SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Wildlife Biology”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

USGS2026

A regional simulation modeling framework for evaluating invasive annual grass management across the sagebrush biome

Invasive annual grasses (IAG) continue to spread within the sagebrush biome of the western United States, degrading plant communities and wildlife habitat, decreasing forage for ranching livelihoods, and heightening wildfire risk. Effective management of IAGs requires action and long-term strategic planning across the sagebrush biome, but the cumulative effects of IAG treatments over time and space are not well understood, especially over broad extents defined for strategies like the Sagebrush Conservation Design. We developed a simulation model and sampling framework that allow local-scale actions to be ‘scaled up’ to evaluate large-scale regional and biome-wide management strategy outcomes. We worked with natural resource managers and experts to co-develop a spatially explicit state-and-transition simulation model of IAG dynamics in sagebrush landscapes that can be used to evaluate alternative management strategies. We evaluated our framework by contrasting two baseline scenarios in terms of their long-term effects on the sagebrush biome. We show that focusing management efforts on moderate to high IAG cover was effective at reducing full conversion to IAGs but failed to prevent widespread establishment of IAGs in core sagebrush areas, exposing them to increased risk of wildfire and wildlife habitat degradation. The results of our model help quantify the extent of the problem that IAGs pose to sagebrush ecosystems given current knowledge and management efforts. Our framework provides a platform to explore alternative management strategy outcomes and can help managers develop informed conservation plans with realistic expectations for return on investment of resources committed to sagebrush landscapes.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nev↗

USGS2004

How we can learn more about the Cerulean Warbler ( Dendroica cerulea )

A sense of urgency attends the study of species of concern, like the Cerulean Warbler ( Dendroica cerulea ). Sharpened by Robbins et al. (1992) and Hamel (1992), such concern prompted the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to commission a status assessment of the Cerulean Warbler (Hamel 2000a). Shortly after the status review was published, a petition (Ruley 2000) was delivered to the USFWS urging that the species be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The account of the Cerulean Warbler in the Birds of North America series also appeared that year (Hamel 2000b). Substantial attention is currently focused on the species, and the Cerulean Warbler Technical Group (CWTG) was formed in 2002 (see Appendix). This overview consists of two parts. The first, prepared primarily by P.B.H., attempts to summarize current knowledge and suggest productive avenues to pursue in our efforts to understand the biology and conserve populations of Cerulean Warblers. The second, written by D.K.D. and P.D.K., is a summary of the structure and priorities of the CWTG, an organization that can spur and facilitate research and conservation action directed at this species and serve as a model for conservation of other forest birds (Appendix). Further information on Cerulean Warblers and activities of the Cerulean Warbler Technical Group can be found on the CWTG website (see Acknowledgments).

The Auk↗

USGS2008

Population structure of the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii, on the western edge of its distribution

A mark-recapture project on Macrochelys temminckii was conducted between 1997 and 2000 at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Muskogee and Sequoyah counties, in eastern Oklahoma. Turtles were captured in all streams and exhibited equal sex ratios, marked sexual-size dimorphism, and population densities between 28 and 34 animals per km stretch of stream. There was evidence of past population perturbations, with very few large adults captured, and a cohort of subadults highly underrepresented. ?? 2008 Chelonian Research Foundation.

Chelonian Conservation and Biology↗

USGS2009

USGS Science: Addressing Our Nation's Challenges

With 6.6 billion people already living on Earth, and that number increasing every day, human influence on our planet is ever more apparent. Changes to the natural world combined with increasing human demands threaten our health and safety, our national security, our economy, and our quality of life. As a planet and a Nation, we face unprecedented challenges: loss of critical and unique ecosystems, the effects of climate change, increasing demand for limited energy and mineral resources, increasing vulnerability to natural hazards, the effects of emerging diseases on wildlife and human health, and growing needs for clean water. The time to respond to these challenges is now, but policymakers and decisionmakers face difficult choices. With competing priorities to balance, and potentially serious - perhaps irreversible - consequences at stake, our leaders need reliable scientific information to guide their decisions. As the Nation's earth and natural science agency, the USGS monitors and conducts scientific research on natural hazards and resources and how these elements and human activities influence our environment. Because the challenges we face are complex, the science needed to better understand and deal with these challenges must reflect the complex interplay among natural and human systems. With world-class expertise in biology, geology, geography, hydrology, geospatial information, and remote sensing, the USGS is uniquely capable of conducting the comprehensive scientific research needed to better understand the interdependent interactions of Earth's systems. Every day, the USGS helps decisionmakers to minimize loss of life and property, manage our natural resources, and protect and enhance our quality of life. This brochure provides examples of the challenges we face and how USGS science helps decisionmakers to address these challenges.

