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: 41764
Nutrients and warming alter mountain lake benthic algal structure and function
In recent years, benthic algae have been increasing in abundance in the littoral zones of oligotrophic lakes, but causality has been hard to assign. We used field and laboratory experiments to explore the implications of increasing water temperature and nutrient availability for benthic algal assemblages and ecosystem processes in a Colorado alpine lake. We tested the effect of nutrient enrichment
Authors
Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Whitney S. Beck
Biological and anthropogenic influences on macrophage aggregates in white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay, USA
The response of macrophage aggregates in fish to a variety of environmental stressors has been useful as a biomarker of exposure to habitat degradation. Total volume of macrophage aggregates (MAV) was estimated in the liver and spleen of white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay using stereological approaches. Hepatic and splenic MAV were compared between fish populations from the rural Cho
Authors
Mark A Matsche, Vicki S. Blazer, Erin Pulster, Patricia M. Mazik
Syntrophotalea acetylenivorans sp. nov., a diazotrophic, acetylenotrophic anaerobe isolated from intertidal sediments
A Gram-stain-negative, strictly anaerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated SFB93T, was isolated from the intertidal sediments of South San Francisco Bay, located near Palo Alto, CA, USA. SFB93T was capable of acetylenotrophic and diazotrophic growth, grew at 22–37 °C, pH 6.3–8.5 and in the presence of 10–45 g l−1 NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed tha
Authors
Shaun Baesman, John M. Sutton, Janna L. Fierst, Denise M. Akob, Ronald S. Oremland
The role of habitat heterogeneity and canyon processes in structuring sediment macrofaunal communities associated with hard substrate habitats in Norfolk Canyon, USA
Topographic and hydrodynamic complexity in submarine canyons promotes steep gradients in food availability and geophysical parameters which affect ecological assemblages and beta diversity. While habitat heterogeneity in submarine canyons is known to support diverse and abundant megafaunal communities, due to difficulty in sampling little is known about infaunal communities adjacent to hard substr
Authors
Jill Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos, Craig M. Robertson, Furu Mienis
Aquatic toxicity of chemical road dust suppressants to freshwater organisms
Unpaved roads make up at least 14 million kilometers of the worldwide road network. Although investigations of road runoff often are focused on paved roads, unpaved roads contribute large volumes of runoff to roadside aquatic habitats and introduce unique constituents to runoff, such as chemical dust suppressants. At least 200 products across five chemical categories are commercially available for
Authors
Bethany K. Kunz, Edward E. Little, Vincent L. Barandino
Dynamics of the seasonal migration of Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus, Pallas 1814) and implications for the Lake Ontario food web
Seasonal migrations of fish populations can have large effects on lake nutrient budgets and food web dynamics, but the addition of a migrating non‐native species may alter these dynamics. The Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) arrived in Lake Ontario (USA/Canada) about 20 years ago with a documented history of annual offshore–inshore migrations in its native range. Here we combined nearshore, fix
Authors
Chris Pennuto, Knut Mehler, Brian C. Weidel, Brian F. Lantry, Eric Bruestle
Sequestration of microfibers and other microplastics by green algae, Cladophora, in the US Great Lakes
Daunting amounts of microplastics are present in surface waters worldwide. A main category of microplastics is synthetic microfibers, which originate from textiles. These microplastics are generated and released in laundering and are discharged by wastewater treatment plants or enter surface waters from other sources. The polymers that constitute many common synthetic microfibers are mostly denser
Authors
Julie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Cassie Nelson, Bharath Ganesh Babu, Mary Anne Evans, Eddie Kostelnik, Morgan Keller, Jenna Johnston, Sarah Shidler
Climate-mediated changes to linked terrestrial and marine ecosystems across the northeast Pacific coastal temperate rainforest margin
Coastal margins are important areas of materials flux that link terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Consequently, climate-mediated changes to coastal terrestrial ecosystems and hydrologic regimes have high potential to influence nearshore ocean chemistry and food web dynamics. Research from tightly coupled, high-flux coastal ecosystems can advance understanding of terrestrial–marine links and clima
Authors
Allison L. Bidlack, Sarah Bisbing, Brian Buma, Heida Diefenderfer, Jason Fellman, William Floyd, Ian Giesbrecht, Amritpal Lally, Ken Lertzman, Steven Perakis, David Butman, David D'Amore, Sean W. Fleming, Eran W. Hood, Brianna K. Hunt, Peter Kiffney, Gavin McNicol, Brian Menounos, Suzanne E. Tank
Multi-taxa database data dictionary
The conservation of biological resources relies on the successful management of ecological and physiological research data. The Western Ecological Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey is working with researchers, land managers, and decision makers from non-government organizations and city, county, state, and federal resource agencies to develop data management methods. Access to the most
Authors
Elise Watson, Carlton J. Rochester, Chris W. Brown, Donn A. Holmes, Stacie A. Hathaway, Robert N. Fisher
Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
If not managed properly, modern agricultural practices can alter surface and groundwater quality and drinking water resources resulting in potential negative effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Exposure to agriculturally derived contaminant mixtures has the potential to alter habitat quality and negatively affect fish and other aquatic organisms. Implementation of conservation practices
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Olivia Devereux, Stephanie Gordon, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Michelle Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Adam Sperry, Tyler Wagner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Using high resolution satellite and telemetry data to track flooded habitats, their use by waterfowl, and evaluate effects of drought on waterfowl and shorebird bioenergetics in California
Wetland managers in the Central Valley of California, a dynamic hydrological landscape, require information regarding the amount and location of existing wetland habitat to make decisions on how to best use water resources to support multiple wildlife objectives, particularly during drought. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Point Blue Conservati
Authors
Elliott Matchett, Matthew Reiter, Cory T. Overton, Dennis Jongsomjit, Michael L. Casazza
Understanding metrics of stress in the context of invasion history: The case of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
Invasive species can exert rapid depletion of resources after introduction and, in turn, affect their own population density. Additionally, management actions can have direct and indirect effects on demography. Physiological variables can predict demographic change but are often restricted to snapshots-in-time and delayed confirmation of changes in population density reduces their utility. To eval
Authors
N Claunch, I. Moore, H Waye, L Schoenle, S Oakey, Robert Reed, Christina Romagosa