Publications
Below is a list of WERC's peer-reviewed publications. If you are searching for a specific publication and cannot find it in this list, please contact werc_web@usgs.gov
Filter Total Items: 3776
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2025 Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2025
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are at the center of State and national land-use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits as an ecological indicator for the health of sagebrush ecosystems. This updated population analysis provides State and Federal land and wildlife managers with the best available science to help guide...
Authors
Brian G. Prochazka, Peter S. Coates, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell, Adrian P. Monroe, Steve E. Hanser, John C. Tull, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille, Michael T. Atamian, Kathy A. Griffin, Heather F. Harris, Jesse L. Kolar, Katherine S. Miller, Michael A. Schroeder, Justin R. Small, Alex J. Solem, Jennifer L. Struthers, Heather L. Talley, Skyler T. Vold
Abundant ticks but limited Borrelia spp. pathogens in Mojave desert tortoise habitat Abundant ticks but limited Borrelia spp. pathogens in Mojave desert tortoise habitat
Ornithodoros ticks, a genus of soft ticks in the family Argasidae, occur worldwide including throughout deserts in the Southwestern United States. In the Mojave Desert, Ornithodoros parkeri and O. turicata are common ectoparasites of Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii). These two tick species are vectors of Borrelia spp. that cause tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) in people...
Authors
Molly J. Bechtel, Todd Esque, Kristina Drake, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Nathan C. Nieto, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster, Mike B. Teglas
Biomarkers of mortality risks in Yukon Chinook salmon Biomarkers of mortality risks in Yukon Chinook salmon
Premature mortality of spawning adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus species) can strongly influence population dynamics and complicate escapement-based management. Heat stress and Ichthyophonus infections have been identified as probable drivers of premature mortality in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and likely contributors to low spawning abundance. We leveraged a
Authors
Vanessa R. von Biela, Lizabeth Bowen, Amy M. Regish, Jayde A Ferguson, Zachary W Liller, Stephen D. McCormick, Paul Hershberger, Stan Zuray, Morag Clinton, Michael P. Carey
Southern (California) sea otter population status and trends at San Nicolas Island, 2023–winter 2026 Southern (California) sea otter population status and trends at San Nicolas Island, 2023–winter 2026
The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population at San Nicolas Island, California, has been monitored annually since the translocation of 140 sea otters to the island was completed in 1990. Monitoring efforts have varied in frequency and method across years. In 2017, in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Fish...
Authors
Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Julie L. Yee, Elizabeth Seacord, Michelle M. Staedler, Brian B. Hatfield, Lilian P. Carswell, Jessica Fujii, Gena Bentall, Leilani Konrad, Colleen Young, M. T. Tinker, Lizabeth Bowen
Estimating greater sage-grouse population sizes within Oregon, 2017–24 Estimating greater sage-grouse population sizes within Oregon, 2017–24
We fit a binomial mixture (N-mixture) model to lek (breeding area) count data to estimate annual population sizes of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) within Oregon between 2017 and 2024. Population estimates were delineated among 24 priority areas for conservation, and additional sources of information were considered, including male-to-female sex ratios, lek...
Authors
Brian G. Prochazka, Austin L. Nash, Shawn T. O’Neil, Skyler T. Vold, Peter S. Coates, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge
Estimating greater sage-grouse population sizes within the state of Oregon, USA 2017–2024 Estimating greater sage-grouse population sizes within the state of Oregon, USA 2017–2024
We fit an N-mixture model to lek (breeding area) count data to estimate annual population sizes of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) within the state of Oregon, USA between 2017–2024. Population estimates were delineated among 24 Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs) and considered additional sources of information including male-to-female sex ratios, lek...
Authors
Brian G. Prochazka, Peter S. Coates, Austin L. Nash, Shawn T. O’Neil, Skyler T. Vold, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge
Effects of rice idling on occupancy dynamics and survival of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley, California, 2016–24 Effects of rice idling on occupancy dynamics and survival of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley, California, 2016–24
The giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is a semi-aquatic species of snake endemic to marshes and sloughs in the Central Valley of California. Because the Central Valley has lost a substantial amount of wetland habitat, giant gartersnake populations are typically found in aquatic habitats associated with rice (Oryza sativa) agriculture. Therefore, changes to the amount and location of...