General Information Product↗

USGS2011

Invasive Plant Management in the United States National Wildlife Refuge

I nvasive species pose a significant challenge to the National Wildlife Refuge System and have been identified as the single most important threat to habitat management on refuges. At present, it is estimated that over 2 million acres of refuge lands are invaded by invasive plants . The current and potential costs of controlling invasive plants , as well as monitoring and restoring refuge lands, are significant both financially and ecologically. Budgetary expenditures for invasive species projects in FY 2009 totaled $18.4 million. A number of strategies are used to confront this threat and have resulted in success on a variety of levels. The Refuge System utilizes key partnerships, invasive species strike teams, and a dedicated cadre of volunteers to implement projects that incorporate mechanical, chemical and biological control methods.

Book chapter↗

USGS1999

Cumulative Index to Chemicals and to Common and Scientific Names of Species Listed in Contaminant Hazard Reviews 1 through 34

The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Contaminant Hazard Reviews (CHR) series synthesizes ecotoxicological data of selected environmental contaminants, with emphasis on hazards to native species of flora and fauna. From 1985 through 1998 a total of 34 reviews were published in various Reports series of the U.S. Department of the Interior on agricultural pesticides (carbofuran, chlordane, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, diflubenzuron, fenvalerate, mirex, paraquat, toxaphene), herbicides (acrolein, atrazine), metals and metalloids (arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, tin, zinc), predacides (sodium monofluoroacetate), organic industrial wastes (dioxins, pentachlorophenol), veterinary chemicals (famphur), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, mining wastes (cyanide), and ionizing radiations. This report is a cumulative index to the common and scientific names of all biological species listed in the first 34 reports in the CHR series, with individual species cross-referenced by contaminant and corresponding page numbers. A similar index is shown for chemicals.

Contaminant Hazard Reviews↗

USGS1993

The common wolf snake, Lycodon aulicus capucinus, a recent colonist of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean

The discovery of the common wolf snake, Lycodon aulicus capucinus , on Christmas I . in the Indian Ocean suggests that individuals of the species have colonised the island recently. On the basis of biological information for this widespread colubrid snake and for the brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis, a well-documented pest species on Guam, the establishment of the common wolf snake would pose a severe threat to the native fauna and ecology of Christmas I. Immediate research is needed to document the spread of the snake, to evaluate its effects on other fauna, and to control or eradicate the species before it becomes firmly established.

Christmas Island↗

USGS2013

A computer model to forecast wetland vegetation changes resulting from restoration and protection in coastal Louisiana

The coastal wetlands of Louisiana are a unique ecosystem that supports a diversity of wildlife as well as a diverse community of commercial interests of both local and national importance. The state of Louisiana has established a 5-year cycle of scientific investigation to provide up-to-date information to guide future legislation and regulation aimed at preserving this critical ecosystem. Here we report on a model that projects changes in plant community distribution and composition in response to environmental conditions. This model is linked to a suite of other models and requires input from those that simulate the hydrology and morphology of coastal Louisiana. Collectively, these models are used to assess how alternative management plans may affect the wetland ecosystem through explicit spatial modeling of the physical and biological processes affected by proposed modifications to the ecosystem. We have also taken the opportunity to advance the state-of-the-art in wetland plant community modeling by using a model that is more species-based in its description of plant communities instead of one based on aggregated community types such as brackish marsh and saline marsh. The resulting model provides an increased level of ecological detail about how wetland communities are expected to respond. In addition, the output from this model provides critical inputs for estimating the effects of management on higher trophic level species though a more complete description of the shifts in habitat.

Louisiana↗

USGS2024

Lead poisoning of raptors: State of the science and cross-discipline mitigation options for a global problem

Lead poisoning is an important global conservation problem for many species of wildlife, especially raptors. Despite the increasing number of individual studies and regional reviews of lead poisoning of raptors, it has been over a decade since this information has been compiled into a comprehensive global review. Here, we summarize the state of knowledge of lead poisoning of raptors, we review developments in manufacturing of non-lead ammunition, the use of which can reduce the most pervasive source of lead these birds encounter, and we compile data on voluntary and regulatory mitigation options and their associated sociological context. We support our literature review with case studies of mitigation actions, largely provided by the conservation practitioners who study or manage these efforts. Our review illustrates the growing awareness and understanding of lead exposure of raptors, and it shows that the science underpinning this understanding has expanded considerably in recent years. We also show that the political and social appetite for managing lead ammunition appears to vary substantially across administrative regions, countries, and continents. Improved understanding of the drivers of this variation could support more effective mitigation of lead exposure of wildlife. This review also shows that mitigation strategies are likely to be most effective when they are outcome driven, consider behavioural theory, local cultures, and environmental conditions, effectively monitor participation, compliance, and levels of raptor exposure, and support both environmental and human health.

