Publications
Click below for access to more than 170,000 publications written by USGS scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau.
Filter Total Items: 756
Demographic variation, reintroduction, and persistence of an island duck (Anas laysanensis)
Population variation in life history can be important for predicting successful establishment and persistence of reintroduced populations of endangered species. The Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis) is an endangered bird native to the Hawaiian Archipelago that was extirpated from most islands after the introduction of mammalian predators. Laysan ducks were restricted to a single remote island, Laysan
Authors
Michelle H. Reynolds, Emily Weiser, Ian Jamieson, Jeffrey S. Hatfield
Modeling the colonization of Hawaii by hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus)
The Hawaiian archipelago, the most isolated cluster of islands on Earth, has been colonized successfully twice by bats. The putative “lava tube bat” of Hawaii is extinct, whereas the Hawaiian Hoary Bat, Lasiurus cinereus semotus, survives as an endangered species. We conducted a three-stage analysis to identify conditions under which hoary bats originally colonized Hawaii. We used FLIGHT to determ
Authors
Frank J. Bonaccorso, Liam P. McGuire
When worlds collide: challenges and opportunities for conservation of biodiversity in the Hawaiian Islands
This chapter identifies four key challenges and opportunities for long-term conservation of biodiversity in the Hawaii's Islands. Following are the challenges that need to be resolved for remaining species of native forest birds to survive into the next century: invasive species, landscape processes, social factors, and climate change. These challenges are also relevant to other threatened terrest
Authors
Carter T. Atkinson, Thane K. Pratt, Paul C. Banko, James D. Jacobi, Bethany L. Woodworth
A five-year study of Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) occupancy on the island of Hawai`i
Using acoustic recordings of the vocalizations of the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus
cinereus semotus) collected over a five-year period (2007–2011) from 25 survey areas across
the island of Hawai`i, we modeled the relationship between habitat attributes and bat
occurrence. Our data support the conclusion that hoary bats concentrate in the coastal lowlands
of Hawai`i during the breedi
Authors
Marcos P. Gorressen, Frank J. Bonaccorso, Corinna A. Pinzari, Christopher M. Todd, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Kevin W. Brinck
Rebuilding after collapse: evidence for long-term cohort dynamics in the native Hawaiian rain forest
Questions: Do long-term observations in permanent plots confirm the conceptual model of Metrosideros polymorpha cohort dynamics as postulated in 1987? Do regeneration patterns occur independently of substrate age, i.e. of direct volcanic disturbance impact?
Location: The windward mountain slopes of the younger Mauna Loa and the older Mauna Kea volcanoes (island of Hawaii, USA).
Methods: After wi
Authors
Hans Juergen Boehmer, Helene H. Wagner, James D. Jacobi, Grant C. Gerrish, Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Vegetation map of the watersheds between Kawela and Kamalō Gulches, Island of Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi
In this document we describe the methods and results of a project to produce a large-scale map of the dominant plant communities for an area of 5,118.5 hectares encompassing the Kawela and Kamalō watersheds on the island of Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi, using digital image analysis of multi-spectral satellite imagery. Besides providing a base map of the area for land managers to use, this vegetation map serv
Authors
James D. Jacobi, Stephen Ambagis
Estimating hydraulic properties from tidal attenuation in the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer, territory of Guam, USA
Tidal-signal attenuations are analyzed to compute hydraulic diffusivities and estimate regional hydraulic conductivities of the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer, Territory of Guam (Pacific Ocean), USA. The results indicate a significant tidal-damping effect at the coastal boundary. Hydraulic diffusivities computed using a simple analytical solution for well responses to tidal forcings near the periphery
Authors
Kolja Rotzoll, Stephen B. Gingerich, John W. Jenson, Aly I. El-Kadi
Biology and impacts of Pacific island invasive species 9. Capra hircus, the feral goat, (Mammalia: Bovidae)
Domestic goats, Capra hircus, were intentionally introduced to numerous oceanic islands beginning in the sixteenth century. The remarkable ability of C. hircus to survive in a variety of conditions has enabled this animal to become feral and impact native ecosystems on islands throughout the world. Direct ecological impacts include consumption and trampling of native plants, leading to plant commu
Authors
Mark W. Chynoweth, Creighton M. Litton, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Steve A. Hess, Susan Cordell
ʻŌhiʻa Lehua rainforest: born among Hawaiian volcanoes, evolved in isolation: the story of a dynamic ecosystem with relevance to forests worldwide
In the early 1970s, a multidisciplinary team of forest biologists began a study of Hawaiian ecosystems under the International Biological Program (IBP). Research focus was on the intact native ecosystems in and around Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, in particular the ʻŌhiʻa Lehua rainforest. Patches of dead ʻŌhiʻa stands had been reported from the windward slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Subse
Authors
Dieter Mueller-Dombois, James D. Jacobi, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Jonathan P. Price
Distribution of invasive ants and methods for their control in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
The first invasive ants were detected in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) more than 80 years ago. Ecological impacts of these ants are largely unknown, but studies in Hawai`i and elsewhere increasingly show that invasive ants can reduce abundance and diversity of native arthropod communities as well as disrupt pollination and food webs. Prior to the present study, knowledge of ant distrib
Authors
Robert W. Peck, Paul C. Banko, Kirsten Snook, Melody Euaparadorn
Population genetic structure of rare and endangered plants using molecular markers
This study was initiated to assess the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation in the remaining populations of Phyllostegia stachyoides and Melicope zahlbruckneri in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and determine the extent of gene flow to identify genetically distinct individuals or groups for conservation purposes. Thirty-six Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphic (AFLP) primer combinat
Authors
Jennifer Raji, Carter T. Atkinson
Seafloor video footage and still-frame grabs from U.S. Geological Survey cruises in Hawaiian nearshore waters
Underwater video footage was collected in nearshore waters (
Authors
Ann E. Gibbs, Susan A. Cochran, Peter W. Tierney