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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS2005

Wildlife as valuable natural resources vs. intolerable pests: A suburban wildlife management model

Management of wildlife in suburban environments involves a complex set of interactions between both human and wildlife populations. Managers need additional tools, such as models, that can help them assess the status of wildlife populations, devise and apply management programs, and convey this information to other professionals and the public. We present a model that conceptualizes how some wildlife populations can fluctuate between extremely low (rare, threatened, or endangered status) and extremely high (overabundant) numbers over time. Changes in wildlife abundance can induce changes in human perceptions, which continually redefine species as a valuable resource to be protected versus a pest to be controlled. Management programs thatincorporate a number of approaches and promote more stable populations of wildlife avoid the problems of the resource versus pest transformation, are less costly to society, and encourage more positive and less negative interactions between humans and wildlife. We presenta case example of the beaver Castor canadensis in Massachusetts to illustrate how this model functions and can be applied. ?? 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Urban Ecosystems↗
USGS2008

Identifying habitat sinks: A case study of Cooper's hawks in an urban environment

We studied a population of Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii) in Tucson, Arizona from 1994 to 2005. High rates of mortality of nestlings from an urban-related disease prompted speculation that the area represented an ecological trap and habitat sink for Cooper's hawks. In this paper, we used estimates of survival and productivity from 11years of monitoring to develop an estimate of the rate of population change, ??, for Cooper's hawks in the area. We used a Cormack-Jolly-Seber approach to estimate survival of breeding hawks, and a stochastic, stage-based matrix to estimate ??. Despite the urban-related disease, the estimate of ?? indicated that the area does not function as a habitat sink for Cooper's hawks (?? = 1.11 ?? 0.047; P = 0.0073 for the null of ?? 1). Because data required to reliably identify habitat sinks are extensive and difficult to acquire, we suggest that the concept of habitat sinks be applied cautiously until substantiated with reliable empirical evidence. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Urban Ecosystems↗
USGS2009

Relation of urbanization to stream fish assemblages and species traits in nine metropolitan areas of the United States

We examined associations of fish assemblages and fish traits with urbanization and selected environmental variables in nine major United States metropolitan areas. The strongest relations between fishes and urbanization occurred in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Boston, Massachusetts; and Portland, Oregon. In these areas, environmental variables with strong associations (rs ≥ 0.70) with fish assemblages and fish traits tended to have strong associations with urbanization. Relations of urbanization with fish assemblages and fish traits were weaker in Denver, Colorado; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Milwaukee-Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Environmental variables associated with fishes varied among the metropolitan areas. The metropolitan areas with poor relations may have had a limited range of possible response because of previous landscape disturbances. Given the complexities of urban landscapes in different metropolitan areas, our results indicate that caution is warranted when generalizing about biological responses to urbanization.

Urban Ecosystems↗
USGS2010

A generalized watershed disturbance-invertebrate relation applicable in a range of environmental settings across the continental United States

It is widely recognized that urbanization can affect ecological conditions in aquatic systems; numerous studies have identified impervious surface cover as an indicator of urban intensity and as an index of development at the watershed, regional, and national scale. Watershed percent imperviousness, a commonly understood urban metric was used as the basis for a generalized watershed disturbance metric that, when applied in conjunction with weighted percent agriculture and percent grassland, predicted stream biotic conditions based on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) richness across a wide range of environmental settings. Data were collected in streams that encompassed a wide range of watershed area (4.4-1,714 km), precipitation (38-204 cm/yr), and elevation (31-2,024 m) conditions. Nevertheless the simple 3-landcover disturbance metric accounted for 58% of the variability in EPT richness based on the 261 nationwide sites. On the metropolitan area scale, relationship r ranged from 0.04 to 0.74. At disturbance values 15. Future work may incorporate watershed management practices within the disturbance metric, further increasing the management applicability of the relation. Such relations developed on a regional or metropolitan area scale are likely to be stronger than geographically generalized models; as found in these EPT richness relations. However, broad spatial models are able to provide much needed understanding in unmonitored areas and provide initial guidance for stream potential.

Portland; Salt Lake City; Denver; Dallas-Fort Wort↗
USGS2010

Emerging dragonfly diversity at small Rhode Island (U.S.A.) wetlands along an urbanization gradient

Natal habitat use by dragonflies was assessed on an urban to rural land-use gradient at a set of 21 wetlands, during two emergence seasons (2004, 2005). The wetlands were characterized for urbanization level by using the first factor from a principal components analysis combining chloride concentration in the wetland and percent forest in the surrounding buffer zone. Measurements of species diversity and its components (species richness and evenness) were analyzed and compared along the urbanization gradient, as were distributions of individual species. Dragonfly diversity, species richness, and evenness did not change along the urbanization gradient, so urban wetlands served as natal habitat for numerous dragonfly species. However, several individual species displayed strong relationships to the degree of urbanization, and most were more commonly found at urban sites and at sites with fish. In contrast, relatively rare species were generally found at the rural end of the gradient. These results suggest that urban wetlands can play important roles as dragonfly habitat and in dragonfly conservation efforts, but that conservation of rural wetlands is also important for some dragonfly species.

