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: 2308
Invaders at the doorstep: Using species distribution modeling to enhance invasive plant watch lists
Watch lists of invasive species that threaten a particular land management unit are useful tools because they can draw attention to invasive species at the very early stages of invasion when early detection and rapid response efforts are often most successful. However, watch lists typically rely on the subjective selection of invasive species by experts or on the use of spotty occurrence...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Peder S. Engelstad, Jillian Marie Laroe, Brandon Hays, Terri Hogan, Jeremy Jirak, Ian Pearse, Janet S. Prevey, Jennifer Sieraki, Annie Simpson, Jess Wenick, Nicholas E. Young, Helen Sofaer
Burmese pythons in Florida: A synthesis of biology, impacts, and management tools
Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to southeastern Asia, however, there is an established invasive population inhabiting much of southern Florida throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Pythons have severely impacted native species and ecosystems in Florida and represent one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe. The...
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Bryan Falk, Brian Smith, John David Willson, Robert Reed, Nicholas G. Aumen, Michael L. Avery, Ian A. Bartoszek, Earl Campbell, Michael S. Cherkiss, Natalie M. Claunch, Andrea Faye Currylow, Tylan Dean, Jeremy Dixon, Richard M. Engeman, Sarah Funck, Rebekah Gibble, Kodiak C. Hengstebeck, John S. Humphrey, Margaret E. Hunter, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Jennifer Ketterlin Eckles, Michael Kirkland, Frank M Mazzotti, Robert A. McCleery, Melissa A. Miller, Matthew F. McCollister, M. Rockwell Parker, Shannon E. Pittman, Michael R. Rochford, Christina Romagosa, Art Roybal, Ray W. Snow, McKayla M. Spencer, J. Hardin Waddle, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Kristen M. Hart
Lethal effects on flea larvae of fipronil in host feces: Potential benefits for plague mitigation
Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. Fipronil baits have been used to suppress adult fleas for plague mitigation. The degree and duration of flea control may increase if fipronil also kills other stages in the flea life cycle. We fed grain treated with 0.005% fipronil by weight, or nontreated grain, to black-tailed...
Authors
David Eads, Tyler N. Tretten, John P. Hughes, Dean E. Biggins
Flea control on prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) with fipronil bait pellets: Potential plague mitigation tool for rapid field application and wildlife conservation
Sylvatic plague is a widespread, primarily flea-vectored disease in western North America. Because plague is highly lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey, minimizing the impacts of plague is a priority at BFF reintroduction sites. We developed a new, flour-based bait pellet...
Authors
Marc R. Matchett, David Eads, Jennifer Cordova, Travis. Livieri, Holly Hicks, Dean E. Biggins
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits as an ecological indicator for health of sagebrush ecosystems. This updated population trend analysis provides state and federal land and wildlife managers with best-available science to help guide current management and...
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Adrian Pierre-Frederic Monroe, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille
Bureau of Reclamation: Visitor satisfaction survey instructions
The purpose of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Visitor Satisfaction Survey is to measure visitors’ opinions about BOR facilities, services, and recreational opportunities. This effort helps BOR meet requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) and other BOR and Department of the Interior (DOI) strategic planning efforts. This survey manual provides the...
Authors
Emily J. Wilkins, Nicholas Cole, Rudy Schuster
Spatial scale selection for informing species conservation in a changing landscape
Identifying the relevant spatial scale at which species respond to features in a landscape (scale of effect) is a pressing research need as managers work to reduce biodiversity loss amid a variety of environmental challenges. Until recently, researchers often evaluated a subset of potential scales of effect inferred from previous studies in other locations, often based on different...
Authors
Adrian Pierre-Frederic Monroe, Julie A. Heinrichs, Ashley L. Whipple, Michael S. O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge
Wild bee exposure to pesticides in conservation grasslands increases along an agricultural gradient: A tale of two sample types
Conservation efforts have been implemented in agroecosystems to enhance pollinator diversity by creating grassland habitat, but little is known about the exposure of bees to pesticides while foraging in these grassland fields. Pesticide exposure was assessed in 24 conservation grassland fields along an agricultural gradient at two time points (July and August) using silicone band passive...
Authors
Michelle L. Hladik, Johanna M. Kraus, Cassandra Marie Smith, Mark W. Vandever, Dana W. Kolpin, Carrie E. Givens, Kelly Smalling
Models combining multiple scales of inference capture hydrologic and climatic drivers of riparian tree distributions
Predicting species geographic distributions is key to managing invasive species, conserving biodiversity, and understanding species' environmental requirements. Species distribution models (SDMs) commonly focus on climatic predictors, but other environmental factors can also be essential, particularly for species with specialized habitats defined by hydrologic, topographic, or edaphic...
Authors
Laura Perry, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Patrick B. Shafroth
A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework
Genetic variation is a well-known indicator of population fitness yet is not typically included in monitoring programs for sensitive species. Additionally, most programs monitor populations at one scale, which can lead to potential mismatches with ecological processes critical to species' conservation. Recently developed methods generating hierarchically nested population units (i.e...
Authors
Shawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Jennifer A. Fike, Todd B. Cross, Bradley C. Fedy, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 3—Conducting mobile transect surveys
This standard operating procedure (SOP) provides instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This report discusses measures for ensuring the safety of surveyors and efficiency of mobile transect surveys. This guidance is...
Authors
Jaclyn Martin, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Han Li, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 1—Locating and establishing mobile transect routes
This document is the first of three standard operating procedures (SOPs) providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This SOP focuses specifically on selecting NABat grid cells and establishing mobile transect...
Authors
Jaclyn Martin, Dane Smith, Han Li, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert