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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: 3984

The walk is never random: subtle landscape effects shape gene flow in a continuous white-tailed deer population in the Midwestern United States

One of the pervasive challenges in landscape genetics is detecting gene flow patterns within continuous populations of highly mobile wildlife. Understanding population genetic structure within a continuous population can give insights into social structure, movement across the landscape and contact between populations, which influence ecological interactions, reproductive dynamics or pathogen tran
Authors
Stacie J. Robinson, Michael D. Samuel, Davin L. Lopez, Paul Shelton

Response by anglers to a differential harvest regulation on three black bass species at Skiatook Lake, Oklahoma

Angler responses to a differential harvest regulation on black bass, Micropterus spp. at Skiatook Lake, Oklahoma was assessed from 1997 to 1999. This regulation allowed anglers to harvest 15 spotted bass, M. punctulatus (Rafinesque) of any size and six largemouth bass, M. salmoides (Lacepède) and smallmouth bass, M. dolomieu Lacepède greater than 356 mm (in aggregate) per day. Anglers’ ability to
Authors
James M. Long, Randy G. Hyler, William L. Fisher

Bioenergetic response by steelhead to variation in diet, thermal habitat, and climate in the north Pacific Ocean

Energetic responses of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss to climate-driven changes in marine conditions are expected to affect the species’ ocean distribution, feeding, growth, and survival. With a unique 18-year data series (1991–2008) for steelhead sampled in the open ocean, we simulated interannual variation in prey consumption and growth efficiency of steelhead using a bioenergetics model to evalu
Authors
Margaret E. Atcheson, Katherine W. Myers, David A. Beauchamp, Nathan J. Mantua

Impact of thiamine deficiency on T-cell dependent and T-cell independent antibody production in lake trout

Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush on thiamine-replete and thiamine-depleted diets were evaluated for the effects of thiamine status on in vivo responses to the T-dependent antigen trinitophenol (TNP)-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (TNP-KLH), the T-independent antigen trinitrophenol-lipolysaccaharide (TNP-LPS), or Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS; negative control fish). Plasma antibody concentr
Authors
Christopher A. Ottinger, Dale C. Honeyfield, Christine L. Densmore, Luke R. Iwanowicz

Monitoring of endangered Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) in Smith River upstream from the Philpott Reservoir on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property near Martinsville, Virginia

The purpose of this study was to continue annual monitoring of Roanoke logperch (Percina rex), an endangered fish, in the Smith River immediately upstream from Philpott Reservoir. This river reach is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which must ensure that appropriate actions are undertaken to aid in recovery of logperch. Monitoring of fish abundance and habitat conditions provide
Authors
James H. Roberts, Paul L. Angermeier

The resilience and functional role of moss in boreal and arctic ecosystems

Mosses in northern ecosystems are ubiquitous components of plant communities, and strongly influence nutrient, carbon and water cycling. We use literature review, synthesis and model simulations to explore the role of mosses in ecological stability and resilience. Moss community responses to disturbance showed all possible responses (increases, decreases, no change) within most disturbance categor
Authors
M. Turetsky, B. Bond-Lamberty, E.S. Euskirchen, J. J. Talbot, S. Frolking, A. D. McGuire, E.S. Tuittila

Application of radiotelemetry to wildlife conservation in mountainous Asian landscapes

No abstract available.
Authors
M.S. Mitchell, L.N. Rich, L. S. Mills

Foraging optimally for home ranges

Economic models predict behavior of animals based on the presumption that natural selection has shaped behaviors important to an animal's fitness to maximize benefits over costs. Economic analyses have shown that territories of animals are structured by trade-offs between benefits gained from resources and costs of defending them. Intuitively, home ranges should be similarly structured, but trade-
Authors
Michael S. Mitchell, Roger A. Powell

Evaluation of otoliths Salt Creek pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus) for use in analyses of age and growth

We collected Salt Creek pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus) from Salt Creek, Death Valley, California, in November 2009 and May 2010. The purpose of our study was to determine whether otoliths displayed interpretable marks that might be used for estimating age and growth. Otoliths exhibited alternating bands of opaque and translucent material. Kendall rank correlation between number of bands on o
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, D. Bailey Gaines, Jesse R. Fischer, Michael C. Quist, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Evidence of local adaptation in westslope cutthroat trout

An understanding of the process of local adaptation would allow managers to better protect and conserve species. Many salmonids are in need of such efforts, and because they often persist in differing, isolated environments, they are useful organisms for studying local adaptation. In addition, the temperature sensitivity of salmonids provides a likely target for natural selection. We studied therm
Authors
Daniel P. Drinan, Alexander V. Zale, Molly A.H. Webb, Mark L. Taper, Bradley B. Shepard, Steven T. Kalinowski

An evaluation of a mitigation strategy for deer-vehicle collisions

High mule deer Odocoileus hemionus mortality in southwestern Utah led to the establishment of a mitigation strategy with two major objectives: 1) reduction of wildlife-vehicle collisions and 2) restoration of landscape connectivity to facilitate wildlife movement across the roaded landscape. During our study, we assessed the effectiveness of the mitigation measures in reducing mule deer mortality
Authors
John A. Bissonette, Silvia Rosa

Genetic basis of differences in myxospore count between whirling disease-resistant and -susceptible strains of rainbow trout

We used a quantitative genetics approach and estimated broad sense heritability (h2b) of myxospore count and the number of genes involved in myxospore formation to gain a better understanding of how resistance to Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite responsible for whirling disease, is inherited in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. An M. cerebralis-resistant strain of rainbow trout, the German Rain
Authors
Eric R. Fetherman, Dana L. Winkelman, George J. Schisler, Michael F. Antolin