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: 41764
Using multiscale environmental and spatial analyses to understand natural and anthropogenic influence on fish communities in four Canadian rivers
Science-based conservation of riverine fishes can be best targeted with specific information about spatial-ecological controls on the community, including anthropogenic stressors. Because anthropogenic stressors can originate at multiple spatial scales, we investigated the influence of natural and anthropogenic variables summarized within the reach, valley, and catchment on fish community composit
Authors
Beth L. Sparks-Jackson, Peter C. Esselman, Christopher C. Wilson, Leon M. Carl
Accounting for spatial habitat and management boundaries when estimating forest bird population distribution and density: Inferences from a soap film smoother
Birds are often obligate to specific habitats which can result in study areas with complex boundaries due to sudden changes in vegetation or other features. This can result in study areas with concave arcs or that include holes of unsuitable habitat such as lakes or agricultural fields. Spatial models used to produce species’ distribution and density estimates need to respect such boundaries to ma
Authors
Richard J. Camp, David L Miller, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
Long-term effects of timber harvest on ephemeral pool and occupancy of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus)
The effects of timber harvest on amphibians can be complex and persist for years postharvest, but overall they are poorly understood. We examined how timber harvest has impacted two pool-breeding species, Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), across the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, West Virginia, USA. We surveyed Spotted Salamanders and Wood Fro
Authors
Amber NM Wiewel, Adrianne Brand, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Condition and coloration of lingual lures of Alligator Snapping Turtles
The lingual lures of Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) are believed to be the only prey-capturing lures within the mouths of modern reptiles. To date, no formal assessment of lure condition in Macrochelys has been published, and few researchers record lure data. Herein, we report damaged or missing lures from 25 Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle; 7 adults, 18 juveniles) from
Authors
Brad Glorioso, John L. Carr, Carl J. Franklin, Mandi Gordon, Aaron C. Johnson, Ethan J. Kessler, Eric Munscher, Luke Pearson, Viviana Ricardez, Arron Tuggle
Evaluation of threatened, endangered, and rare fish species and communities of the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries in the United States
Biodiversity is responsible for important ecological processes like productivity and ecosystem stability, and rare species are a major component of biodiversity. Rarity increases a species' vulnerability to disturbances and also makes them difficult to study. Globally, species of freshwater systems are some of the most threatened, and evaluation of rare freshwater species and their habitats is nee
Authors
James E. McKenna, Anthony David
Dietary niche of three omnivorous turtle species in a northern Florida river: Insights from stable isotope analysis
Macrochelys suwanniensis (Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle) coexists with 2 other native large omnivorous turtle species (Chelydra serpentina [Snapping Turtle] and Trachemys scripta scripta [Yellow-bellied Slider]) in a 9-km section of the Santa Fe River in northern Florida. A major shift in dominant submersed aquatic vegetation prompted us to quantify trophic position and niche overlap among th
Authors
Mathew Denton, Gerald R. Johnston, Travis M. Thomas, Hardin Waddle, Susan Walls, Kristen Hart
A decade-long study of repeated prescription burning in California native grassland restoration
Native bunchgrass communities dominated by Stipa pulchra are widely distributed in California but share dominance with non-native annual grasses. Restoration of these grasslands focuses on altering the balance of native to non-native grasses to favor the former. This study investigated the impact of burning on vegetation recovery. In the first postfire year burning showed a 70% reduction in cover
Authors
Jon Keeley, Robert C. Klinger, Teresa J. Brennan, Dawn M. Lawson, John La Grange, Kathryn N. Berg
Towards a better future for biodiversity and people: Modelling Nature Futures
The Nature Futures Framework (NFF) is a heuristic tool for co-creating positive futures for nature and people. It seeks to open up a diversity of futures through mainly three value perspectives on nature – Nature for Nature, Nature for Society, and Nature as Culture. This paper describes how the NFF can be applied in modelling to support decision-making. First, we describe key considerations for t
Authors
H. Kim, G.D. Peterson, W.W. Cheung, S. Ferrier, R. Alkemade, A. Arneth, Jan J. Kuiper, S. Okayasu, L.M. Pereira, L.A. Acosta, R. Chaplin-Kramer, E. den Belder, T.D. Eddy, J. C. Johnson, S. Karlsson-Viinkhuyzen, M.T.J. Kok, P. Leadley, D. Leclère, C. Lundquist, C. Rondini, R.J. Scholes, M.A. Schoolenberg, Y. Shin, E. Stehfest, F. Stephenson, P. Visconti, D. van Vuuren, C.C.C. Wabnitz, J.J. Alava, I. Cuadros-Casanova, K.K. Davies, M.A. Gasalla, G. Halouani, M. Harfoot, S. Hashimoto, T. Hickler, T. Hirsch, G. Kolomytsev, Brian W. Miller, H. Ohashi, M.G. Palomo, A. Popp, R.P. Remme, O. Saito, U.R. Sumalia, S. Willcock, H.M. Pereira
Increased aridity is associated with stronger tradeoffs in ponderosa pine vital functions
Trees must allocate resources to core functions like growth, defense, and reproduction. These allocation patterns have profound effects on forest health, yet little is known about how core functions trade off over time, and even less is known about how a changing climate will impact tradeoffs. We conducted a 21-year survey of growth, defense, and reproduction in 80 ponderosa pine individuals spann
Authors
Angela Gonzalez, Ian Pearse, Miranda Redmond
Dynamic population models with temporal preferential sampling to infer phenology
To study population dynamics, ecologists and wildlife biologists typically use relative abundance data, which may be subject to temporal preferential sampling. Temporal preferential sampling occurs when the times at which observations are made and the latent process of interest are conditionally dependent. To account for preferential sampling, we specify a Bayesian hierarchical abundance model tha
Authors
Michael Schwob, Mevin B. Hooten, Travis Mcdevitt-Galles
Targeted metabolomics characterizes metabolite occurrence and variability in stable freshwater mussel populations
Freshwater mussels (order Unionida) play a key role in freshwater systems as ecosystem engineers and indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. The fauna is globally imperilled due to a diversity of suspected factors; however, causes for many population declines and mortality events remain unconfirmed due partly to limited health assessment tools. Mussel-monitoring activities often rely on population
Authors
Diane L. Waller, Joel Putnam, John Steiner, Brant Fisher, Grant N. Burcham, John W. Oliver, Stephen B. Smith, Richard A. Erickson, Anne Remek, Nancy Bodeker
The relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the diets of common loons (Gavia immer) among a set of cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota
Common loon (Gavia immer (Brünnich, 1764)) foraging patterns and the relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi Lesueur, 1818) in the diets of loons were evaluated for the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, a set of coldwater cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota, USA. Environmental DNA metabarcoding of loon fecal samples detected 15 fish species. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814)), mimic shine
Authors
Kevin P. Kenow, Yer Lor, Beth V. Holbrook, Luke J. Fara, Steven C. Houdek, Tariq Tajjioui, Brian R. Gray, Peter C. Jacobson