Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 41763
Abundance of eelgrass (Zostera marina) at key Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) wintering sites along the northern Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico, 1998–2012
Trends in the abundance and distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina), the primary winter forage of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans), was evaluated at three major wintering sites for black brant along the northern Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico. This region of northwestern Mexico contains significant beds of eelgrass that were showing signs of decline, which may negatively affect
Authors
David H. Ward
Genetic analysis of North American Phragmites australis guides management approaches
Phragmites australis subsp. australis is an invasive and ecologically detrimental plant in multiple regions of North America. Its co-occurrence with the native subspecies, and multiple instances of hybridization, has created the need to differentiate Phragmites subspecies or haplotypes so that management can be appropriately targeted to the invader. We compiled a review of current genetic discrimi
Authors
Denise L. Lindsay, Joanna Freeland, Ping Gong, Xin Guan, Nathan E Harms, Kurt P. Kowalski, Richard F. Lance, Dong-Ha Oh, Bradley T Sartain, Douglas L Wendell
The hydroclimate niche: A tool for predicting and managing riparian plant community responses to streamflow seasonality
Habitat suitability is a consequence of interacting environmental factors. In riparian ecosystems, suitable plant habitat is influenced by interactions between stream hydrology and climate, hereafter referred to as “hydroclimate”. We tested the hypothesis that hydroclimate variables would improve the fit of ecological niche models for a suite of riparian species using occurrence data from the west
Authors
Bradley J. Butterfield, Emily C. Palmquist, Charles Yackulic
Patterns and controls of foliar nutrient stoichiometry and flexibility across United States forests
Plant element stoichiometry and stoichiometric flexibility strongly regulate ecosystem responses to global change. Here, we tested three potential mechanistic drivers (climate, soil nutrients, and plant taxonomy) of both using paired foliar and soil nutrient data from terrestrial forested National Ecological Observatory Network sites across the USA. We found that broad patterns of foliar nitrogen
Authors
Katherine A Kynarski, Fiona M. Soper, Sasha C. Reed, William R Wieder, Cory C Cleveland
Backpack electrofishing does not contribute to external signs of gas bubble trauma in sculpins
We exposed prickly sculpin Cottus asper and reticulate sculpin Cottus perplexus to electroshock and sham treatments in a controlled laboratory setting to determine if backpack electrofishing contributed to or exacerbated external signs of gas bubble trauma (GBT) in fish exposed to elevated total dissolved gas (TDG) levels. Fish were exposed to 115, 120 and 125% TDG (measured as percent of saturati
Authors
Kenneth Tiffan, Nicole Joy Eller
Adapting to climate change on desert rangelands: A multi-site comparison of grazing behavior plasticity of heritage and improved beef cattle
Climate change is amplifying the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of desert rangeland forages through its impact on precipitation variability. Foraging behavior plasticity (an animal's ability to alter its behavior to cope with environmental variation) could be a key trait for climate adaptation of beef cattle in arid environments. We analyzed GPS-derived movement and activity data of Criollo and comm
Authors
Andres F. Cibils, Rick E. Estell, Sheri Spiegal, Shelemia Nyamuryekung’e, Matthew M. McIntosh, Danielle M. Duni, Herrera Conegliano, Felipe A. Rodriguez Almeida, Octavio Roacho Estrada, Lisandro J. Blanco, Michael C. Duniway, Santiago A. Utsumi, Alfredo L. Gonzalez
Conclusion to the special issue on Pollinators of the Great Plains
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto
Introduction to the special issue on pollinators of the Great Plains
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto
Movements and habitat use of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in the northern Gulf of Mexico
No abstract available.
Authors
Daniel Slone, Susan M. Butler, James P. Reid, Cathy Beck, Robert Bonde
Behavioral responses of native and invasive fishes of the Upper Mississippi River to 100 hp boat motor acoustic stimulus
Acoustic deterrents are currently being considered for deployment at strategic bottlenecks, such as lock and dams of major rivers, to deter upstream movement of invasive carp. Previous studies have demonstrated that bighead and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and H. molitrix, respectively) display negative phonotaxis to playbacks of broadband sound recordings produced from a 100 hp outboar
Authors
Kelsie A. Murchy, Brooke J Vetter, Marybeth K. Brey, Allen F. Mensinger
The Colorado River – The science-policy interface
No abstract available.
Authors
John C. Schmidt, Lindsey Bruckerhoff, Jianghao Wang, Charles Yackulic
Influence of test method variables on sensitivity of Neocloeon triangulifer to a reference toxicant in short-term, effluent style evaluations
Recent literature has demonstrated the sensitivity of mayflies to environmental contaminants. However, to date, there are no methods approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency for using sensitive insects like mayflies in whole-effluent toxicity or receiving water toxicity tests. The parthenogenetic mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer has been shown to be amenable to continuous culture in the lab
Authors
David J. Soucek, Amy Dickinson, Teresa J. Norberg-King