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: 41778
Turtles of the World: A guide to every family
Turtles of the World reveals the extraordinary diversity of these amazing reptiles. Characterized by the bony shell that acts as a shield to protect the softer body within, turtles are survivors from the time of the dinosaurs and are even more ancient in evolutionary terms than snakes and crocodilians. Of more than 350 species known today, some are highly endangered. In this beautiful guide, turtl
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Whit Gibbons
Comparative genomics analyses support the reclassification of Bisgaard taxon 40 as Mergibacter gen. nov., with Mergibacter septicus sp. nov. as type species: Novel insights into the phylogeny and virulence factors of a Pasteurellaceae family member associ
The Pasteurellaceae family has been associated with fatal diseases in numerous avian species. Several new taxa within this family, including Bisgaard taxon 40, have been recently described in wild birds, but their genomic characteristics and pathogenicity are not well understood. We isolated Bisgaard taxon 40 from four species of seabirds, including one sampled during a mass, multi-species mortali
Authors
Eliana De Luca, Sonsiray Álvarez-Narváez, Grazieli Maboni, Rodrigo P Baptista, Nicole M Nemeth, Kevin D. Niedringhaus, Jason T. Ladner, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Galina Koroleva, Sean Lovett, Gustavo F Palacios, Susan Sanchez
International importance of Percids: Summary and looking forward
Research presented in the preceding chapters emphasizes recent advancements in the research, management, and aquaculture of Walleye, Sauger, and Yellow Perch in North America. These percid fishes, along with the European Perch and Pikeperch, are economically and ecologically important fishes in their native geographic range. Advances in techniques to evaluate current habitat and predict future hab
Authors
Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman
Tissue and salinity specific Na+/Cl− cotransporter (NCC) orthologues involved in the adaptive osmoregulation of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Two orthologues of the gene encoding the Na+-Cl− cotransporter (NCC), termed ncca and nccb, were found in the sea lamprey genome. No gene encoding the Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter 2 (nkcc2) was identified. In a phylogenetic comparison among other vertebrate NCC and NKCC sequences, the sea lamprey NCCs occupied basal positions within the NCC clades. In freshwater, ncca mRNA was found only in the gill
Authors
Andre Barany-Ruiz, Ciaran S Shaughnessy, Ryan M. Pelis, Juan Fuentes, Juan M Mancera, Stephen D. McCormick
Foreword: Control and conservation of lampreys beyond 2020 - Proceedings from the 3rd Sea Lamprey International Symposium (SLIS III)
Introduction to the special issue on the 3rd Sea Lamprey International Symposium. The compiled papers in this special issue consist of a combination of syntheses requested in advance of the symposium and perspectives that emerged from the symposium break-out discussions. These written contributions address the symposium goals of updating our understanding of sea lamprey control and research on lam
Authors
Robert L. McLaughlin, Jean V. Adams, Pedro R. Almeida, Jessica Barber, Dale P. Burkett, Margaret F. Docker, Nicholas S. Johnson, Mary L. Moser, Andrew M. Muir, Michael J. Siefkes, Todd B. Steeves, Michael P. Wilkie
A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations: Reply
No abstract available.
Authors
Donald Schoolmaster, Chad R Zirbel, James P. Cronin
Clutch may predict growth of hatchling Burmese pythons better than food availability or sex
Identifying which environmental and genetic factors affect growth pattern phenotypes can help biologists predict how organisms distribute finite energy resources in response to varying environmental conditions and physiological states. This information may be useful for monitoring and managing populations of cryptic, endangered, and invasive species. Consequently, we assessed the effects of food a
Authors
Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Bryan G. Falk, Alejandro Grajal-Puche, Emma B. Hanslowe, Ian A. Bartoszek, Robert Reed, Andrea Faye Currylow
Identifying factors that affect mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric nitrogen deposition across multiple scales
Increased nitrogen (N) deposition rates over the past century have affected both North American and European mountain lake ecosystems. Ecological sensitivity of mountain lakes to N deposition varies, however, because chemical and biological responses are modulated by local watershed and lake properties. We evaluated predictors of mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric N deposition across North A
Authors
Benjamin Burpee, Jasmine Saros, Leora Nanus, Jill S. Baron, Janice Brahney, Kyle Christianson, Taylor Gantz, Andi Heard, Beth Hundey, Karin Koinig, Jiří Kopáček, Katrina Moser, Koren Nydick, Isabella A. Oleksy, Steven Sadro, Ruben Sommaruga, Rolf Vinebrooke, Jason Williams
The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): Development, applications, and opportunities
Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveys
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Nick Sievert, Holly Susan Embke, Ashley Robertson, Bonnie Jean Evaline Myers, M. S. Allen, Zach S. Feiner, Fritz Hoogakker, Scott Knoche, Rebecca Krogman, Stephen R. Midway, Chelsey L. Nieman, Craig Paukert, Kevin L. Pope, Mark W. Rogers, L. S. Wszola, T. Douglas Beard
Impacts of a non-indigenous ecosystem engineer, the American beaver (Castor canadensis), in a biodiversity hotspot
Non-native species having high per capita impacts in invaded communities are those that modulate resource availability and alter disturbance regimes in ways that are biologically incompatible with the native biota. In areas where it has been introduced by humans, American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an iconic example of such species due to its capacity to alter trophic dynamics of entire ecosyst
Authors
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Camm C. Swift, Thomas A. Wake, Cheryl S. Brehme, Kristine L. Preston, Barbara E. Kus, Edward L Ervin, Scott Tremor, Tritia Matsuda, Robert N. Fisher
Oil and gas reclamation on US public lands: How it works and improving the process with land potential concepts
• There are three general stages of a well's life on US public land: 1) the permitting process to drill, 2) active extraction of fossil fuel resource, and 3) plugging and abandonment of well.• There is no national standard for oil and gas reclamation in the United States similar to mining and therefore current reclamation practices and standards fail to achieve long-term effectiveness across the w
Authors
Sean Di Stéfano, Jason W. Karl, Michael C. Duniway, Robert Heinse, April Hulet, J.D. Wulfhorst
New insights into dietary management of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos)
Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos) have been exhibited in zoological gardens for centuries, little is known about their nutritional needs. Multiple recent studies on both wild and captive polar bears and brown bears have found that they voluntarily select dietary macronutrient proportions resulting in much lower dietary protein and higher fat or digestible carbohydr
Authors
Charles T. Robbins, Troy N Tollefson, Karyn D. Rode, Joy Erlenbach, Amanda J. Ardente