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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: 3984

Effects of satellite transmitters on captive and wild mallards

Satellite telemetry has become a leading method for studying large-scale movements and survival in birds, yet few have addressed potential effects of the larger and heavier tracking equipment on study subjects. We simultaneously evaluated effects of satellite telemetry equipment on captive and wild mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to assess impacts on behavior, body mass, and movement. We randomly as
Authors
Dylan C. Kesler, Andrew H. Raedeke, Jennifer R. Foggia, William S. Beatty, Elisabeth B. Webb, Dale D. Humburg, Luke W. Naylor

Effects of low and high salinity regimes on seasonal gametogenesis of the ribbed mussel Geukensia granosissima in coastal Louisiana, USA

Benthic intertidal bivalves play an essential role in estuarine ecosystems by contributing to habitat provision, water filtration, and host vegetation productivity. As such, ecosystem level changes that impact population distributions and persistence of local bivalve populations may have large ecosystem level consequences, making it important to better understand the population ecology of native b
Authors
Aaron Honig, Megan K. LaPeyre, John Supan

Fishes and amphibians as laboratory model organisms for toxicological research

No abstract available.
Authors
Sandeep Mukhi, Leticia Torres, Bibek Sharma, Madhavi Billam, Reynaldo Patiño

A global assessment of the conservation status of the American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus

The American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus is the most widely distributed of the four oystercatcher species in the Western Hemisphere. Its range covers almost the entire Atlantic Coast from northeastern United States to southern Argentina; on the Pacific Coast it is found from northern Mexico to central Chile. This assessment covers the entire range of the species, and is not intended to serv
Authors
Robert P. Clay, Arne J. Lesterhuis, Shiloh A. Schulte, Stephen Brown, Debra Reynolds, Theodore R. Simons

Distance, dams and drift: What structures populations of an endangered, benthic stream fish?

Spatial population structure plays an important role in species persistence, evolution and conservation. Benthic stream fishes are diverse and frequently imperilled, yet the determinants and spatial scaling of their population structure are understudied. We investigated the range-wide population genetic structure of Roanoke logperch (Percina rex), an endangered, benthic stream fish of the eastern
Authors
James H. Roberts, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric M. Hallerman

Stainless-steel wires exclude gulls from a wastewater treatment plant

There is growing concern about the prevalence of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment and the role wildlife plays in their transmission and dissemination. Gulls feeding at wastewater treatment plants may provide a route for transmission of pathogens and bacteria to public water supplies or other critical areas. The authors identified gulls routinely feeding at a wastewate
Authors
Daniel E. Clark, Kiana K. G. Koenen, Kenneth G. MacKenzie, Jillian W. Pereira, Stephen DeStefano

Moose habitat in Massachusetts: Assessing use at the southern edge of the range

Moose (Alces alces) have recently re-occupied a portion of their range in the temperate deciduous forest of the northeastern United States after a more than 200 year absence. In southern New England, moose are exposed to a variety of forest types, increasing development, and higher ambient temperatures as compared to other parts of their geographic range. Additionally, large-scale disturbances tha
Authors
David W. Wattles, Stephen DeStefano

Vascular flora of saline lakes in the southern high plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico

Saline lakes and freshwater playas form the principal surface hydrological feature of the High Plains of the Southern Great Plains. Saline lakes number less than 50 and historically functioned as discharge wetlands with relatively consistent water availability due to the presence of one or more springs. Currently, less than ten saline lakes contain functional springs. A survey of vascular plants a
Authors
David J. Rosen, Warren C. Conway, David A. Haukos, Amber D. Caskey

Space use and movements of moose in Massachusetts: implications for conservation of large mammals in a fragmented environment

Moose (Alces alces) have recently re-occupied a portion of their range in the temperate deciduous forest of the northeastern United States after a >200 year absence. In southern New England, moose encounter different forest types, more human development, and higher temperatures than in other parts of their geographic range in North America. We analyzed seasonal minimum convex polygon home ranges,
Authors
David W. Wattles, Stephen DeStefano

Localized extinction of an arboreal desert lizard caused by habitat fragmentation

We adopted a species’ perspective for predicting extinction risk in a small, endemic, and strictly scansorial lizard (Urosaurus nigricaudus), in an old (∼60 year) and highly fragmented (8% habitat remaining) agricultural landscape from the Sonoran Desert, Mexico. We genotyped 10 microsatellite loci in 280 individuals from 11 populations in fragmented and continuous habitat. Individual dispersal wa
Authors
Adrian Munguia-Vega, Ricardo Rodriguez-Estrella, William W. Shaw, Melanie Culver

New microsatellite loci isolated via next-generation sequencing for two endangered pronghorn from the Sonoran Desert

We isolated 16 novel microsatellite loci in two subspecies of endangered desert pronghorns (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis and Antilocapra americana peninsularis) using a shotgun pyrosequencing approach. All and 87.5 % of the loci were polymorphic within each subspecies, respectively. The mean number of alleles per locus was 4.86 (range 2–8) and 2.5 alleles per locus (range 1–4 alleles), and ob
Authors
Adrian Munguia-Vega, Anastasia Klimova, Melanie Culver

Genetic population structure of muskellunge in the Great Lakes

We quantified genetic relationships among Muskellunge Esox masquinongy from 15 locations in the Great Lakes to determine the extent and distribution of measurable population structure and to identify appropriate spatial scales for fishery management and genetic conservation. We hypothesized that Muskellunge from each area represented genetically distinct populations, which would be evident from an
Authors
Kevin L. Kapuscinski, Brian L. Sloss, John M. Farrell