Publications
Below is a list of available NOROCK peer reviewed and published science. If you are in search of a specific publication and cannot find it below or through a search, please contact twojtowicz@usgs.gov.
Filter Total Items: 1216
Genetic variation reveals influence of landscape connectivity on population dynamics and resiliency of western trout in disturbance-prone habitats
Salmonid fishes have evolved and persisted in dynamic ecosystems where disturbance events vary in frequency, magnitude, timing, and duration, as well as the specific nature of associated effects (e.g., changes in thermal or flow regimes, geomorphology, or water chemistry). In the western United States, one of the major drivers of disturbance in stream ecosystems is fire. Although there is a growin
Authors
Helen M. Neville, Robert E. Gresswell, Jason B. Dunham
The past as prelude to the future for understanding 21st-century climate effects on Rocky Mountain Trout
Bioclimatic models predict large reductions in native trout across the Rocky Mountains in the 21st century but lack details about how changes will occur. Through five case histories across the region, we explore how a changing climate has been affecting streams and the potential consequences for trout. Monitoring records show trends in temperature and hydrographs consistent with a warming climate
Authors
Daniel J. Isaak, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Andrew S. Todd, Robert Al-chokhachy, James Roberts, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Kurt D. Fausch, Steven W. Hostetler
Environmental fate model for ultra-low-volume insecticide applications used for adult mosquito management
One of the more effective ways of managing high densities of adult mosquitoes that vector human and animal pathogens is ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses models that are not validated for ULV insecticide applications and exposure assumptions to perform their human and ecological risk assessments. Currently, there is no valida
Authors
Jerome J. Schleier, Robert K.D. Peterson, Kathryn M. Irvine, Lucy M. Marshall, David K. Weaver, Collin J. Preftakes
Mapped versus actual burned area within wildfire perimeters: Characterizing the unburned
For decades, wildfire studies have utilized fire occurrence as the primary data source for investigating the causes and effects of wildfire on the landscape. Fire occurrence data fall primarily into two categories: ignition points and perimeter polygons which are used to calculate a ‘burned area’ for a fire. However, understanding the relationships between climate and fire or between fire and its
Authors
Carl H Key, James Lutz, Carl H. Key, Jonathan Kane, Jan W Van Wagtendonk
A risk-based approach to evaluating wildlife demographics for management in a changing climate: A case study of the Lewis's Woodpecker
Given the projected threat that climate change poses to biodiversity, the need for proactive response efforts is clear. However, integrating uncertain climate change information into conservation planning is challenging, and more explicit guidance is needed. To this end, this article provides a specific example of how a risk-based approach can be used to incorporate a species' response to climate
Authors
Erin Towler, Victoria A. Saab, Richard S. Sojda, Katherine Dickinson, Cindy L. Bruyere, Karen R. Newlon
Movement patterns, habitat use, and survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout in the Truckee River
Habitat fragmentation, hybridization, and competition with nonnative salmonids are viewed as major threats to Lahontan cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi. Understanding Lahontan cutthroat trout behavior and survival is a necessary step in the reintroduction and establishment of naturally reproducing populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout. We used weekly radiotelemetry monitoring to exa
Authors
Alexander V. Alexiades, Mary M. Peacock, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy
Yellowstone bison genetics: let us move forward
White and Wallen (2012) disagree with the conclusions and suggestions made in our recent assessment of population structure among Yellowstone National Park (YNP) bison based on 46 autosomal microsatellite loci in 661 animals (Halbert et al. 2012). First, they suggest that "the existing genetic substructure (that we observed) was artificially created." Specifically, they suggest that the substructu
Authors
Natalie D. Halbert, Peter J.P. Gogan, Philip W. Hedrick, Jacquelyn M. Wahl, James N. Derr
Assessing the impacts of river regulation on native bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) habitats in the upper Flathead River, Montana, USA
Hungry Horse Dam on the South Fork Flathead River, Montana, USA, has modified the natural flow regimen for power generation, flood risk management and flow augmentation for anadromous fish recovery in the Columbia River. Concern over the detrimental effects of dam operations on native resident fishes prompted research to quantify the impacts of alternative flow management strategies on threatened
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Leslie A. Jones, D. Kotter, William J. Miller, Doran Geise, Joel Tohtz, Brian Marotz
Density and Genetic Structure of Black Bears in Coastal South Carolina
No abstract available.
Authors
J. Michael Drewry, Frank T. van Manen, Deanna M. Ruth
Water-quality and geophysical data for three study sites within the Williston Basin and Prairie Pothole Region
This report is a data release for water geochemical sample analyses and geophysical surveys for three sites within the Williston Basin and Prairie Pothole Region of Montana and North Dakota. The data collection sites and procedures are described.
Authors
Todd M. Preston, Bruce D. Smith, Joanna N. Thamke, Tara L. Chesley-Preston
RAD sequencing yields a high success rate for westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout species-diagnostic SNP assays
Hybridization with introduced rainbow trout threatens most native westslope cutthroat trout populations. Understanding the genetic effects of hybridization and introgression requires a large set of high-throughput, diagnostic genetic markers to inform conservation and management. Recently, we identified several thousand candidate single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers based on RAD sequencing
Authors
Stephen J. Amish, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Sally Painter, Robb F. Leary, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Fred W. Allendorf, Gordon Luikart
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Wet slab and glide avalanches are presumably triggered by free water moving through the snowpack and the subsequent interaction with layer or ground interfaces, and typically occur in the spring during warming and subsequent melt periods. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, both types of avalanc
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase Reardon