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
Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse
Drastic increases in wildfire size and frequency threaten western North American sagebrush (Artemisia L. spp.) ecosystems. At relatively large spatial scales, wildfire facilitates type conversion of sagebrush-dominated plant communities to monocultures of invasive annual grasses (e.g., Bromus tectorum L.). Annual grasses provide fine fuels that promote fire spread, contributing to a positive grass
Authors
Ian F Dudley, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn T. O'Neil, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against Trichuris spp. in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Barbados West Indies
Trichuris spp. are common helminths in NHP, and benzimidazoles and avermectins have both been used to treat these intestinal parasites. The current study compared the efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against natural infection of Trichuris spp. in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). Anthelmintic-naive animals (n = 65) were randomly assigned to 4 groups: an untreated control group, a
Authors
Kamara J. R. Rhynd, Daniel P. Walsh, Linnell C. M. Arthur-Banfield
Endangered Australian top predator is frequently exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides
Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) used to control mammalian pest populations cause secondary exposure of predatory species throughout much of the world. It is important to understand the drivers of non-target AR exposure patterns as context for assessing long-term effects and developing effective mitigation for these toxicants. In Australia, however, little is known about exposure and effects of AR
Authors
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Clare E. Hawkins, Leon A. Barmuta, William E. Brown, Amelia J. Koch, Nick J. Mooney, Elissa Z. Cameron
Virus shedding kinetics and unconventional virulence tradeoffs
Tradeoff theory, which postulates that virulence provides both transmission costs and benefits for pathogens, has become widely adopted by the scientific community. Although theoretical literature exploring virulence-tradeoffs is vast, empirical studies validating various assumptions still remain sparse. In particular, truncation of transmission duration as a cost of virulence has been difficult t
Authors
Andrew R. Wargo, Gael Kurath, Robert J. Scott, Benjamin Kerr
A customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction
Pinyon and juniper expansion into sagebrush ecosystems is one of the major challenges facing land managers in the Great Basin. Effective pinyon and juniper treatment requires maps that accurately and precisely depict tree location and degree of woodland development so managers can target restoration efforts for early stages of pinyon and juniper expansion. However, available remotely sensed layers
Authors
Cali L. Roth, Peter S. Coates, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Michael P. Chenaille, Mark A. Ricca, Erika Sanchez-Chopitea, Michael L. Casazza
Bridging the research-implementation gap in avian conservation with translational ecology
The recognized gap between research and implementation in avian conservation can be overcome with translational ecology, an intentional approach in which science producers and users from multiple disciplines work collaboratively to co-develop and deliver ecological research that addresses management and conservation issues. Avian conservation naturally lends itself to translational ecology because
Authors
Sarah P. Saunders, Joanna X. Wu, Elizabeth A. Gow, Evan A. Adams, Brooke L. Bateman, Trina Bayard, Stephanie Beilke, Ashley A. Dayer, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Kara Fox, Christoper Hamilton, Patricia J. Heglund, Susannah B. Lerman, Nicole L. Michel, Eben H. Paxton, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Melanie A. Smith, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Mark S Woodrey, Charles van Riper
Plasma metabolite indices are robust to extrinsic variation and useful indicators of foraging habitat quality in Lesser Scaup
Energy acquisition and storage are important for survival and fecundity of birds during resource-limited periods such as spring migration. Plasma-lipid metabolites (i.e. triglyceride [TRIG], β-hydroxybutyrate [BOHB]) have been used to index changes in lipid stores and, thus, have utility for assessing foraging habitat quality during migration. However, such an index may be affected by energetic ma
Authors
Eric J. Smith, Michael J. Anteau, Heath M. Hagy, Christopher N. Jacques
Understanding constraints on submersed vegetation distribution in a large, floodplain river: The role of water level fluctuations, water clarity and river geomorphology
Aquatic vegetation is a key component of large floodplain river ecosystems. In the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), there is a long-standing interest in restoring aquatic vegetation in areas where it has declined or disappeared. To better understand what constrains vegetation distribution in large river ecosystems and inform ongoing efforts to restore submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV), we d
Authors
Alicia Carhart, John Kalas, James T. Rogala, Jason J. Rohweder, Deanne C. Drake, Jeffrey N. Houser
Pathology of Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2/b (rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2) in native North American lagomorphs
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a notifiable foreign animal disease in the US, was reported for the first time in wild native North American lagomorphs in April 2020 in the southwestern US. Affected species included the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), mountain cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii), black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), and antelope jackrabbit (Lepus alleni). Desert cotto
Authors
Julia S. Lankton, Susan Knowles, Saskia Keller, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Hon S. Ip
Legacy contaminant-stable isotope-age relationships in Lake Ontario year-class Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) are the preferred prey species of the top piscivore predators in the Lake Ontario food web and are an essential constituent in the bioaccumulation of persistent organic contaminants. Year-class samples collected in 2016 represent the alewife age ranges of 2015 (Age-01) sequentially dating back to 2008 (Age-08). The most abundant contaminant measured in Lake Ontario a
Authors
James J. Pagano, James J. Garner, Brian C. Weidel, Daryl J. McGoldrick, Maureen G. Walsh, Thomas M. Holsen
TrendPowerTool: A lookup tool for estimating the statistical power of a monitoring program to detect population trends
A simulation-based power analysis can be used to estimate the sample sizes needed for a successful monitoring program, but requires technical expertise and sometimes extensive computing resources. We developed a web-based lookup app, called TrendPowerTool (https://www.usgs.gov/apps/TrendPowerTool/), to provide guidance for ecological monitoring programs when resources are not available for a simul
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, James E. Diffendorfer, Laura Lopez-Hoffman, Darius J. Semmens, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Survival and growth of suckers in mesocosms at three locations within Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2018
Executive SummaryDue to high mortality in the first year or two of life, Lost River (Deltistes luxatus sp.) and Shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris sp.) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon rarely reach maturity. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began the Sucker Assisted Rearing Program (SARP) to improve early life survival before releasing the fish back into Upper Klamath Lake. Surviva
Authors
Summer M. Burdick, Carla M. Conway, Carl O. Ostberg, Ryan J. Bart, Diane G. Elliott