Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Filter Total Items: 2256
Does habitat fragmentation influence nest predation in the shortgrass prairie?
We examined the effects of habitat fragmentation and vegetation structure of shortgrass prairie and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands on predation rates of artificial and natural nests in northeastern Colorado. The CRP provides federal payments to landowners to take highly erodible cropland out of agricultural production. In our study area, CRP lands have been reseeded primarily with non-na
Authors
M.N. Howard, S. K. Skagen, P.L. Kennedy
Bat use of a high-plains urban wildlife refuge
Bats are significant components of mammalian diversity and in many areas are of management concern. However, little attention has been given to bats in urban or prairie landscapes. In 1997 and 1998, we determined species richness, relative abundance, roosting habits, and echolocation activity of bats at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (RMA), the largest urban unit in the United Sta
Authors
A. L. Everette, T. J. O'Shea, L.E. Ellison, L.A. Stone, J.L. McCance
New approaches for sampling and modeling native and exotic plant species richness
We demonstrate new multi-phase, multi-scale approaches for sampling and modeling native and exotic plant species to predict the spread of invasive species and aid in control efforts. Our test site is a 54,000-ha portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. This work is based on previous research wherein we developed vegetation sampling techniques to identify hot spots of diversity, impo
Authors
G.W. Chong, R.M. Reich, M. A. Kalkhan, T.J. Stohlgren
Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring
For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program’s focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said th
Authors
L. Caughlan, K.L. Oakley
Susceptibility of the Siberian polecat to subcutaneous and oral Yersinia pestis exposure
To determine if the Siberian polecat (Mustela eversmannii) represents a suitable model for the study of plague pathogenesis and prevention in the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), polecats were exposed to 103, 107, or 1010 Yersinia pestis organisms by subcutaneous injection; an additional group was exposed to Y. pestis via ingestion of a plague-killed mouse. Plague killed 88% of polecats exp
Authors
K.T. Castle, D. Biggins, L.G. Carter, M. Chu, Kim Innes, J. Wimsatt
The demographic response of bank-dwelling beavers to flow regulation: A comparison on the Green and Yampa rivers
We assessed the effects of flow regulation on the demography of beavers (Castor canadensis) by comparing the density, home-range size, and body size of bank-dwelling beavers on two sixth-order alluvial river systems, the flow-regulated Green River and the free-flowing Yampa River, from 1997 to 2000. Flow regulation on the Green River has altered fluvial geomorphic processes, influencing the availa
Authors
S.W. Breck, K.R. Wilson, D.C. Andersen
The status of the macroinvertebrate community in the St. Croix River, Minnesota and Wisconsin: An examination of ecological health using techniques of multivariate analysis
A statistical procedure that integrates physical, chemical and biological data is used to operationally define and analyze ecological health. Benthic macroinvertebrates collected from May through September from eight locations along the St. Croix River in Minnesota and Wisconsin were analyzed by canonical correspondence analyses. A sequential multivariate analysis procedure was developed that incl
Authors
T.P. Boyle, M.S. Strand
Roosting habits of four bat species in the Black Hills of South Dakota
The availability of suitable roosts influences the distribution and abundance of bats. Quantifying roosting requirements is a necessary step toward effectively monitoring, managing, and conserving bats. Our objectives were to locate and characterize the natural, daytime summer roosts of Myotis septentrionalis, M. thysanodes, M. volans, and Eptesicus fuscus in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA a
Authors
P.M. Cryan, M.A. Bogan, G.M. Yanega
Influences of introduced plague on North American mammals: Implications from ecology of plague in Asia
Intercontinental movements of invasive species continue to modify the world's ecosystems. The plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) has colonized and altered animal communities worldwide but has received much more attention as a human pathogen. We reviewed studies on the ecology of Y. pestis in ancient foci of central Asia and in western North America, where the bacterium apparently has become establ
Authors
D.E. Biggins, M.Y. Kosoy
Disruptions of ecosystems in western North America due to invasion by plague
No abstract available.
Authors
D.E. Biggins, M.Y. Kosoy
Simulated limnological effects of the Shasta Lake temperature control device
We estimated the effects of a temperature control device (TCD) on a suite of thermodynamic and limnological attributes for a large storage reservoir, Shasta Lake, in northern California. Shasta Dam was constructed in 1945 with a fixed-elevation penstock. The TCD was installed in 1997 to improve downstream temperatures for endangered salmonids by releasing epilimnetic waters in the winter/spring an
Authors
J. Bartholow, R.B. Hanna, L. Saito, D. Lieberman, M. Horn
Aspen persistence near the National Elk Refuge and Gros Ventre Valley elk feedgrounds of Wyoming, USA
We investigated aspen (Populus tremuloides)regeneration in the Gros Ventre River Valley, the National Elk Refuge and a small part of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA to see if elk (Cervus elaphus) browsing was as damaging as previously thought. We conducted a landscape-scale survey to assess aspen regeneration across gradients of wintering elk concentrations using 68 randomly selected aspen
Authors
David T. Barnett, Thomas J. Stohlgren