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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

Locality note for rubber boa

CHARINA BOTTAE BOTTAE (N. Rubber Boa), USA: CALIFORNIA: Monterey Co.: Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, east side of Hwy. 1, 80 km (50 miles) south of Carmel, Calif., (36.0719055 N 121.5991555 W) 19 June, 2009; (36.0703611 N 121.5982222 W) 06 July 2009; (36.9516666 N 121.5991944 W) 27 July 2009. In chronological order, photo vouchers MVZObs:Herp:26, MVZObs:Herp:27, MVZObs:Herp:28. Verified by
Authors
Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Richard F Hoyer

Validation of laboratory tests for infectious diseases in wild mammals: Review and recommendations

Evaluation of the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of tests for infectious diseases in wild animals is challenging, and some of the limitations may affect compliance with the OIE-recommended test validation pathway. We conducted a methodologic review of test validation studies for OIE-listed diseases in wild mammals published between 2008 and 2017 and focused on study design, sta
Authors
Jia Beibei, David Colling, David E. Stallknecht, David S. Blehert, John Bingham, Beate Crossley, Debbie Eagles, Ian A Gardner

An empirical comparison of population genetic analyses using microsatellite and SNP data for a species of conservation concern

BackgroundUse of genomic tools to characterize wildlife populations has increased in recent years. In the past, genetic characterization has been accomplished with more traditional genetic tools (e.g., microsatellites). The explosion of genomic methods and the subsequent creation of large SNP datasets has led to the promise of increased precision in population genetic parameter estimates and ident
Authors
Shawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Sara J. Oyler-McCance

Laboratory trials to evaluate carbon dioxide as a potential behavioral control method for invasive red swamp (Procambarus clarkii) and rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus)

Few effective strategies are available to control invasive crayfishes. Carbon dioxide (CO2) acts as a behavioral deterrent for invasive fishes and could be a useful crayfish control tool. The objective of this laboratory study was to quantify CO2 concentrations that caused red swamp crayfish (RSC; Procambarus clarkii) and rusty crayfish (RYC; Faxonius rusticus) avoidance behavior, altered emergenc
Authors
Kim T. Fredricks, John A. Tix, Justin Smerud, Aaron R. Cupp

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)

Keys to Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) management are providing and maintaining native pastures with fairly short overall vegetation and sparse litter accumulation but with areas of taller and denser vegetation and accumulated litter for nesting, and tailoring grazing intensity to local conditions. Chestnut-collared Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 10–77 centimeter
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Travis L. Wooten, Betty R. Euliss

Climate change projected to reduce prescribed burning opportunities in the south-eastern United States

Prescribed burning is a critical tool for managing wildfire risks and meeting ecological objectives, but its safe and effective application requires that specific meteorological criteria (a ‘burn window’) are met. Here, we evaluate the potential impacts of projected climatic change on prescribed burning in the south-eastern United States by applying a set of burn window criteria that capture tempe
Authors
John A Kupfer, Adam J. Terando, Peng Gao, Casey Teske, J Kevin Hiers

Disturbance refugia within mosaics of forest fire, drought, and insect outbreaks

Disturbance refugia – locations that experience less severe or frequent disturbances than the surrounding landscape – provide a framework to highlight not only where and why these biological legacies persist as adjacent areas change but also the value of those legacies in sustaining biodiversity. Recent studies of disturbance refugia in forest ecosystems have focused primarily on fire, with a grow
Authors
Meg A. Krawchuk, Garrett Meigs, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Jonathan D. Coop, Raymond J. Davis, Andres Holz, Crystal A. Kolden, Arjan J.H. Meddens

Annual outbreaks of coral disease coincide with extreme seasonal warming

Reef-building corals living in extreme environments can provide insight into the negative effects of future climate scenarios. In hot environments, coral communities experience disproportionate thermal stress as they live very near or at their upper thermal limits. This results in a high frequency of bleaching episodes, but it is unknown whether temperature-driven outbreaks of coral disease follow
Authors
Emily Howells, Grace Vaughan, Thierry M. Work, John Burt, David Abrego

Managing climate refugia for freshwater fishes under an expanding human footprint

Within the context of climate adaptation, the concept of climate refugia has emerged as a framework for addressing future threats to freshwater fish populations. We evaluated recent climate‐refugia management associated with water use and landscape modification by comparing efforts in the US states of Oregon and Massachusetts, for which there are contrasting resource use patterns. Using these exam
Authors
Joseph L. Ebersole, Rebecca M. Quinones, Shaun Clements, Benjamin Letcher

Unexplained patterns of grey wolf Canis lupus natal dispersal

Natal dispersal (movement from the site of birth to the site of reproduction) is a pervasive but highly varied characteristic of life forms. Thus, understanding it in any species informs many aspects of biology, but studying it in most species is difficult. In the grey wolf Canis lupus, natal dispersal has been well studied. Maturing members of both sexes generally leave their natal packs, pair wi
Authors
L. David Mech

Development and evaluation of an improved TFM formulation for use in feeder stream treatments

The binational Great Lakes Fishery Commission sponsored Sea Lamprey Control Program effectively utilizes a variety of lampricide tools to keep populations of parasitic sea lampreys in the Great Lakes at levels that do not cause undue economic or ecological damage. The most widely used toxicant used in lampricide formulations is 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM). In typical treatments, a liquid
Authors
James A. Luoma, Nicholas Robertson, Nicholas A. Schloesser, Courtney A Kirkeeng, Justin Schueller, Erica Meulemans

Consequences of Piscine orthoreovirus genotype 1 (PRV‐1) infections in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), coho salmon (O. kisutch ) and rainbow trout (O. mykiss )

Piscine orthoreovirus genotype 1 (PRV‐1) is the causative agent of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). The virus has also been found in Pacific salmonids in western North America, raising concerns about the risk to native salmon and trout. Here, we report the results of laboratory challenges using juvenile Chinook salmon, coho salmon and rainbo
Authors
Maureen K. Purcell, Rachel L. Powers, Torunn Taksdal, Douglas Mckenney, Carla M. Conway, Diane G. Elliott, Mark Polinski, Kyle A. Garver, James Winton