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: 42177
Pedigree analysis and estimates of effective breeding size characterize sea lamprey reproductive biology
The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is an invasive species in the Great Lakes and the focus of a large control and assessment program. Current assessment methods provide information on the census size of spawning adult sea lamprey in a small number of streams, but information characterizing reproductive success of spawning adults is rarely available. We used RAD-capture sequencing to...
Authors
Ellen M. Weise, Kim T. Scribner, Jean Adams, Olivia Boeberitz, Aaron K. Jubar, Gale A. Bravener, Nicholas S. Johnson, John A. Robinson
Climate change and plant regeneration from seeds in Mediterranean regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Mediterranean regions are biodiversity hotspots whose landscapes are characterized by evergreen sclerophyllous vegetation, mild-wet winters, and hot-dry summers. In the Northern Hemisphere, they occur in the Mediterranean Basin and California regions. In these areas, whose habitats are heavily shaped by centuries of anthropic activities, the main effects of climate change include a...
Authors
Efsio Mattana, Angelino Carta, Eduardo Fernández-Pascual, Jon E. Keeley, Hugh W. Pritchard
A climate-mediated shift in the estuarine habitat mosaic limits prey availability and reduces nursery quality for juvenile salmon
The estuarine habitat mosaic supports the reproduction, growth, and survival of resident and migratory fish species by providing a diverse portfolio of unique habitats with varying physical and biological features. Global climate change is expected to result in increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and changes in riverine hydrology, which will have profound effects on the extent...
Authors
Melanie J. Davis, Isa Woo PR, Christopher S. Ellings, Sayre Hodgson, David A. Beauchamp, Glynnis Nakai, Susan E.W. De La Cruz
Average kinship within bighorn sheep populations is associated with connectivity, augmentation, and bottlenecks
Understanding the influence of population attributes on genetic diversity is important to advancement of biological conservation. Because bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations vary in size and management history, the species provides a unique opportunity to observe the response of average pairwise kinship, inversely related to genetic diversity, to a spectrum of natural and...
Authors
Elizabeth P Flesch, Tabitha A. Graves, Jennifer Thomson, Kelly Proffitt, Robert A. Garrott
Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity
Offshore platforms, subsea pipelines, wells and related fixed structures supporting the oil and gas (O&G) industry are prevalent in oceans across the globe, with many approaching the end of their operational life and requiring decommissioning. Although structures can possess high ecological diversity and productivity, information on how they interact with broader ecological processes...
Authors
Dianne L McLean, Luciana C. Ferreira, Jessica A Benthuysen, Karen J. Miller, Marie-Lise Schlappy, Matthew J. Ajemian, Oliver Berry, Silvana N. R. Birchenough, Todd Bond, Fabio Boschetti, Ann S Bull, Jeremy T Claisse, Scott A Condie, Pierpaolo Consoli, Joop W. P. Coolen, Michael Elliott, Irene S Fortune, Ashley M Fowler, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Hugo B Harrison, Kristen M. Hart, Lea-Anne Henry, Chad L Hewitt, Natalie Hicks, Karlo Hock, Kieran Hyder, Milton S. Love, Peter I. Macreadie, Robert J. Miller, William J Montevecchi, Mary M. Nishimoto, Henry M. Page, David M. Paterson, Charitha B Pattiaratchi, Gretta T Pecl, Joanne S Porter, David B. Reeves, Cynthia Riginos, Sally Rouse, Debbie J. F. Russell, Craig D. H. Sherman, Jonas Teilmann, Victoria R. Todd, Eric A. Treml, David H. Williamson, Michele Thums
Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross-species misclassifications
The increasing complexity and pace of ecological change requires natural resource managers to consider entire species assemblages. Acoustic recording units (ARUs) require minimal cost and effort to deploy and inform relative activity, or encounter rates, for multiple species simultaneously. ARU-based surveys require post-processing of the recordings via software algorithms that assign a...
Authors
Christian Stratton, Kathryn M. Irvine, Katharine M. Banner, Wilson J. Wright, Cori L. Lausen, Jason Rae
Atmospheric river storm flooding influences tidal marsh elevation building processes
Disturbances are a key component of ecological processes in coastal ecosystems. Investigating factors that affect tidal marsh accretion and elevation change is important, largely due to accelerating sea-level rise and the ecological and economic value of wetlands. Sediment accumulation rates, elevation change, and flooding were examined at five marshes along a riverine-tidal gradient in...
Authors
Karen M. Thorne, Scott Jones, Chase M. Freeman, Kevin Buffington, Christopher Janousek, Glenn Guntenspergen
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from wild birds in the United States represent distinct lineages defined by bird type
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is typically considered a host generalist; however, certain isolates are associated with specific hosts and show genetic features of host adaptation. Here, we sequenced 131 S. Typhimurium isolates from wild birds collected in 30 U.S. states during 1978-2019. We found that isolates from broad taxonomic host groups including passerine birds, water...
Authors
Yezhi Fu, Nkuchia M. M’ikanatha, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Chris A. Whitehouse, Shaoting Li, Xiangyu Deng, Jared David Smith, Nikki W. Shariat, Erin M. Nawrocki, Edward G. Dudley
Precision of headwater stream permanence estimates from a monthly water balance model in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Stream permanence classifications (i.e., perennial, intermittent, ephemeral) are a primary consideration to determine stream regulatory status in the United States (U.S.) and are an important indicator of environmental conditions and biodiversity. However, at present, no models or products adequately describe surface water presence for regulatory determinations. We modified the...
Authors
Konrad Hafen, Kyle W. Blasch, Paul E. Gessler, Roy Sando, Alan H. Rea
Complex life-cycles in trophically transmitted helminths: Do the benefits of increased growth and transmission outweigh generalism and complexity costs?
Why do so many parasitic worms have complex life-cycles? A complex life-cycle has at least two hypothesized costs: (i) worms with longer life-cycles, i.e. more successive hosts, must be generalists at the species level, which might reduce lifetime survival or growth, and (ii) each required host transition adds to the risk that a worm will fail to complete its life-cycle. Comparing...
Authors
Daniel P. Benesh, James C Chubb, Kevin D. Lafferty, Geoff A Parker
Risk assessment of chanchita Cichlasoma dimerus (Heckel, 1840), a newly identified non-native cichlid fish in Florida
The risk of a newly discovered non-native fish species in Florida (USA): Cichlasoma dimerus ([Heckel, 1840]; Family: Cichlidae) is assessed. Its tolerance to cold temperatures was experimentally evaluated and information on its biology and ecology was synthesized. In the cold-temperature tolerance experiment, temperature was lowered from 24 °C by increments of 1 °C per hour, mimicking a...
Authors
Mary E. Brown, Robert H. Robins, Pamela J. Schofield