainstem Mississippi River; Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus
Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus were imported into the United States in the 1970s and 1980s for use in aquaculture; escape occurred and reported wild captures increased. Lacking species-specific capture methods, we assessed fisheries dependent incidental Black Carp catches for a common method, hoop nets, by kernel density analysis to identify an area of increased reporting and compare...
Authors
Patrick Kroboth, Michael E. Colvin, Courtney Broaddus
Insights from growing Globorotalia truncatulinoides and Globorotalia menardii in the laboratory Insights from growing Globorotalia truncatulinoides and Globorotalia menardii in the laboratory
The vast majority of planktic foraminiferal culture studies have been carried out on spinose species of foraminifera, with relatively few studies on non-spinose species. We conducted a pilot study to test whether live specimens of the non-spinose planktic foraminifera, Globorotalia truncatulinoides and Globorotalia menardii, could be successfully harvested from offshore plankton tow...
Authors
Caitlin E. Reynolds, Jennifer S. Fehrenbacher, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Eric J. Tappa, Julie N. Richey
Discovery of late Holocene-aged Acropora palmata reefs in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA: The past as a key to the future? Discovery of late Holocene-aged Acropora palmata reefs in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA: The past as a key to the future?
Emblematic of global coral-reef ecosystem decline, the coral ecosystem-engineer Acropora palmata is now rare throughout much of the western Atlantic. Understanding when and where this foundation species occurred during the past can provide information about the environmental limits defining its distribution through space and time. In this paper, the present, historical and newly dated...
Authors
Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lauren T. Toth, Peter Alexander Bacon Modys, Selena Anne-Marie Johnson, Ilsa B. Kuffner
Causal effects verses causal mechanisms: Two traditions with different requirements and contributions towards causal understanding Causal effects verses causal mechanisms: Two traditions with different requirements and contributions towards causal understanding
The scientific aspiration of building causal knowledge has received little explicit discussion in ecology despite its fundamental importance. When methods are described as ‘causal’, emphasis is increasingly placed on statistical techniques for isolating associations so as to quantify causal effects. In contrast, natural scientists have historically approached the pursuit of causal...
Authors
James Grace, Nick Huntington-Klein, E. William Schweiger, Melinda Martinez, Michael Osland, Laura C. Feher, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Karen M. Thorne
Using DNA barcoding to evaluate freshwater mussel and fish-host relationships in the Flint River (Georgia, USA) Using DNA barcoding to evaluate freshwater mussel and fish-host relationships in the Flint River (Georgia, USA)
Freshwater mussels have a unique life history in which larval mussels (glochidia) act as obligate parasites to fish hosts. Host selectivity may be species specific, and identification of host fish is a critical step in conservation planning for individual mussel species. The Flint River harbors ~23% of the freshwater mussel (order Unionida) diversity in the state of Georgia, USA. Nine...
Authors
Hayley A. Robinson, John P. Wares, Gail M. Cowie, Shayla D. Williams, Ben F Scott, Matthew T. Rowe, Nathan Johnson, Peter D. Hazelton
Object detection-assisted workflow facilitates cryptic snake monitoring Object detection-assisted workflow facilitates cryptic snake monitoring
Camera traps are an important tool used to study rare and cryptic animals, including snakes. Time-lapse photography can be particularly useful for studying snakes that often fail to trigger a camera's infrared motion sensor due to their ectothermic nature. However, the large datasets produced by time-lapse photography require labor-intensive classification, limiting their use in large...
Authors
Storm Miller, Michael Kirkland, Kristen Hart, Robert A. McCleery
Microbiome data management in action workshop: Atlanta, GA, USA, June 12–13, 2024 Microbiome data management in action workshop: Atlanta, GA, USA, June 12–13, 2024
Microbiome research is revolutionizing human and environmental health, but the value and reuse of microbiome data are significantly hampered by the limited development and adoption of data standards. While several ongoing efforts are aimed at improving microbiome data management, significant gaps still remain in terms of defining and promoting adoption of consensus standards for these...
Authors
Julia Kelliher, Mashael Aljumaah, Sarah R. Bordenstein, J. Rodney Brister, Patrick Chain, JosePablo Dunduore-Arias, Joanne B. Emerson, Vanessa Moreira C. Ferdandes, Roberto Flores, Antonio Gonzalez, Zoe A. Hansen, Eneida L. Hatcher, Scott A. Jackson, Christina A. Kellogg, Ramana Madupu, Cassandra Maria Luz Miller, Chloe Mirzayi, Emmanuel F. Mongodin, Ahmed M. Moustafa, Chris Mungall, Aaron Oliver, Nonia Pariente, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Sydne Record, Linta Reji, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Virginia Rich, Lorna Richardson, Lynn M. Schriml, Reed S. Shabman, Maria Sierra, Matthew Sullivan, Punithavathi Sundaramurthy, K. M. Thibault, Luke R. Thompson, Scott W. Tighe, Ethell Vereen, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh
Selenium differentially influences methylmercury retention across mayfly life stages Selenium differentially influences methylmercury retention across mayfly life stages
Though high mercury and selenium concentrations are individually toxic to organisms, there is a hypothesized antagonistic relationship. This potential mercury–selenium interaction is under-studied in aquatic macroinvertebrates, particularly in relation to complex life histories. We examined the proposed effect of selenium on methylmercury accumulation between four life stages for a...
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, Rebecca A. Dorman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David Walters
RIce-Net: Integrating ground-based cameras and machine learning for automated river ice detection RIce-Net: Integrating ground-based cameras and machine learning for automated river ice detection
River ice plays a critical role in controlling streamflow in cold regions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) qualifies affected water-level measurements and inferred streamflow by ice conditions at a date later than the day of the actual measurements. This study introduces a novel computer vision-based framework, River Ice-Network (RIce-Net), that uses the USGS nationwide network of...
Authors
Mahmoud Ayyad, Marouane Temini, Mohamed Abdelkader, Moheb Henein, Frank L. Engel, R. Russell Lotspeich, Jack R. Eggleston