Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 10378
Assessing environmental oil spill based on fluorescence images of water samples and deep learning Assessing environmental oil spill based on fluorescence images of water samples and deep learning
Measuring oil concentration in the aquatic environment is essential for determining the potential exposure, risk, or injury for oil spill response and natural resource damage assessment. Conventional analytical chemistry methods require samples to be collected in the field, shipped, and processed in the laboratory, which is also rather time-consuming, laborious, and costly. For rapid...
Authors
D. P. Liu, Ming Liu, Guangyu Sun, Zhiqian Zhou, Duolin Wang, Fei He, Jiaxin Li, Jiacheng Xie, Ryan Gettler, Eric Brunson, Jeffery A. Steevens, Dong Xu
Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA
Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime...
Authors
Remi Bardou, Michael Osland, Steven B. Scyphers, Christine C. Shepard, Karen E. Aerni, Jahson B. Alemu, Robert Crimian, Richard Day, Nicholas Enwright, Laura Feher, Sarah L. Gibbs, Kiera O’Donnell, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Sarit Truskey, Anna R. Armitage, Ronald J. Baker, Joshua L. Breithaupt, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Just Cebrian, Karen Cummins, Donna J. Devlin, Jacob Doty, William L. Ellis, Ilka C. Feller, Christopher A. Gabler, Yiyang Kang, David A. Kaplan, John Paul Kennedy, Ken Krauss, Margaret Lamont, Kam-biu Liu, Melinda Martinez, Ashley M. Matheny, Giovanna M. McClenachan, Karen L. McKee, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Thomas C. Michot, Christopher J. Miller, Jena A. Moon, Ryan P. Moyer, James A. Nelson, Richard O’Connor, James W. Pahl, Jonathan L. Pitchford, C. Edward Proffitt, Tracy Quirk, Kara R. Radabaugh, Whitney A. Scheffel, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Eric Sparks, Kathleen M. Swanson, William C. Vervaeke, Carolyn A. Weaver, Jonathan A Willis, Erik S. Yando, Qiang Yao, A. Randall Hughes
Environmental, morphological, and molecular data reveal a new species of freshwater mussel, Strophitus howellsi, endemic to the Edwards Plateau in Texas Environmental, morphological, and molecular data reveal a new species of freshwater mussel, Strophitus howellsi, endemic to the Edwards Plateau in Texas
Freshwater mussels are considered the most imperiled group of organisms in North America and systematics research has played an integral role in the development and implementation of their conservation. Despite the importance of systematics in conservation planning, the evolutionary relationships between many mussel taxa remain poorly explored, clearly illustrated by Strophitus undulatus...
Authors
Chase H. Smith, Alexander H. Kiser, Nathan Johnson, Charles R. Randklev
Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries
Recent scientific evidence shows that genetic diversity must be maintained, managed, and monitored to protect biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Three genetic diversity indicators, two of which do not require DNA-based assessment, have been proposed for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other conservation and policy initiatives. These indicators...
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Jessica M. da Silva, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret Hunter, Joachim Mergeay, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Keiichi Fukaya, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Viktoria Koppa, Maria Camila Latorre-Cardenas, Anna J. MacDonald, Victor Rincon-Parra, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Naoki Tani, Henrik Thurfjell, Linda Laikre
Plant migration due to winter climate change: Range expansion of tropical invasive plants in response to warming winters Plant migration due to winter climate change: Range expansion of tropical invasive plants in response to warming winters
Warming winters due to climate change can facilitate the range expansion of invasive non-native species. In the southeastern United States, the frequency and intensity of extreme winter temperatures determines the northern range limits of many tropical organisms including many species of invasive non-native plants. However, the effects of winter climate change on invasive species’ range...
