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
Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate
Adaptive capacity (AC)—the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change—is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species’ AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species’ attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing spe
Authors
Lindsey Thurman, John E. Gross, Claudia Mengelt, Erik A. Beever, Laura Thompson, Gregor W. Schuurman, Christopher Hoving, Julian D. Olden
Loss of branches due to winter storms could favor deciduousness in oaks
PremiseEcologists have an incomplete understanding of the factors that select for deciduous, evergreen, and marcescent leaf habits. Evergreens have more opportunities for photosynthesis but may experience costs when abiotic conditions are unfavorable such as during ice and windstorms.MethodsWe documented branch loss for species of oaks (Quercus spp.) in a common garden in California during an unus
Authors
Richard Karban, Ian Pearse
Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass
Histopathological assessments of young-of-the-year (age-0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in the Susquehanna River drainage identified a high prevalence of the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus. This myxozoan infects the connective tissue of the muscle below the skin but is sometimes observed in the esophagus and buccal cavity. In some instances, shallow infections cause breaks in the skin, which
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik
Landscape-scale drivers of endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) presence using an ensemble modeling approach
The Florida Everglades is a vast and iconic wetland ecosystem in the southern United States that has undergone dramatic changes from habitat degradation, development encroachment, and water impoundment. Starting in the past few decades, large restoration projects have been undertaken to restore the landscape, including improving conditions for threatened and imperiled taxa. One focus of restoratio
Authors
Saira Haider, Allison Benscoter, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Laura D'Acunto, Stephanie Romanach
Use of carbon dioxide to prevent zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) settlement and effects on native mussels (Order Unionoida) and benthic communities
We determined the efficacy of carbon dioxide (CO2) for preventing larval (veliger) settlement of the invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and compared the response of native juvenile mussels and macroinvertebrate and periphyton communities to hypercapnia. A microcosm system of control (ambient Camb) and CO2 treatments [low PCO2 (Clow)=35,094 µatm, and high PCO2 (Chigh)=66,685 µatm)] was su
Authors
Diane L. Waller, Lynn A. Bartsch, Michelle Bartsch, Matthew J Meulemans, Thomas J. Zolper, Todd J. Severson
Genome-wide SNP analysis of three moose subspecies at the southern range limit in the contiguous United States
Genome-wide evaluations of genetic diversity and population structure are important for informing management and conservation of trailing-edge populations. North American moose (Alces alces) are declining along portions of the southern edge of their range due to disease, species interactions, and marginal habitat, all of which may be exacerbated by climate change. We employed a genotyping by seque
Authors
Jason Ferrante, Chase H. Smith, Laura Thompson, Maggie Hunter
Megafires and thick smoke portend big problems for migratory birds
In 2020, the fire season affecting the western United States reached unprecedented levels. The 116 fires active in September consumed nearly 20,822 km2 (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/accessible-view/ Accessed 2020-09-29) with eighty percent of this footprint (16,567 km2) from 68 fires occurring within California, Oregon, and Washington. Although the 2020 fire season was the most extreme on record, it e
Authors
Cory T. Overton, Austen Lorenz, Eric P. James, Ravan Ahmadov, John M. Eadie, Fiona McDuie, Mark J. Petrie, Chris A. Nicolai, Melanie L. Weaver, Daniel A. Skalos, Shannon Skalos, Andrea Lynn Mott, Desmond Alexander Mackell, Anna Kennedy, Elliott Matchett, Michael L. Casazza
Range eclipse leads to tenuous survival of a rare lizard species on a barrier atoll
Rediscovery of living populations of a species that was presumed to be extirpated can generate new narratives for conservation in areas suffering from losses in biodiversity. We used field observations and DNA sequence data to verify the rediscovery of the Critically Endangered scincid lizard Emoia slevini on Dåno′, an islet off the coast of Guam in the southern Mariana Islands, where for > 20 yea
Authors
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Elijah Wostl, Robert Reed, Robert N. Fisher
Flight altitudes of raptors in southern Africa highlight vulnerability of threatened species to wind turbines
Energy infrastructure, particularly for wind power, is rapidly expanding in Africa, creating the potential for conflict with at-risk wildlife populations. Raptor populations are especially susceptible to negative impacts of fatalities from wind energy because individuals tend to be long-lived and reproduce slowly. A major determinant of risk of collision between flying birds and wind turbines is t
Authors
Christopher J W McClure, Leah Dunn, Jennifer D McCabe, Brian W. Rolek, Andre Botha, Munir Virani, Ralph Buij, Todd E. Katzner
Evidence that copepod biomass during the larval period regulates recruitment of Lake Erie walleye
Walleye (Sander vitreus) is an economically and culturally important species in Lake Erie that has experienced large interannual variability in recruitment. We examined the importance of prey biomass during the larval period to walleye recruitment while also considering the importance of temperature. Using nine years of field data over a 22-year period (1994–2016) for larval walleye and zooplankto
Authors
Cassandra J. May, R. Budnik, S. Ludsin, D. O'Donnell, James M. Hood, Edward F. Roseman, E. Marschall
An opportunistic survey reveals an unexpected coronavirus diversity hotspot in North America
In summer 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected on mink farms in Utah. An interagency One Health response was initiated to assess the extent of the outbreak and included sampling animals from on or near affected mink farms and testing them for SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS coronaviruses. Among the 365 animals sampled, including domestic cats, mink, rodents, racc
Authors
Hon S. Ip, Kathryn M. Griffin, Jeffrey D. Messer, Megan Winzeler, Susan A. Shriner, Mary Lea Killian, Mia K. Torchetti, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Brian R. Amman, Caitlin M. Cossaboom, R. Reid Harvey, Natalie M. Wendling, Hannah Rettler, Dean Taylor, Jonathan S. Towner, Casey Barton Behravesh, David S. Blehert
Identifying negative sentiment polarity in the Judas technique
In the context of conservation science and management, the Judas technique refers to outfitting an animal (a Judas animal) with a radio transmitter or other identifier so that its movements can be tracked to locate conspecifics. Although this term is commonly used, some consider it offensive due to historical associations of the word Judas with anti-Semitic sentiments. Thus, the term has a negativ
Authors
Austin Lee Fitzgerald, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Charlotte J. Robinson, Robert Reed, Andrea Faye Currylow