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
Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration
RRestoring degraded rivers requires initial assessment of the fluvial landscape to identify stressors and riverine features that can be enhanced. We associated local-scale river habitat data collected using standardized national monitoring tools with modeled regional water temperature and flow data on mid-sized northwest U.S. rivers (30–60 m wide). We grouped these rivers according to quartiles of
Authors
Francine H. Mejia, Jason M Connor, Phil R Kaufmann, Christian E. Torgersen, Eric K Berntsen, Todd Andersen
Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies benefit from grassland/ pasture while bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies in the same landscapes benefit from non-corn/soybean cropland
Agriculturally important commercially managed pollinators including honey bees (Apis mellifera L., 1758) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) rely on the surrounding landscape to fulfill their dietary needs. A previous study in Europe demonstrated that managed honey bee foragers and unmanaged native bumble bee foragers are associated with different land uses. However, it is unclear how
Authors
Gabriela Quinlan, Megan Milbrath, Clint R.V. Otto, Rufus Isaacs
Stable isotopes used to infer trophic position of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf of Mexico, United States
Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA. There is little gene flow between turtles sampled at DRTO and in other rooker
Authors
David Roche, Michael Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen Hart
A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
BackgroundWhile the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for extended periods.MethodsIn an effort to facilitate such research
Authors
Evan J Buck, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Cody M. Kent, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Diann Prosser
USGS RAMPS (Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest) newsletter – Summer 2021 edition
No abstract available.
Authors
Seth M. Munson, Molly L. McCormick
Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient?
Louisiana contains nearly 40% of estuarine herbaceous wetlands in the contiguous United States, supporting valuable ecosystem services and providing significant economic benefits to the state and the entire United States. However, coastal Louisiana is a hotspot for rapid land loss from factors including hurricanes, land use change, and high subsidence rates contributing to high relative sea-level
Authors
Tim J. B. Carruthers, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian, Kelly M. Darnell, Leland C. Moss, Carey L. Perry, Camille Stagg
Shining a light on Laurentian Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi): How ice coverage may impact embryonic development
Changes in winter conditions, such as decreased ice coverage and duration, have been observed in the Laurentian Great Lakes for more than 20 years. Such changes have been hypothesized to be linked to low Coregonus spp. survival to age-1 as most cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are autumn spawners whose embryos incubate under ice throughout the winter. The quantity of light during winter is reg
Authors
Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Mark Vinson, Jason D. Stockwell
Distribution, abundance and spatial variability of microplastic pollution on the surface of Lake Superior
In 2014, 94 paired neuston net samples (0.5 mm mesh) were collected from the surface waters of Lake Superior. These samples comprise the most comprehensive surface water survey for microplastics of any of the Great Lakes to date, and the first to employ double net trawls. Microplastic abundance estimates showed wide variability, ranging between 4000 to more than 100,000 particles/km2 with most loc
Authors
K Cox, E. Brocious, S Courtenay, Mark Vinson, Seth J. K. Mason
Mussel mass mortality and the microbiome: Evidence for shifts in the bacterial microbiome of a declining freshwater bivalve
Freshwater mussels (Unionida) are suffering mass mortality events worldwide, but the causes remain enigmatic. Here, we describe an analysis of bacterial loads, community structure, and inferred metabolic pathways in the hemolymph of pheasantshells (Actinonaias pectorosa) from the Clinch River, USA, during a multi-year mass mortality event. Bacterial loads were approximately 2 logs higher in moribu
Authors
Jordan Richard, Lewis J. Campbell, Eric Leis, Rose Agbalog, Christopher D. Dunn, Diane L. Waller, Susan Knowles, Joel G. Putnam, Tony Goldberg
Engaging with stakeholders to produce actionable science: A framework and guidance
Natural and cultural resource managers are increasingly working with the scientific community to create information on how best to adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change. Engaging with these managers is a strategy that researchers can use to ensure that scientific outputs and findings are actionable (or useful and usable). In this article, the authors adapt Davidson’s wheel o
Authors
Aparna Bamzai, Amanda E. Cravens, Alisa Wade, Renee A. McPherson
Integrating airborne and mobile lidar data with UAV photogrammetry for rapid assessment of changing forest snow depth and cover
Forest structure and topography can influence the ecohydrologic function and resiliency to drought and changing climate. It is, therefore, important to understand how forest restoration treatments alter snowpack distribution and design the treatments accordingly. We use a combination of aerial lidar, multi-temporal terrestrial mobile lidar, and UAV photogrammetry to estimate rapidly changing snow
Authors
Jonathon Donager, Temuulen Sankey, Andrew Sanchez-Meador, Joel B. Sankey, Abraham E. Springer
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Assessing the long-term efficacy of control methods is a critical component of invasive species management. For example, if traits related to control have significant heritability or are influenced by maternal effects, control methods may lose efficacy over time. The potential for these effects can be evaluated via parent/offspring survival analysis, which concomitantly recasts adaptive management
Authors
Brenna A Levine, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Marlis Douglas, Michael Douglas, Melia Gail Nafus