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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: 3780

Emergent insect production in post-harvest flooded agricultural fields used by waterbirds Emergent insect production in post-harvest flooded agricultural fields used by waterbirds

California’s Tulare Lake Basin (TLB) is one of the most important waterbird areas in North America even though most wetlands there have been converted to cropland. To guide management programs promoting waterbird beneficial agriculture, which includes flooding fields between growing periods, we measured emergence rates of insects, an important waterbird food, in three crop types (tomato...
Authors
Richard C. Moss, Steven C. Blumenshine, Julie Yee, Joseph P. Fleskes

Presettlement and modern disturbance regimes in coast redwood forests: Implications for the conservation of old-growth stands Presettlement and modern disturbance regimes in coast redwood forests: Implications for the conservation of old-growth stands

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), a western North American conifer of ancient lineage, has a paradoxical combination of late-successional characteristics and strong adaptations to disturbance. Despite its shade tolerance and heavy dominance of the canopy on many sites, redwood saplings are uncommon in upland old-growth stands. Information needed to ensure the conservation of old...
Authors
Craig G. Lorimer, Daniel J. Porter, Mary Ann Madej, John D. Stuart, Stephen D. Veirs, Steven P. Norman, Kevin L. O’Hara, William J. Libby

Seismic monitoring to assess performance of structures in near-real time: Recent progress Seismic monitoring to assess performance of structures in near-real time: Recent progress

Earlier papers have described how observed data from classical accelerometers deployed in structures or from differential GPS with high sampling ratios deployed at roofs of tall buildings can be configured to establish seismic health monitoring of structures. In these configurations, drift ratios are the main parametric indicator of damage condition of a structure or component of a...
Authors
Mehmet Celebi

Estimation of fuel conditions for fire danger assessment Estimation of fuel conditions for fire danger assessment

A review of physical and chemical properties of fuels relevant for fire ignition and propagation is presented, along with different methods to estimate those properties, with special emphasis on satellite imagery. The discussion is more extended on estimating fuel moisture trends and fuel geometrical properties.
Authors
Emilio Chuvieco, Jan W. Van Wagtendonk, David Riano, Marta Yebra, Susan L. Ustin

Fires and landscape conservation in mediterranean ecosystems Fires and landscape conservation in mediterranean ecosystems

Protected areas are some of the last remaining areas on Earth where fire can play its natural role at a landscape-scale. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed a system for categorizing protected areas. The role fire can play in the various categories depends on the management objectives of the category, the size of the individual units, and the laws and...
Authors
Jan W. Van Wagtendonk

Organochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA Organochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and...
Authors
A. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Robert G. Anthony, James A. Estes

Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007 Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007

Conservation efforts for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), hereafter sage-grouse, are underway across the range of this species. Over 70 local working groups have been established and are implementing on-the-ground sage-grouse oriented conservation projects. Early on in this process, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) recognized the need to join in these...
Authors
Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Melissa A. Farinha, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Joseph P. Fleskes, Michael R. Miller, James S. Sedinger, Eric J. Kolada

Parasites reduce food web robustness because they are sensitive to secondary extinction as illustrated by an invasive estuarine snail Parasites reduce food web robustness because they are sensitive to secondary extinction as illustrated by an invasive estuarine snail

A robust food web is one in which few secondary extinctions occur after removing species. We investigated how parasites affected the robustness of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh food web by conducting random species removals and a hypothetical, but plausible, species invasion. Parasites were much more likely than free-living species to suffer secondary extinctions following the removal of a...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. Kuris

Mercury contamination in three species of anuran amphibians from the Cache Creek watershed, California, USA Mercury contamination in three species of anuran amphibians from the Cache Creek watershed, California, USA

Fish and wildlife may bioaccumulate mercury (Hg) to levels that adversely affect reproduction, growth, and survival. Sources of Hg within the Cache Creek Watershed in northern California have been identified, and concentrations of Hg in invertebrates and fish have been documented. However, bioaccumulation of Hg by amphibians has not been evaluated. In this study, adult and juvenile...
Authors
Roger L. Hothem, Mark R. Jennings, John J. Crayon

Surface-dwelling and subterranean invertebrate fauna associated with giant reed (Arundo donax Poaceae) in Southern California Surface-dwelling and subterranean invertebrate fauna associated with giant reed (Arundo donax Poaceae) in Southern California

In the southwestern United States giant reed, Arundo donax, is a non-native invasive plant that has become widely established in moist places and forms its largest stands along riparian corridors. The most widely reported negative effects include competition with native species, increased rate of transpiration, increased potential for wildfires, and stream channel and bank alteration...
Authors
Robert E. Lovich, Edward L. Ervin, Robert N. Fisher

The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases

The projected global increase in the distribution and prevalence of infectious diseases with climate change suggests a pending societal crisis. The subject is increasingly attracting the attention of health professionals and climate-change scientists, particularly with respect to malaria and other vector-transmitted human diseases. The result has been the emergence of a crisis discipline
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty
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