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
Spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton assemblages in the upper Mississippi River
Phytoplankton provide large quantities of organic carbon and biomolecules that support large river ecosystems. However, when certain groups become overabundant (e.g., cyanobacteria), they can pose a risk to human health and river biota. The purpose of this study was to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community composition within the upper Mississippi River. More specific
Authors
John T. Manier, Roger J. Haro, Jeffrey N. Houser, Eric A. Strauss
Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest
Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and
Authors
Daniela Yaffar, Tana E. Wood, Sasha C. Reed, Benjamin L. Branoff, Molly A. Cavaleri, Richard J. Norby
A river of change—The Rio Grande in the Big Bend region
The Big Bend region is located within the heart of the Chihuahan Desert of North America. Within this region, the Rio Grande, referred to as the Rio Bravo in Mexico, is the international border between the United States and Mexico. The area known as the Big Bend is named after the large northerly bend that the river makes before flowing southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. This region is environmental
Authors
David Dean
Hydrologic and geomorphic effects on riparian plant species occurrence and encroachment: Remote sensing of 360 km of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
A common impact on riparian ecosystem function following river regulation is the expansion and encroachment of riparian plant species in the active river channels and floodplain, which reduces flow of water and suspended sediment between the river, riparian area, and upland ecosystems. We characterized riparian plant species occurrence and quantified encroachment within the dam-regulated Colorado
Authors
Laura E. Durning, Joel B. Sankey, Charles Yackulic, Paul Grams, Bradley J. Butterfield, Temuulen T. Sankey
An updated assessment of status and trend in the distribution of the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) in Oregon, USA
Conservation efforts need reliable information concerning the status of a species and their trends to help identify which species are in most need of assistance. We completed a comparative evaluation of the occurrence of breeding for Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae), an amphibian that is being considered for federal protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Specifically, in 2018–2019 we resur
Authors
Adam Duarte, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Jennifer Rowe, Michael J. Adams
Monitoring native, resident nonsalmonids for the incidence of gas bubble trauma downstream of Snake and Columbia River Dams, 2021
In 2020, a new spill program was implemented to aid the downstream passage of juvenile
salmonids at mainstem dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Under this program, the total
dissolved gas (TDG) cap was increased to 125% and monitoring of native, resident nonsalmonid
(NRN) fishes for gas bubble trauma (GBT) became a requirement. The primary objective of this
work was to measure the incidenc
Authors
Kenneth Tiffan, Collin Smith, Nicole Joy Eller, Joe J. Warren
Acoustic interaction between a pair of owls and a wolf
During summer 2019, we recorded an apparent vocal interaction, lasting just under 4 min, between a pair of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) and a gray wolf (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone National Park. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an acoustic interaction in the scientific literature. The increased use of passive acoustic recorders, which record spontaneous vocalizations emi
Authors
Bárbara Martí-Domken, Vicente Palacios, Shannon Barber-Meyer
Watershed and estuarine controls both influence plant community and tree growth changes in tidal freshwater forested wetlands along two U.S. mid-Atlantic rivers
The tidal freshwater zone near the estuarine head-of-tide is potentially sensitive to both sea-level rise and associated salinity increases as well as changing watershed inputs of freshwater and nutrients. We evaluated the vegetation response of tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) to changes in nontidal river versus estuarine controls along the longitudinal gradient of the Mattaponi and Pamu
Authors
Gregory Noe, Norman A Bourg, Ken Krauss, Jamie A. Duberstein, Cliff R. Hupp
Predicting non-native insect impact: Focusing on the trees to see the forest
Non-native organisms have invaded novel ecosystems for centuries, yet we have only a limited understanding of why their impacts vary widely from minor to severe. Predicting the impact of non-established or newly detected species could help focus biosecurity measures on species with the highest potential to cause widespread damage. However, predictive models require an understanding of potential dr
Authors
Ashley N. Schulz, Angela M. Mech, Matthew P. Ayres, Kamal J.K. Gandhi, Nathan P. Havill, Daniel A. Herms, Angela Marie Hoover, Ruth A. Hufbauer, Andrew M. Liebhold, Travis D. Marsico, Kenneth F. Raffa, Patrick C. Tobin, Daniel R. Uden, Kathryn A. Thomas
Consequences of changing water clarity on the fish and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Human-driven environmental change underlies recent changes in water clarity in many of the world’s great lakes, yet our understanding of the consequences of these changes on the fish and fisheries they support remains incomplete. Herein, we offer a framework to organize current knowledge, guide future research, and help fisheries managers understand how water clarity can affect their valued popula
Authors
David Bunnell, Stuart A. Ludsin, Roger L. Knight, Lars G. Rudstam, Craig E. Williamson, Tomas O. Hook, Paris D. Collingsworth, Barry M. Lesht, Richard P. Barbiero, Anne E. Scofield, Edward S. Rutherford, Layne Gaynor, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Marten A. Koops
Using ALOS-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and interferometric SAR to detect landslides on the mountainous island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
This study was undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the detectability of landslides in the densely forested and mountainous island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The study used existing field-observed land-cover changes and landslides visible on Google Earth (GE) images. A limited number of ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images were collected
Authors
Elijah W. Ramsey III, Amina Rangoonwala
Behavior and survival of hatchery rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington, 2013 and 2017
A two-year study (2013 and 2017) was conducted to determine if annual releases of hatchery rainbow trout (resident Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington adversely affected anadromous fish in the basin. Rainbow trout tagged with radio transmitters were monitored after release to describe movement patterns, entrainment rates at Cowlitz Falls Dam, and survival. Additionall
Authors
Amy C. Hansen, Tobias J. Kock, Brian K. Ekstrom, Theresa L. Liedtke