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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.

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Blooming wildflowers in Pinnacles National Park.

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

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Tricolored Heron at Ding Darling National Park

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

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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.

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Filter Total Items: 3984

The structure of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems across environmental and human gradients, and conservation implications

Historical exploitation of the Mediterranean Sea and the absence of rigorous baselines makes it difficult to evaluate the current health of the marine ecosystems and the efficacy of conservation actions at the ecosystem level. Here we establish the first current baseline and gradient of ecosystem structure of nearshore rocky reefs at the Mediterranean scale. We conducted underwater surveys in 14 m
Authors
Enric Sala, Enric Ballesteros, Panagiotis Dendrinos, Antonio Di Franco, Francesco Ferretti, David Foley, Simonetta Fraschetti, Alan M. Friedlander, Joaquim Garrabou, Harun Guclusoy, Paolo Guidetti, Benjamin S. Halpern, Bernat Hereu, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Zafer Kizilkaya, Enrique Macpherson, Luisa Mangialajo, Simone Mariani, Fiorenza Micheli, Antonio Pais, Kristin Riser, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Marta Sales, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Rick Starr, Fiona Tomas, Mikel Zabala
By
Cooperative Research Units

Winter ecology and habitat use of lesser prairie-chickens in west Texas, 2008-11

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has experienced declines in population and occupied range by more than 90 percent since the late 1800s. The lesser prairie-chicken has been listed as a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act and is undergoing review for actual listing. Populations and distribution of lesser prairie-chickens in Texas are thought to b
Authors
Clint W. Boal, Nicholas E. Pirius
By
Cooperative Research Units

Trends in Marine Debris along the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawai’i 1998-2007

We assessed amounts, composition, and trends of marine debris for the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawai’i using National Marine Debris Monitoring Program data. Hawai’i had the highest debris loads; the North Pacific Coast region had the lowest debris loads. The Southern California Bight region had the highest land-based debris loads. Debris loads decreased over time for all source categories in all reg
Authors
Christine Ribic, Seba B. Sheavly, David J. Rugg, Eric S. Erdmann
By
Cooperative Research Units

Floodplain wetlands of the southeastern coastal plain

n/a
Authors
Sammy L. King, Loretta L. Battaglia, Cliff R. Hupp, Richard F. Keim, B. Graeme Lockaby
By
Cooperative Research Units

Red-tailed Hawk movements and use of habitat in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico

The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a top predator of upland ecosystems in the Greater Antilles. Little information exists on the ecology of the insular forms of this widely distributed species. We studied movements and resource use of the Red-tailed Hawk from 2000 to 2002 in the montane forests of northeastern Puerto Rico. We captured 32 and used 21 radio-marked Red-tailed Hawks to delinea
Authors
Francisco Vilella, Wyatt F. Nimitz
By
Cooperative Research Units

Habitat persistence for sedentary organisms in managed rivers: the case for the federally endangered dwarf wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in the Delaware River

1. To manage the environmental flow requirements of sedentary taxa, such as mussels and aquatic insects with fixed retreats, we need a measure of habitat availability over a variety of flows (i.e. a measure of persistent habitat). Habitat suitability measures in current environmental flow assessments are measured on a ‘flow by flow’ basis and thus are not appropriate for these taxa. Here, we prese
Authors
Kelly O. Maloney, William A. Lellis, Randy M. Bennett, Terry J. Waddle
By
Water Availability and Use Science Program, Cooperative Research Units

Timing and proximate causes of mortality in wild bird populations: testing Ashmole’s hypothesis

Fecundity in birds is widely recognized to increase with latitude across diverse phylogenetic groups and regions, yet the causes of this variation remain enigmatic. Ashmole’s hypothesis is one of the most broadly accepted explanations for this pattern. This hypothesis suggests that increasing seasonality leads to increasing overwinter mortality due to resource scarcity during the lean season (e.g.
Authors
Daniel C. Barton, Thomas E. Martin
By
Cooperative Research Units

Are Agrofuels a conservation threat or opportunity for grassland birds in the United States?

In the United States, government-mandated growth in the production of crops dedicated to biofuel (agrofuels) is predicted to increase the demands on existing agricultural lands, potentially threatening the persistence of populations of grassland birds they support. We review recently published literature and datasets to (1) examine the ability of alternative agrofuel crops and their management reg
Authors
Bruce A. Robertson, Robert A. Rice, Christine Ribic, Bruce A. Babcock, Douglas A. Landis, James R. Herkert, Robert J. Fletcher, Joseph J Fontaine, Patrick J. Doran, Douglas W. Schemske
By
Cooperative Research Units

Site choice among Minnesota walleye anglers: The influence of resource conditions, regulations and catch orientation on Lake Preference

Understanding angler site choice preferences is important in the management of recreational fisheries to forecast angling demand and effort. This study investigated lake choice by recreational anglers fishing for walleye Sander vitreus in Minnesota and examined how choices were influenced by lake characteristics, angler demographics, and angler catch orientation. We collected data through a stated
Authors
Caroline Carlin, Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton
By
Cooperative Research Units

Origins of invasive piscivores determined from the strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) of otoliths

We examined strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in fish otoliths to determine the origins of invasive piscivores in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB, western USA). We examined 87Sr/86Sr from fishes in different reservoirs, as well as the temporal stability and interspecies variability of 87Sr/86Sr of fishes within reservoirs, determined if 87Sr/86Sr would be useful for "fingerprinting" reserv
Authors
Brian A. Wolff, Brett M. Johnson, Andre R. Breton, Patrick J. Martinez, Dana L. Winkelman, Bronwyn Gillanders
By
Cooperative Research Units

Combining lake and watershed characteristics with Landsat TM data for remote estimation of regional lake clarity

Water clarity is a reliable indicator of lake productivity and an ideal metric of regional water quality. Clarity is an indicator of other water quality variables including chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and trophic status; however, unlike these metrics, clarity can be accurately and efficiently estimated remotely on a regional scale. Remote sensing is useful in regions containing a large number
Authors
Ian M. McCullough, Cyndy Loftin, Steven A. Sader
By
Cooperative Research Units

Leopardus braccatus (Carnivora: Felidae)

Leopardus braccatus (Cope, 1889) is a small felid—not much larger than a domestic house cat—commonly called the Pantanal cat. No comprehensive surveys have been conducted to determine how many L. braccatus exist in the wild. It is found in humid, warm grasslands and wooded areas of extreme northwestern Argentina, southwestern and south- and north-central (newly reported ranges) Brazil, Paraguay, a
Authors
Anita L. Barstow, David M. Leslie
By
Cooperative Research Units