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: 41758
Genetic erosion in an endangered desert fish during a multidecadal megadrought despite long-term supportive breeding
Human water use combined with a recent megadrought have reduced river and stream flow through the Southwestern United States and led to periodic drying of formerly perennial river segments. Reductions in snowmelt runoff and increased extent of drying collectively threaten short-lived, obligate aquatic species, including the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. This species experiences ‘boom-and-b
Authors
Megan J. Osborne, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Charles Yackulic, Robert K. Dudley, Guilherme Caeiro-Dias, Thomas F. Turner
A test of the green wave hypothesis in omnivorous brown bears across North America
Herbivorous animals tend to seek out plants at intermediate phenological states to improve energy intake while minimizing consumption of fibrous material. In some ecosystems, the timing of green-up is heterogeneous and propagates across space in a wave-like pattern, known as the green wave. Tracking the green wave allows individuals to prolong access to higher-quality forage. While there is a plet
Authors
Nathaniel R. Bowersock, L. M. Ciarniello, William W. Deacy, D. C. Heard, Kyle Joly, Clayton T. Lamb, William B. Leacock, Bruce Mclellan, Garth Mowat, Mathew S Sorum, Frank T. van Manen, Jerod A. Merkle
The relation between decadal droughts and eruptions of Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, USA
In the past century, most eruptions of Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin were mainly clustered in three episodes: 1961–1969, 1982–1984, and ongoing since 2018. These eruptive episodes resulted in extensive disturbance to surrounding trees. To characterize tree response over time as an indicator of geyser activity adjustments to climate variability, aerial and grou
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, John C. King, Gregory T. Pederson, Mara H. Reed, Lauren N Harrison, Jefferson Hungerford, R. Greg Vaughan, Michael Manga
Ecosystem resilience to invasion and drought: Insights after 24 years in a rare never-grazed grassland
Understanding the resilience of ecosystems globally is hampered by the complex and interacting drivers of change characteristic of the Anthropocene. This is true for drylands of the western US, where widespread alteration of disturbance regimes and spread of invasive non-native species occurred with westward expansion during the 1800s, including the introduction of domestic livestock and spread of
Authors
Michael C. Duniway, Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, Erika L. Geiger, David L. Hoover, Alix Pfennigwerth, Anna C Knight, M. Van Scoyoc, Mark E. Miller, Jayne Belnap
Spatio-temporal variability in the strength, directionality, and relative importance of climate on occupancy and population densities in a philopatric mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely employed to evaluate species–environment relationships. However, when extrapolated over broad spatial scales or through time, these models decline in their predictive ability due to variation in how species respond to their environment. Many models assume species–environment relationships remain constant over space and time, hindering their abili
Authors
Peter D. Billman, Erik A. Beever, Marie L. Westover, Dylan K. Ryals
Fishes of Harney Basin revisited: An assessment of the distribution of native and nonnative fishes over a half century
The Harney Basin is Oregon's largest internally draining basin and contains a unique native fish assemblage. The first and only comprehensive study of the origin and distribution of Harney Basin fishes occurred in 1971. Here, we update this study and identify potential threats to the basin's native fishes a half century later. Our assessment documents that all species of native fishes are still pr
Authors
Matthew Laramie, Jason B. Dunham, Francine H. Mejia, Emily Dawn Heaston, Peter A Bisson
Decomposition rates of suppression-produced fish carcasses in a large, deep, high-elevation lake in North America
The decomposition of vertebrates in lake ecosystems has been largely understudied despite being a vital part of ecosystem processes. Invasive lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) invaded Yellowstone Lake and caused a decline in the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) population. To restore Yellowstone cutthroat trout, lake trout were suppressed by gillnetting annually s
Authors
Hayley Corrine Glassic, Christopher S. Guy, Lusha M. Tronstad, Michelle A. Briggs, Lindsey K. Albertson, Dominique R. Lujan, Todd M. Koel
Keeping the heat on: Weighted surveillance for Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytirum dendrobatidis) in Dixie Valley toads (Anaxyrus [= Bufo] williamsi)
Introduced fungal pathogens have caused declines and extinctions of naïve wildlife populations across vertebrate classes. Consequences of introduced pathogens to hosts with small ranges might be especially severe because of limited redundancy to rescue populations and lower abundance that may limit the resilience of populations to perturbations like disease introduction. As a complement to biosecu
Authors
Matthew J. Forrest, Brian J. Halstead, Daniel A. Grear, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian D. Todd, Oliver J. Miano, Kris D. Urquhart
Patterns, drivers, and a predictive model of dam removal cost in the United States
Given the burgeoning dam removal movement and the large number of dams approaching obsolescence in the United States, cost estimating data and tools are needed for dam removal prioritization, planning, and execution. We used the list of removed dams compiled by American Rivers to search for publicly available reported costs for dam removal projects. Total cost information could include component c
Authors
Jeffrey J. Duda, Suman Jumani, Daniel J. Wieferich, Desiree D. Tullos, S. Kyle McKay, Timothy J. Randle, Alvin Jansen, Susan Bailey, Benjamin Lorenz Jensen, Rachelle Carina Johnson, Ella J. Wagner, Kyla Breanne Richards, Seth J. Wenger, Eric J. Walther, Jennifer A. Bountry
Evaluating baits with lufenuron and nitenpyram for flea control on prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) to mitigate plague
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a widespread threat to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Wildlife biologists most commonly manage plague using insecticides to control fleas, the primary vectors of Y. pestis. We tested edible baits containing the insecticides lufenuron and/or nitenpyram in prairie dogs. During a laboratory
Authors
David A. Eads, Kevin T. Castle, Margaret A. Wild, Jeff Borchert, Travis Livieri, Marc R. Matchett, Phillip Dobesh, John Hughes-Clarke, Eddie Childers
Amino acid variation at the mitochondrial binding site of Antimycin A is proposed to reflect sensitivity and toxicity differences among fish species
To better understand differential sensitivities among fish species to the piscicidal compound Antimycin-A (ANT-A), we hypothesized that variations in amino acids at the ANT-A binding site may reflect toxicity differences. Protein sequences for six motifs comprising the ANT-A binding site were obtained and compared for invasive carp species (N = 515) and seven non-target species (N = 277); a consen
Authors
Brooke A. Baudoin, Bonnie L. Brown, Robin Calfee, Jill Jenkins
High-resolution thermal imagery reveals how interactions between crown structure and genetics shape plant temperature
Understanding interactions between environmental stress and genetic variation is crucial to predict the adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Leaf temperature is both a driver and a responsive indicator of plant physiological response to thermal stress, and methods to monitor it are needed. Foliar temperatures vary across leaf to canopy scales and are influenced by genetic factors, chall
Authors
Peter J. Olsoy, Andrii Zaiats, Donna M. Delparte, Matthew Germino, Bryce Richardson, Spencer Roop, Anna V. Roser, Jennifer S. Forbey, Megan E Cattau, Sven Buerki, Keith Reinhardt, Trevor Caughlin