Publications
Below is a list of WERC's peer-reviewed publications. If you are searching for a specific publication and cannot find it in this list, please contact werc_web@usgs.gov
Filter Total Items: 3617
Host correlates of avian influenza virus infection in wild waterfowl of the Sacramento Valley, California
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are distributed globally in members of the family Anatidae (waterfowl), and significant disease may occur when these viruses infect commercial poultry or humans. Early detection of AIV through surveillance of wild waterfowl is one measure to prevent future disease outbreaks. Surveillance efforts that are designed to account for host and environmental determinants of
Authors
Elizabeth A. Bianchini, Raymond J. Bogiatto, Robin A. Donatello, Michael L. Casazza, Josh T. Ackerman, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Troy D. Cline
Variable effects of wind-energy development on seasonal habitat selection of pronghorn
In the face of climate change, wind energy represents an important alternative to oil and gas extraction to meet increasing energy demands, but it has the potential to disrupt wildlife populations. Because behavioral adjustments, such as altered habitat selection, are a primary way that long-lived species respond to novel disturbances, we evaluated effects of wind energy development on pronghorn (
Authors
Megan C. Milligan, Aaron N. Johnston, Jeff L Beck, Kurt T. Smith, Kaitlyn L. Taylor, Embere Hall, Lee Knox, Teal Cufaude, Cody F. Wallace, Geneva W. Chong, Matthew Kauffman
Empirically validated drought vulnerability mapping in the mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada
Severe droughts are predicted to become more frequent in the future, and the consequences of such droughts on forests can be dramatic, resulting in massive tree mortality, rapid change in forest structure and composition, and substantially increased risk of catastrophic fire. Forest managers have tools at their disposal to try to mitigate these effects but are often faced with limited resources, f
Authors
Adrian Das, Michèle R Slaton, Jeffrey Mallory, Gregory P. Asner, Roberta E. Martin, Paul Hardwick
Crowding, climate, and the case for social distancing among trees
In an emerging era of megadisturbance, bolstering forest resilience to wildfire, insects, and drought has become a central objective in many western forests. Climate has received considerable attention as a driver of these disturbances, but few studies have examined the complexities of climate–vegetation–disturbance interactions. Current strategies for creating resilient forests often rely on retr
Authors
Tucker J. Furniss, Adrian Das, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Nathan L. Stephenson, James A. Lutz
Seasonal impoundment management reduces nitrogen cycling but not resilience to surface fire in a tidal wetland
Hydrology and salinity regimes of many impounded wetlands are manipulated to provide seasonal habitats for migratory waterfowl, with little-known consequences for ecosystem structure and function. Managed hydrology can alter ecosystems by directly changing soil properties and processes and by influencing plant community dynamics. Additionally, management history may influence ecosystem response to
Authors
Scott Jones, Charles A Schutte, Brian J Roberts, Karen M. Thorne
Inter- and intra-annual effects of lethal removal on common raven abundance in Nevada and California, USA
Populations of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) have increased rapidly within sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems between 1960 and 2020. Although ravens are native to North America, their population densities have expanded to levels that negatively influence the population dynamics of other wildlife species of conservation concern, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Julia C. Brockman, Pat J. Jackson, Jack O. Spencer, Perry J. Williams
Spatial modeling of common raven density and occurrence helps guide landscape management within Great Basin sagebrush ecosystems
Common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) are a behaviorally flexible nest predator of several avian species, including species of conservation concern. Movement patterns based on life history phases, particularly territoriality of breeding birds and transiency of nonbreeding birds, are thought to influence the frequency and efficacy of nest predation. As such, predicting where on the landscape territo
Authors
Sarah C. Webster, Shawn T. O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Pat J. Jackson, John C. Tull, David J. Delehanty
Projecting the remaining habitat for the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) in heavily urbanized southern California
Extensive urbanization in coastal southern California has reduced natural habitat in this biodiversity hotspot. To better conserve ecological communities, state and federal agencies, along with local jurisdictions and private stakeholders, developed regional conservation plans for southern California. Although many protected areas exist within this region, the patchwork nature of these protected a
Authors
Jonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead, Robert H. Packard, Robert N. Fisher
Gene expression profiles in two razor clam populations: Discerning drivers of population status
With rapidly changing marine ecosystems, shifts in abundance and distribution are being documented for a variety of intertidal species. We examined two adjacent populations of Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska. One population (east) supported a sport and personal use fishery, but this has been closed since 2015 due to declines in abundance, and the second population
Authors
Heather A. Coletti, Lizabeth Bowen, Brenda Ballachey, Tammy L Wilson, Shannon C. Waters, Michael Booz, Katrina L Counihan, Tuula E. Hollmen, Benjamin Pister
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
Small shorebirds feast on green slime to fuel their long migration
Shorebirds wade in shallow waters along shorelines searching for food. More than a million shorebirds visit the San Francisco Estuary each year during their migration to feast on the insects, worms, clams, and crabs that live on or under the surface of the sand or mud. The abundant food in the Estuary provides shorebirds with the energy they need to migrate thousands of kilometers, between their b
Authors
Laurie Anne Hall, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Isa Woo, Tomohiro Kuwae, David Mcgovern Nelson, John Y. Takekawa
Enhancing marsh elevation using sediment augmentation: A case study from southern California, USA
Tidal marshes are an important component of estuaries that provide habitat for fish and wildlife, protection from flooding, recreation opportunities, and can improve water quality. Critical to maintaining these functions is vertical accretion, a key mechanism by which tidal marshes build elevation relative to local sea level. The beneficial use of dredged material to build marsh elevations in resp
Authors
Evyan Borgnis Sloane, Karen M. Thorne, Christine R Whitcraft, Victoria Touchstone