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
A novel gonadotropic microsporidian parasite (Microsporidium clinchi n. sp.) infecting a declining population of pheasantshell mussels (Actinonaias pectorosa) (Unioinidae) from the Clinch River, USA
Freshwater mussels of the order Unionida are among the most endangered animal groups globally, but the causes of their population decline are often enigmatic, with little known about the role of disease. In 2018, we collected wild adult pheasantshell (Actinonaias pectorosa) and mucket (Actinonaias ligamentina) during an epidemiologic survey investigating an ongoing mussel mass mortality event in t
Authors
Susan Knowles, Eric M. Leis, Jordan C. Richard, Rebecca A. Cole, Rose E. Agbalog, Joel G. Putnam, Tony L. Goldberg, Diane L. Waller
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) rehabilitation in Lake Ontario, 2021
Each year we report on the progress toward rehabilitation of the Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) population, including the results of stocking, annual assessment surveys, creel surveys, and evidence of natural reproduction observed from standard surveys performed by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The catch per unit
Authors
Brian F. Lantry, Brian C. Weidel, Scott P. Minihkeim, Michael Connerton, Jessica A Goretzke, Dimitry Gorsky, Christopher Osborne
Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) nesting exchange
The Northwest Atlantic population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) is one of the largest C. caretta populations in the world and is listed as threatened. This population was divided into five genetically distinct subpopulations, including the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) subpopulation (Shamblin et al. 2017 Mar. Bio. 164:138). Across the NGoM, the majority of C. caretta nesting occurs
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Jennifer S. Walker, Donna J. Shaver
Spatial and temporal variability in lake trout diets in Lake Ontario as revealed by stomach contents and stable isotopes
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are an ecologically and economically important piscivore with reported differences in diet and feeding behaviour throughout its range. Eleven stomach content and stable isotope-based metrics were used to describe diets of 349 lake trout between two years (2013 and 2018) and among geographic zones (west, central, east, Kingston basin) in Lake Ontario. Using individ
Authors
Brent M. Nawrocki, Brent W. Metcalfe, Jeremy P. Holden, Brian F. Lantry, Timothy B. Johnson
Identifying turbulence features hindering swimming capabilities of grass carp larvae (Ctenopharyngodon idella) through submerged vegetation
Aquatic vegetation can provide habitat and refuge for a variety of species in streams. However, the flow features generated by submerged patches of vegetation can also pose a challenge for fish larvae. We conducted a series of experiments with live grass carp larvae (starting ∼50 h post hatch) in a laboratory racetrack flume, using a submerged array of rigid cylinders to mimic vegetation. We used
Authors
Rafael O. Tinoco, Andres F. Prada, Amy E. George, Benjamin H. Stahlschmidt, P. Ryan Jackson, Duane Chapman
Circumpolar patterns of Arctic freshwater fish biodiversity: A baseline for monitoring
Climate change, biological invasions, and anthropogenic disturbance pose a threat to the biodiversity and function of Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Understanding potential changes in fish species distribution and richness is necessary, given the great importance of fish to the function of freshwater ecosystems and as a resource to humans. However, information gaps limit large-scale studies and our
Authors
Sarah M. Laske, Per-Arne Amundsen, Kirsten Christoffersen, Jaakko Erkinaro, Guðni Guðbergsson, Brian Hayden, Jani Heino, Kerstin Holmgren, Kimmo K. Kahilainen, Jennifer Lento, Panu Orell, Johan Östergren, Michael Power, Ruslan Rafikov, Atso Romakkaniemi, Martin-A. Svenning, Heidi K. Swanson, Matthew Whitman, Christian E. Zimmerman
Diversity of diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish varies in response to different environmental correlates in Arctic rivers across North America
Climate change poses a significant threat to Arctic freshwater biodiversity, but impacts depend upon the strength of organism response to climate‐related drivers. Currently, there is insufficient knowledge about Arctic freshwater biodiversity patterns to guide assessment, prediction, and management of biodiversity change.As part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program's first freshwater
Authors
Jennifer Lento, Sarah M. Laske, Isabelle Lavoie, Daniel Bogan, Bob Brua, Stéphane Campeau, Krista Chin, Joseph M. Culp, Brianna Levenstein, Michael Power, Émilie Saulnier-Talbot, Rebecca Shaftel, Heidi K. Swanson, Matthew Whitman, Christian E. Zimmerman
Salinification of coastal wetlands and freshwater management to support resilience
Climates are rapidly changing in wetland ecosystems around the world and historical land-use change is not always given enough consideration in climate adaptation discussions. Historical changes to hydrology and other key environments can exacerbate vegetation stress; e.g., recent drought and flood episodes are likely more extreme because of climate change. The contributions of global and regional
Authors
Beth Middleton, Jere Boudell
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2022
This report presents biomass-based summaries of fish communities in western Lake Erie derived from USGS bottom trawl surveys conducted from 2013 to 2022 in June and September. The survey design compliments the August ODNR- OMNDMNRF effort by reinforcing stock assessments with more robust data. Analyses herein evaluated trends in total biomass, abundance of dominant predator and forage species, non
Authors
Mark Richard Dufour, Corbin David Hilling, Kevin R. Keretz, Richard Kraus, Richard Cole Oldham, James Roberts, Joseph Schmitt
Water and endangered fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?
In the western United States, water allocation decisions often incorporate the needs of endangered fish. In the Klamath River basin, an understanding of temporal variation in annual survival rates of Shortnose Suckers Chasmistes brevirostris and Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus and their relation to environmental drivers is critical to water management and sucker recovery. Extinction risk is h
Authors
Jacob Richard Krause, Eric C. Janney, Summer M. Burdick, Alta C. Harris, Brian S. Hayes
New indicators of ecological resilience and invasion resistance to support prioritization and management in the sagebrush biome, United States
Ecosystem transformations to altered or novel ecological states are accelerating across the globe. Indicators of ecological resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion can aid in assessing risks and prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration. The sagebrush biome encompasses parts of 11 western states and is experiencing rapid transformations due to human population growth, invasi
Authors
Jeanne C. Chambers, Jessi L. Brown, John B. Bradford, David I. Board, Steven B. Campbell, Karen J. Clause, Brice Hanberry, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Alexandra K. Urza
Characterization of a small population of the orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly (Megalagrion xanthomelas) in anchialine pools at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i Island
The endangered orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly (Megalagrion xanthomelas) is a lowland inhabitant of freshwater and brackish wetland environments. Formerly one of the most widely distributed native insects in Hawai‘i, it now appears restricted to small populations on the islands of O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i. On Hawai‘i island, anchialine pools provide important habitat for M. xanthomelas, a
Authors
Robert W. Peck, Sarah Nash