Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 41778
Distribution and demography of Coastal Cactus Wrens in Southern California, 2015–19
Surveys and monitoring for the coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) were completed in San Diego County between March 2015 and July 2019. A total of 383 plots were surveyed across 3 genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, and Sweetwater/Encanto). From 2015 to 2019, 317 plots were surveyed 8 times (twice per year in 2015, 2017–19). Additional plots were added in later years as wrens
Authors
Suellen Lynn, Alexandra Houston, Barbara E. Kus
Over the hills and through the farms: Land use and topography influence genetic connectivity of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in the Prairie Pothole Region
ContextAgricultural land-use conversion has fragmented prairie wetland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), an area with one of the most wetland dense regions in the world. This fragmentation can lead to negative consequences for wetland obligate organisms, heightening risk of local extinction and reducing evolutionary potential for populations to adapt to changing environments.Objectives
Authors
Justin M. Waraniak, David M. Mushet, Craig A. Stockwell
Diminishing Arctic lakes
The Arctic is home to the largest surface water fraction of any terrestrial biome, containing thousands of low-lying lakes. Now, it appears that some Arctic lakes are drying due to rising air temperatures and autumn rains, causing permafrost to thaw and water bodies to drain.
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens
Hot, wet and rare: Modelling the occupancy dynamics of the narrowly distributed Dixie Valley toad
Context: Small population sizes and no possibility of metapopulation rescue put narrowly distributed endemic species under elevated risk of extinction from anthropogenic change. Desert spring wetlands host many endemic species that require aquatic habitat and are isolated by the surrounding xeric terrestrial habitat.Aims: We sought to model the occupancy dynamics of the Dixie Valley toad (Anaxyrus
Authors
Jonathan P. Rose, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead
Bayesian applications in environmental and ecological studies with R and Stan
Modern ecological and environmental sciences are dominated by observational data. As a result, traditional statistical training often leaves scientists ill-prepared for the data analysis tasks they encounter in their work. Bayesian methods provide a more robust and flexible tool for data analysis, as they enable information from different sources to be brought into the modelling process. Bayesian
Authors
Song S. Qian, Mark Richard Dufour, Ibrahim Alameddine
Updates for Wake Atoll biosecurity management, biological control, survey, and management, and integrated pest management plans
Pests and invasive species have been defined as any organism that can have real or perceived adverse effects on operations, or the well-being of personnel, native plants, animals, their environment and ecosystem processes; attack or damage real property, supplies, equipment, or are otherwise undesirable (paraphrased from many sources including 53 Federal Register [FR] 15975, May 4, 1988, as amende
Authors
Stacie A. Hathaway, James D. Jacobi, Robert Peck, Robert N. Fisher
A recombinant rabies vaccine that prevents viral shedding in rabid common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus)
Vampire bat transmitted rabies (VBR) is a continuing burden to public health and agricultural sectors in Latin America, despite decades-long efforts to control the disease by culling bat populations. Culling has been shown to disperse bats, leading to an increased spread of rabies. Thus, non-lethal strategies to control VBR, such as vaccination, are desired. Here, we evaluated the safety and effic
Authors
Elsa M. Cárdenas-Canales, Andres Velasco-Villa, James A. Ellison, Panayampalli S. Satheshkumar, Jorge E. Osario, Tonie E. Rocke
Confirmation that eagle fatalities can be reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Automated curtailment is potentially a powerful technique to reduce collision mortality of wildlife with wind turbines. Previously, we used a before–after–control–impact framework to demonstrate that eagle fatalities declined after automated curtailment was implemented with the IdentiFlight system at a wind power facility in Wyoming, USA. We received substantial interest and feedback regarding our
Authors
Christopher J. W. McClure, Brian W. Rolek, Leah Dunn, Jennifer D. McCabe, Luke Martinson, Todd E. Katzner
Modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of land-based polar bear denning in Alaska
Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the Southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) subpopulation have commonly created maternal dens on sea ice in the past, maternal dens on land have become increasingly prevalent as sea ice declines. This trend creates conditions for increased human–bear interactions associated with local communities and industrial activity. Maternal denning is a vulnerable period in the
Authors
Vijay P. Patil, George M. Durner, David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
Effects of formaldehyde (Parasite-S®) on biofilter nitrification from a cold- and a warm freshwater RAS
The effect of Parasite-S® (an aqueous formaldehyde solution) on the nitrification processes of biofilters was evaluated in two recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs). Rearing tanks in the warmwater RAS contained yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) with an initial weight of 166.8 kg and a mean density of 39.5 kg/m3. Rearing tanks in the coldwater RAS contained
Authors
Kim T. Fredricks, Susan M. Schleis, Justin Smerud, Mark P. Gaikowski, Richard A. Erickson, Jillian Lee Hebert, Gregory J. Fischer, Kendall Holmes, Christopher F Hartleb
Genome resequencing clarifies phylogeny and reveals patterns of selection in the toxicogenomics model Pimephales promelas
BackgroundThe fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) is a model species for toxicological research. A high-quality genome reference sequence is available, and genomic methods are increasingly used in toxicological studies of the species. However, phylogenetic relationships within the genus remain incompletely known and little population-genomic data are available for fathead minnow despite the poten
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Robert A. Hrabik, Nathan Thompson, Robert S. Cornman
Range-wide sources of variation in reproductive rates of northern spotted owls
We conducted a range-wide investigation of the dynamics of site level reproductive rate of northern spotted owls using survey data from 11 study areas across the sub-species geographic range collected during 1993–2018. Our analytical approach accounted for imperfect detection of owl pairs and misclassification of successful reproduction (i.e., at least one young fledged) and contributed further in
Authors
Jeremy T. Rockweit, Julianna M Jenkins, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Katie Dugger, Alan B. Franklin, Peter C. Carlson, William L. Kendall, Damon B. Lesmeister, Christopher McCafferty, Steven H. Ackers, L. Steven Andrews, Larissa Bailey, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Tara E. Chestnut, Mary M Conner, Raymond J. Davis, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, David W Lamphear, Trent L. McDonald, Janice A Reid, Carl J. Schwarz, David C. Simon, Stan G Sovern, James K. Swingle, David Wiens, Heather Wise, Charles B. Yackulic