Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Year in Review

Learn more

Collection of Stories (2015-2022)

Learn more

Areas of Expertise

Meet our Researchers

Publication Search

Learn more

Abstracts

Learn more

Partnerships

Learn more

State Conservation Magazines

How much attention is given to specific topics?

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.

Year in Review

Our Story

Blooming wildflowers in Pinnacles National Park.

The circular highlights how our research efforts fulfill larger USGS strategic goals.

Learn more

Our History

Tricolored Heron at Ding Darling National Park

This book is dedicated to those who are or have been associated with the unit program. 

Learn more

Our Research

Yellow-billed Loon on a lake in the northern area of Alaska.

This report provides abstracts of most of the ongoing and recently completed research.

Learn more
Filter Total Items: 4348

The statistical power to detect regional temporal trends in riverine contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA

Chemical contamination of riverine ecosystems is largely a result of urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural activities occurring on adjacent terrestrial landscapes. Land management activities (e.g., Best Management Practices) are an important tool used to reduce point and non-point sources of pollution. However, the ability to confidently make inferences about the efficacy of land manag
Authors
Tyler Wagner, Paul McLaughlin, Kelly L. Smalling, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Stephanie Gordon, Gregory Noe
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, New Jersey Water Science Center

Evaluating hydrophones for detecting underwater-calling frogs

Amphibians are declining and disappearing worldwide at an alarming rate, emphasizing the need for accurate surveys to document the distribution and abundance of this imperiled taxon. Automated recorders are a powerful tool for surveyors to continuously monitor for calling amphibians. However, we are discovering that many species of frog call when submerged underwater making it challenging if not i
Authors
Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Patrick J. Wolff, Aaron N. Rice
By
Cooperative Research Units

Ontogenetic shifts from social to experiential learning drive avian migration timing

Migrating animals may benefit from social or experiential learning, yet whether and how these learning processes interact or change over time to produce observed migration patterns remains unexplored. Using 16 years of satellite-tracking data from 105 reintroduced whooping cranes, we reveal an interplay between social and experiential learning in migration timing. Both processes dramatically impro
Authors
Briana Abrahms, Claire S. Teitelbaum, Thomas Mueller, Sarah J. Converse
By
Cooperative Research Units

Modern reporting methods for angler tag-return studies:Trends in data quality, choice of method, and future considerations

Angler tag-return studies are a cornerstone of fisheries research, providing insights into individual movements and estimates of exploitation, among many other applications. However, the data generated from these studies is dependent upon effective communication between anglers and scientists. As technological advances are adopted by anglers, little research has been directed at the potential bene
Authors
A.T. Taylor, A.M. Pepper, B. Chapagain, O. Joshi, James M. Long
By
Cooperative Research Units

Identifying translocation sites for a climate relict population of Finescale Dace

Translocation is a management strategy that seeks to address threats to fish and wildlife populations by establishing new populations in ecologically suitable areas. Populations of Finescale Dace Chrosomus neogaeus in the Great Plains may benefit from translocation, as they exhibit a climate relict natural history that has led to a disjunct distribution and minimal dispersal opportunities. We asse
Authors
Evan C.J. Booher, Annika W. Walters
By
Cooperative Research Units

Using social values in the prioritization of research: Quantitative examples and generalizations

Identifying critical uncertainties about ecological systems can help prioritize research efforts intended to inform management decisions. However, exclusively focusing on the ecological system neglects the objectives of natural resource managers and the associated social values tied to risks and rewards of actions.I demonstrate how to prioritize research efforts for a harvested population by apply
Authors
Matthew Richard Falcy
By
Cooperative Research Units

Visualizing social-ecological intensities for management of recreation visitors in a multiuse system

Accounting for the variation of visitor conflicts and ecological disturbance of outdoor recreation activities across space and time can cause difficulty for managers seeking to make decisions in social-ecological systems (SESs). We develop a method to quantify and visualize social and ecological intensities resulting from outdoor recreation. We demonstrate the utility of our method at Valentine Na
Authors
O. A. DaRugna, C. J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, L. A. Powell, M. A. Kaemik
By
Cooperative Research Units

A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management

A reliable chlorophyll–nutrient relationship (CNR) is essential for lake eutrophication management. Although the spatial variability of CNRs has been extensively explored, temporal variations of CNRs at the individual lake scale has rarely been discussed. The paucity of information about temporal dependence in CNRs may in part be due to the lack of a suitable statistical framework that helps guide
Authors
Qianlinglin Qiu, Zhongyao Liang, Yaoyang Xu, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Tyler Wagner
By
Cooperative Research Units

Population genomics of free-ranging Great Plains white-tailed and mule deer reflects a long history of interspecific hybridization

Hybridization is a natural process at species-range boundaries that may variably promote the speciation process or break down species barriers but minimally will influence management outcomes of distinct populations. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) have broad and overlapping distributions in North America and a recognized capacity for interspecific hy
Authors
Fraser J. Combe, Levi Jaster, Andrew Ricketts, David A. Haukos, Andrew G. Hope
By
Cooperative Research Units

Warming conditions boost reproductive output for a northern gopher tortoise population

The effects of climate change on at-risk species will depend on how life history processes respond to climate and whether the seasonal timing of local climate changes overlaps with species-specific windows of climate sensitivity. For long-lived, iteroparous species like gopher tortoises Gopherus polyphemus, climate likely has a greater influence on reproduction than on adult survival. Our objectiv
Authors
Elizabeth Ann Hunter, Kevin J. Loope, K. Kristina Drake, Kaitlyn Hanley, Douglas N. Jones, Kevin T. Shoemaker, David C. Rostal
By
Cooperative Research Units

An introduction to decision science for conservation

Biodiversity conservation decisions are difficult, especially when they involve differing values, complex multidimensional objectives, scarce resources, urgency, and considerable uncertainty. Decision science embodies a theory about how to make difficult decisions and an extensive array of frameworks and tools that make that theory practical. We sought to improve conceptual clarity and practical a
Authors
Victoria Hemming, Abbey E. Camaclang, Megan Adams, Mark Burgman, Katherine Carbeck, Josie Carwardine, Iadine Chades, Lia Chalifour, Sarah J. Converse, Lindsay Davidson, Georgia E. Garrard, Riley Finn, Jesse R. Fleri, Jacqueline Huard, Helen Mayfield, Eve McDonald Madden, Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis, Hugh P. Possingham, Libby Rumpff, Michael C. Runge, Daniel Stewart, Vivitskaia J. D. Tulloch, Terry Walshe, Tara G. Martin
By
Cooperative Research Units

Integrated tools for identifying optimal flow regimes and evaluating alternative minimum flows for recovering at-risk salmonids in a highly managed system

Water resource managers are faced with difficult decisions on how to satisfy human water needs while maintaining or restoring riverine ecosystems. Decision sciences have developed approaches and tools that can be used to break down difficult water management decisions into their component parts. An essential aspect of these approaches is the use of quantitative models to evaluate alternative manag
Authors
James Peterson, Jessica E. Pease, Luke Whitman, James White, Laurel E. Stratton Garvin, Stewart A. Rounds, J. Rose Wallick
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Oregon Water Science Center
Was this page helpful?