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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

Latitude and daily-weather effects on gobbling activity of wild turkeys in Mississippi

Weather has been recognized as a density independent factor influencing the abundance, distribution, and behavior of vertebrates. Male wild turkeys’ (Meleagris gallopavo) breeding behavior includes vocalizations and courtship displays to attract females, the phenology of which can vary with latitude. State biologists design spring turkey-hunting season frameworks centered on annual vocalization pa
Authors
Matthew D. Palumbo, Francisco Vilella, Guiming Wang, Bronson K. Strickland, Dave Godwin, P. Grady Dixon, Benjamin D. Rubin, Marcus A. Lashley

Adaptive management of flows from R.L. Harris Dam (Tallapoosa River, Alabama)—Stakeholder process and use of biological monitoring data for decision making

Adaptive management has been applied to problems with multiple conflicting objectives in various natural resources settings to learn how management actions affect divergent values regarding system response. Hydropower applications have only recently begun to emerge in the field, yet in the specific example reported herein, stakeholders invested in determining the best management alternatives for a
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Mary Freeman, James Peterson, Kathryn D.M. Kennedy, M. Clint Lloyd, Kristie M. Ouellette Coffman, Ely Kosnicki, Tom Hess

Reservoir diel water quality patterns relative to riparian shade

Investigations into the effects of riparian shade on water quality have focused on streams, with less emphasis on natural lakes, and almost no attention given to reservoirs. In view of this gap, our objective was to assess diel water quality patterns in the nearshore zone of a reservoir and test whether diel patterns differed relative to the presence or absence of riparian shade. Light intensity,
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, C.D. Raines

Multiscale habitat factors explain variability in stream fish occurrence in the Ozark Highlands ecoregion, USA

The dynamic, multiscale nature of stream systems makes it challenging to establish basic ecological principles to guide stream fish conservation and management. For example, finer-scale instream habitat is often constrained by coarser-scale characteristics driving observed species distributions. Additionally, instream environmental variability can result in patchy species distributions within gene
Authors
Robert Mollenhauer, Yan Zhou, Shannon K. Brewer

Fish assemblage structure and fisheries resources in Puerto Rico’s riverine estuaries

Tropical estuaries are diverse and productive habitats with respect to their fish assemblages and associated fisheries, but these ecosystems and fisheries are imperiled by multiple anthropogenic threats. Despite the economic, social, and biodiversity value of tropical estuarine fish assemblages, they are poorly understood, especially those on Caribbean islands. We sampled the fish assemblages of f
Authors
A.C. Engman, Thomas J. Kwak, J.R. Fischer, C.G. Lilyestrom

Patterns of acoustical activity of bats prior to and 10 years after WNS on Fort Drum Army Installation, New York

Previous acoustic surveys, netting, and count data have shown that overall bat activity patterns have shifted among most species between pre- and post-white-nose syndrome (WNS) years in much of North America where WNS has occurred. However, the significance of these changes is based on the species-specific susceptibility to WNS. We used acoustically recorded echolocation passes obtained at Fort Dr
Authors
Tomás Nocera, W. Mark Ford, Alexander Silvis, Christopher A. Dobony

Integrating fish assemblage data, modeled stream temperatures, and thermal tolerance metrics to develop thermal guilds for water temperature regulation: Wyoming case study

Many streams are experiencing increased average temperatures due to anthropogenic activity and climate change. As a result, surface water temperature regulation is critical for preserving a diverse stream fish species assemblage. The development of temperature regulations has generally been based on laboratory measurements of individual species' thermal tolerances rather than community response to
Authors
Caitlin P. Mandeville, Frank J. Rahel, Lindsay S. Patterson, Annika W. Walters

Bats in a changing landscape: Linking occupancy and traits of a diverse montane bat community to fire regime

1. Wildfires are increasing in incidence and severity across the western US, leading to changes in forest structure and wildlife habitats. Knowledge of how species respond to fire-driven habitat changes in these landscapes is limited and generally disconnected from our understanding of adaptations that underpin responses to fire. 2. We aimed to identify relationships between fire regime, physiogr
Authors
Elisabeth B. Webb, R.V. Blakely, Dylan C. Kesler, R. B. Siegel, D.C. Barrios, J.M. Johnson

The rise of an apex predator following deglaciation

AimSea otters (Enhydra lutris) are an apex predator of the nearshore marine community and nearly went extinct at the turn of the 20th century. Reintroductions and legal protection allowed sea otters to re‐colonize much of their former range. Our objective was to chronicle the colonization of this apex predator in Glacier Bay, Alaska, to help understand the mechanisms that governed their successful
Authors
Mevin Hooten, George G. Esslinger

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) survival and site fidelity in an area undergoing shale gas development

We quantified Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) site fidelity and apparent survival across a 6 year period in an area undergoing shale gas development.Waterthrush initially exhibited high site fidelity that declined over time. At the same time, the number of unpaired males defending territories increased as did natal fidelity. We identified site fidelity factors that influenced if adult m
Authors
Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, James Sheehan, Gregory George

Novel ectoparasite infestation on Yuma ridgway's rails (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis)

Yuma Ridgway's Rails (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis) are federally endangered birds endemic to wetlands throughout the Lower Colorado River Basin in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Mexico. The U.S. population has declined in recent years for unknown reasons. We documented a novel and severe chigger mite infestation in the Yuma Ridgway's Rails in southwestern Arizona in 2017. Prevalence of the infes
Authors
Eamon J. Harrity, Courtney J. Conway

Future directions to escalate benefits of stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations

Through a reintroduction case study on the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis), we introduced a ‘stepping-stone’ approach which utilizes the transition of released individuals among populations to maximize demographic growth potential (Lloyd et al. 2019). We greatly appreciate and hereby reflect on the thoughtful commentaries by Chauvenet (2019), Hayward (2019)
Authors
N.A. Lloyd, N.J. Hostetter, C.L. Jackson, Sarah J. Converse, A. Moehrenschlager