Urban Ecosystems↗
USGS2011

Bat ecology and public health surveillance for rabies in an urbanizing region of Colorado

We describe use of Fort Collins, Colorado, and nearby areas by bats in 2001–2005, and link patterns in bat ecology with concurrent public health surveillance for rabies. Our analyses are based on evaluation of summary statistics, and information-theoretic support for results of simple logistic regression. Based on captures in mist nets, the city bat fauna differed from that of the adjacent mountains, and was dominated by big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ). Species, age, and sex composition of bats submitted for rabies testing locally and along the urbanizing Front Range Corridor were similar to those of the mist-net captures and reflected the annual cycle of reproduction and activity of big brown bats. Few submissions occurred November- March, when these bats hibernated elsewhere. In summer females roosted in buildings in colonies and dominated health samples; fledging of young corresponded to a summer peak in health submissions with no increase in rabies prevalence. Roosting ecology of big brown bats in buildings was similar to that reported for natural sites, including colony size, roost-switching behavior, fidelity to roosts in a small area, and attributes important for roost selection. Attrition in roosts occurred from structural modifications of buildings to exclude colonies by citizens, but without major effects on long-term bat reproduction or survival. Bats foraged in areas set aside for nature conservation. A pattern of lower diversity in urban bat communities with dominance by big brown bats may occur widely in the USA, and is consistent with national public health records for rabies surveillance.

Colorado↗
USGS2019

Spatial ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in the Northern Great Plains: A framework for future oral rabies vaccination programs

Few studies have investigated the ecology of urban striped skunks ( Mephitis mephitis ) despite their role as a primary rabies vector species paired with an ability to thrive in these landscapes. Information on home range, nightly movements, and habitat selection, is important for rabies management planning regarding the placement of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits and for management of skunk populations more generally. Our aim was to obtain baseline ecological information with an emphasis on spatial ecology of urban striped skunks in the Northern Great Plains region that is lacking in the literature. We used radio telemetry to track 22 (4 M, 18 F) skunks during September 2016 to November 2016 and March 2017 to November 2017. Size of home range using kernel density estimation with smoothing by least squares cross validation identified that male skunks ( x ¯ ">

North Dakota↗
USGS2019

Characterizing urban butterfly populations: The case for purposive point-count surveys

Developing effective butterfly monitoring strategies is key to understanding how butterflies interact with urban environments, and, in turn, to developing local conservation practices. We investigated two urban habitat types (public gardens and restored/reconstructed prairies) and compared three survey methods (Pollard transects, purposive point counts, and random point counts) to determine which was most productive for detecting butterflies and assessing family diversity. We conducted 66 butterfly surveys by using each method (198 total) from May through September in 2015 and 2016 at six sites (three public gardens and three prairie areas) in Ames, Ankeny and Des Moines, Iowa. All survey methods were used on 11 sampling dates at each site. Overall, we observed 2,227 butterflies representing 38 species: 1,076 in public gardens and 1,151 in prairie areas. We used a smaller data set standardized for survey effort, including 1,361 of these sightings, to compare survey methods and habitat types. Although there were no significant differences in number of butterfly sightings between the two habitats, more sightings (798) were documented by using purposive point counts when compared to Pollard transects (297) or random point counts (266) (for both comparisons, p < 0.0001). Occupancy modeling also indicated that purposive point counts were most effective in detecting certain species of butterflies, most notably those within the Pieridae (whites, sulphurs) and Papilionidae (swallowtails). We conclude that public gardens and restored/reconstructed prairies in urban settings can provide important butterfly habitat, and that purposive point-count surveys are most effective for detecting butterflies in these relatively small-scale landscape features.

