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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: 41772

Behavioural responses of female lake trout Salvelinus namaycush to male chemical stimuli and prostaglandin F2α

Male olfactory cues may guide aggregation on spawning reefs, mate evaluation, and synchronized gamete release in lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, but a lack of information on the source and identity of the cues precludes direct tests of their function. Using a two-channel flume assay, we found female lake trout increased time spent in the channel treated with male-conditioned water, urine, and bil
Authors
Tyler John Buchinger, Weiming Li, Nicholas S. Johnson

Design and operations of the Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic test well, Alaska North Slope

The National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska. The proposed production test required the drilling of an initial stratigraphic test well (STW) to confirm the geologic conditions of the proposed test site. This well was completed
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Norihiro Okinaka, Motoi Wakatsuki, Ray Boswell, Scott Marsteller, David Minge, Stephen Crumley, David Itter, Robert D. Hunter

Western bumble bee: Declines in United States and range-wide information gaps

In recent decades, many bumble bee species have declined due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides, and introduced species. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis ), once common throughout western North America, is a species of concern and will be considered for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We
Authors
Tabitha Graves, William Michael Janousek, Sarah M. Gaulke, Amy Nicholas, Douglas Keinath, Christine M. Bell, Syd Cannings, Richard G. Hatfield, Jennifer M Heron, Jonathan B Koch, Helen L Loffland, Leif L Richardson, Ashley T. Rohde, Jessica Rykken, James P. Strange, Lusha Tronstead, Cory Sheffield

Wind, sun, and wildlife: Do wind and solar energy development “short-circuit” conservation in the western United States?

Despite the trade-offs between renewable energy development, land use, humans, and wildlife, wind and solar development continues to transform the southwestern US into a green energy landscape. While renewable energy reduces carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, many studies have emerged on the associated ecological and social impacts of this technology. Here, we review the current state
Authors
Mickey Agha, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Ennen Joshua R., Brian D Todd

Mitochondrial genome diversity and population mitogenomics of Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Arctic dwelling gadoids

High-latitude fish typically exhibit a narrow thermal tolerance window, which may pose challenges when coping with temperatures that shift outside of a species’ range of tolerance. Due to its role in aerobic metabolism and energy balance, the mitochondrial genome is likely critical for the acclimation and adaptation to differing temperature regimes in marine ectotherms. As oceans continue to warm,
Authors
Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Noel Sme, Anthony J. Gharrett, Andrew Majewski, Kate Wedemeyer, R. John Nelson, Sandra L. Talbot

Climate’s cascading effects on disease, predation, and hatching success in Anaxyrus canorus, the threatened Yosemite toad

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Anaxyrus canorus, the Yosemite toad, as federally threatened in 2014 based upon reported population declines and vulnerability to global-change factors. A. canorus lives only in California’s central Sierra Nevada at medium to sub-alpine elevations. Lands throughout its range are protected from development, but climate and other global-change factors potent
Authors
Walter Sadinski, Alisa L. Gallant, James E. Cleaver

Migratory behavior and winter geography drive differential range shifts of eastern birds in response to recent climate change

Over the past half century, migratory birds in North America have shown divergent population trends relative to resident species, with the former declining rapidly and the latter increasing. The role that climate change has played in these observed trends is not well understood, despite significant warming over this period. We used 43 y of monitoring data to fit dynamic species distribution models
Authors
Clark Rushing, Andy Royle, David Ziolkowski, Keith L. Pardieck

Carbon dioxide-induced mortality of four species of North American fishes

Fisheries managers have a growing interest in the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a tool for controlling invasive fishes. However, limited published data exist on susceptibility of many commonly encountered species to elevated CO2 concentrations. Our objective was to estimate the 24-h 50% lethal concentration (LC50) and 95% lethal concentration (LC95) of CO2 for four fishes (Rainbow Trout Oncorhync
Authors
Hilary B. Treanor, Andrew M. Ray, Jon Amberg, Mark P. Gaikowski, Jason E. Ilgen, Robert Gresswell, Leslie Gains-Germain, Molly A H Webb

Evidence for rapid gut clearance of microplastic polyester fibers fed to Chinook Salmon: A tank study

Marine and freshwater plastic pollution is a challenging issue receiving large amounts of research and media attention. Yet, few studies have documented the impact of microplastic ingestion to aquatic organisms. In the Pacific Northwest, Chinook salmon are a culturally and commercially significant fish species. The presence of marine and freshwater microplastic pollution is well documented in Chin
Authors
Andrew R. Spanjer, Theresa L. Liedtke, Kathleen E. Conn, Lisa K. Weiland, Robert W. Black, Nathan Godfrey

Small gradients in salinity have large effects on stand water use in freshwater wetland forests

Salinity intrusion is responsible for changes to freshwater wetland watersheds globally, but little is known about how wetland water budgets might be influenced by small increments in salinity. We studied a forested wetland in South Carolina, USA, and installed sap flow probes on 72 trees/shrubs along a salinity gradient. Species investigated included the trees baldcypress (Taxodium distichum [L.]
Authors
Jamie A. Duberstein, Ken Krauss, M.J. Baldwin, Scott T. Allen, William H. Conner, John S. Salter, Michael Miloshis

Ambiguities in using telomere length for age determination in two North American bat species

The age of an animal, determined by time (chronological age) as well as genetic and environmental factors (biological age), influences the likelihood of mortality and reproduction and thus the animal’s contribution to population growth. For many long-lived species, such as bats, a lack of external and morphological indicators has made determining age a challenge, leading researchers to examine gen
Authors
Katherine M Ineson, Thomas J. O'Shea, Charles W Kilpatrick, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster

Comment on 'Kidron (2018): Biocrust research: A critical view on eight common hydrological‐related paradigms and dubious theses. Ecohydrology, e2061'

Kidron (2018) uses a straw man argument in an attempt to debunk eight putative hydrological‐related paradigms he believes to be “common among hydrologists, ecologists, or microbiologists that investigate biocrusts.” These paradigms relate to the roles of physical crusts and vascular plants in biocrust development, the major drivers (climate, porosity, hydrophobicity, and exopolysaccharides) of hyd
Authors
Vincent J. M. N. L. Felde, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Sonia Chamizo, Federico Rossi, Daniel Uteau, Stephen Peth, Hannes Keck, Roberto de Philippis, Jayne Belnap, David J. Eldridge