Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
Filter Total Items: 5232
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the Blake Plateau
Authors
Erik E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew J. Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria C. Rhoads, Elizabeth Loebeker, Derek Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis M. Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey T. Sutton, Catherine S. McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa J. Betters, Peter J. Etnoyer, Gary A. Wolff, Bernie B. Bernard, James M. Brooks, Michael K. Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Isotopic niche partitioning in a multi-species assemblage
Multi-species assemblages can help identify key resources in their habitat by evaluating how they are partitioning their resources. Here we used the isotopic niche of loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles to assess their ecological niche within a Gulf of Mexico bay. Additionally, we assessed temporal and size-class variation in their diets by comparing the δ13C and δ15N values over vari
Authors
Carson L. Arends, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Margaret Lamont
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the Blake Plateau
Authors
Erick E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria Rhoads, Elizabeth Lobecker, Dereck Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis Marie Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey Sutton, Catherine McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa Betters, Peter Etnoyer, Gary Wolff, Bernie Bernard, James Brooks, Michael Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Horizon scanning for potentially invasive non-native marine species to inform trans-boundary conservation management – Example of the northern Gulf of Mexico
Prevention of non-native species introductions and establishment is essential to avoid adverse impacts of invasive species in marine environments. To identify potential new invasive species and inform non-native species management options for the northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas), 138 marine species were risk screened for current and future climate conditions using t
Authors
Kathryn A. O'Shaughnessy, Lorenzo Vilizzi, Wesley Daniel, Monica E. McGarrity, Hanna Bauer, Leslie Hartman, Stephen Geiger, Paul Sammarco, Steve Kolian, Scott Porter, Jessica Dutton, Matthew R. McClure, Michael Norberg, Alex Fogg, Timothy J. Lyons, Justin Procopio, Lauren Bantista, Wayne A Bennett, Mary Wicksten, David B. Reeves, Julie Lively, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Jorge Brenner, Joseph Goy, Ashley Morgan-Olvera, Anna L.E. Yunnie, Gordon H. Copp
Development of the North Carolina stormwater-treatment decision-support system by using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
The Federal Highway Administration and State departments of transportation nationwide need an efficient method to assess potential adverse effects of highway stormwater runoff on receiving waters to optimize stormwater-treatment decisions. To this end, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), dev
Authors
Gregory E. Granato, Charles C. Stillwell, J. Curtis Weaver, Andrew H. McDaniel, Brian S. Lipscomb, Susan C. Jones, Ryan M. Mullins
Permethrin contamination of sawgrass marshes and potential risk for the imperiled Klot’s skipper butterfly (Euphyes pilatka klotsi)
Nontarget effects from mosquito control operations are possible in habitats adjacent to areas targeted by ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprays of permethrin for adult mosquito control. We assessed the risks of permethrin exposure to butterflies, particularly the imperiled Klot's skipper, when exposed to ground-based ULV sprays. Samples of larval host plant leaves (sawgrass) were collected in June (in mos
Authors
Timothy Bargar, Michelle Hladik
Field observations and long short-term memory modeling of spectral wave evolution at living shorelines in Chesapeake Bay, USA
Living shorelines as a nature-based solution for climate change adaptation were constructed in many places around the world. The success of this type of projects requires long-term monitoring for adaptive management. The paper presents a novel framework leveraging scientific machine learning methods for accurate and rapid prediction of long-term hydrodynamic forcing impacting living shorelines usi
Authors
Nan Wang, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, William D. Capurso, L.M. Niemoczynski, Ling Zhu, Gregg Snedden
Degradation kinetics of veterinary antibiotics and estrogenic hormones in a claypan soil
Veterinary antibiotics and estrogens are excreted in livestock waste before being applied to agricultural lands as fertilizer, resulting in contamination of soil and adjacent waterways. The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the degradation kinetics of the VAs sulfamethazine and lincomycin and the estrogens estrone and 17β-estradiol in soil mesocosms, and 2) assess the effect of the p
Authors
Adam H. Moody, Robert N. Lerch, Keith Goyle, Stephen H. Anderson, David Mendoza-Cózatl, David Alvarez
Decadal shifts in the population growth, regeneration, and health of Taxodium distichum in swamps of the Cache River Watershed, Illinois
Population projection models based on long-term trends in regeneration and tree survival can be used to predict the future stability of swamp forest species using water management. Population growth and regeneration of a foundational tree species in North American cypress swamps (Taxodium distichum) were compared in the Cache River watershed of southern Illinois USA over several decades. This stud
Authors
Beth Middleton, Darren Johnson
Broad-scale assessment of methylmercury in adult amphibians
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic contaminant that has been mobilized and distributed worldwide and is a threat to many wildlife species. Amphibians are facing unprecedented global declines due to many threats including contaminants. While the biphasic life history of many amphibians creates a potential nexus for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in aquatic habitats and subsequent health effects, the broad-scal
Authors
Brian J. Tornabene, Blake R. Hossack, Brian J. Halstead, Collin Eagles-Smith, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, Adrianne Brand, Colleen Emery, Robert N. Fisher, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Brad Glorioso, Daniel A. Grear, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Patrick M. Kleeman, David Miller, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Jennifer Rowe, Caitlin Teresa Rumrill, J. Hardin Waddle, Megan Winzeler, Kelly L. Smalling
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Monitoring population-level foraging distribution of a marine migratory species from land: Strengths and weaknesses of the isotopic approach on the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead turtle aggregation
Assessing the linkage between breeding and non-breeding areas has important implications for understanding the fundamental biology of and conserving animal species. This is a challenging task for marine species, and in sea turtles a combination of stable isotope analysis (SIA) and satellite telemetry has been increasingly used. The Northwest Atlantic (NWA) loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Regional Man
Authors
Simona A. Ceriani, Susan Murasko, David S. Addison, David Anderson, Greg Curry, Nicole A. Desjardin, Scott F. Eastman, Daniel R. Evans, Nancy Evou, Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes, Matthew H. Godfrey, Kristen Hart, Paul Hillbrand, Sarah E. Hirsch, Cody R. Mott, Katherine L. Mansfield, Kristen T. Mazzarella, Sarah V. Norris, S. Michelle Pate, Katrina F. Phillips, Kirt W. Rusenko, Brian M. Shamblin, Amber Stevenson, Kelly A. Sloan, Anton D. Tucker, Ryan C. Welsh, Paolo Casale
Evolutionary and ecological correlates of thiaminase in fishes
Thiamine (vitamin B1) is required by all living organisms in multiple metabolic pathways. It is scarce in natural systems, and deficiency can lead to reproductive failure, neurological issues, and death. One major cause of thiamine deficiency is an overreliance on diet items containing the enzyme thiaminase. Thiaminase activity has been noted in many prey fishes and linked to cohort failure in sal
Authors
Freya Elizabeth Rowland, Catherine A. Richter, Donald E Tillitt, David Walters