Iowa↗
USGS2023

The effects of landscape and yard features on mammal diversity in residential yards within Northwest Arkansas, USA

The human footprint is rapidly expanding, and wildlife habitat is continuously being converted to human residential properties. Surviving wildlife that reside in developing areas are displaced to nearby undeveloped areas. However, some animals can co-exist with humans and acquire the necessary resources (food, water, shelter) within the human environment. This ability to coexist may be particularly true when development is low intensity, as in residential suburban yards. Yards are individually managed “greenspaces” that can provide a range of food (e.g., bird feeders, compost, gardens), water (bird baths and garden ponds), and shelter (e.g., brush-piles, outbuildings) resources and are surrounded by varying landscape cover. To evaluate which residential landscape and yard features influence the richness and diversity of mammalian herbivores and mesopredators; we deployed wildlife game cameras throughout Northwestern Arkansas, USA in 46 residential yards in summer 2021 and 96 yards in summer 2022. We found that mesopredator diversity had a negative relationship with fences and was positively influenced by the number of bird feeders present in a yard. Mesopredator richness increased with the amount of forest within 400 m of the camera. Herbivore diversity and richness were positively correlated to the area of forest within 400 m surrounding yard and by garden area within yards, respectively. Our results suggest that while landscape does play a role in the presence of wildlife in a residential area, homeowners also have agency over the richness and diversity of mammals using their yards based on the features they create or maintain on their properties.

Arkansas↗
USGS2025

Emotions and political identity predict public acceptance of urban deer management

Addressing public preferences can enhance wildlife management effectiveness and reduce backlash. We conducted novel research on public acceptance of wildlife management by accounting for the role of underexplored drivers including emotion and political identity across an urban-to-rural gradient. Using data from a 2022 survey about white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Durham County, North Carolina, we analyzed drivers of acceptance for three management strategies: passive management, lethal management by hunting, and lethal management by professionals. Support for deer management varied across the urban-to-rural gradient, as rural residents favored hunting but were less supportive of passive management compared to urban and suburban residents. Emotions and general attitudes toward deer were the strongest predictors of management acceptance. Support for passive management was higher among residents with more positive emotions toward deer, whereas support for lethal strategies was higher among those with more negative emotions. Additionally, political identity emerged as a complex yet influential factor in shaping support for lethal management. Conservative respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of hunting, whereas liberal respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of professional sharpshooting. Collectively, our results demonstrate the ways in which emotions, politics, and other socio-demographic factors interact to influence public support for deer management across the urban–rural gradient. When direct experience with wildlife is lacking (e.g., in urban areas), emotions may act as heuristic guides that shape preferences. Managers aiming to increase deer management acceptability could integrate insights about emotional, political, and demographic drivers of public management support in communication efforts, potentially rendering urban deer management more effective.

North Carolina↗
USGS2026

Boxed in or branching out? Movement and resource selection of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) in an urban green space

The eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) is a long-lived terrestrial turtle species distributed throughout the eastern United States that has experienced widespread population decline. Many eastern box turtle populations are persisting as remanent populations in small, fragmented urban green spaces. We investigated the movement and resource selection of eastern box turtles within a mid-Atlantic region urban forest in the eastern United States. We used a combination of turtle occurrence data (via visual encounter surveys) and radio telemetry to create resource selection functions. Additionally, we applied a simulation modeling approach and modeled activity areas via dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models to quantify interactions between turtles and roads or trails. We also used these models to determine the propensity for turtles to move outside of the managed urban forest boundary and into surrounding development. We observed that turtles selected for deciduous forest patches and avoided roads and trails despite the urban forest having very little available areas where anthropogenic features could be avoided. We also demonstrated observed (and probable) movements outside of the urban forest boundary. Although eastern box turtles are persisting within the urban green space we examined, our work determined that interactions with roads and trails, and movements outside of protected boundaries into developed areas present challenges to individuals navigating the urban forest.

eastern United States, mid-Atlantic region↗
USGS2014

Sedimentary organic biomarkers suggest detrimental effects of PAHs on estuarine microbial biomass during the 20th century in San Francisco Bay, CA, USA

Hydrocarbon contaminants are ubiquitous in urban aquatic ecosystems, and the ability of some microbial strains to degrade certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is well established. However, detrimental effects of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination on nondegrader microbial populations and photosynthetic organisms have not often been considered. In the current study, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) biomarkers in the sediment record were used to assess historical impacts of petroleum contamination on microbial and/or algal biomass in South San Francisco Bay, CA, USA. Profiles of saturated, branched, and monounsaturated fatty acids had similar concentrations and patterns downcore. Total PAHs in a sediment core were on average greater than 20× higher above ∼200 cm than below, which corresponds roughly to the year 1900. Isomer ratios were consistent with a predominant petroleum combustion source for PAHs. Several individual PAHs exceeded sediment quality screening values. Negative correlations between petroleum contaminants and microbial and algal biomarkers – along with high trans/cis ratios of unsaturated FA, and principle component analysis of the PAH and fatty acid records – suggest a negative impacts of petroleum contamination, appearing early in the 20th century, on microbial and/or algal ecology at the site.

