Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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: 4351

Turkey Vulture survival is reduced in areas of greater road density

The demography of, and factors that influence these metrics, are largely unknown for most vultures in the Americas. Survivorship of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) may be influenced by landscape heterogeneity and human disturbance. We quantified the effects of landscape composition (Shannon’s diversity index) and configuration (contagion, edge density, and largest patch index), and human disturba
Authors
Adrian Naveda-Rodriguez, Keith L. Bildstein, David R. Barber, Jean-Francois Therrien, Michael L. Avery, Bryan M. Kluever, Scott A. Rush, Francisco Vilella

Integrating community science and agency-collected monitoring data to expand monitoring capacity at large spatial scales

Monitoring species to better understand their status, ecology, and management needs is a major expense for agencies tasked with biodiversity conservation. Community science data have the potential to improve monitoring for minimal cost, given appropriate analytical frameworks. We describe a framework for integrating data from the eBird community science platform with agency-collected monitoring da
Authors
Hannah A. Sipe, Ilai N. Keren, Sarah J. Converse

Fall migration, oceanic movement, and site residency patterns of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) on the mid-Atlantic Coast

Along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are present during fall mating and migration, though little is currently known about most aspects of bat migration. To reveal migration patterns, and understand drivers of over-water flight, we captured and radio-tagged 115 eastern red bats using novel technology, and subsequently tracked and described their mo
Authors
Michael C. True, Katherine M. Gorman, Hila Taylor, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford

Examining dynamic occupancy of gray wolves in Idaho after a decade of managed harvest

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to Idaho, USA, in 1995–1996. The removal of Endangered Species Act protections in 2011 transferred wolf management to the state where wolves were subsequently classified as a harvested (i.e., hunted, trapped) big game species. We implemented a camera-based survey across Idaho from 2016–2021 as part of a population monitoring program. We used the resultin
Authors
David Edward Ausband, Sarah J. Thompson, Brendan A. Oates, Shane Roberts, Mark A. Hurley, Matthew Mumma

Validation and comparison of age estimates for Smallmouth Buffalo in Oklahoma based on otoliths, pectoral fin rays, and opercula

With an increased interest in nongame fishes such as buffalofishes (Catostomidae, Ictiobus), there is a need for better foundational data on their life history. Bigmouth Buffalo I. cyprinellus, for example, have been found to live for more than a century. Age estimates for other sucker species have similarly suggested long life spans, but validation studies as reference points are often lacking. W
Authors
James M. Long, Richard A. Snow, Daniel E. Shoup, Jory B. Bartnicki

The bee lab

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Bee Lab is a collaborative interagency joint venture and international leader for bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) identification, survey design, quantification of bee and plant interrelations, and development and maintenance of occurrence databases. Each of these objectives supports native bee conservation by providing critical data and tools for the Unite
Authors
Sam Droege, Elise R. Irwin, Jenn Malpass, Jonathan R. Mawdsley

Habitat selection and water dependency of feral burros in the Mojave Desert, California, USA

Expansion of feral burro (Equus asinus) populations across the southwestern United States is causing human–wildlife conflicts including rangeland degradation, competition with livestock and native species, and burro–vehicle collisions. On the Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC) in California, feral burros interfere with military training and are involved in vehicle collisions and other confl
Authors
Talesha Karish, Gary W. Roemer, David K. Delaney, Craig D. Reddell, James W. Cain

Dietary comparison of age-0 sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus sp.) between upper and lower Missouri River basins

Understanding potential limiting factors affecting population growth of the endangered pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, is important in the upper (UMOR) and lower Missouri River (LMOR) basins. The UMOR is upstream of several reservoirs and generally has more natural habitat features, whereas the LMOR is downstream of these reservoirs and has been channelized to support navigation. In both se
Authors
Alin González, James M. Long, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Anthony P. Civiello, Todd R. Gemeinhardt, Jerrod Hall, Patrick Braaten

Global review reveals how disparate study motivations, analytical designs, and focal ions limit understanding of salinization effects on freshwater animals

Global salinization of freshwaters is adversely affecting biotic communities and ecosystem processes. We reviewed six decades (1960–2020) of literature published on animal responses to increased salinities across different taxonomic and ecological contexts and identified knowledge gaps. From 585 journal articles, we characterized 5924 responses of mollusks, crustaceans, zooplankton, non-arthropod
Authors
Richard H. Walker, Abigail C. Belvin, Joshua B. Mouser, Amanda Pennino, Stephen Plont, Christopher D. Robinson, Lucy B. Smith, Jyoti Thapa, Carl E. Zipper, Paul L. Angermeier, Sally A. Entrekin

Parental infanticide by egg destruction in Red-billed Tropicbirds Phaethon aethereus on the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius

Avian reproduction is a process that requires extensive energetic input by parents, particularly in pelagic seabirds. Parental infanticide has rarely been reported in pelagic seabirds, and its frequency among taxa is therefore difficult to determine. Using data from remote cameras, two cases of probable parental infanticide in Red-billed Tropicbirds Phaethon aethereus were captured on Sint Eustati
Authors
Hailley Danielson-Owczynsky, Hannah Madden, Patrick Jodice

Spatial and individual factors mediate the tissue burden of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in adult and chick brown pelicans in the northern Gulf of Mexico

The northern Gulf of Mexico supports a substantial level of oil and gas extraction in marine waters and experiences acute and chronic exposure to marine pollution events. The region also supports a diverse array of breeding and migratory seabirds that are exposed to these pollutants during foraging and other activities. Among the pollutants of highest concern within the region are polycyclic aroma
Authors
Patrick Jodice, Juliet S. Lamb, Yvan G. Satgé, Christopher Perkins
Was this page helpful?