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: 3984

Sampling bees in tropical forests and agroecosystems: A review

Bees are the predominant pollinating taxa, providing a critical ecosystem service upon which many angiosperms rely for successful reproduction. Available data suggests that bee populations worldwide are declining, but scarce data in tropical regions precludes assessing their status and distribution, impact on ecological services, and response to management actions. Herein, we reviewed >150 papers
Authors
Sara G. Prado, Hien T. Ngo, Jaime A. Florez, Jaime A. Collazo

Wildlife value orientation stability among South Dakota residents: Setting the stage for a longitudinal analysis

The concept of wildlife value orientations (WVOs) has been useful for understanding the diversity of public interests in wildlife management and has been shown to be a strong predictor of public attitudes towards a wide range of wildlife management actions and policies. WVOs consist of two predominant value orientations (domination and mutualism) defined by how people view their relationship with
Authors
Larry M. Gigliotti, Andrew W. Don Carlos

Birds choose long-term partners years before breeding

Pair bonds can provide social benefits to long-term monogamous species alongside their benefits for reproduction. However, little is known about when these bonds form, in particular how long they are present before breeding. Previous studies of pair formation in long-term monogamous birds have been rather data-limited, but for many migratory birds they report pair formation on the wintering ground
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, Thomas Mueller

Genetic structure of muskellunge in the Great Lakes region and the effects of supplementation on genetic integrity of wild populations

Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) are important apex predators that support numerous recreational fisheries throughout the Great Lakes region. Declines in muskellunge abundance from historical overharvest and environmental degradation have threatened the viability of many populations and prompted significant restoration efforts that often include stocking. The goal of our study was to investigate con
Authors
Keith N. Turnquist, Wesley Larson, John M. Farrell, P.A. Hanchin, Kevin L. Kapuscinski, Loren M. Miller, Kim T. Scribner, Chris C. Wilson, Brian L. Sloss

Sampling for age and growth estimation

No abstract available.
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, M.E. Colvin

Wildlife governance in the 21st century—Will sustainable use endure?

In light of the trajectory of wildlife governance in the United States, the future of sustainable use of wildlife is a topic of substantial interest in the wildlife conservation community. We examine sustainable-use principles with respect to “good governance” considerations and public trust administration principles to assess how sustainable use might fare in the 21st century. We conclude that su
Authors
Daniel J. Decker, John F. Organ, Ann Forstchen, Cynthia A. Jacobson, William F. Siemer, Christian A. Smith, Patrick E. Lederle, Michael V. Schiavone

Waterbird communities and seed biomass in managed and reference-restored wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) commenced the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) in summer 2010 after the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The MBHI enrolled in the program 193,000 ha of private wet- and cropland inland from potential oil-impaired wetlands. We evaluated waterfowl and other waterbird use and potential seed/tuber food resources in
Authors
Jessica L. Tapp, Matthew M. Weegman, Elisabeth B. Webb, Richard M. Kaminski, J. Brian Davis

Nesting ecology of grassland birds following a wildfire in the southern Great Plains

We studied the response of nesting grassland birds occupying short-grass and mixed-grass prairie sites 2 and 3 y following two, large-scale wildfires that burned ≥360,000 ha in the Texas Panhandle in March 2006. Nest success was greater on burned plots compared to unburned plots, though this varied by species and year. Woody vegetation cover was greater around nests on unburned plots compared to b
Authors
Anthony J. Roberts, Clint W. Boal, Heather A. Whitlaw

Predicting intensity of white-tailed deer herbivory in the Central Appalachian Mountains

In eastern North America, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have profound influences on forest biodiversity and forest successional processes. Moderate to high deer populations in the central Appalachians have resulted in lower forest biodiversity. Legacy effects in some areas persist even following deer population reductions or declines. This has prompted managers to consider deer po
Authors
Andrew B. Kniowski, W. Mark Ford

Understanding the basis of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) partial migration in the Gulf of Maine

Movement of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) among major river systems in the Gulf of Maine is common and has implications for the management of this endangered species. Directed movements of 61 telemetered individuals monitored between 2010 and 2013 were associated with the river of tagging and individual characteristics. While a small proportion of fish tagged in the Kennebec River mo
Authors
Matthew E. Altenritter, Gayle B. Zydlewski, Michael T. Kinnison, Joseph D. Zydlewski, Gail S. Wippelhauser

The effects of swimming exercise and dissolved oxygen on growth performance, fin condition and precocious maturation of early-rearing Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

Swimming exercise, typically measured in body-lengths per second (BL/s), and dissolved oxygen (DO), are important environmental variables in fish culture. While there is an obvious physiological association between these two parameters, their interaction has not been adequately studied in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Because exercise and DO are variables that can be easily manipulated in modern aq
Authors
Thomas Waldrop, Steven T. Summerfelt, Patricia M. Mazik, Christopher Good