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
Observations of acrobat ants (Crematogaster sp.) preying on the eggs of the invasive giant applesnail (Pomacea maculata)
Herein we provide direct evidence for the consumption of Pomacea maculata (Giant Applesnail) eggs by ants in the genus Crematogaster. The observations were made during removal of snail egg masses at the Hudson Woods Unit of the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge, TX. We observed acrobat ants (Crematogaster sp.) removing snail eggs from an egg mass and carrying eggs back to their nest. While
Authors
Jacoby Carter, Jennifer Wilson, Susan Mopper
Seasonal impoundment alters patterns of tidal wetland plant diversity across spatial scales
Understanding patterns of biodiversity is a key goal of ecology and is especially pressing in the current human‐caused biodiversity crisis. In wetland ecosystems, human impacts are centered around hydrologic manipulation including the common practice of wetland diking and impoundment. Constraining how wetland management influences plant biodiversity patterns across spatial scales will provide info
Authors
Scott Jones, Christopher N. Janousek, Michael L. Casazza, John Y. Takekawa, Karen M. Thorne
Enzootic plague reduces survival of Mexican woodrats (Neotoma mexicana) in Colorado
Plague is a flea-vectored disease introduced to North America c. 1900. It is lethal to many American mammal species, causes major die-offs (epizootics) in some populations, and may be ecologically disruptive even at lower interepizootic (enzootic) levels of transmission. We sought to determine the effects of enzootic plague on survival of Mexican woodrats (Neotoma mexicana) and to test the hypothe
Authors
Dean E. Biggins, Shantini Ramakrishnan, Tonie E. Rocke, Judy L. Williamson, Jeffrey Wimsatt
Integrating sequence capture and restriction-site associated DNA sequencing to resolve recent radiations of pelagic seabirds
The diversification of modern birds has been shaped by a number of radiations. Rapid diversification events make reconstructing the evolutionary relationships among taxa challenging due to the convoluted effects of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and introgression. Phylogenomic data sets have the potential to detect patterns of phylogenetic incongruence, and to address their causes. However, the
Authors
Joan Ferrer Obiol, Helen F. James, R. Terry Chesser, Vincent Bretagnolle, Jacob González-Solís, Julio Rozas, Marta Riutort, Andreanna J. Welch
Only sun-lit leaves of the uppermost canopy exceed both air temperature and photosynthetic thermal optima in a wet tropical forest
Tropical forests have evolved under relatively narrow temperature regimes, and therefore may be more susceptible to climatic change than forests in higher latitudes. Recent evidence shows that lowland tropical forest canopies may already be exceeding thermal maxima for photosynthesis. Height can strongly influence both the microclimate and physiology of forest canopy foliage, yet vertical trends i
Authors
Benjamin D. Miller, Kelsey R. Carter, Sasha C. Reed, Tana E. Wood, Molly A. Cavaleri
Occurrence, resource use, and demography of the common raven in North America: A research synthesis
We reviewed the scientific literature to inventory existing studies of common raven (Corvus corax; raven) ecology in western North America. We conducted an intial literature review between June 2015 and March 2018. Prior to completing our review, we revisited the published literature for any additional relevant studies in July 2021. Our goal was to identify knowledge gaps and to synthesize the cur
Authors
William C. Webb, Peter S. Coates, Seth J. Dettenmaier, David J. Delehanty
A Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) captured in the web of a golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes)
During migration, transient birds usually find themselves stopping in unfamiliar habitats in order to rest and refuel before resuming migratory flight. Here we document the first case, to our knowledge, of a Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) entrapped in a spiderweb. The warbler's tarsus became caught in the mooring thread of a golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes) web and the bi
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Liliana Calderon, Joshua Lefever, Vincent Weber
A regional spatio-temporal analysis of large magnitude snow avalanches using tree rings
Snow avalanches affect transportation corridors and settlements worldwide. In many mountainous regions, robust records of avalanche frequency and magnitude are sparse or non-existent. However, dendrochronological methods can be used to fill this gap and infer historical avalanche patterns. In this study, we developed a tree-ring-based avalanche chronology for large magnitude avalanche events (size
Authors
Erich Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel Kent Stahle, Gregory T. Pederson, Karl W. Birkeland, Daniel B. Fagre
Culturally diverse expert teams have yet to bring comprehensive linguistic diversity to intergovernmental ecosystem assessments
Multicultural representation is a stated goal of many global scientific assessment processes. These processes aim to mobilize a broader, more diverse knowledge base and increase legitimacy and inclusiveness of these assessment processes. Often, enhancing cultural diversity is encouraged through involvement of diverse expert teams and sources of knowledge in different languages. In this article, we
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Alvaro Fernandez-Llamazares, Ignacio Palomo, Pedro Jaureguiberry, Tatsuya Amano, Zeenatul Basher, Michelle Lim, Tuyeni H. Mwampamba, Aibek Samakov, Odirilwe Selomane
Songbird use of interior and edge floodplain forest sites along the Upper Mississippi River, USA, during spring migration and breeding seasons
Floodplain forests of large rivers in the midwestern United States are naturally fragmented by sloughs, backwaters, wetlands, and shrub carr. On the highly altered Upper Mississippi River (UMR), resource managers want to protect and manage floodplain forests to benefit forest “interior” bird species. To discover bird relations with interior and edge floodplain forest, we characterized bird assembl
Authors
Eileen M. Kirsch, Brian R. Gray
Stream classification and gravel-bar inventory for Buffalo National River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways
The data summarized in this report provide a baseline characterization of the physical attributes of the riverine ecosystems in two landscapes managed by the National Park Service—Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, and Buffalo National River, Arkansas—to inform understanding and management of aquatic habitat. The study utilized a basin-scale approach and consisted of two components: a basi
Authors
Susannah O. Erwin, Robert B. Jacobson, Jabari C. Jones
Contrasting prescription burning and wildfires in California Sierra Nevada national parks and adjacent national forests
History of prescription burning and wildfires in the three Sierra Nevada National Park Service (NPS) parks and adjacent US Forest Service (USFS) forests is presented. Annual prescription (Rx) burns began in 1968 in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, followed by Yosemite National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park. During the last third of the 20th century, USFS national forests adjacent
Authors
Jon Keeley, Anne Hopkins Pfaff, Anthony C. Caprio