Authors
Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, Laura Feher, Leah Dale, Deah Lieurance, Wesley Daniel, Jessica E. Spencer
Precipitation, submarine groundwater discharge of nitrogen, and red tides along the southwest Florida Gulf coast Precipitation, submarine groundwater discharge of nitrogen, and red tides along the southwest Florida Gulf coast
Blooms of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis occur almost every year along the southwest Florida Gulf coast. Long-duration blooms with especially high concentrations of K. brevis, known as red tides, destroy marine life through production of neurotoxins. Current hypotheses are that red tides originate in oligotrophic waters far offshore using nitrogen (N) from upwelling bottom water or
Authors
Bruce E. Kurtz, James E. Landmeyer, James K. Culter
Reduction of paraoxonase expression followed by inactivation across independent semiaquatic mammals suggests stepwise path to pseudogenization Reduction of paraoxonase expression followed by inactivation across independent semiaquatic mammals suggests stepwise path to pseudogenization
Convergent adaptation to the same environment by multiple lineages frequently involves rapid evolutionary change at the same genes, implicating these genes as important for environmental adaptation. Such adaptive molecular changes may yield either change or loss of protein function; loss of function can eliminate newly deleterious proteins or reduce energy necessary for protein...
Authors
Allie M. Graham, Jerrica M. Jamison, Marisol Bustos, Charlotte Cournoyer, Alexa Michaels, Jason S. Presnell, Rebecca Richter, Daniel E. Crocker, Ari Fustukjian, Margaret Hunter, Lorrie D. Rea, Judit Marsillach, Clement E. Furlong, Wynn K. Meyer, Nathan L. Clark
Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Upper Colorado River Basin Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Water availability is a result of complex interactions between regional water supply and demand and underlying environmental, institutional, and economic determinants. For this study, water availability is defined as “access to a specific quantity and quality of water at a point in time and space, for a specific use, recognizing the social and economic value of water across uses and...
Authors
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Lucas Bair, Megan Hines, Diana Restrepo-Osorio, Veronica Romero, Aidan Lyde
Gulf Islands National Seashore regional sediment budget research and data needs—Workshop series summary Gulf Islands National Seashore regional sediment budget research and data needs—Workshop series summary
Executive Summary The National Park Service (NPS), in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), recognizes the need to quantify the sediment budget of the barrier islands within the Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) to understand the coastal processes affecting island resiliency. To achieve this goal, identifying and quantifying the physical parameters that drive long...
Authors
Erin Seekamp, James Flocks, Courtney Hotchkiss, Linda York, Kelly Irick
Laboratory-derived bioaccumulation kinetic parameters for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in freshwater mussels Laboratory-derived bioaccumulation kinetic parameters for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in freshwater mussels
Although freshwater mussels are imperiled and identified as key conservation priorities, limited bioaccumulation information is available on these organisms for contaminants of emerging concern. In the present study we investigated the bioaccumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the model freshwater pond mussel Sagittunio subrostratus because mussels provide...
Authors
Jeffery A. Steevens, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Eric Brunson, James L. Kunz, Erin L. Pulster, Rebekah S. Burket, Kevin M. Stroski, Jaylen L. Sims, Matt F. Simcik, Bryan W. Brooks
Density declines, richness increases, and composition shifts in stream macroinvertebrates Density declines, richness increases, and composition shifts in stream macroinvertebrates
Documenting trends of stream macroinvertebrate biodiversity is challenging because biomonitoring often has limited spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scopes. We analyzed biodiversity and composition of assemblages of >500 genera, spanning 27 years, and 6131 stream sites across forested, grassland, urban, and agricultural land uses throughout the United States. In this dataset...
Authors
Samantha L. Rumschlag, Michael B. Mahon, Devin K. Jones, William A. Battaglin, Jonny Behrens, Emily S. Bernhardt, Paul Bradley, Ethan Brown, Frederik De Laender, Ryan A. Hill, Stefan Kunz, Sylvia S. Lee, Emma J. Rossi, Ralf Schafer, Travis S. Schmidt, Marie Simonin, Kelly L. Smalling, Kristofor Voss, Jason R. Rohr
Attenuation of acid rock drainage by stimulating sulfur-reducing bacteria Attenuation of acid rock drainage by stimulating sulfur-reducing bacteria
Iron-sulfide minerals found in shale formations are stable under anaerobic conditions. However, in the presence of oxygen and water, acid-loving chemolithotrophic bacteria can transform the iron-sulfide minerals into a toxic solution of sulfuric acid and dissolved iron and minerals known as acid rock drainage (ARD). The objective of this study was to disrupt chemolithotrophic bacteria...
Authors
Thomas D. Byl, Ronald Oniszczak, Diarra Fall, Petra Kim Byl, Michael Bradley