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
Parentage and sibship relationships among captive snakes at the Phoenix Zoo—2024 data summary Parentage and sibship relationships among captive snakes at the Phoenix Zoo—2024 data summary
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Anna Mitelberg, Amy G. Vandergast
Examining inter-regional and intra-seasonal differences in wintering waterfowl landscape associations among Pacific and Atlantic flyways Examining inter-regional and intra-seasonal differences in wintering waterfowl landscape associations among Pacific and Atlantic flyways
The Central Valley of California (CVC) and Mid-Atlantic (MA) in the U.S. are both critical sites for nationwide food security, and many waterfowl species annually, especially during the winter, providing feeding and roosting locations for a variety of species. Mapping waterfowl distributions, using NEXRAD, may aid in the adaptive management of important waterfowl habitat and allow...
Authors
Matthew J. Hardy, Christopher K. Williams, Brian S. Ladman, Maurice E. Pitesky, Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, Elliott Matchett, Diann J. Prosser, Jeffrey J. Buler
The potential of remote sensing for improved infectious disease ecology research and practice The potential of remote sensing for improved infectious disease ecology research and practice
Outbreaks of Covid-19 in humans, Dutch elm disease in forests, and highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds and poultry highlight the disruptive impacts of emerging infectious diseases on public health, ecosystems, and economies. Infectious disease dynamics often depend on environmental conditions that drive occurrence, transmission, and outbreaks. Remote sensing can contribute to
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, António Ferraz, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Morgan E. Gilmour, Ian G. Brosnan
Desert Tortoise translocation plan for the U.S. Department of the Army National Training Center and Fort Irwin Western Training Area Desert Tortoise translocation plan for the U.S. Department of the Army National Training Center and Fort Irwin Western Training Area
The U.S. Department of the Army proposes to commence military activity at the Fort Irwin National Training Center within the Western Training Area (WTA) and to translocate Mojave Desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii; hereafter tortoise) that will be affected to the Western Training Area Translocation Site (WTATS). This desert tortoise translocation plan provides a timeline of activities...
Authors
Todd Esque, Ally Xiong, Sarah Doyle, Sean M. Murphy, Chad Wilhite, Kenneth Nussear
Concordant signal of genetic variation across marker densities in the desert annual Chylismia brevipes is linked with timing of winter precipitation Concordant signal of genetic variation across marker densities in the desert annual Chylismia brevipes is linked with timing of winter precipitation
Climate change coupled with large-scale surface disturbances necessitate active restoration strategies to promote resilient and genetically diverse native plant communities. However, scarcity of native plant materials hinders restoration efforts, leading practitioners to choose from potentially viable but nonlocal seed sources. Genome scans for genetic variation linked with selective...
Authors
Daniel F. Shryock, Nila Lê, Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd Esque
Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation
Terminal lakes are declining globally because of human water demands, drought, and climate change. Through literature synthesis and feedback from the resource and conservation community, we review the state of research for terminal lakes in the Great Basin of the United States, which support millions of waterbirds annually, to prioritize ecological and hydrologic information needs. From...
Authors
Garth Herring, Ashley L. Whipple, Cameron L. Aldridge, Bryce Alan Pulver, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Rich D. Inman, Elliott Matchett, Adrian P. Monroe, Elizabeth Kari Orning, Benjamin Seward Robb, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Cassandra Smith, Matthew J. Holloran, Cory T. Overton, David O’Leary, Michael L. Casazza, Rebecca J. Frus
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment
Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups
Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive...
