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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: 4348

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

Leading the charge: A qualitative case-study of leadership conditions in collaborative environmental governance structures

Collaborative governance structures are increasingly common among natural resource managers. While studies have assessed the conditions under which collaborative action occurs, little emphasis has been placed on the role leadership may play in joint-jurisdictional systems. Management of species under the Endangered Species Act offers an opportunity to assess the collaboration of federal, state, an
Authors
Melissa. E. Flye, Carly. C. Sponarski, Bridie McGreavy, Joseph D. Zydlewski

Assessing potential spawning locations of Silver Chub in Lake Erie

ObjectiveSilver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana, a predominately riverine species throughout its native range, exists within Lake Erie as the only known lake population. Its population declined in the 1950s and never fully recovered. Canada has listed Silver Chub in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River as endangered and has initiated a recovery plan that recognized the identification of spawning areas
Authors
Jorden R. McKenna, Anjanette Bowen, John R. Farver, James M. Long, Jeffrey G. Miner, Nathan D. Stott, Patrick M. Kočovský

Advances in wildlife abundance estimation using pedigree reconstruction

The conservation and management of wildlife populations, particularly for threatened and endangered species are greatly aided with abundance, growth rate, and density measures. Traditional methods of estimating abundance and related metrics represent trade-offs in effort and precision of estimates. Pedigree reconstruction is an emerging, attractive alternate approach because its use of one-time, n
Authors
Elias Rosenblatt, Scott Creel, Katherina Gieder, James Murdoch, Therese M. Donovan

Fish life-history traits predict abundance-occupancy patterns in artificial lakes

Life-history traits of a species have been postulated as a factor in abundance and occupancy patterns. Understanding how traits contribute to the ubiquity and rarity of taxa can facilitate the development of effective conservation policy by establishing a connection between species requirements and resource. The goal was to evaluate fish assemblages in artificial lakes for evidence of the abundanc
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda

Using the electron transport system as an indicator of organismal thermal tolerance and respiratory exploitation

Freshwater ecosystems are undergoing rapid thermal shifts, making it increasingly important to understand species-specific responses to these changes. Traditional techniques for determining a species’ thermal tolerance are often lethal and time consuming. Using the enzyme activity associated with the electron transport system (ETS; hereafter referred to as enzyme assay) may provide a non-lethal, r
Authors
Ehlana G. Stell, Shannon K. Brewer, Lindsay M. Horne, Russell A. Wright, Dennis R. DeVries

Seven dam challenges for migratory fish: Insights from the Penobscot River

More than a century of impoundments in the Penobscot River, Maine, USA, has contributed to population declines in migratory fish in the system. A decade of change, research, and monitoring has revealed direct and indirect ways that dams have influenced the river habitat, connectivity for migratory fish, and the food web. The removal of two main-stem dams (in 2012 and 2013) and bolstering of fish p
Authors
Joseph D. Zydlewski, Stephen M. Coghlan, Cody Dillingham, Guillermo Figueroa-Muñoz, Carolyn Merriam, Sean Smith, Rylee Smith, Daniel S. Stich, Sarah K. Vogel, Karen Wilson, Gayle B. Zydlewski

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

Assessment of lesser prairie-chicken translocation through survival and lek surveys

Translocation is a management tool used to restore or augment wildlife populations, but outcomes of translocations are often poorly documented and can have varying levels of success for improving wildlife population declines. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a prairie grouse endemic to the southern Great Plains. In response to declining abundance and distribution, in 2023
Authors
Elisabeth C. Teige, Liam A. Berigan, Carly S. H. Aulicky, Jonathan H. Reitz, David A. Haukos, Daniel S. Sullins, Kent A. Fricke, Kraig A. Schultz, Liza G. Rossi

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

Avoiding a macabre future for Macrhybopsis: A special section on improving management and conservation of chubs

No abstract available.
Authors
Joshuah S. Perkin, Shannon K. Brewer, Anthony A. Echelle, Patrick M. Kočovský
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