Wildlife and Terrestrial Species

We are a scientific leader in aquatic species biology, genetics, toxicological and pathogenic disease, ecology, and population tracking and dynamics for at-risk aquatic species including native fish and their ecosystems.

To understand information needs and respond to the many challenges in bird conservation, USGS scien­tists participate in Flyway committees, on Joint Venture boards and working groups, in professional organizations, and in other conservation partnerships. These activities con­nect USGS scientists to conservation partners with whom they work to address substantial challenges. More than one hundred...

Ecosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes...

Marine mammals

Across the country, USGS scientists research amphibians to help other agencies manage this historically underappreciated and now declining group. Our scientists have learned that no single threat explains global amphibian declines; instead, a variety of local and global factors are contributing. Habitat loss, disease, contaminants, and other threats are all part of the pattern.

Available here are tracking data of Pacific walrus, a marine mammal that ranges between the Alaska Peninsula, up through the Bering and Chukchi seas, and over to Russia. These data were collected from animals marked in the northern Bering and Chuckchi sea to understand seasonal movement patterns, use of coastal haulouts in northwestern Alaska, and determine estimates of abundance in autumn.

Data on the distribution and abundance of seabirds at sea have been used for many decades to assist in understanding the marine ecology of seabirds away from their breeding colonies, measure population status and trends, assess the impact of human activities on ocean habitats and fish stocks, and to identify critical marine habitats for seabirds.

Birds are excellent indicators of ecosystem condition because they are responsive to environmental change, have important ecological functions – such as seed dispersal and insect consumption, and are easy to observe.

WARC researchers will be surveying nesting beaches in Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores. They will record GPS locations for all crawls, nests, and turtles encountered/captured, and will be placing satellite tags on a subset of individuals to determine habitat use and delineate inter-nesting areas used by reproductive females.

To assess use of dredge material areas, avian ecologists from USGS WARC are conducting bird surveys across the annual life cycle.

The Eastern Ecological Science Center is working closely with federal, state, and tribal partners to help inform decisions that reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from humans to North American wildlife, including bats.

WARC Researchers are using a variety of methods to assess mammal communities across the Greater Everglades.