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: 41763
A dataset of amphibian species in U.S. National Parks
National parks and other protected areas are important for preserving landscapes and biodiversity worldwide. An essential component of the mission of the United States (U.S.) National Park Service (NPS) requires understanding and maintaining accurate inventories of species on protected lands. We describe a new, national-scale synthesis of amphibian species occurrence in the NPS system. Many park u
Authors
Benjamin Lafrance, Andrew M. Ray, Robert N. Fisher, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Charles Shafer, David Beamer, Stephen Frank Spear, Todd W Pierson, Jon M. Davenport, Matthew L. Niemiller, R. Alexander Pyron, Brad Glorioso, William Barichivich, Brian J. Halstead, Kory Roberts, Blake R. Hossack
Non-negligible near-term risk of extinction to the eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies—An updated assessment (2006–22)
The eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) started declining as early as the mid-1970s and seemed to stop declining by the early 2000s; the population now (about 2022) persists at a much-reduced abundance. Stochastic variation in abundance, at levels typical of monarch butterflies and other insects, was assessed to determine whether this population is at heightened
Authors
Wayne E. Thogmartin
Global potential distribution of mangroves: Taking into account salt marsh interactions along latitudinal gradients
Mangrove is one of the most productive and sensitive ecosystems in the world. Due to the complexity and specificity of mangrove habitat, the development of mangrove is regulated by several factors. Species distribution models (SDMs) are effective tools to identify the potential habitats for establishing and regenerating the ecosystem. Such models usually include exclusively environmental factors.
Authors
Lina Cui, Don DeAngelis, Uta Berger, Minmin Cao, Yaqi Zhang, Xiaomin Zhang, Jiang Jiang
Identifying conditions where reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) functions as a driver of forest loss in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain under different hydrological scenarios
Most of the world’s river-floodplain ecosystems are simultaneously undergoing modifications to their hydrological regimes and experiencing species invasions, making it unclear whether invasive species are the main drivers of ecosystem change or simply responding to changes in the hydrological regime.We simulated patterns of forest recruitment and succession in a 2500-ha portion of the Upper Missis
Authors
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Molly Van Appledorn, Enrika Hlavacek, Andy Meier
Resource stewardship objectives and actions for climate change-sensitive cultural and natural resources in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Outputs from January–February 2022 climate change adaptation strategy development
This report presents climate change-informed resource stewardship strategies for diverse Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve natural and cultural resources. The strategies were developed in early 2022 by park staff and other subject-matter experts in a scenario-based climate change adaptation planning process. Strategy development was facilitated by National Park Service (NPS) climate ch
Authors
Gregor W. Schuurman, Amber N. Runyon, Brecken C. Robb, Morris Hylton, Jeneva P. Wright
The vegetation dynamics of the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India: A reassessment
As a result of a field trip in 1980 to the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India, which was organized by Dr. Brij Gopal, a study of the vegetation dynamics of this wetland was initiated. The original hypothesis for this study was that the seasonal vegetation changes caused by the annual summer monsoon was a compressed habitat cycle. Habitat cycles are a characteristic of prairie p
Authors
Arnold G. van der Valk, Beth Middleton
Do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?
The vast majority of knowledge related to the question of, “To what extent do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?”, stems from the Asian vulture crisis (>99% decline of some species of old-world vultures on the Indian subcontinent related to the veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac). The hazard of diclofenac and other NSAIDs (carprof
Authors
Thomas G. Bean, Elizabeth A. Chadwick, Marta Herrero-Villar, Rafael Mateo, Vinny Naidoo, Barnett A. Rattner
A scaled Denil fishway for upstream passage of Arctic Grayling
Denil fishways have been used with varying success to help fish pass impediments to upstream passage such as low head dams or irrigation diversion structures. They have been tested for hydraulic and fish passage performance in laboratory and field settings, usually with only minor modifications to the fishway geometry or dimensions. We tested a reduced (0.6) scale prototype of the standard-sized D
Authors
Katey Plymesser, Matt Blank, Megan Conley, Kevin Kappenman, Joel Cahoon, David Dockery, Alexander V. Zale
Lingering impacts of the 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave on seabird demography in Cook Inlet, Alaska (USA)
A protracted period (2014-2016) of anomalously warm water in the northeast Pacific Ocean precipitated an extensive die-off of common murres Uria aalge (hereafter ‘murres’) during 2015-2016, accompanied by reduced colony attendance and reproductive success of murres and black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla (‘kittiwakes’) starting in 2015. Most murres died of starvation following a large-scale r
Authors
Sarah K. Schoen, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, John F. Piatt
Variable climate-growth relationships of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) among Sky Island mountain ranges in the Great Basin, Nevada, USA
The Great Basin is an arid province located in the interior western United States. The region encompasses millions of hectares and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests comprise a minor portion of the total area. However, montane aspen forests play a disproportionately large role in providing ecosystem services in the region, including water retention, biodiversity, wildlife habitat,
Authors
Martin Senfeldr, Douglas J. Shinneman, Susan McIlroy, Paul Rogers, R. Justin DeRose
Conservation plan for golden eagles in eastern North America
No abstract available.
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, Tricia A. Miller, Andrew J. Dennhardt, Maxwell Field, Thomas Wittig, Elizabeth Mojica, Michael J. Lanzone, Mark S. Martell, Richard M. Bailey, Andrew Berry, Renee Dillard, David Brandes, David F. Brinker, Bracken Brown, Erynn M. Call, Jeffrey Cooper, Adam E. Duerr, Christopher J Farmer, Shilo K. Felton, Julie Garvin, Rolf Gubler, Sergio R. Harding, Michael Jones, Christine A. Kelly, Hardy Kern, Netawn Kiogima, Craig A. Koppie, Jerome Lemaitre, Mercedes Maddox, Scott Mehus, Joel Merriman, Amy Mitchell, Bill Parsons, Evan Patrick, Nora P. Pennarola, Margaret Rheude, Casey Rucker, Scott Rush, Ryan Schmitz, Hank Seltzer, Vincent A. Slabe, Eric C. Soehren, Johnny Wills
The haunting raptor: Yellowstone’s golden eagles
For many who live in North America, when picturing an eagle, the image of a large magnificent bird with a distinct white head and tail comes to mind. Rightfully, the bald eagle has garnered much attention as a national symbol of the United States (US), nearly brought to extinction from widespread organochlorine pesticide use (e.g., DDT, dichloro- diphenyl- trichloroethane; Anderson 1972, Baril et
Authors
David B. Haines, Douglas W. Smith, Todd E. Katzner, Victoria J. Dreitz