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: 41894
Epidemiological differences between sexes affect management efficacy in simulated chronic wasting disease systems
Sex-based differences in physiology, behaviour and demography commonly result in differences in disease prevalence. However, sex differences in prevalence may reflect exposure rather than transmission, which could affect disease control programmes. One potential example is chronic wasting disease (CWD), which has been observed at greater prevalence among male than female deer.We used an age- and s
Authors
William J. Rogers, Ellen E. Brandell, Paul C. Cross
Population structure, intergroup interaction, and human contact govern infectious disease impacts in mountain gorilla populations
Infectious zoonotic diseases are a threat to wildlife conservation and global health. They are especially a concern for wild apes, which are vulnerable to many human infectious diseases. As ecotourism, deforestation, and great ape field research increase, the threat of human-sourced infections to wild populations becomes more substantial and could result in devastating population declines. The end
Authors
Christopher A. Whittier, Felicia B. Nutter, Philip L. F. Johnson, Paul C. Cross, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Barrett D. Slenning, Michael K. Stoskopf
Variation in foraging patterns as reflected by floral resources used by male vs female bees of selected species at Badlands National Park, SD
Female and male bees forage for different reasons: females provision nests with pollen appropriate for larval development and consume nectar for energy while males need only fuel their own energetic requirements. The expectation, therefore, is that females should visit fewer floral resource species than males, due to females’ focus on host plant species and their tie to the nest location. We use
Authors
Diane L. Larson, Zachary M. Portman, Jennifer Larson, Deborah A. Buhl
Diverse native island flora shows rapid initial passive recovery after exotic herbivore removal on Santa Rosa Island, California
Removing exotic vertebrates from islands is an increasingly common and potentially effective strategy for protecting biodiversity. Yet, surprisingly few studies evaluate large-scale effects of island removals on native plants. We surveyed 431 hectares of habitat in 7 canyons on Santa Rosa Island just after exotic herbivore control began (1994–1996), and again after two herbivore species had been e
Authors
Diane M Thomson, Kathryn McEachern, Emily L Schultz, Kenneth G. Niessen, Dieter Wilken, Katherine A. Chess, Lauren F Cole, Ruth Y Oliver, Jennifer D Phillips, Acadia Tucker
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on pygmy rabbits published from 1990 to 2020
Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western lands
Authors
Nathan J. Kleist, Joshua S. Willems, Heidi L. Bencin, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Jennifer K. Meineke, Erin E. Poor, Sarah K. Carter
Performance of a carbon dioxide injection system at a navigation lock to control the spread of aquatic invasive species
Natural resource agencies need effective strategies to control the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) such as invasive fish, which can expand their range using rivers as hydrological pathways to access new areas. Lock and dam structures within major rivers are prospective locations to deploy techniques, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) infusion into lock water, that could impede upstream AIS mig
Authors
Thomas J. Zolper, David Smith, P. Ryan Jackson, Aaron R. Cupp
Optimizing trilateration estimates for tracking fine-scale movement of wildlife using automated radio telemetry networks
A major advancement in the use of radio telemetry has been the development of automated radio tracking systems (ARTS), which allow animal movements to be tracked continuously. A new ARTS approach is the use of a network of simple radio receivers (nodes) that collect radio signal strength (RSS) values from animal-borne radio transmitters. However, the use of RSS-based localization methods in wildli
Authors
Kristina L. Paxton, Kayla M Baker, Zia Crytser, Ray Mark Provido Guinto, Kevin W. Brinck, Haldre Rogers, Eben H. Paxton
A novel approach for directly incorporating disease into fish stock assessment: A case study with seroprevalence data
When estimating mortality from disease with fish population models, common disease surveillance data such as infection prevalence are not always informative, especially for fast-acting diseases that may go unobserved in infrequently sampled populations. In these cases, seroprevalence — the proportion of fish with measurable antibody levels in their blood — may be more informative. In cases of life
Authors
John T. Trochta, Maya Groner, Paul Hershberger, Trevor A. Branch
Foreword to the special Issue on ‘The rapidly expanding role of drones as a tool for wildlife research’
Drones have emerged as a popular wildlife research tool, but their use for many species and environments remains untested and research is needed on validation of sampling approaches that are optimised for unpiloted aircraft. Here, we present a foreword to a special issue that features studies pushing the taxonomic and innovation boundaries of drone research and thus helps address these knowledge a
Authors
Aaron J Wirsing, Aaron N. Johnston, Jeremy J. Kiszka
Baseline gene expression levels in Falkland-Malvinas Island penguins: Towards a new monitoring paradigm
Health diagnostics of wildlife have historically relied on the evaluation of select serum biomarkers and the identification of a contaminant or pathogen burden within specific tissues as an indicator of a level of insult. However, these approaches fail to measure the physiological reaction of the individual to stressors, thus limiting the scope of interpretation. Gene-based health diagnostics prov
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon C. Waters, Jeffrey L Stott, Ann Duncan, Randi Meyerson, Sarah Woodhouse
Behavioral state-dependent habitat selection and implications for animal translocations
Post-release monitoring of translocated animals is often used to inform future translocation protocols. Quantifying habitat selection of translocated individuals may help identify features that characterize good settlement habitat and thus inform the choice of future release sites. However, translocated animals often undergo post-release behavioural modification, and their habitat selection may va
Authors
Simona Picardi, Peter S. Coates, Jesse L. Kolar, Shawn T. O'Neil, Steven R. Mathews, David K. Dahlgren
Invasion of Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) along the South Platte River: The roles of seed source, human influence, and river geomorphology
Riparian ecosystems in the western USA have been invaded by non-native woody species deliberately introduced for stream bank stabilization, agricultural windbreaks, and urban shade. Recent work suggests that the non-native tree Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) is capable of significant spread in western riparian ecosystems, that range infilling is still incomplete, and that the invasion is dispersal-li
Authors
Lindsay Reynolds, Laura Perry, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gabrielle L. Katz, Andrew S. Norton