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: 41918
Generation of lamprey monoclonal antibodies (Lampribodies) using the phage display system
The variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) consist of leucine rich repeats (LRRs) and comprise the humoral antibodies produced by lampreys and hagfishes. The diversity of the molecules is generated by stepwise genomic rearrangements of LRR cassettes dispersed throughout the VLRB locus. Previously, target-specific monovalent VLRB antibodies were isolated from sea lamprey larvae after immunization wit
Authors
Khan M A Hassan, John Hansen, Brantley R Herrin, Chris T Amemiya
Improved genetic identification of acipenseriform embryos with application to the endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus
We produced pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus embryos at five pre‐hatch developmental stages and isolated and quantified genomic DNA from four of the stages using four commercial DNA isolation kits. Genomic DNA prepared using the kit that produced the largest yields and concentrations were used for microsatellite DNA analyses of 10–20 embryos at each of the five developmental stages. We attempt
Authors
Tom Kashiwagi, Aaron J. Delonay, Patrick Braaten, Kimberly Chojnacki, Rachel M. Gocker, Edward J. Heist
Potential changes to the biology and challenges to the management of invasive sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus in the Laurentian Great Lakes due to climate change
Control programs are implemented to mitigate the damage caused by invasive species worldwide. In the highly invaded Great Lakes, the climate is expected to become warmer with more extreme weather and variable precipitation, resulting in shorter iced‐over periods and variable tributary flows as well as changes to pH and river hydrology and hydrogeomorphology. We review how climate change influences
Authors
Robert J. Lennox, Gale A. Bravener, Hsien-Yung Lin, Charles P. Madenjian, Andrew M. Muir, Christina K. Remucal, Kelly F. Robinson, Andrew M. Rous, Michael J. Siefkes, Michael P. Wilkie, Daniel P. Zielinski, Steven J. Cooke
Evaluating legacy effects of hyperabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in forested stands of Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks, New York
Executive SummaryWhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are among the most impactful herbivores in the eastern United States. Legacy forest effects, those accrued from intense herbivory over time, manifest as low seedling regeneration, high cover of plant species that are infrequently browsed by deer, presence or expansion of nonnative or invasive plant species, few herbaceous species, and dim
Authors
Chellby R. Kilheffer, H. Brian Underwood, Donald J. Leopold, Rachel Guerrieri
Seismic survey design and impacts to maternal polar bear dens
Large‐scale industrial activities can have negative effects on wildlife populations. Some of these effects, however, could be reduced with effective planning prior to development. The Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in northeastern Alaska, USA, is an important maternal denning area for polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Recent legislation has opened the area for potential oil and
Authors
Ryan H. Wilson, George M. Durner
Species recovery and recolonization of past habitats: Lessons for science and conservation from sea otters in estuaries
Recovering species are often limited to much smaller areas than they historically occupied. Conservation planning for the recovering species is often based on this limited range, which may simply be an artifact of where the surviving population persisted. Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were hunted nearly to extinction but recovered from a small remnant population on a remote stretch o
Authors
Brent B. Hughes, Kerstin Wasson, M. Tim Tinker, Susan L Williams, Lilian P. Carswell, Katharyn E. Boyer, Michael W. Beck, Ron Eby, Robert Scoles, Michelle M. Staedler, Sarah Espinosa, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Erin U. Foster, Kathryn Beheshti, Tracy M Grimes, Benjamin H. Becker, Lisa Needles, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Jane Rudebusch, Ellen Marie Hines, Brian R Silliman
Is the timing, pace and success of the monarch migration associated with sun angle?
A basic question concerning the monarch butterfly’s fall migration is which monarchs succeed in reaching overwintering sites in Mexico, which fail—and why. We document the timing and pace of the fall migration, ask whether the sun’s position in the sky is associated with the pace of the migration, and whether timing affects success in completing the migration. Using data from the Monarch Watch tag
Authors
Orley R. Taylor, James P Lovett, David L Gibo, Emily L. Weiser, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Darius J. Semmens, James E. Diffendorfer, John M. Pleasants, Samuel Pecoraro, Ralph Grundel
Successful molecular detection studies require clear communication among diverse research partners
Molecular detection techniques are powerful tools used in ecological applications ranging from diet analyses to pathogen surveillance. Research partnerships that use these tools often involve collaboration among professionals with expertise in field biology, laboratory techniques, quantitative modeling, wildlife disease, and natural resource management. However, in many cases, each of these collab
Authors
B. A. Mosher, R. F. Bernard, Jeffrey M. Lorch, D. A. W. Miller, Katherine L. D. Richgels, C. LeAnn White, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Towards common ground in the biodiversity–disease debate
The disease ecology community has struggled to come to consensus on whether biodiversity reduces or increases infectious disease risk, a question that directly affects policy decisions for biodiversity conservation and public health. Here, we summarize the primary points of contention regarding biodiversity–disease relationships and suggest that vector-borne, generalist wildlife and zoonotic patho
Authors
Jason R. Rohr, David J. Civitello, Fletcher W. Halliday, Peter J. Hudson, Kevin D. Lafferty, Chelsea L. Wood, Erin A. Mordecai
Sequence analysis and acoustic tracking individual lake sturgeon identifies multiple patterns of river-lake habitat use
Understanding the spatial ecology of sturgeon (Acipenseridae) has proven to be a challenge due to the life history characteristics of these fish, especially their long life span, intermittent spawning, and long‐distance migrations. Within the Huron‐Erie Corridor (HEC) of the Laurentian Great Lakes, habitat use of 247 lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens ) was monitored over a three‐year period (201
Authors
Scott F. Colborne, Darryl W. Hondorp, Christopher Holbrook, Michael R. Lowe, James C. Boase, Justin A. Chiotti, Todd C. Wills, Edward F. Roseman, Charles C. Krueger
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) growth and defense in response to mountain pine beetle outbreaks
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a critical forest species of Northern Rocky Mountain upper subalpine ecosystems, yet little is known about the physiological response of whitebark pine to disturbance (e.g. fire, bark beetles, and pathogens) across a range of diverse environmental gradients. Resin–based defenses have long been recognized as the primary mechanism by which conifers respond to att
Authors
Nickolas E. Kichas, Sharon M. Hood, Gregory T. Pederson, Richard G. Everett, David B. McWethy
Using incidental mark-encounter data to improve survival estimation
Obtaining robust survival estimates is critical, but sample size limitations often result in imprecise estimates or the failure to obtain estimates for population subgroups. Concurrently, data are often recorded on incidental reencounters of marked individuals, but these incidental data are often unused in survival analyses.We evaluated the utility of supplementing a traditional survival dataset w
Authors
Seth M. Harju, SM Cambrin, RC Averill-Murray, Melia G. Nafus, Kimberleigh J Field, Linda J. Allison