Authors
Anna C. Jordan, Jonathan P. Rose, Elliot J. Schoenig, Daniel Macias, Giancarlo R. Napolitano, Gabriel A. Reyes, Brian J. Halstead
Fatal leptospirosis in southern sea otters from Central California: Pathologic findings and detection of Leptospira interrogans Fatal leptospirosis in southern sea otters from Central California: Pathologic findings and detection of Leptospira interrogans
Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona infections cause periodic outbreaks in California sea lions (CSLs; Zalophus californianus) and sporadic deaths in phocids. However, the frequency of infection and associated health impacts remain uncharacterized in sympatric threatened southern sea otters (SSOs; Enhydra lutris nereis), which serve as important sentinels of coastal health. Given the...
Authors
Margaret E. Martinez, Pádraig J. Duignan, Katherine C. Prager, Cara L. Field, Mary E. Gomes, Rinosh Mani, Lilian P. Carswell, Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Michael J. Murray, Ri K. Chang, Lloyd-Smith O. James
Estimating basal area change by tree size with Sentinel-2 imagery following four fires in California, USA Estimating basal area change by tree size with Sentinel-2 imagery following four fires in California, USA
Background Failure to account for tree size when estimating burn severity may not accurately capture post-fire tree mortality and post-fire forest structure. Aims We explored whether basal area mortality by tree size class could be determined from remotely-sensed burn severity indices based solely on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Methods We used data collected in four large California...
Authors
Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Christopher Y.S. Wong, Derek J.N. Young, Saba J. Saberi, Andrew M. Latimer, Joseph A.E. Stewart, Adrian J. Das, Calvin A. Farris, Emma J. McClure, Lauren N. Youngblood, Hugh D. Safford, Kristen L. Shive
Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements
The spatial patterns of fire effects and tree mortality have profound consequences for forest resilience. Cost-effective, medium-resolution, and spatiotemporally extensive fire severity measurements are essential for informing post-fire restoration and improving our understanding of wildfires—from forest stands to continents and from days to decades. Remote sensing advancements have...
Authors
Sara Winsemius, Yufang Jin, Hugh D. Safford, Michelle C. Agne, Robert A. Andrus, C. Alina Cansler, Anthony C. Caprio, W. Wallace Covington, Joseph E. Crouse, Calvin A. Farris, Peter Z. Fulé, Brian J. Harvey, Sharon M. Hood, David W. Huffman, Emma J. McClure, Alicia L. Reiner, John P. Roccaforte, Saba J. Saberi, Michael T. Stoddard, Laura Trader, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Michael J. Koontz
Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires
Wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada during 2020–2021 killed giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at rates unseen for millennia, underscoring the vulnerability of highly fire-adapted trees to ongoing environmental change. Following a century of fire exclusion and fuel accumulation, the effectiveness of prescribed burns in reducing giant sequoia mortality from wildfire remained...
Authors
Dan J. Dixon, Adrian J. Das, Xiaoli Dong, Andrew M. Latimer, David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Nathan L. Stephenson, Anthony C. Caprio, Yufang Jin
Transcriptional changes in wild Yukon River Chinook Salmon associated with Ichthyophonus infections Transcriptional changes in wild Yukon River Chinook Salmon associated with Ichthyophonus infections
Objective We compared differentially expressed genes in Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha with three divergent Ichthyophonus statuses (undetected, subclinical infections, or clinical disease; n = 100) to investigate associated transcriptomic responses. Disease associated with the fish parasite Ichthyophonus sp. was first diagnosed in adult Chinook Salmon from the Yukon River in the...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Vanessa R. von Biela, Jayde A. Ferguson, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Amy M. Regish, Michael P. Carey, Zachary Liller, Morag Clinton, Paul Hershberger, Christian E. Zimmerman