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: 41894
Land management strategies influence soil organic carbon stocks of prairie potholes of North America
Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) wetlands in the central plains of Canada and the United States are highly variable due to natural variation in biota, soils, climate, hydrology, and topography. Land-use history (cropland, grassland) and land-management practices (drainage, restoration) also affect SOC stocks. We conducted a region-wide assessment of wetland SOC stoc
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Brian Tangen, Robert A. Gleason, Pascal Badiou, Irena F. Creed
Aquatic foods to nourish nations
Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type (‘seafood’ or ‘fish’)1,2,3,4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of aquatic foods
Authors
Christopher D. Golden, J. Zachary Koehn, Alon Shepon, Simone Passarelli, Christopher M. Free, Daniel Viana, Holger Matthey, Jacob G. Eurich, Jessica A. Gephart, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Abigail Lynch, Marian Kjellevold, Sabri Bromage, Pierre Charlebois, Manuel Barange, Stefania Vannuccini, Ling Cao, Kristin Kleisner, Eric Rimm, Goodarz Danaei, Camille DeDisto, Heather Kelahan, Kathryn J. Fiorella, David C. Little, Edward H. Allison, Jessica Fanzo, Shakuntala H. Thilsted
Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆
Mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxic element, can biomagnify through food webs once converted into methylmercury (MeHg). Some studies have found that selenium (Se) exposure may reduce MeHg bioaccumulation and toxicity, though this pattern is not universal. Se itself can also be toxic at elevated levels. We experimentally manipulated the relative concentrations of dietary MeHg and Se (as selenomethion
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Collin Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, David Walters
Scavengers reduce potential brucellosis transmission risk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Scavengers likely play an important role in ecosystem energy flow as well as disease transmission, but whether they facilitate or reduce disease transmission is often unknown. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, scavengers are likely to reduce the transmission and subsequent spread of brucellosis within and between livestock and elk by consuming infectious abortion materials, thereby removing th
Authors
Kimberly E Szcodronski, Paul C. Cross
Comparison of flea sampling methods and Yersinia pestis detection on prairie dog colonies
Scientists collect fleas (Siphonaptera) to survey for Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague. When studying fleas parasitizing prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), two primary methods are used: (1) combing fleas from live-trapped prairie dogs and (2) swabbing fleas from burrows with cloth swabs attached to metal cables. Ideally, burrow swabbing, the cheaper and easier method, would explain flea bu
Authors
David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Julia Poje, Dean E. Biggins
Grasslands maintain stability in productivity through compensatory effects and dominant species stability under extreme precipitation patterns
Extreme climatic events are likely to intensify under climate change and can have different effects on ecosystems depending on their timing and magnitude. Understanding how productivity responds to extreme precipitation patterns requires assessing stability and vulnerability during critical growing periods at the plant community level. In this study, we experimentally imposed two contrasting types
Authors
Wenlan Gao, Linfeng Li, Seth M. Munson, Xiaoyong Cui, Yanfen Wang, Yanbin Hao
Reproductive plasticity as an advantage of snakes during island invasion
Most invasive species are not studied during their initial colonization of ecosystems to which they were recently introduced. Rather, research is typically performed after invasive species are well established and causing harm to the native biodiversity. Thus, novel adaptations of invasive species during their initial invasions are rarely identified. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californ
Authors
S R Fisher, Robert N. Fisher, S E Alcaraz, R Gallo-Barneto, C Patino-Martinez, L F López- Jurado, M Á Cabrera-Pérez, J L Grismer
A new approach to evaluate and reduce uncertainty of model-based biodiversity projections for conservation policy formulation
Biodiversity projections with uncertainty estimates under different climate, land-use, and policy scenarios are essential to setting and achieving international targets to mitigate biodiversity loss. Evaluating and improving biodiversity predictions to better inform policy decisions remains a central conservation goal and challenge. A comprehensive strategy to evaluate and reduce uncertainty of mo
Authors
Bonnie Myers, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Alexey N. Shiklomanov, Simon Ferrier, Ensheng Weng, Kimberly Ann Casey, Michael Harfoot, Stephen Jackson, Allison K. Leidner, Timothy M. Lenton, Gordon Luikart, Hiroyuki Matsuda, Nathalie Pettorelli, Isabel M. D. Rosa, Alexander C. Ruane, Gabriel B. Senay, Shawn P. Serbin, Derek P. Tittensor, T. Douglas Beard
Persistent nitrate in alpine waters with changing atmospheric deposition and warming trends
Nitrate concentrations in high-elevation lakes of the Colorado Front Range remain elevated despite declining trends in atmospherically deposited nitrate since 2000. The current source of this elevated nitrate in surface waters remains elusive, given shifts in additional nitrogen sources via glacial inputs and atmospheric ammonium deposition. We present the complete isotopic composition of nitrate
Authors
Sydney C. Clark, Rebecca T. Barnes, Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Meredith G. Hastings
A comprehensive statewide spatiotemporal stream assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in an agricultural region of the United States
Public concern regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has grown substantially in recent years. In addition, research has documented multiple potential agriculture-related release pathways for PFAS (e.g., biosolids and livestock manure). Nevertheless, little research on the environmental prevalence of PFAS has been conducted in agricultural regions of the United States. To fill this g
Authors
Dana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, D.M. Cwiertny, Shannon M. Meppelink, D.A. Thompson, James L. Gray
Hierarchical functional response of a forager on a wetland landscape
We show that for some foragers the form that a functional response takes depends on the temporal and spatial scales considered. In representing the consumption rate of an organism, it may be necessary to use a hierarchy of functional responses. Consider, for example, a wading bird foraging in wetland landscape characterized by a spatial distribution of potential foraging sites, such as ponds. At t
Authors
Don DeAngelis, Simeon Yurek, Stephen Tennenbaum, Hyo Won Lee
Assessment of variation in the detection and prevalence of blood parasites among sympatrically breeding geese in western Alaska, USA
Haemosporidian parasites may impact avian health and are subject to shifts in distribution and abundance with changing ecologic conditions. Therefore, understanding variation in parasite prevalence is important for evaluating biologically meaningful changes in infection patterns and associated population level impacts. Previous research in western Alaska, US, indicated a possible increase in Leuco
Authors
Raymond M. Buchheit, Joel Schmutz, John A. Reed, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Andrew M. Ramey