Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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

The population genetics of the causative agent of snake fungal disease indicate recent introductions to the USA

Snake fungal disease (SFD; ophidiomycosis), caused by the pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo), has been documented in wild snakes in North America and Eurasia, and is considered an emerging disease in the eastern United States of America. However, a lack of historical disease data has made it challenging to determine whether Oo is a recent arrival to the USA or whether SFD emergence is due to
Authors
Jason T. Ladner, Jonathan M. Palmer, Cassandra L. Ettinger, Jason E. Stajich, Terence M. Farrell, Brad M. Glorioso, Becki Lawson, Steven J. Price, Anne G. Stengle, Daniel A. Grear, Jeffrey M. Lorch

Distribution of niclosamide following granular Bayluscide applications in lotic systems

The granular formulation of Bayluscide [Bayluscide 3.2% Granular Sea Lamprey Larvicide, granular Bayluscide (gB)] is applied in lentic and lotic systems to survey (assessment) and kill (treatment) larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus; Linnaeus, 1758) in the Great Lakes basin. Granules are spread on the water surface, settle to the sediment surface, and dissolve. The potential risk of niclosamid
Authors
Cheryl A. Kaye, Jeffry A Bernardy, Justin Schueller, Nicholas A. Schloesser, Mary P. Henson, Chad K. Andresen, Courtney A Kirkeeng

Using structured decision making to evaluate potential management responses to detection of dreissenid mussel (Dreissena spp.) environmental DNA

Environmental (e)DNA tools are sensitive and cost-effective for early detection of invasive species. However, the uncertainty associated with the interpretation of positive eDNA detections makes it challenging to determine appropriate natural resource management responses. Multiple sources of error can give rise to positive detections of eDNA in a sample when individuals of that species are not pr
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, David R. Smith, Katherine M O'Donnell, Nathan Owens, Brittany White, Cathy A. Richter, Christopher M. Merkes, Skylar Wolf, Mike Rau, Matthew Neilson, Wesley M. Daniel, Christine E. Dumoulin, Margaret Hunter

Overturning stereotypes: The fuzzy boundary between recreational and subsistence inland fisheries

Inland recreational fisheries provide numerous socio- economic benefits to fishers, families and communities. Recreationally harvested fish are also frequently consumed and may provide affordable and sustainable but undervalued contributions to human nutrition. Quantifying the degree to which recreationally harvested fish contribute to food security and subsistence is impeded by lack of data on ha
Authors
Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Holly Susan Embke, Ashley Robertson, Robert Arlinghaus, Shannon D. Bower, Claudio Baigun, Douglas Beard, Steve J. Cooke, Ian. G. Cowx, John D. Koehn, Roman Lyach, Marco Milardi, Warren M. Potts, Abigail Lynch

Living with wildfire in Teton County, Wyoming: 2021 data report

Wildfire affects many types of communities and is a particular concern for communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI), such as those of Teton County, Wyoming. The core intent of this project was to provide evidence to support the Teton Area Wildfire Protection Coalition (TAWPC) and affiliated organizations in their wildfire mitigation and education programming. This report analyzes existing
Authors
Julia B. Goolsby, Patricia A. Champ, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Bobbi J Clauson, Robert M Sgroi, Lesley Williams, Christopher M. Barth, James Meldrum, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner

Newly documented behavior of free-ranging Arctic wolf pups

Whereas much is known about the behavior and development of captive young wolf (Canis lupus) pups, less detail has been published about some aspects of free-ranging wolf pup behavior. This article synthesizes 42 observations of free-ranging Arctic wolf pups from ages 13 through 52 days made during 10 summers from 1987 through 2006 on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Besides listing key behaviors
Authors
L. David Mech

2021 Tinian Island forest bird abundance estimates

The U.S. Navy, through Micronesian Environmental Services, surveyed landbirds in the Military Lease Area on Tinian Island in May and June 2021 using point-transect distance sampling methods. There were 2,074 individuals of 14 species detected during 123 point counts. Six species were detected during >50% of the counts and were observed at relatively high abundances, while eight species occurred at
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Trevor Bak, Ayesha Genz

Variability in marsh migration potential determined by topographic rather than anthropogenic constraints in the Chesapeake Bay region

Sea level rise (SLR) and saltwater intrusion are driving inland shifts in coastal ecosystems. Here, we make high-resolution (1 m) predictions of land conversion under future SLR scenarios in 81 watersheds surrounding Chesapeake Bay, United States, a hotspot for accelerated SLR and saltwater intrusion. We find that 1050–3748 km2 of marsh could be created by 2100, largely at the expense of forested
Authors
Grace Molino, Joel A. Carr, Neil K. Ganju, Matthew Kirwan

Spatially explicit management of genetic diversity using ancestry probability surfaces

1. Ecological restoration and conservation efforts are increasing worldwide and the management of intraspecific genetic variation in plants and animals, an important component of biodiversity, is increasingly valued. As a result, tailorable, spatially explicit approaches to map genetic variation are needed to support decision-making and management frameworks related to the recovery of threatened a
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler

Stream size, temperature, and density explain body sizes of freshwater salmonids across a range of climate conditions

Climate change and anthropogenic activities are altering the body sizes of fishes, yet our understanding of factors influencing body size for many taxa remains incomplete. We evaluated the relationships between climate, environmental, and landscape attributes and the body size of different taxa of freshwater trout (Salmonidae) in the USA. Hierarchical spatial modeling across a gradient of habitats
Authors
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Benjamin Letcher, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Jason B. Dunham, Timothy Joseph Cline, Nathaniel P. Hitt, James Roberts, David Schmetterling

Plant pathogens provide clues to the potential origin of bat white-nose syndrome Pseudogymnoascus destructans

White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats, yet both the origins and infection strategy of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, remain elusive. We provide evidence for a novel hypothesis that P. destructans emerged from plant-associated fungi and retained invasion strategies affiliated with fungal pathogens of plants. We demonstrate that P. destructans invades bat skin in succe
Authors
Carol Meteyer, Julien Yann Dutheil, M. Kevin Keel, Justin G. Boyles, Eva Holtgrewe Stukenbrock

N and P constrain C in ecosystems under climate change: Role of nutrient redistribution, accumulation, and stoichiometry

We use the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) model to examine responses of twelve ecosystems to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), warming, and 20% decreases or increases in precipitation. Ecosystems respond synergistically to elevated CO2, warming, and decreased precipitation combined because higher water-use efficiency with elevated CO2 and higher fertility with warming compensate for responses to d
Authors
Ed Rastetter, Bonnie Kwiatkowski, David Kicklighter, Audrey Barker Plotkin, Helene Genet, Jesse Nippert, Kimberly O’Keefe, Steven Perakis, Stephen Porder, Sarah Roley, Roger W. Ruess, Jonathan R. Thompson, William Wieder, Kevin WIlcox, Ruth Yanai