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
Larval dispersal underlies demographically important inter-system connectivity in a Great Lakes yellow perch (Perca flavescens) population
Ability to quantify connectivity among spawning subpopulations and their relative contribution of recruits to the broader population is a critical fisheries management need. By combining microsatellite and age information from larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) collected in the Lake St. Clair – Detroit River system (SC-DRS) and western Lake Erie with a hydrodynamic backtracking...
Authors
Reed M. Brodnik, Michael E. Fraker, Eric D. Anderson, Lucia Carreon-Martinez, Kristen M. DeVanna, Dan D. Heath, Julie M. Reichert, Edward Roseman, Stuart A. Ludsin
The effects of heterospecifics and climatic conditions on incubation behavior within a mixed-species colony
Parental incubation behavior largely influences nest survival, a critical demographic process in avian population dynamics, and behaviors vary across species with different life history breeding strategies. Although research has identified nest survival advantages of mixing colonies, behavioral mechanisms that might explain these effects is largely lacking. We examined parental...
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Roger L. Hothem, Kristy Howe, Michael L. Casazza, John M. Eadie
Low incidence of clonality in cold water corals revealed through the novel use of standardized protocol adapted to deep sea sampling
Sampling in the deep sea is a technical challenge, which has hindered the acquisition of robust datasets that are necessary to determine the fine-grained biological patterns and processes that may shape genetic diversity. Estimates of the extent of clonality in deep-sea species, despite the importance of clonality in shaping the local dynamics and evolutionary trajectories, have been...
Authors
Ronan Becheler, Anne-Laure Cassone, Philippe Noel, Olivier Mouchel, Cheryl Morrison, Sophie Arnaud-Haond
Tradeoff between assessment and control of aquatic invasive species: A case study of sea lamprey management in the St. Marys River
Allocating resources between the gathering of information to guide management actions and implementing those actions presents an inherent tradeoff. This tradeoff is evident for control of the Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus in the St. Marys River, connecting Lakes Huron and Superior and a major source of parasitic Sea Lampreys to Lake Huron and northern Lake Michigan. Larval Sea Lampreys...
Authors
Jason M. Robinson, Michael J. Wilberg, Jean Adams, Michael T. Jones
Identify potential lock treatment options to prevent movement of aquatic invasive species through the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS)
Introduction The Illinois River is a primary tributary of the Mississippi River, connecting with the Mississippi at Grafton, Illinois. The headwaters of the river are at the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee Rivers in eastern Grundy County, Illinois. Approximately 273 miles long, it runs through the heart of Illinois and is the connection between the Mississippi River and Lake...
Authors
Terrance D. Hubert, Michael A. Boogaard, Kim T. Fredricks
Assigning sex and reproductive stage to adult Lake Sturgeon using ultrasonography and common morphological measurements
Sex determination of fish species is difficult to assess when sexual dimorphism and gametes are not apparent. For threatened and endangered fish species, noninvasive techniques are needed when determining sex to minimize stress and the potential for mortality. We evaluated the use of a portable ultrasound unit to determine sex of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the field...
Authors
Justin A. Chiotti, James C. Boase, Darryl W. Hondorp, Andrew S Briggs
Diel feeding ecology of Slimy Sculpin in a tributary to Skaneateles Lake, New York
Interactions among the benthic community are typically overlooked but play an important role in fish community dynamics. We examined the diel feeding ecology of Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) from Grout Brook, a tributary to Skaneateles Lake. Of the six time periods examined, Slimy Sculpin consumed the least during the nighttime (2400 h and 0400 h). Chironomids were the major prey...
Authors
Marc Chalupnicki, James H. Johnson
Age, growth, and size of Lake Superior Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii)
Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii) are a small, glacial relict species with a disjunct distribution in North America and Siberia. In 2013 we collected Pygmy Whitefish at 28 stations from throughout Lake Superior. Total length was recorded for all fish and weight and sex were recorded and scales and otoliths were collected from a subsample. We compared the precision of estimated ages...
Authors
Taylor Stewart, Derek H. Ogle, Owen T. Gorman, Mark Vinson
Integrative modelling reveals mechanisms linking productivity and plant species richness
How ecosystem productivity and species richness are interrelated is one of the most debated subjects in the history of ecology. Decades of intensive study have yet to discern the actual mechanisms behind observed global patterns. Here, by integrating the predictions from multiple theories into a single model and using data from 1,126 grassland plots spanning five continents, we detect...
Authors
James B. Grace, T. W. Anderson, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Peter H. Adler, W.S. Harpole, Yann Hautier, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Meelis Partel, Jonathan D. Bakker, Yvonne Buckley, Michael J. Crawley, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Daniel S. Gruner, Andy Hector, Johannes MH Knops, Andrew S. MacDougall, Brett A Melbourne, John W. Morgan, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Melinda D. Smith
A shift in bloater consumption in Lake Michigan between 1993 and 2011 and its effects on Diporeia and Mysis prey
Bioenergetics modeling was used to determine individual and population consumption by Bloater Coregonus hoyi in Lake Michigan during three time periods with variable Bloater density: 1993–1996 (high), 1998–2002 (intermediate), and 2009–2011 (low). Despite declines in Bloater abundance between 1993 and 2011, our results did not show any density-dependent compensatory response in annual...
Authors
Steven A. Pothoven, David B. Bunnell
Use of terrestrial field studies in the derivation of bioaccumulation potential of chemicals
Field-based studies are an essential component of research addressing the behavior of organic chemicals, and a unique line of evidence that can be used to assess bioaccumulation potential in chemical registration programs and aid in development of associated laboratory and modeling efforts. To aid scientific and regulatory discourse on the application of terrestrial field data in this...
Authors
Nico W. van den Brink, Jennifer A. Arblaster, Sarah R. Bowman, Jason M. Conder, John G. Elliott, Mark A. Johnson, Derek C.G. Muir, Tiago Natal-da-Luz, Barnett Rattner, Bradley E. Sample, Richard F. Shore
Evaluation of the hydraulic and biological performance of the portable floating fish collector at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, 2014
The biological and hydraulic performance of a new portable floating fish collector (PFFC) located in a cul-de-sac within the forebay of Cougar Dam, Oregon, was evaluated during 2014. The purpose of the PFFC was to explore surface collection as a means to capture juvenile salmonids at one or more sites using a small, cost-effective, pilot-scale device. The PFFC used internal pumps to draw...
Authors
John W. Beeman, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Gabriel S. Hansen, Tyson Hatton, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin Smith, Noah S. Adams