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Publications

Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.

Filter Total Items: 9969

Standardizing a non-lethal method for characterizing the reproductive status and larval development of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida)

Actively monitoring the timing, development, and reproductive patterns of endangered species is critical when managing for population recovery. Freshwater mussels are among the most imperiled organisms in the world, but information about early larval (glochidial) development and brooding periods is still lacking for many species. Previous studies have focused on the complex life history stage when
Authors
Caitlin Beaver, Susan Geda, Nathan Johnson

Reaffirmed occurrence of two vulnerable caddisfly species of conservation concern

Maramec Spring is home to two Ozark endemic caddisfly Species of Conservation Concern (SOCC). The Missouri Glyphospsyche Caddisfly, Glyphospsyche missouri, (Critically Imperiled; State Rank-S1; Global Rank-G1) is known from Maramec Spring and the receiving spring branch and nowhere else in the world. Similarly, the Artesian Agapetus Caddisfly, Agapetus artesus, (Vulnerable; State Rank-S3 and Globa
Authors
William Mabee, Andrea Schuhmann, Barry C. Poulton, Jennifer Girondo, Wes Swee, Tealetha Buckley, David Bowles, Beth Bowles, Russell Rhodes

Prediction and inference of flow-duration curves using multi-output neural networks

We develop multi-output neural network models (MNNs) to predict flow-duration curves (FDCs) in 9,203 ungaged locations in the Southeastern United States for six decades between 1950-2009. The model architecture contains multiple response variables in the output layer that correspond to individual quantiles along the FDC. During training, predictions are made for each quantile, and a combined loss
Authors
Scott C. Worland, Scott Steinschneider, William H. Asquith, Rodney Knight, Michael E. Wieczorek

Applying the ecology of aquatic–terrestrial linkages to freshwater and riparian management

Global stressors such as climate change, invasive species, urbanization, agricultural practices, and pollution can alter aquatic resource subsidies to terrestrial consumers. The effects of these stressors on timing, quality, and quantity of aquatic subsidies, such as adult aquatic insects, to birds, herpetofauna, and mammals, have large implications for wildlife management (Baxter et al. 2004, Sau
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus

Coastal Salinity Index along the southeastern Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico, 1983 to 2018

Coastal droughts have a different dynamic than upland droughts, which are typically characterized by agricultural, hydrologic, meteorological, and (or) socioeconomic effects. Drought uniquely affects coastal ecosystems because of changes in the salinity conditions of estuarine creeks and rivers. The location of the freshwater-saltwater interface in surface-water bodies is an important factor in th
Authors
Matthew D. Petkewich, Kirsten Lackstrom, Bryan J. McCloskey, Lauren F. Rouen, Paul A. Conrads

Wetland biomass and productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base line data (1976-2015) and knowledge gaps for the development of spatially explicit models for ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation initiatives

Coastal Louisiana host 37% of the coastal wetland area in the conterminous US, including one of the deltaic coastal regions more susceptible to the synergy of human and natural impacts causing wetland loss. As a result of the construction of flood protection infrastructure, dredging of channels across wetlands for oil/gas exploration and maritime transport activities, coastal Coastal Louisiana hos
Authors
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Courtney Elliton, Siddhartha Narra, Ehab Meselhe, Xiaochen Zhao, Eric White, Charles E. Sasser, Jenneke M. Visser, X. Meng, Hongqing Wang, Zuo Xue, Fernando Jaramillo

Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of nonnative bullseye snakehead in southern Florida

Bullseye Snakehead Channa marulius (Hamilton 1822) was first detected in the southern Florida town of Tamarac in 2000 and has been expanding its geographic range since. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a newly-developed technique used to noninvasively detect cryptic or low-density species or those that are logistically difficult-to-study. Genetic material shed into the environment through tis
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Pam Schofield, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Mary Brown, Jason Ferrante

Benefits and limitations of installing driving surface aggregate at two federal lands sites

The worldwide network of unpaved roads is estimated to include at least 14 million km (8.7 million miles; 1). Although they are vital for local communities, these roads are expensive to maintain and may cause environmental damage through sediment and dust pollution (e.g., 2). Among aggregate-surfaced roads, locally available materials are often used as a surface wearing course, with little or no t
Authors
Bethany K. Kunz, Eric H. Chase, Steve M. Bloser, Maureen A. Kestler, Brandon Jutz

Preface: Proceedings of the First International Snakehead Symposium

No abstract available.
Authors
John S. Odenkirk, Duane Chapman

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus (Sri Lankan spotted house gecko)

USA: LOUISIANA: PLAQUEMINES PARISH: 0.15 km S of the intersection of LA-23 and Jump  road, Venice (29.266630°N, 89.35570°W; WGS 84). 2 May 2019. V. C. Montross and W. McGighan. Verified by Aaron M. Bauer. Florida Museum of Natural History (UF 189238; photo voucher). New parish record. On 2 May 2019, three Hemidactylus parvimaculatus were observed after lifting an abandoned door left on the side of
Authors
C. M. Pellacchia, Brad M. Glorioso, R. W. Mendyk, C. A. Collen, V. C. Montross, W. McGighan, K. Macedo, B. R. Maldonado, I. N. Morenc

Status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 2019

Since the early 1900s, most of the groundwater withdrawals in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, have been from the three primary aquifers that compose the Gulf Coast aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. Withdrawals from these aquifers are used for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooper
Authors
Christopher L. Braun, Jason K. Ramage, Sachin D. Shah

The long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests

Mangrove forests in the Florida Everglades (USA) are frequently affected by hurricanes that produce high-velocity winds, storm surge, and extreme rainfall, but also provide sediment subsidies that help mangroves adjust to sea-level rise. The long-term influence of hurricane sediment inputs on soil elevation dynamics in mangrove forests are not well understood. Here, we assessed the effects of sedi
Authors
Laura Feher, Michael Osland, Gordon Anderson, William Vervaeke, Ken Krauss, Kevin R. T. Whelan, Karen M. Balentine, Ginger Tiling-Range, Thomas J. Smith, Donald Cahoon