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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: 4351

Using isotopic data to evaluate Esox lucius (Linnaeus, 1758) natal origins in a hydrologically complex river basin

Otolith microchemistry has emerged as a powerful technique with which to identify the natal origins of fishes, but it relies on differences in underlying geology that may occur over large spatial scales. An examination of how small a spatial scale on which this technique can be implemented, especially in water bodies that share a large proportion of their flow, would be useful for guiding aquatic
Authors
Ryan M. Fitzpatrick, Dana L. Winkelman, Brett M. Johnson

Co-occurring lotic crayfishes exhibit variable long-term responses to extreme-flow events and temperature

Crayfish serve critical roles in aquatic ecosystems as engineers, omnivores, and prey. It is unclear how increasingly frequent extreme-flow events and warming air temperatures will affect crayfish populations, partly because there are few long-term crayfish monitoring datasets. Using a unique 10-y dataset, we asked 1) whether recruitment of crayfishes in summer responded to extreme-flow events and
Authors
Corey Garland Dunn, Michael J. Moore, Nicholas A. Sievert, Craig Paukert, Robert J. DiStefano

Comparing harvest management alternatives for Eastern Wild Turkeys in Alabama

Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; hereafter turkey) is an important game species that is pursued by thousands of Alabama hunters each spring. Biologists in Alabama and other parts of the southeastern U.S. believe that turkey populations have been declining for at least two decades. Managers in many state agencies and organizations believe that liberal spring bag limits and the t
Authors
J. Barry Grand, A.L. Silvano, S. Barnett, C.E. Moore, B.D. Stewart

Combining fixed-location count data and movement data to estimate abundance of a lake sturgeon spawning run

Estimating abundance of migrating fishes is challenging. While sonars can be deployed continuously, improper assumptions about unidirectional migration and complete spatial coverage can lead to inaccurate estimates. To address these challenges, we present a framework for combining fixed-location count data from a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) with movement data from acoustic telemet
Authors
Lisa K. Izzo, Gayle Barbin Zydlewski, Donna L. Parrish

Native fish need a natural flow regime

Water development has threatened the ecological integrity of riverine ecosystems. Increasing water demand, persistent drought, and climate change exacerbate the effects of habitat degradation and loss in altered systems such as the Colorado River basin. Today, biologists are challenged to identify management actions that benefit native fishes while not hindering water development or management. He
Authors
Casey A. Pennock, Phaedra E. Budy, William W. Macfarlane, Matthew J. Breen, Justin Jimenez, John C. Schmidt

RAD adaptive management for transforming ecosystems

Intensifying global change is propelling many ecosystems toward irreversible transformations. Natural resource managers face the complex task of conserving these important resources under unprecedented conditions and expanding uncertainty. As once familiar ecological conditions disappear, traditional management approaches that assume the future will reflect the past are becoming increasingly unten
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Laura Thompson, John M. Morton, Erik A. Beever, Michael Clifford, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Dawn R. Magness, Tracy A. Melvin, Robert A. Newman, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Joel H. Reynolds, Gregor W. Schuurman, Suresh Sethi, Jennifer L. Wilkening

Food habits of American Kestrels in the Southern High Plains of Texas

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is in general decline across its North American distribution. In contrast to widespread patterns of decline, kestrel populations appear stable in the southern Great Plains region. Historically, this region had a very low occurrence of kestrels, and their current abundance is highly likely due to vegetation and structures associated with settlement by people
Authors
Clint W. Boal, M.A. Thornely, S.D. Mullican

Monitoring and modeling tree bat (Genera: Lasiurus, Lasionycteris) occurrence using acoustics on structures off the mid-Atlantic coast—Implications for offshore wind development

In eastern North America, “tree bats” (Genera: Lasiurus and Lasionycteris) are highly susceptible to collisions with wind energy turbines and are known to fly offshore during migration. This raises concern about ongoing expansion of offshore wind-energy development off the Atlantic Coast. Season, atmospheric conditions, and site-level characteristics such as local habitat (e.g., forest coverage) h
Authors
Michael C. True, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford

Statistical methods used in research concerning endangered and threatened animal species of Puerto Rico: A meta-study

A concern about statistics in wildlife studies, particularly of endangered and threatened species, is whether the data collected meet the assumptions necessary for the use of parametric statistics. This study identified published papers on the nine endangered and six threatened species found only on Puerto Rico using five different databases. The results from the Zoological Record database identif
Authors
S.J. Rivera, K.M. Alpi, Jaime A. Collazo, M.K. Stoskopf

Causes, consequences, and conservation of ungulate migration

Our understanding of ungulate migration is advancing rapidly due to innovations in modern animal tracking. Herein, we review and synthesize nearly seven decades of work on migration and other long-distance movements of wild ungulates. Although it has long been appreciated that ungulates migrate to enhance access to forage, recent contributions demonstrate that their movements are fine tuned to dyn
Authors
Matthew Kauffman, Ellen O. Aikens, Saeideh Esmaeili, Petra Kaczensky, Arthur Middleton, Kevin L. Monteith, Thomas A. Morrison, Thomas Mueller, Hall Sawyer, Jacob R. Goheen

Nine-banded armadillo (Dasyrus novemcinctus) activity patterns are influenced by human activity

As the human footprint upon the landscape expands, wildlife seeking to avoid human contact are losing the option of altering their spatial distribution and instead are shifting their daily activity patterns to be active at different times than humans. In this study, we used game cameras to evaluate how human development and activity were related to the daily activity patterns of the nine-banded ar
Authors
Brett Alexander DeGregorio, C. Gale, E. V. Lassiter, A. Massey, Caleb Powell Roberts, J. Veon

Movement dynamics and survival of stocked Colorado River Cutthroat Trout

The ability of native fish to establish self-sustaining populations when reintroduced to vacant habitats is variable. We evaluated factors that potentially affect the reintroduction success of juvenile Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus that were reintroduced to an isolated watershed and were experiencing suboptimal survival and recruitment. We conducted a 3-year mark–
Authors
Alex G. LeCheminant, Gabriel M. Barrile, Shannon E. Albeke, Annika W. Walters
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