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Publications

Browse publications authored by our scientists.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more. **Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Filter Total Items: 4105

Using urban forest assessment tools to model bird habitat potential

The alteration of forest cover and the replacement of native vegetation with buildings, roads, exotic vegetation, and other urban features pose one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. As more land becomes slated for urban development, identifying effective urban forest wildlife management tools becomes paramount to ensure the urban forest provides habitat to sustain bird and other wild
Authors
Susannah B. Lerman, Keith H. Nislow, David J. Nowak, Stephen DeStefano, David I. King, D. Todd Jones-Farrand

Accounting for tagging-to-harvest mortality in a Brownie tag-recovery model by incorporating radio-telemetry data

The Brownie tag-recovery model is useful for estimating harvest rates but assumes all tagged individuals survive to the first hunting season; otherwise, mortality between time of tagging and the hunting season will cause the Brownie estimator to be negatively biased. Alternatively, fitting animals with radio transmitters can be used to accurately estimate harvest rate but may be more costly. We de
Authors
Frances E. Buderman, Duane R. Diefenbach, Mary Jo Casalena, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford

Late winter and early spring home range and habitat use of the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel in western North Carolina

The Carolina northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus is an endangered subspecies that is restricted to high elevation forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Owing to rugged terrain and nocturnal habits, the subspecies’ natural history, home range characteristics and habitat preferences are poorly known. We radio-tracked 3 female and 2 male Carolina northern flying squirrels d
Authors
W. Mark Ford, Christine A. Kelly, Jane L. Rodrigue, Richard H. Odom, Douglas Newcomb, L. Michelle Gilley, Corinne A. Diggins

Developing a topographic model to predict the northern hardwood forest type within Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) recovery areas of the southern Appalachians

The northern hardwood forest type is an important habitat component for the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel (CNFS; Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) for den sites and corridor habitats between boreo-montane conifer patches foraging areas. Our study related terrain data to presence of northern hardwood forest type in the recovery areas of CNFS in the southern Appalachian Mountains of weste
Authors
Andrew Evans, Richard H. Odom, Lynn M. Resler, W. Mark Ford, Stephen Prisley

Space use and resource selection by foraging Indiana bats at the northern edge of their distribution

Despite 4 decades of conservation concern, managing endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) populations remains a difficult wildlife resource issue facing natural resource managers in the eastern United States. After small signs of population recovery, the recent emergence of white-nose syndrome has led to concerns of local and/or regional extirpation of the species. Where Indiana bats persist, re
Authors
David S. Jachowski, Joshua B. Johnson, Christopher A. Dobony, John W. Edwards, W. Mark Ford

Trap configuration and spacing influences parameter estimates in spatial capture-recapture models

An increasing number of studies employ spatial capture-recapture models to estimate population size, but there has been limited research on how different spatial sampling designs and trap configurations influence parameter estimators. Spatial capture-recapture models provide an advantage over non-spatial models by explicitly accounting for heterogeneous detection probabilities among individuals th
Authors
Catherine C. Sun, Angela K. Fuller, J. Andrew Royle

Legitimization of regulatory norms: Waterfowl hunter acceptance of changing duck bag limits

Few studies have examined response to regulatory change over time, or addressed hunter attitudes about changes in hunting bag limits. This article explores Minnesota waterfowl hunters’ attitudes about duck bag limits, examining attitudes about two state duck bag limits that were initially more restrictive than the maximum set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), but then increased to mat
Authors
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton, Jeffrey S. Lawrence, Steven D. Cordts

Effect of hunter selectivity on harvest rates of radio-collared white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania

Radio transmitters are a commonly used tool for monitoring the fates of harvested species, although little research has been devoted to whether a visible radio transmitter changes a hunters' willingness to harvest that animal. We initially surveyed deer hunters to assess their willingness to harvest radio-collared deer and predicted radio collars were unlikely to affect the harvest of antlerless d
Authors
Frances E. Buderman, Duane R. Diefenbach, C.S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford, Eric S. Long

What predicts support for antler point restrictions?

Although considerable research has focused on satisfaction with recreation experiences, limited work has examined factors related to regulatory support. In 2005, an antler point restriction (APR) regulation was introduced for hunting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Minnesota’s Itasca State Park. Hunter surveys were conducted following the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 seasons. We modele
Authors
Susan A. Schroeder, Louis Cornicelli, David C. Fulton, Marrett D. Grund

Host heterogeneity influences the impact of a non-native disease invasion on populations of a foundation tree species

Invasive pathogens are becoming increasingly important in forested ecosystems, yet they are often difficult to study because of their rapid transmission. The rate and extent of pathogen spread are thought to be partially controlled by variation in host characteristics, such as when host size and location influence susceptibility. Few host-pathogen systems, however, have been used to test this pred
Authors
Erik S. Jules, Allyson L. Carroll, Andrea M. Garcia, Christopher M. Steenbock, Matthew Kauffman

Does age matter? The influence of age on response rates in a mixed-mode survey

The appeal of cost savings and faster results has fish and wildlife management agencies considering the use of Internet surveys instead of traditional mail surveys to collect information from their constituents. Internet surveys, however, may suffer from differential age-related response rates, potentially producing biased results if certain age groups respond to Internet surveys differently than
Authors
Larry M. Gigliotti, Alia Dietsch

Conserving migratory mule deer through the umbrella of sage-grouse

Conserving migratory ungulates in increasingly human-dominated landscapes presents a difficult challenge to land managers and conservation practitioners. Nevertheless, ungulates may receive ancillary benefits from conservation actions designed to protect species of greater conservation priority where their ranges are sympatric. Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocerus urophasianus), for example, have been
Authors
H. E. Copeland, H. Sawyer, K. L. Monteith, D.E. Naugle, Amy Pocewicz, N. Graf, Matthew Kauffman