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
Response of fish assemblages to restoration of rapids habitat in a Great Lakes connecting channel
Rapids habitats are critical spawning and nursery grounds for multiple Laurentian Great Lakes fishes of ecological importance such as lake sturgeon, walleye, and salmonids. However, river modifications have destroyed important rapids habitat in connecting channels by modifying flow profiles and removing large quantities of cobble and gravel that are preferred spawning substrates of several fish sp
Authors
A. Molina-Moctezuma, N. Godby, K. Kapuscinski, Edward F. Roseman, K. Skubik, A. Moerke
Integrating thermal infrared stream temperature imagery and spatial stream network models to understand natural spatial thermal variability in streams
Under a warmer future climate, thermal refuges could facilitate the persistence of species relying on cold-water habitat. Often these refuges are small and easily missed or smoothed out by averaging in models. Thermal infrared (TIR) imagery can provide empirical water surface temperatures that capture these features at a high spatial resolution (<1 m) and over tens of kilometers. Our study examine
Authors
Matthew R. Fuller, Joseph L. Ebersole, Naomi Detenbeck, Rochelle Labisoa, Peter Leinenbach, Christian E. Torgersen
Cohort strength and body size in co-occurring salmonids in a small stream network: Variation in space and time
Trout and salmon commonly coexist in stream networks. Exploring similarities and differences among species can help explain coexistence and invasive ability. Here, we describe spatial distribution, cohort strengths and size-at-age of three co-occurring species in a small stream network. Spatial distributions varied dramatically among species; native brook trout occupied all stream reaches, natural
Authors
Benjamin Letcher, Keith H. Nislow, Matthew O'Donnell, Andrew R. Whiteley, Jason A. Coombs, Todd L. Dubreuil
Experimental warming differentially affects vegetative and reproductive phenology of tundra plants
Rapid climate warming is altering Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystem structure and function, including shifts in plant phenology. While the advancement of green up and flowering are well-documented, it remains unclear whether all phenophases, particularly those later in the season, will shift in unison or respond divergently to warming. Here, we present the largest synthesis to our knowledge of ex
Authors
Courtney G. Collins, Sarah Claire Elmendorf, Robert D. Hollister, Greg Henry, Karin Clark, Anne Bjorkman, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Janet S. Prevéy, Isabel Ashton, Jakob J. Assmann, Juha Alatalo, Michele Carbognani, Chelsea Chisholm, Elisabeth J. Cooper, Forester Chiara, Ingibjorg Svala Jonsdottir, Kari Klanderud, Christopher Kopp, Carolyn Livensperger, Marguerite Mauritz, Jeremy May, Ulf Molau, Steven F. Oberbaeur, Emily Ogburn, Zoe Panchen, Alessandro Petraglia, Eric Post, Christian Rixen, Heidi Rodenhizer, Ted Schuur, Phillip Semenchuk, Jane G. Smith, Heidi Steltzer, Ørjan Totland, Marilyn Walker, Jeffrey Welker, Katharine N. Suding
Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) along Bayou Lacombe, Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Few ecological studies have been conducted on Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri), and published studies have focused on relatively small stream sections of 125 m to 1.75 km. In 2015, we sampled 25 sites along a 13.4-km stretch of Bayou Lacombe (Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA) to better understand factors that may influence the distribution of Gulf Coast Waterdogs within streams. We check
Authors
Brad Glorioso, Hardin Waddle, Lindy J. Muse, Sidney T Godfrey
Population estimates and trends of three Maui Island-endemic Hawaiian Honeycreepers
Population monitoring is critical for informing the management and conservation of rare Hawaiian forest birds. In 2017, we used point-transect distance sampling methods to estimate population densities of birds on Haleakalā Volcano on east Maui island. We estimated the populations and ranges of three island-endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers, including the endangered ‘Ākohekohe (Palmeria dolei), the e
Authors
Seth Judge, Christopher C Warren, Richard J. Camp, Laura K Berthold, Hanna L Mounce, Patrick J. Hart, Ryan J. Monello
Identification of Aphanomyces invadans, the cause of epizootic ulcerative syndrome, in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Cheat River, West Virginia, USA
The oomycete Aphanomyces invadans (Saprolegniales, Oomycetes), the cause of epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), is an OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) reportable pathogen, capable of infecting many fish species worldwide in both freshwater and estuarine environments (Iberahim et al. 2018). Since the discovery of EUS in Japan in 1971 (Egusa and Masuda 1971), it has spread globally and ca
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik
Diet composition and body condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to sea ice habitat in the Canadian High Arctic
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) rely on sea ice for hunting marine mammal prey. Declining sea ice conditions associated with climate warming have negatively affected polar bears, especially in the southern portion of their range. At higher latitudes, the transition from multi-year ice to thinner annual ice has been hypothesized to increase biological productivity and potentially improve polar bear f
Authors
Katie R. N. Florko, Gregory W. Thiemann, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Evan S. Richardson
Spatial ecology of invasive Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida
Understanding the spatial ecology of an invasive species is critical for designing effective control programs. Determining and quantifying home range estimates and habitat associations can streamline targeted removal efforts for wide-ranging, cryptic animals. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is a large-bodied constrictor snake with an established and expanding invasive population in southern
Authors
Ian A. Bartoszek, Brian J. Smith, Robert Reed, Kristen Hart
Confirmed cases of Ophidiomycosis in museum specimens from the USA as early as 1945, United States
Ophidiomycosis represents a conservation threat to wild snake populations. The disease was reported in North America early in the 21st century, but the history of ophidiomycosis has not been investigated. We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis >50 years before the disease’s reported emergence.
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Steven J. Price, Julia S. Lankton, Andrea N. Drayer
Hydropeaking intensity and dam proximity limit aquatic invertebrate diversity in the Colorado River Basin
River biodiversity is threatened globally by hydropower dams, and there is a need to understand how dam management favors certain species while filtering out others. We examined aquatic invertebrate communities within the tailwaters 0–24 km downstream of seven large hydropower dams in the Colorado River Basin of the western United States. We quantified aquatic invertebrate dominance, richness, abu
Authors
Erin Abernathy, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Theodore Kennedy, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Richard Van Driesche, David A. Lytle
Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest
Identification of geographic linkages among breeding, migratory and wintering common loon Gavia immer populations is needed to inform regional and national conservation planning efforts and compensation of loons lost during marine oil spill events. Satellite telemetry and archival geolocator tags were used to determine the migration patterns and wintering locations of breeding adult and young of t
Authors
Kevin P. Kenow, Luke J. Fara, Steven C. Houdek, Brian R. Gray, Darryl J. Heard, Michael W. Meyer, Timothy J. Fox, Robert Kratt, Scott L. Ford, Anette Gendron-Fitzpatrick, Carrol L. Henderson