Authors
John F. Benson, David A. Keiter, Peter J. Mahoney, Benjamin L. Allen, Lee R. Allen, Francisco Álvares, Morgan L. Anderson, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, Adi Barocas, James C Beasley, Linda Behrendorff, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean Beyer, Luigi Boitani, Bridget L Borg, Stan Boutin, Erin E. Boydston, Justin L. Brown, Joseph K. Bump, Jonathon D. Cepek, Michael J Chamberlain, Yvette M. Chenaux-Ibrahim, Seth G. Cherry, Duško Ćirović, Paolo Ciucci, H. Dean Cluff, Susan M Cooper, Kevin R. Crooks, Daniel L.J. Dupont, Robert N. Fisher, Daniel Fortin, Thomas D. Gable, Emilio Garcia, Eli Geffen, Stanley D. Gehrt, Michael Gillingham, Douglas C. Heard, Mark Hebblewhite, Joseph W Hinton, Austin T. Homkes, Chris G. Howden, Djuro Huber, Pat J. Jackson, Kyle Joly, Allicia P Kelly, Marcella J. Kelly, Katrien A. Kingdon, Abhijeet Kulkarni, Josip Kusak, Gerald W. Kuzyk, Bryce C. Lake, Luis Llaneza, Jose Vicente Lopez-Bao, Daniel R. MacNulty, Ashley A.D. McLaren, Philip D. McLoughlin, Evelyn H. Merrill, Kenneth J. Mills, Numi Mitchell, Seth A. Moore, Matthew A. Mumma, Maureen H. Murray, Marco Musiani, Mónia Nakamura, Eric W. Neilson, Lalenia M. Neufeld, Thomas M Newsome, John K. Oakleaf, Vincente Palacios, Marlo M. Perdicas, Thomas Perry, Tyler R. Petroelje, Cyrenea B. Piper, Christina M. Prokopenko, Laura R. Prugh, Seth P.D. Riley, Helena Rio-Maior, Gretchen H. Roffler, Dale Rollins, Håkan Sand, Fiona K A Schmiegelow, Dale R. Seip, Mathew S Sorum, Colleen C. St. Clair, Robin Steenweg, Michael W. Strohbach, Jack Tatler, Maria Thaker, Connor A. Thompson, Julia W. Turner, Abi Tamim Vanak, Eric Vander Wal, Petter Wabakken, Scott E Walter, Sarah C Webster, Tyler J. Wheeldon, Camilla Wikenros, Steve K. Windels, Julie K. Young, Sana Zabihi-Seissan, Barbara Zimmermann, Brent R. Patterson
Drought before fire increases tree mortality after fire Drought before fire increases tree mortality after fire
Fire and drought are expected to increase in frequency and severity in temperate forests due to climate change. To evaluate whether drought increases the likelihood of post-fire tree mortality, we used a large database of tree survival and mortality from 32 years of wildland fires covering four dominant western North American conifers. We used Bayesian hierarchical modeling to predict...
Authors
C. Alina Cansler, Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Timothy M. Shearman, J. Morgan Varner, Sharon M. Hood
The invasive acanthocephalan parasite Pachysentis canicola is associated with a declining endemic island fox population on San Miguel Island The invasive acanthocephalan parasite Pachysentis canicola is associated with a declining endemic island fox population on San Miguel Island
In the late 1990s, the San Miguel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) faced near-extinction. Fourteen of the 15 remaining foxes were placed into an island-based captive breeding program used to repopulate the island. Although the fox population in San Miguel reached pre-decline numbers by 2010, a second decline started around 2014, coincidental with a newly observed...
Authors
O. Alejandro Aleuy, Leslie W. Woods, Benjamin J. Padilla, Dennis J. Richardson, Juliann T. Schamel, Stacy Baker, Martín García-Varela, Charlotte I. Hammond, Sarah P. Lawson, Jasmine N. Childress, Jason Rohr, Kevin D. Lafferty
Distribution, abundance, breeding activities, and habitat use of the Least Bell's Vireo at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California—2023 annual report Distribution, abundance, breeding activities, and habitat use of the Least Bell's Vireo at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California—2023 annual report
Authors
Suellen Lynn, Barbara E. Kus
Evaluation of the gap intercept method to measure rangeland connectivity Evaluation of the gap intercept method to measure rangeland connectivity
Characterizing the connectivity of materials, organisms, and energy on rangelands is critical to understanding and managing ecosystem response to disturbances. For over twenty years, scientists and rangeland managers have used the gap intercept method to monitor connectivity. However, using gap intercept measurements to infer ecosystem processes or inform management actions and...
Authors
Sarah E. McCord, Joseph R. Brehm, Lea A. Condon, Leah Dreesmann, Lisa M. Ellsworth, Matthew J. Germino, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Brian K. Howard, Emily Kachergis, Jason W. Karl, Anna C. Knight, Savannah Meadors, Aleta Nafus, Beth A. Newingham, Peter J. Olsoy, Nicole Pietrasiak, David S. Pilliod, Anthony Schaefer, Nicholas P. Webb, Brandi E. Wheeler, C. Jason Williams, Kristina E. Young
Digging into detectability: Uncovering how temperature influences detection probability of the fossorial Temblor legless lizard Digging into detectability: Uncovering how temperature influences detection probability of the fossorial Temblor legless lizard
Knowledge of species distributions is critical for conservation, but surveying for rare, understudied species presents many challenges. A two-phase occupancy study can increase knowledge gained from early occupancy studies of a species by quickly using data from the first survey period to revise the study design for a second period. The Temblor legless lizard Anniella alexanderae is a...
Authors
Jonathan P. Rose, Sabrena M. Camp, Zarina N. Sheikh, Chelsea B. Johnson, Samuel H. Lei, Giancarlo R. Napolitano, Elliot J. Schoenig, Daniel Macias, Anna C. Jordan, Brian J. Halstead