Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 2892
The ecological and evolutionary consequences of body size: Introductory remarks
No abstract available.
Authors
John F. Piatt
Body size and foraging behavior in birds
No abstract available.
Authors
R. Ian Goudie, John F. Piatt
Observations on habitat use, breeding chronology and parental care in Bristle-thighed Curlews on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Results from an intensive survey in 1989 of one of the two known breeding localities of Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis are reported. During the pre-nesting period birds confined most of their activity to two vegetation communities: shrub meadow tundra and low shrub/tussock tundra. During nesting more than half the Curlews seen were observed on shrub meadow tundra, whilst during brood
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Richard B. Lanctot, J.D. Mason, Colleen M. Handel
Birds of the Kilbuck and Ahklun mountain region, Alaska
Between 1952 and 1988, we studied the abundance, distribution, occurrence, and habitats used by birds in the northwest portion of Bristol Bay and the adjacent Kilbuck and Ahklun mountains. In the 809 days we were present, we conducted 53 studies or surveys of birds in the region. We gathered information on 185 species, of which 65% (121) nested, 10% (19) probably nested, and 11% (21) were permanen
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, Douglas N. Weir, Matthew H. Dick
Seasonal abundance and vertical distribution of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in relation to water temperature at a coastal site off eastern Newfoundland
The seasonal abundance and vertical distribution of capelin in relation to water temperature have been investigated by conducting repeated hydroacoustic surveys at a coastal site off eastern Newfoundland. Water temperatures were warmer in 1983 than in 1984 as indicated by the earlier appearance and greater depth of the seasonal thermocline. Correspondingly, schools of capelin appeared earlier, wer
Authors
David A. Methven, John F. Piatt
Influence of pycnocline topography and water-column structure on marine distributions of alcids (Aves: Alcidae) in Anadyr Strait, Northern Bering Sea, Alaska
Systematic ship-board surveys were used to simultaneously record seabird abundances and resolve coarse-scale (3 to 10 km) horizontal and fine-scale (1 to 10 m) vertical variability in water-column structure and bathymetry for portions of the coastal zone in Anadyr Strait near western St. Lawrence Island, northern Bering Sea, Alaska, during August and September 1987. Three plankton-feeding alcids,
Authors
J. Christopher Haney
Mortality of seabirds in the Japanese land-based gillnet fishery for salmon
Mortality rates of seabirds in the Japanese land-based drift gillnet fishery for salmon were assessed from 413 gillnet sets made by Japanese research vessels in offshore areas used by the commercial fleet. Sixteen species of seabirds were recorded in nets. Shearwaters, primarily Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris), and to a lesser extent Sooty Shearwaters (P. griseus), predominated in
Authors
Anthony R. DeGange, Robert H. Day
Growth rate is negatively correlated with hatch date in Black Brant
Arctic geese nest in a highly seasonal environment in which ungrazed plants reach peak nitrogen concentrations when goslings hatch (Sedinger and Raveling 1986). Grazing by geese prolongs peak nutrient concentrations but reduces food availability. This should cause nutrient availability to decline seasonally. Here, we test the hypothesis that late-hatching goslings of Black Brant (Branta bernicla n
Authors
James S. Sedinger, Paul L. Flint
Evidence for color phase effects on the breeding and life history of Northern Fulmars
About 15% of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) breeding on the Semidi Islands in 1979 had light-phase plumage; the remainder were dark. Fulmars of different plumage types mated indiscriminantly, but the lighter member of a mixed pair was more likely to be male than female. Pairs that included at least one light-phase member had lower breeding success than dark/dark pairs in one of six years. C
Authors
Scott A. Hatch
Seasonal patterns of prey availability and the foraging behavior of arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in a waterfowl nesting area
The foraging behavior of arctic foxes was observed in a waterfowl nesting area on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska in 1985–1986. Observations were made during peak fox activity from two towers, 3 m high, located in different community types. Data were collected continuously for individual foxes on specific activities, the community in which activities occurred, and the type of food obtained. Af
Authors
Alice Stickney
Vegetation patterns and environmental gradients in coastal meadows on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Tundra vegetation and environmental variables were sampled on the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta in western Alaska. On transects extending from intertidal mudflat to upland tundra, we estimated cover by vascular plant species, soil moisture, salinity, relative elevation, depth to permafrost, and distance upriver from the coast. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) classified 21 communities. Ordina
Authors
Karen L. Kincheloe, Robert A. Stehn
A line transect model for aerial surveys
We employ a line transect method to estimate the density of the common and Pacific loon in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge from aerial survey data. Line transect methods have the advantage of automatically taking into account “visibility bias” due to detectability difference of animals at different distances from the transect line. However, line transect methods must overcome two difficul
Authors
Pham Xuan Quang, Richard B. Lanctot