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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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Our Story

Blooming wildflowers in Pinnacles National Park.

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

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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. 

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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.

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Filter Total Items: 3984

One hundred pressing questions on the future of global fish migration science, conservation, and policy

Migration is a widespread but highly diverse component of many animal life histories. Fish migrate throughout the world's oceans, within lakes and rivers, and between the two realms, transporting matter, energy, and other species (e.g., microbes) across boundaries. Migration is therefore a process responsible for myriad ecosystem services. Many human populations depend on the presence of predictab
Authors
Robert J. Lennox, Craig Paukert, Kim Aarestrup, Marie Auger-Méthé, Lee J. Baumgartner, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Kristin Bøe, Kerry Brink, Jacob W Brownscombe, Yushun Chen, J. G. Davidsen, Erika J. Eliason, Alexander Filous, Bronwyn Gillanders, Ingebord Palm Helland, Andrij Z Horodysky, Stephanie R. Januchowski-Hartley, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Martyn C. Lucas, Eduardo G Martins, Karen J Murchie, Paulo S. Pompeu, Michael Power, Rajeev Raghavan, Frank J. Rahel, David Secor, Jason Thiem, Eva B. Thorstad, Hiroshi Ueda, Fred G. Whoriskey, Stephen J. Cooke
By
Cooperative Research Units

Variable hybridization outcomes in trout are predicted by historical fish stocking and environmental context

Hybridization can profoundly affect the genomic composition and phenotypes of closely related species, and provides an opportunity to identify mechanisms that maintain reproductive isolation between species. Recent evidence suggests that hybridization outcomes within a species pair can vary across locations. However, we still don’t know how extensive variation in outcomes of hybridization is acros
Authors
Elizabeth G. Mandeville, Annika W. Walters, Brittany J. Nordberg, Karly H. Higgins, Jason C. Burckhardt, Catherine E. Wagner
By
Cooperative Research Units

Spatial memory shapes migration and its benefits: Evidence from a large herbivore

From fine-scale foraging to broad-scale migration, animal movement is shaped by the distribution of resources. There is mounting evidence, however, that learning and memory also guide movement. Although migratory mammals commonly track resource waves, how resource tracking and memory guide long-distance migration has not been reconciled. We examined these hypotheses using movement data from four p
Authors
Jerod A. Merkle, Hall Sawyer, Kevin L. Monteith, Samantha P. Dwinnell, Gary L. Fralick, Matthew Kauffman
By
Cooperative Research Units

Comparative breeding ecology of Mississippi Kites in urban and exurban areas of West Texas

Birds of prey are becoming increasingly common occupants of urbanized settings, but the comparative benefits or detriments they experience in urban environs compared to exurban areas are poorly understood. We examined the reproductive success and phenology of Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) nesting concurrently in urban and exurban areas in west Texas during the 2010–2012 and 2014 bre
Authors
B.C. Welch-Acosta, B.R. Skipper, Clint W. Boal
By
Cooperative Research Units

Management regime and habitat response influence abundance of regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in tallgrass prairie

The >2,570,000-ha Flint Hills ecoregion of Kansas, USA, harbors the largest remaining contiguous tract of tallgrass prairie in North America, a unique system, as the remainder of North America's tallgrass prairie has succumbed to development and conversion. Consequently, the loss and degradation of tallgrass prairie has reduced populations of many North American prairie-obligate species including
Authors
K. McCullough, G. Albanese, David A. Haukos, A.M. Ricketts, S. Stratton
By
Cooperative Research Units

Distribution and movement of steelhead and anglers in the Clearwater River, Idaho

Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss is a species that is of high economic value that supports popular sport fisheries across the Pacific Northwest. The Clearwater River in Idaho provides a trophy steelhead fishery, and it is home to both wild- and hatchery-origin steelhead. To manage the fishery effectively, information is needed about the spatial and temporal overlap of wild and hatchery steelhead in t
Authors
Stacey F Feeken, Brett J. Bowersox, Marika E. Dobos, Matthew P. Corsi, Michael C. Quist, Timothy Copeland
By
Cooperative Research Units

Soil chemistry, and not short-term (1–2 year) deer exclusion, explains understory plant occupancy in forests affected by acid deposition

The loss of species diversity and plant community structure throughout the temperate deciduous forests of North America have often been attributed to overbrowsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus). Slow species recovery following removal from browsing, or reduction in deer density, has been termed a legacy effect of past deer herbivory. However, vegetation legacy effects have also coinc
Authors
Danielle R. Begley-Miller, Duane R. Diefenbach, Marc E. McDill, Patrick J. Drohan, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Emily H. Just Domoto
By
Cooperative Research Units

Size selectivity of sampling gears used to sample Kokanee

Kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka provide valued recreational fisheries and also serve as a prey resource for economically, socially, and ecologically important fishes. As such, management of kokanee is a major focus of natural resource agencies. Kokanee are typically monitored using midwater trawls, but the interpretation of data collected using midwater trawls is difficult due to the unknown size selec
Authors
Zachary B. Klein, Michael Quist, Andrew M. Dux, Matthew P. Corsi
By
Cooperative Research Units

Migratory connectivity of American woodcock derived using satellite telemetry

American woodcock (Scolopax minor; woodcock) migratory connectivity (i.e., association between breeding and wintering areas) is largely unknown, even though current woodcock management is predicated on such associations. Woodcock are currently managed in the Eastern and Central management regions in the United States with the boundary between management regions analogous to the boundary between th
Authors
J. D. Moore, David Andersen, Thomas R. Cooper, J. P. Duguay, Shaun L. Oldenburger, C. A. Stewart, David G. Krementz
By
Cooperative Research Units

Influence of season, sex, age and diet composition on mercury concentration in Walleye Sander vitreus

We collected Walleye Sander vitreus (May–October) from Bitter and Twin lakes, South Dakota to assess seasonal- and diet-related variation in tissue mercury (Hg) concentration. The average Hg concentration in Walleye was 43–68% higher in the spring for Bitter (p < 0.008) and Twin Lakes (p < 0.017) compared with summer or autumn months. Bioenergetics analysis of Bitter Lake Walleye showed that consu
Authors
Trevor M. Selch, Steven R. Chipps, Brian G. Blackwell, Robert P. Hanten
By
Cooperative Research Units

Cambarus fetzneri sp. nov., a new species of burrowing crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, USA

The disjunct distribution of Cambarus monongalensis has led to speculation about its taxonomic status. An Appalachian Plateau population occurs in northern and central West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania, and a mountain population occurs in the Allegheny Mountains and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces of the Virginias. Herein we describe the mountain population as Cambarus fetzneri 
Authors
Zachary J. Loughman, Stuart A. Welsh, Roger F. Thoma
By
Cooperative Research Units

Barred Owls reduce occupancy and breeding propensity of Northern Spotted Owl in a Washington old-growth forest

Protected lands like national parks are important refuges for threatened and endangered species as environmental pressures on wildlife and their habitats increase. The Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), a species designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, occurs on public lands throughout the western United States including Mount Rainier National Park (MRNP), Washin
Authors
Anna O. Mangan, Tara Chestnut, Jody C. Vogeler, Ian K. Breckheimer, Wendy M. King, Keith E. Bagnall, Katie Dugger
By
Cooperative Research Units