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
Ontogenetic development of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) from hatch through yolk absorption
Sturgeons have a complex free-embryo period extending from hatch to the initiation of exogenous feeding. Although available for some sturgeon species of the genus Acipenser, descriptions of the developmental stages of free embryos of the genus Scaphirhynchus are lacking. We characterised the ontogenetic development of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus)
Authors
Kimberly Chojnacki, Marlene J Dodson, Amy E. George, James Candrl, Aaron J. Delonay
Dry forest decline is driven by both declining recruitment and increasing mortality in response to warm, dry conditions
Aim: Anticipating when and where changes in species' demographic rates will lead to range shifts in response to changing climate remains a major challenge. Despite evidence of increasing mortality in dry forests across the globe in response to drought and warming temperatures, the overall impacts on the distribution of dry forests are largely unknown because we lack comparable large-scale data on
Authors
Robert K. Shriver, Charles Yackulic, David M. Bell, John B. Bradford
Probiotics beyond the farm: Benefits, costs, and considerations of using antibiotic alternatives in livestock
The increasing global expansion of antimicrobial resistant infections warrants the development of effective antibiotic alternative therapies, particularly for use in livestock production, an agricultural sector that is perceived to disproportionately contribute to the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis by consuming nearly two-thirds of the global antibiotic supply. Probiotics and probiotic deri
Authors
Kyle R. Leistikow, Rachelle Elaine Beattie, Krassimira R. Hristova
The mysterious case of the missing razor clams
Oceans are changing and these changes are affecting animals that live there. Animals respond differently to changes in water temperature, food availability, or contaminants. Those responses can be seen in their genes. Gene transcription is a tool that allows scientists to see the response of an animal’s genes to its environment. We used gene transcription to compare two populations of Pacific razo
Authors
Heather Coletti, Lizabeth Bowen, Brenda Ballachey, Tammy L Wilson, Shannon C. Waters, Michael Booz, Katrina Counihan, Tuula E. Hollmen, Benjamin Pister
Advances in coral immunity ‘omics in response to disease outbreaks
Coral disease has progressively become one of the most pressing issues affecting coral reef survival. In the last 50 years, several reefs throughout the Caribbean have been severely impacted by increased frequency and intensity of disease outbreaks leading to coral death. A recent example of this is stony coral tissue loss disease which has quickly spread throughout the Caribbean, devastating cora
Authors
Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Andrew C. Baker, Kelsey M. Beavers, Neha Garg, Jeffrey R. Guyon, Aine C. Hawthorn, Nicholas J. MacKnight, Mónica Medina, Laura D. Mydlarz, Esther C. Peters, Julia Marie Stewart, Michael S. Studivan, Joshua D. Voss
Selecting auditory alerting stimuli for eagles on the basis of auditory evoked potentials
Development of wind energy facilities results in interactions between wildlife and wind turbines. Raptors, including bald and golden eagles, are among the species known to incur mortality from these interactions. Several alerting technologies have been proposed to mitigate this mortality by increasing eagle avoidance of wind energy facilities. However, there has been little attempt to match signal
Authors
Benjamin Goller, Patrice Baumhardt, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas, Todd E. Katzner, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Jeffrey R. Lucas
Predictive accuracy of post-fire conifer death declines over time in models based on crown and bole injury
A key uncertainty of empirical models of post-fire tree mortality is understanding the drivers of elevated post-fire mortality several years following fire, known as delayed mortality. Delayed mortality can represent a substantial fraction of mortality, particularly for large trees that are a conservation focus in western US coniferous forests. Current post-fire tree mortality models have undergon
Authors
Timothy M. Shearman, J. Morgan Varner, Sharon M. Hood, Phillip J. van Mantgem, C. Alina Cansler, Micah C. Wright
Phylogenetic risk assessment is robust for forecasting the impact of European insects on North American conifers
Some introduced species cause severe damage, although the majority have little impact. Robust predictions of which species are most likely to cause substantial impacts could focus efforts to mitigate those impacts or prevent certain invasions entirely. Introduced herbivorous insects can reduce crop yield, fundamentally alter natural and managed forest ecosystems, and are unique among invasive spec
Authors
Daniel R. Uden, Angela M. Mech, Nathan P. Havill, Ashley N. Schulz, Matthew P Ayers, Daniel A. Herms, Angela Marie Hoover, Kamal JK Gandhi, Ruth A. Hufbauer, Andrew M. Liebhold, Travis D Marisco, Kenneth F. Raffa, Kathryn A. Thomas, Patrick C. Tobin, Craig R. Allen
Decision support for aquatic restoration based on species-specific responses to disturbance
Disturbances to aquatic habitats are not uniformly distributed within the Great Lakes and acute effects can be strongest in nearshore areas where both landscape and within lake effects can have strong influence. Furthermore, different fish species respond to disturbances in different ways. A means to identify and evaluate locations and extent of disturbances that affect fish is needed throughout t
Authors
James E. McKenna, Catherine Riseng, Kevin Wehrly
Repeat bathymetric surveys and model simulation of sedimentation processes near fish spawning placements, Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, Michigan
Nine rock-rubble fish spawning placements, or artificial reef complexes, constructed in the
Detroit and St. Clair Rivers between 2004 to 2018 were surveyed periodically with multibeam
sonar. These serial bathymetric surveys, conducted in 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2022, identified
active sand bedform fields impinging two reef complexes: Fighting Island in the Detroit River
and Middle Channel in the
Authors
Paul J. Kinzel, Gregory W. Kennedy, Taylor Dudunake
Channel mapping of the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona
Bathymetric and topographic data were collected from May 2013 to February 2016 along the 15.84-mile reach of the Colorado River spanning from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona. Channel bathymetry was mapped using multibeam and singlebeam echo sounders; subaerial topography was mapped using a combination of ground-based total stations and aerial photogra
Authors
Matt Kaplinski, Joseph E. Hazel, Paul E. Grams, Tom Gushue, Daniel D. Buscombe, Keith Kohl
Are existing modeling tools useful to evaluate outcomes in mangrove restoration and rehabilitation projects? A minireview
Ecosystem modeling is a critical process for understanding complex systems at spatiotemporal scales needed to conserve, manage, and restore ecosystem services (ESs). Although mangrove wetlands are sources of ESs worth billions of dollars, there is a lack of modeling tools. This is reflected in our lack of understanding of mangroves’ functional and structural attributes. Here, we discuss the “state
Authors
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Xiaochen Zhao, Hongqing Wang, Zuo G. Xue