California↗
USGS2026

Enhancements to the USGS Landsat Level 2 surface temperature and emissivity product for Collection 3 reprocessing

The Landsat program provides the longest continuous global record of thermal infrared observations of the Earth's surface, underpinning critical applications in climate monitoring, water resources, ecosystem dynamics, urban heat analysis, and natural hazard assessment. The release of a global inventory of Landsat Collection 2 Level 2 surface temperature products by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) marked a major milestone in operational provision of Landsat thermal infrared analysis-ready data. Ongoing validations and community uses of Collection 2 have identified opportunities to further improve accuracy, uncertainty characterization, and emissivity correction across diverse atmospheric and surface conditions. In preparation for the planned Landsat Collection 3 reprocessing of the Landsat data record in the late 2020s, the USGS is implementing a coordinated set of enhancements to the Level 2 surface temperature products. These include revised emissivity estimation that leverages external datasets, improved atmospheric characterization and uncertainty propagation, expanded dynamic range for high temperature targets, consideration of split window atmospheric correction algorithm for Landsat 8 and 9, and decoupling of thermal infrared processing from visible to shortwave infrared constraints to enable surface temperature retrievals under low or no solar illumination conditions. These changes are designed to improve product quality and consistency across the Landsat record. Beyond near-term performance gains, the Collection 3 design establishes a scalable processing architecture to accommodate the expanded spectral and radiometric measurement capabilities of the forthcoming Landsat 10 mission. By preserving continuity across the Landsat 4–9 record while enabling future algorithm evolution, Landsat Collection 3 will provide a foundation for long-term, multi-decadal Earth system thermal infrared observations.

Remote Sensing of Environment↗
USGS1997

Understory plant species composition in remnant stands along an urban-to-rural land-use gradient

We examined the understory species composition of 24 remnant forest stands along an urban-to-rural gradient in the metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin region to determine the relationships between plant community composition, human disturbance, and contrasting types of land use along a gradient of urbanization. A significant difference was found in shrub species community composition among three contrasting land-use categories but no significant difference was found in herbaceous community composition. Significant differences in human activity existed among rural, urban, and urbanizing land-use categories, but this index of disturbance was not significantly correlated to gradients in species composition. All stands in this study had been subjected to various types of human activity and environmental disturbances in the past. Our data suggest that differences in the relative importance of understory species exist among stands but these differences may not be caused by the impacts of urbanization alone. Changes in the natural disturbance regime of this landscape, along with the impacts associated with urbanization, have led to an individualistic response in the compositional dynamics of forest stands.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

A citywide breeding bird survey for Washington, D.C.

`DC Birdscape' was initiated in 1993 to systematically count the birds occurring throughout Washington D.C. during the breeding season. It involved a coordinated planning effort and partnership between the Audubon Naturalist Society, the National Park Service, and the National Biological Survey, and engaged the participation of more than 100 volunteers. A method for rapidly assessing the status of bird populations over a large area was developed and incorporated into a Geographic Information System to allow a multidimensional analysis of species presence and abundance across a variety of urban land use areas. A total of 91 species were observed, with an estimated total number of 115, making Washington D.C. almost as `bird rich' as nearby suburban counties. Data from the study clearly indicate that avian species are not randomly distributed throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and show affinity, at least in part, to some of the most broadly recognized land use patterns that are commonly used to zone and classify urban areas under development schemes. This study represents a prototype that will allow efficient and economical monitoring of urban bird populations.

Washington, D.C.↗
USGS2009

Urban streams across the USA: Lessons learned from studies in 9 metropolitan areas

Studies of the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems have usually focused on single metropolitan areas. Synthesis of the results of such studies have been useful in developing general conceptual models of the effects of urbanization, but the strength of such generalizations is enhanced by applying consistent study designs and methods to multiple metropolitan areas across large geographic scales. We summarized the results from studies of the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in 9 metropolitan areas across the US (Boston, Massachusetts; Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Milwaukee-Green Bay, Wisconsin; Denver, Colorado; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Portland, Oregon). These studies were conducted as part of the US Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program and were based on a common study design and used standard sample-collection and processing methods to facilitate comparisons among study areas. All studies included evaluations of hydrology, physical habitat, water quality, and biota (algae, macroinvertebrates, fish). Four major conclusions emerged from the studies. First, responses of hydrologic, physical-habitat, water-quality, and biotic variables to urbanization varied among metropolitan areas, except that insecticide inputs consistently increased with urbanization. Second, prior land use, primarily forest and agriculture, appeared to be the most important determinant of the response of biota to urbanization in the areas we studied. Third, little evidence was found for resistance to the effects of urbanization by macroinvertebrate assemblages, even at low levels of urbanization. Fourth, benthic macroinvertebrates have important advantages for assessing the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems relative to algae and fishes. Overall, our results demonstrate regional differences in the effects of urbanization on stream biota and suggest additional studies to elucidate the causes of these underlying differences.

Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, North C↗