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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

Recovery distances of nestling Bald Eagles banded in Florida and implications for natal dispersal and philopatry

I used band recovery data to examine distances between banding and recovery locations for 154 nestling Florida Bald Eagles and discuss the implications for understanding natal dispersal and philopatry in this species. Band recoveries occurred in 23 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces between 1931–2005. Recovery distance from the natal nest averaged longer for the youngest age classes (ANOVA: F
Authors
Petra Bohall Wood

Vulnerability of carbon storage in North American boreal forests to wildfires during the 21st century

The boreal forest contains large reserves of carbon. Across this region, wildfires influence the temporal and spatial dynamics of carbon storage. In this study, we estimate fire emissions and changes in carbon storage for boreal North America over the 21st century. We use a gridded data set developed with a multivariate adaptive regression spline approach to determine how area burned varies each y
Authors
M. S. Balshi, Anthony McGuire, P. Duffy, M. Flannigan, D. W. Kicklighter, J. Melillo

Defining optimal freshwater flow for oyster production: effects of freshet rate and magnitude of change and duration on eastern oysters and Perkinsus marinus infection

In coastal Louisiana, the development of large-scale freshwater diversion projects has led to controversy over their effects on oyster resources. Using controlled laboratory experiments in combination with a field study, we examined the effects of pulsed freshwater events (freshet) of different magnitude, duration, and rate of change on oyster resources. Laboratory and field evidence indicate that
Authors
Megan K. LaPeyre, B. Gossman, Jerome F. La Peyre

Does winter region affect spring arrival time and body mass of king eiders in northern Alaska?

Events during the non-breeding season may affect the body condition of migratory birds and influence performance during the following breeding season. Migratory birds nesting in the Arctic often rely on endogenous nutrients for reproductive efforts, and are thus potentially subject to such carry-over effects. We tested whether king eider (Somateria spectabilis) arrival time and body mass upon arri
Authors
Abby N. Powell, Steffen Oppel

Does mobility explain variation in colonisation and population recovery among stream fishes?

1. Colonisation and population recovery are crucial to species persistence in environmentally variable ecosystems, but are poorly understood processes. After documenting movement rates for several species of stream fish, we predicted that this variable would influence colonisation rates more strongly than local abundance, per cent occupancy, body size and taxonomic family. We also predicted that
Authors
Paul L. Angermeier, Brett Albanese, James Peterson

The authors respond (Response to Roberts and Frimpong)

No abstract available.
Authors
Martha E. Mather, Donna L. Parrish, John M. Dettmers

Vegetation effects on fish distribution in impounded salt marshes

We compared the density and biomass of resident fish in vegetated and unvegetated flooded habitats of impounded salt marshes in the northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Estuary of east-central Florida. A 1-m2 throw trap was used to sample fish in randomly located, paired sample plots (n = 198 pairs) over 5 seasons in 7 impoundments. We collected a total of 15 fish taxa, and 88% of the fishes we iden
Authors
Eric D. Stolen, Jaime Collazo, H. Franklin Percival

Summer movements of sub-adult brook trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, and smallmouth bass in the Rapid River, Maine

Summer movement patterns and spatial overlap of native sub-adult brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), non-native landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and non-native smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the Rapid River, Maine, were investigated with radio telemetry in 2005. Fishes were captured by angling, surgically implanted with radio transmitters, and tracked actively from June throug
Authors
Casey A.L. Jackson, Joseph D. Zydlewski

Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska

This paper explores whether fundamental differences exist between urban and rural vulnerability to climate-induced changes in the fire regime of interior Alaska. We further examine how communities and fire managers have responded to these changes and what additional adaptations could be put in place. We engage a variety of social science methods, including demographic analysis, semi-structured int
Authors
Sarah F. Trainor, Monika Calef, David Natcher, F. Stuart Chapin, A. David McGuire, Orville Huntington, Paul A. Duffy, T. Scott Rupp, La'Ona DeWilde, Mary Kwart, Nancy Fresco, Amy Lauren Lovecraft

Bycatch of the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in a commercial fishery for shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus)

We quantified the bycatch of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in Tennessee's shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) fishery by accompanying commercial fishers and monitoring their catch on five dates in spring 2007. Fishers were free to keep or discard any sturgeon they collected in their gillnets and trotlines and we were afforded the opportunity to collect meristic and morphometri
Authors
Phillip William Bettoli, M. Casto-Yerty, G.D. Scholten, Edward J. Heist

The ecology, restoration, and management of southeastern floodplain ecosystems: A synthesis

Floodplain ecosystems of the southeastern United States provide numerous services to society, but hydrologic and geomorphic alterations, agricultural practices, water quality and availability, and urban development continue to challenge restorationists and managers at multiple spatial and temporal scales. These challenges are further exacerbated by tremendous uncertainty regarding climate and land
Authors
Sammy L. King, Rebecca R. Sharitz, John W. Groninger, Loretta L. Battaglia

Survival and passage of ingested New Zealand mudsnails through the intestinal tract of rainbow trout

We conducted laboratory trials to determine the transit time and survival of New Zealand mudsnails Potamopyrgus antipodarum in the gastrointestinal tract of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. To assess the rate of snail passage, we force-fed groups of fish a known quantity of snails and then held them in tanks. At selected intervals we removed individual fish from the test tanks and recorded the n
Authors
R. Louise Bruce, Christine M. Moffitt, Brian Dennis