Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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

Forward to the conservation, biology, and natural history of North American crayfishes

No abstract available.
Authors
Zachary J. Loughman, Thomas P. Simon, Stuart A. Welsh

Regional variation in diets of breeding Red-shouldered hawks

We collected data on breeding season diet composition of Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) in south Texas and compared these data, and those reported from studies elsewhere to examine large scale spatial variation in prey use in eastern North America. Red-shouldered Hawk diets aligned into two significantly different groups, which appear to correlate with latitude. The diets of Red-shouldered
Authors
Bradley N. Strobel, Clint W. Boal

Salmon carcasses increase stream productivity more than inorganic fertilizer pellets: A test on multiple trophic levels in streamside experimental channels

Inorganic nutrient amendments to streams are viewed as possible restoration strategies for re-establishing nutrients and stream productivity throughout the western coast of North America, where salmon runs and associated marine-derived nutrient subsidies have declined. In a mesocosm experiment, we examined the short-term (6 weeks) comparative effects of artificial nutrient pellets and salmon carca
Authors
Mark S. Wipfli, John P. Hudson, John P. Caouette, N.L. Mitchell, Joanna L. Lessard, Ron A. Heintz, D. T. Chaloner

Influence of drought conditions on brown trout biomass and size structure in the Black Hills, South Dakota

We evaluated the influence of drought conditions on the biomass of brown trout Salmo trutta in Spearfish Creek, upper Rapid Creek, and lower Rapid Creek in the Black Hills of western South Dakota. Stream discharge, mean summer water temperature, the biomass of juvenile and adult brown trout, and brown trout size structure were compared between two time periods: early (2000–2002) and late drought (
Authors
Daniel A. James, Jerry W. Wilhite, Steven R. Chipps

Summer microhabitat use by adult and young-of-year snail darters (Percina tanasi) in two rivers

We characterised microhabitat availability and use by adult and young‐of‐year (YOY) snail darters (Percina tanasi Etnier 1976) while snorkelling in the French Broad and Hiwassee rivers, TN, USA. Both age groups of snail darters disproportionately used most microhabitat variables compared to their availability. Snail darters primarily occupied moderately deep, swift water over gravel substrates wit
Authors
M. J. Ashton, James B. Layzer

Colonial nesting Yellow-crowned Night Herons on the San Antonio River Walk

Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctinassa violacea) typically nest as single pairs or in small colonies of about four pairs with high internest distances. They are also reported as susceptible to disturbance and to avoid habitat with high human use. However, some Yellowcrowned Night Herons habituate to human-dominated landscapes and nest in residential areas. I located a colony of nesting Yellow-cro
Authors
Clint W. Boal

Parental attendance and brood success in American Oystercatchers in South Carolina

Research on breeding American Oystercatchers has focused on identifying factors that affect reproductive success but little attention has been paid to parent behavior during chick-rearing. Parental attendance of American Oystercatchers was measured in Bulls Bay and along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (Waterway) within the Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, USA, during 2006. Parental attendan
Authors
Janet M. Thibault, Felicia J. Sanders, Patrick G.R. Jodice

Seasonal meso- and microhabitat selection by the northern snakehead (Channa argus) in the Potomac river system

 The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is a large piscivorous fish that is invasive in eastern Europe and has recently been introduced in North America. We examined the seasonal habitat selection at meso- and microhabitat scales using radio-telemetry to increase understanding of the ecology of this species, which will help to inform management decisions. After the spawning season (postspawn season
Authors
N.W.R. Lapointe, J.T. Thorson, P. L. Angermeier

Woodpecker densities in the big woods of Arkansas

Sightings of the now-feared-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker Campephilus principalis in 2004 in the Big Woods of Arkansas initiated a series of studies on how to best manage habitat for this endangered species as well as all woodpeckers in the area. Previous work suggested that densities of other woodpeckers, particularly pileated Dryocopus pileatus and red-bellied Melanerpes carolinus woodpeckers,
Authors
J.D. Luscier, David G. Krementz

Foraging proficiency during the nonbreeding season of a specialized forager: are juvenile American Oystercatchers "bumble-beaks" compared to adults?

In many species, immature individuals are less proficient at foraging than are adults, and this difference may be especially critical during winter when survival can be at its minimum. We investigated the foraging proficiency of adult and immature American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) during the nonbreeding season. Oystercatchers forage on prey that must be handled with specialized skills
Authors
Christine E. Hand, Felicia J. Sanders, Patrick G.R. Jodice

Large reservoirs: Chapter 17

Large impoundments, defined as those with surface area of 200 ha or greater, are relatively new aquatic ecosystems in the global landscape. They represent important economic and environmental resources that provide benefits such as flood control, hydropower generation, navigation, water supply, commercial and recreational fisheries, and various other recreational and esthetic values. Construction
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Phillip William Bettoli

The effects of land cover and land use change on the contemporary carbon balance of the arctic and boreal terrestrial ecosystems of northern Eurasia

Recent changes in climate, disturbance regimes and land use and management systems in Northern Eurasia have the potential to disrupt the terrestrial sink of atmospheric CO2 in a way that accelerates global climate change. To determine the recent trends in the carbon balance of the arctic and boreal ecosystems of this region, we performed a retrospective analysis of terrestrial carbon dynamics acro
Authors
Daniel J. Hayes, A. David McGuire, David W. Kicklighter, Todd J. Burnside, Jerry M. Melillo