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

Home-range size and habitat used by the northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis)

We examined home range size and habitat use of nine female northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) within an intensively managed forest in the central Appalachians of West Virginia. Using the 95% adaptive kernel method, we calculated a mean home range of 65 ha. Northern myotis used recent diameter-limit harvests and road corridors more than expected based on availability of these habitats. Intact
Authors
Sheldon F. Owen, M. A. Menzel, W. Mark Ford, Brian R. Chapman, Karl V. Miller, John W. Edwards, Petra B. Wood

A comparison of visual prey detection among species of piscivorous salmonids: Effects of light and low turbidities

Differences in reaction distance to prey fish by piscivorous salmonids can alter predator–prey interactions under different visual conditions. We compared reaction distances of three piscivorous salmonids commonly found in western lakes: cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki utah, rainbow trout, O. mykiss, and the nonnative lake char, Salvelinus namaycush. Reaction distances to salmonid prey were m
Authors
Michael M. Mazur, David A. Beauchamp

Feeding habits of the endangered Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) relative to prey abundance

Feeding habits of the endangered Ozark big-cared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) in eastern Oklahoma, USA, were studied from July 1987 through July 1988. Diets were determined from microscopic analysis of fecal pellets and compared with arthropods collected in Malaise traps. Although lepidopterans comprised only 21.5% of the available prey, they occurred in > 90% of the pellets examined and a
Authors
David M. Leslie, B.S. Clark

Evaluation of terrestrial carbon cycle models with atmospheric CO2 measurements: Results from transient simulations considering increasing CO2, climate, and land-use effects

An atmospheric transport model and observations of atmospheric CO2 are used to evaluate the performance of four Terrestrial Carbon Models (TCMs) in simulating the seasonal dynamics and interannual variability of atmospheric CO2 between 1980 and 1991. The TCMs were forced with time varying atmospheric CO2 concentrations, climate, and land use to simulate the net exchange of carbon between the terre
Authors
R.J. Dargaville, Martin Heimann, A. D. McGuire, I.C. Prentice, D. W. Kicklighter, F. Joos, Joy S. Clein, G. Esser, J. Foley, J. Kaplan, R.A. Meier, J. M. Melillo, B. Moore, N. Ramankutty, T. Reichenau, A. Schloss, S. Sitch, H. Tian, L.J. Williams, U. Wittenberg

Fragmentation: Is the message clear?

In this paper, we briefly discuss some of the fundamental problems arising from the inherent complexity of larger-scale ecological systems. We examine the tenuous assumption of a direct correspondence between ecological data and theory, we comment on a recent report that evaluated the efficacy of fragmentation experiments, and we briefly assess its implications for ecological research and conserva
Authors
J.A. Bissonnette, Ilse Storch

Food limitation and the recovery of sea otters following the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill

We examined the potential role of food limitation in constraining the recovery of sea otters Enhydra lutris in Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill. The spill resulted in the removal of a large number of sea otters in 1989, and as of 1998, the portion of the population in the heavily oiled northern Knight Island region had not fully recovered. Between 1996 and 1998,
Authors
Thomas A. Dean, James L. Bodkin, Allan K. Fukuyama, Stephen C. Jewett, Daniel H. Monson, Charles E. O'Clair, Glenn R. VanBlaricom

Does food availability affect energy expenditure rates of nesting seabirds? A supplemental-feeding experiment with Black-Legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)

We used a supplemental-feeding experiment, the doubly labeled water technique, and a model-selection approach based upon the Akaike Information Criterion to examine effects of food availability on energy expenditure rates of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) raising young. Energy expenditure rates of supplementally fed females (n = 14) and males (n = 16) were 34 and 20% lower than those o
Authors
Patrick G.R. Jodice, Daniel D. Roby, Scott A. Hatch, Verena A. Gill, Richard B. Lanctot, G. Henk Visser

Major areas of ground-water development; Escalante Valley, Beryl-Enterprise area

No abstract available. 
Authors
H.K. Christiansen, Carole B. Burden

Fragmentation: Is the message clear?

In this paper, we briefly discuss some of the fundamental problems arising from the inherent complexity of larger-scale ecological systems. We examine the tenuous assumption of a direct correspondence between ecological data and theory, we comment on a recent report that evaluated the efficacy of fragmentation experiments, and we briefly assess its implications for ecological research and conserva
Authors
J.A. Bissonette, Ilse Storch

Influence of topography on density of grassland passerines in pastures

Pastures provide substantial habitat for grassland birds of management concern in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin. The rolling topography in this region is characterized by lowland valleys surrounded by relatively steep and often wooded slopes which are set apart from more expansive treeless uplands. We hypothesized that there would be lower densities of area sensitive grassland passe
Authors
R.B. Renfrew, C. A. Ribic

A comparison of diets of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in a large southeastern U.S. Reservoir

The objective of this study was to determine dietary overlap between blueback herring and threadfin shad in J. Strom Thrumond Reservoir, South Carolina/Georgia. We also evaluated prey selectivity for each speices and diet differences between two size categories of blueback herring. Diet and zooplankton samples were collected every other month from April 1992 to February 1994. We examined stomachs
Authors
Dana L. Winkelman, Michael J. Van Den Avyle

Population dynamics of Eleutherodactylus coqui in cordillera forest reserves of Puerto Rico

Various aspects of population structure and dynamics of Eleutherodactylus coqui in two forest reserves (Maricao and Guilarte) of the central mountain range of Puerto Rico were determined between July 1997 and June 1998. Adult density ranged from 8–25 animals/100 m2 for the wet season and 3–19 animals/100 m2 for the dry season. Abundance of froglets and juveniles was also greater in the wet season
Authors
J. H. Fogarty, Francisco Vilella