Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 9967
Hierarchical functional response of a forager on a wetland landscape
We show that for some foragers the form that a functional response takes depends on the temporal and spatial scales considered. In representing the consumption rate of an organism, it may be necessary to use a hierarchy of functional responses. Consider, for example, a wading bird foraging in wetland landscape characterized by a spatial distribution of potential foraging sites, such as ponds. At t
Authors
Don DeAngelis, Simeon Yurek, Stephen Tennenbaum, Hyo Won Lee
Landscape-scale drivers of endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) presence using an ensemble modeling approach
The Florida Everglades is a vast and iconic wetland ecosystem in the southern United States that has undergone dramatic changes from habitat degradation, development encroachment, and water impoundment. Starting in the past few decades, large restoration projects have been undertaken to restore the landscape, including improving conditions for threatened and imperiled taxa. One focus of restoratio
Authors
Saira Haider, Allison Benscoter, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Laura D'Acunto, Stephanie Romanach
Genome-wide SNP analysis of three moose subspecies at the southern range limit in the contiguous United States
Genome-wide evaluations of genetic diversity and population structure are important for informing management and conservation of trailing-edge populations. North American moose (Alces alces) are declining along portions of the southern edge of their range due to disease, species interactions, and marginal habitat, all of which may be exacerbated by climate change. We employed a genotyping by seque
Authors
Jason Ferrante, Chase H. Smith, Laura Thompson, Margaret Hunter
New-generation pesticides are prevalent in California's Central Coast streams
Pesticides are widely recognized as important biological stressors in streams, especially in heavily developed urban and agricultural areas like the Central California Coast region. We assessed occurrence and potential toxicity of pesticides in small streams in the region using two analytical methods: a broad-spectrum (223 compounds) method in use since 2012 and a newly developed method for 30 add
Authors
Mark W. Sandstrom, Lisa H. Nowell, Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre
Defining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) creates highly productive habitats in coastal areas, providing support for many important species of fish and wildlife. Despite the importance and documented loss of SAV across fresh to marine habitats globally, we lack consistent baseline data on estuarine SAV resources, particularly in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) estuaries. To understand SAV distribution
Authors
K. E. DeMarco, E. R. Hillmann, J. A. Nyman, Brady Couvillion, Megan K. La Peyre
Delineation of areas contributing groundwater and travel times to receiving waters in Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, New York
To assist resource managers and planners in developing informed strategies to address nitrogen loading to coastal water bodies of Long Island, New York, the U.S. Geological Survey and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated a program to delineate areas contributing groundwater to coastal water bodies by assembling a comprehensive dataset of areas contributing groundwater,
Authors
Paul E. Misut, Nicole A. Casamassina, Donald A. Walter
Ecosystem modification and network position impact insect-mediated contaminant fluxes from a mountaintop mining-impacted river network
Aquatic-terrestrial contaminant transport via emerging aquatic insects has been studied across contaminant classes and aquatic ecosystems, but few studies have quantified the magnitude of these insect-mediated contaminant fluxes, limiting our understanding of their drivers. Using a recent conceptual model, we identified watershed mining extent, settling ponds, and network position as potential dri
Authors
Laura C. Naslund, Jacqueline R. Gerson, Alexander C. Brooks, Amy D. Rosemond, David Walters, Emily S. Bernhardt
Technical note—Relative variability of selected turbidity standards and sensors in use by the U.S. Geological Survey
The challenges associated with field measurements of turbidity are well known and result primarily from differences in reported values that depend on instrument design and the resulting need for reporting units that are specific to those designs. A critical challenge for making comparable turbidity measurements is the selection and use of appropriate turbidity standards for sensor calibration. The
Authors
Guy M. Foster, Lindsey R. King, John D. Jastram, John K. Joiner, Brian A. Pellerin, Jennifer L. Graham, Thomas J. Williams
Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool
Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species s
Authors
Jeffrey Morisette, Stanley Burgiel, Kelsey Brantley, Wesley M. Daniel, John Darling, Jeanette Davis, Thomas W. Franklin, Keith Gaddis, Margaret Hunter, Richard Lance, Tracy Leskey, Yale Passamaneck, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Brian Rector, Adam Sepulveda, Melissa Smith, Carol A Stepien, Taylor Wilcox
Genetic analysis of red lionfish Pterois volitans from Florida, USA, leads to alternative North Atlantic introduction scenarios
The red lionfish Pterois volitans is a successful invasive predator across the western North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. The southeast coast of Florida (USA) has been identified as the original introduction location, but genetic analyses including Florida lionfish have yet to investigate introduction scenarios. Here, we assessed the potential lionfish invasion pathways using 1795 sequ
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Caitlin Beaver, Nathan A. Johnson, Eleanor K. Bors, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Brian R. Silliman, Dayne Buddo, Linda Searle, Edgardo Díaz-Ferguson
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group monitoring and adaptive management strategy (LA TIG MAM Strategy)
The purpose of the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Strategy is to outline an approach for the LA TIG to prioritize MAM activities in Louisiana for effective and efficient evaluation of the restoration of resources injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Working from the Restoration Goals and Restoration Approaches outlined in the P
Analysis of body condition indices reveals different ecotypes of the Antillean manatee
Assessing the body condition of wild animals is necessary to monitor the health of the population and is critical to defining a framework for conservation actions. Body condition indices (BCIs) are a non-invasive and relatively simple means to assess the health of individual animals, useful for addressing a wide variety of ecological, behavioral, and management questions. The Antillean manatee (Tr
Authors
D. N. Castelblanco-Martínez, Daniel Slone, S. S. Landeo-Yauri, E. A. Ramos, Anmari Álvarez-Alemán, Fernanda L. N. Attademo, Cathy A. Beck, Robert K. Bonde, Susan M. Butler, L. J. Cabrias-Contreras, D. Caicedo-Herrera, Jamal Galves, I. V. Gómez-Camelo, D. González-Socoloske, D. Jiménez-Domínguez, Fabia O. Luna, Y. Mona-Sanabria, J. B. Morales-Vela, L. D. Olivera-Gomez, Janneth Adriana Padilla-Saldívar, James A. Powell, James P. Reid, G. Rieucau, Antonio A. Mignucci-Gianonni