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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

Intestinal lesions and parasites associated with senescence and prespawn mortality in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Prespawn mortality (PSM) presents a major problem for the recovery of spring Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations. In the Willamette River, Oregon, PSM exceeds 90% in some years but factors explaining it are not well understood. We examined intestinal tissue samples using histological slides from over 783 spring Chinook Salmon collected between 2009 and 2021, which included tissue
Authors
S. Nervino, T. Polley, James Peterson, C.B. Schreck, M.L. Kent, J.D. Alexander

Going with the floe: Sea-ice movement affects distance and destination during Adélie penguin winter movements

Seasonal migration, driven by shifts in annual climate cycles and resources, is a key part of the life history and ecology of species across taxonomic groups. By influencing the amount of energy needed to move, external forces such as wind and ocean currents are often key drivers of migratory pathways exposing individuals to varying resources, environmental conditions, and competition pressures im
Authors
Dennis Jongsomjit, Amelie Lescroël, Annie Schmidt, Simeon Lisovski, David G. Ainley, Ellen Hines, Megan Elrod, Katie Dugger, Grant Ballard

Model-based surveillance system design under practical constraints with application to white-nose syndrome

Infectious diseases are powerful ecological forces structuring ecosystems, causing devastating economic impacts and disrupting society. Successful prevention and control of pathogens requires knowledge of the current scope and severity of disease, as well as the ability to forecast future disease dynamics. Assessment of the current situation as well as prediction of the future conditions, rely on
Authors
Gina Oh, Srikanth Aravamuthan, Ting Fung Ma, Juan Francisco Mandujano Juan Francisco
Reyes, Anne Ballmann, Trevor J. Hefley, Ian McGahan, Robin Russell, Daniel P. Walsh, Juntao Zhu

A mixture of Nalbuphine, Azaperone, and Medetomidine for Immobilizing Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)

We evaluated a combination of nalbuphine HCl (40 mg/mL), azaperone tartrate (10 mg/mL), and medetomidine HCl (10 mg/mL), a combination known as NAM or NalMed-A, in 23 ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during 29 handling events for a radio-collaring study in southern Oregon, US, from August 2020 to March 2022. The combination was delivered to ringtails by hand injection at 0.075 mL NAM per estimated
Authors
Lindsay N. Somers, DeWaine H. Jackson, Katie Dugger, Julia D. Burco

Including Rural America in academic conservation science

No abstract available.
Authors
David J. Kurz, Arthur Middleton, Melissa S. Chapman, Bruce R. Huber, Michael (Alex) C Mcinturff, Jeremy Sorgen, Kyle S. Van Houtan, Christine E. Wilkinson, Lauren Withey, Justin S. Brashares

Genomic insights into isolation of the threatened Florida crested caracara (Caracara plancus)

We conducted a population genomic study of the crested caracara (Caracara plancus) using samples (n = 290) collected from individuals in Florida, Texas, and Arizona, United States. Crested caracaras are non-migratory raptors ranging from the southern tip of South America to the southern United States, including a federally protected relict population in Florida long thought to have been isolated s
Authors
Natalie Payne, John A. Erwin, Joan L. Morrison, James F. Dwyer, Melanie Culver

Leveraging the strengths of citizen science and structured surveys to achieve scalable inference on population size

Population size is a key metric for management and policy decisions, yet wildlife monitoring programmes are often limited by the spatial and temporal scope of surveys. In these cases, citizen science data may provide complementary information at higher resolution and greater extent.We present a case study demonstrating how data from the eBird citizen science programme can be combined with regional
Authors
Andrew N. Stillman, Paige E. Howell, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Emily R. Bjerre, Brian A. Millsap, Orin J. Robinson, Daniel Fink, Erica Francis Stuber, Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez

Validating morphometrics as a nonlethal tool to determine Arctic Grayling sex

ObjectiveSome graylings Thymallus spp. possess an elongated dorsal fin and other morphological traits that can be sexually dimorphic, as demonstrated in the European Grayling T. thymallus. North American Arctic Grayling T. arcticus are assumed to follow these trends, but decisive evidence is lacking. This study aimed to determine whether sexually dimorphic characteristics, including posterior dors
Authors
WT Samuel, EG Hinkle, LE Yancy, Jeffrey A. Falke

Identifying demographic and environmental drivers of population dynamics and viability in an endangered top predator using an integrated model

Knowledge about the demographic and environmental factors underlying population dynamics is fundamental to designing effective conservation measures to recover depleted wildlife populations. However, sparse monitoring data or persistent knowledge gaps about threats make it difficult to identify the drivers of population dynamics. In situations where small, declining, or depleted populations show c
Authors
Amanda J. Warlick, Gina K Himes Boor, Tamara L McGuire, Kim E. W. Shelden, Eiren K. Jacobson, Charlotte Boyd, Paul Wade, André E. Punt, Sarah J. Converse

Expansive, positive changes to fish habitat diversity following the formation of a valley plug in a degraded desert river

Widespread hydrologic alterations have simplified in-stream habitats in rivers globally, driving population declines and extirpations of many native fishes. Here, we examine how rapid geomorphic change in a historically degraded desert river has influenced habitat diversification and ecosystem persistence. In 2010, a large reach of the degraded and simplified lower San Rafael River (SRR), Utah, wa
Authors
Tansy T. Remiszewski, Phaedra E. Budy, William W. Macfarlane

Experimental reduction of a primary nest predator fails to decrease nest predation rates of sagebrush songbirds

Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri), Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis), and Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptus montanus)—during May to August 2019 in western Wyoming, USA, to assess whether nest predation risk was additive or compensatory, and whether nest predator removal could comprise a potentially effective management tool. Deer mouse removal did not affect the daily nest survival of songb
Authors
Ashleigh M. Rhea, Anna D. Chalfoun

Data-limited fishery assessment methods shed light on the exploitation history and population dynamics of Endangered Species Act-listed Yelloweye Rockfish in Puget Sound, Washington

ObjectiveThe distinct population segment (DPS) of Yelloweye Rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus inhabiting the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2010, and a formal recovery plan for the DPS was published by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries in 2017. In this recovery plan, the biological criteria for delisting or downlisting were specifi
Authors
Markus Min, Jason Cope, Dayv Lowry, James Selleck, Daniel Tonnes, Kelly Andrews, Robert Pacunski, Andrea Hennings, Mark David Scheuerell