Biological Reviews↗

USGS2014

Great Lakes restoration success through science: U.S. Geological Survey accomplishments 2010 through 2013

The Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth and serve as an important source of drinking water, transportation, power, and recreational opportunities for the United States and Canada. They also support an abundant commercial and recreational fishery, are crucial for agriculture, and are essential to the economic vitality of the region. The Great Lakes support a wealth of biological diversity, including over 200 globally rare plants and animals and more than 40 species that are found nowhere else in the world. However, more than a century of environmental degradation has taken a substantial toll on the Great Lakes. To stimulate and promote the goal of a healthy Great Lakes region, President Obama and Congress created the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in 2009. The GLRI is an interagency collaboration that seeks to address the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem. The GLRI is composed of five focus areas that address these issues: Cleaning up toxic substances and Areas of Concern, Preventing and controlling invasive species, Promoting nearshore health, Protecting and restoring habitat and wildlife, Tracking progress and working with partners. As of August 2013, the GLRI had funded more than 1,500 projects and programs of the highest priority to meet immediate cleanup, restoration, and protection needs. These projects use scientific analyses as the basis for identifying the restoration needs and priorities for the GLRI. Results from the science, monitoring, and other on-the-ground actions by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provide the scientific information needed to help guide the Great Lakes restoration efforts. This document highlights a selection of USGS projects for each of the five focus areas through 2013, demonstrating the importance of science for restoration success. Additional information for these and other USGS projects that are important for Great Lakes restoration is available at http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/glri-catalog/ .

Great Lakes↗

USGS2022

The potential of semi-structured citizen science data as a supplement for conservation decision-making: Validating the performance of eBird against targeted avian monitoring efforts

Methods are being developed to capitalize on citizen science data for research and monitoring, but these data are rarely used within established decision-making frameworks of wildlife agencies. Citizen science data are often collected at higher resolution and extent than targeted monitoring programs, and may provide complementary information. Here, we demonstrate that carefully filtered semi-structured citizen science observations, when paired with targeted survey data, can produce ecological predictions at higher resolution and extent than targeted surveys alone, and both datasets can represent complementary aspects of species' ecology. We present case studies demonstrating how citizen science data can enhance or supplement decision-making of government and conservation organizations. First, we show how the continuous spatial coverage of citizen science projects, when coupled with targeted surveys, can improve estimates of metrics used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in regulatory processes to estimate population size, and inform take limits of federally managed species nationwide. Second, we show that the spatial coverage of citizen science accommodates dynamic avian space use patterns during key times of the year, relative to standardized monitoring protocols carried out by the Illinois Natural History Survey. Lastly, we demonstrate that citizen science information can replicate estimates of migratory chronologies for the Illinois Natural History Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for some waterfowl species, and in some contexts can supplement missing data on abundance. These findings illustrate the value of integrating validated information from semi-structured citizen science into the current evidence base used to justify, inform, and evaluate conservation decision-making.

California, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2015

Mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) movements in the Texas Chenier Plain Region

As a surrogate species for Strategic Habitat Conservation, the mottled duck (Anas fulgivula) is an indicator species to coastal marsh health and function. Currently, biologists have a relatively poor understanding of regional mottled duck movements. We outfitted adult female mottled ducks with solar satellite transmitters during summer 2009–2011. Movement patterns were measured among years and phenology, in relation to available habitat at the landscape level, and in association to potential disturbance. Movement distances were measured in ArcGIS and then evaluated using analysis of variance for independent variables of year, month, biological time period, and season. Average weekly distances traveled by mottled ducks were relatively short (<5,000m) compared to other waterfowl. Movement occurrence and distance were linked to biological season with longest distances documented during the molt period. Movements also differed among years, with drought conditions associated with longer movement distances. Magnitude of movements may be an indicator of habitat quality for mottled ducks in the Texas Chenier Plain Region. By focusing on providing large freshwater pools and fresh/intermediate marsh during the molt period, managers could positively impact mottled ducks.

Texas↗

USGS2023

Accounting for spatial habitat and management boundaries when estimating forest bird population distribution and density: Inferences from a soap film smoother

Birds are often obligate to specific habitats which can result in study areas with complex boundaries due to sudden changes in vegetation or other features. This can result in study areas with concave arcs or that include holes of unsuitable habitat such as lakes or agricultural fields. Spatial models used to produce species’ distribution and density estimates need to respect such boundaries to make informed decisions for species conservation and management. The soap film smoother is one model for complex study regions which controls the boundary behaviour, ensuring realistic values at the edges of the region. We apply the soap film smoother to account for boundary effects and compare it with thin plate regression spline (TPRS) smooth and design-based conventional distance sampling methods to produce abundance estimates from point-transect distance sampling collected data on Hawai‘i ‘Ākepa Loxops coccineus in the Hakalau Forest Unit of the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Hawai‘i Island, USA. The soap film smoother predicted zero or near zero densities in the northern part of the domain and two hotspots (in the southern and central parts of the domain). Along the boundary the soap film model predicted relatively high densities where ‘Ākepa occur in the adjacent forest and near zero elsewhere. The design-based and soap film abundance estimates were nearly identical. The width of the soap film confidence interval was 16.5% and 0.8% wider than the width of the TPRS smooth and design-based confidence intervals, respectively. The peaks in predicted densities along the boundary indicates leakage by the TPRS smooth. We provide a discussion of the statistical methods, biological findings and management implications of applying soap film smoothers to estimate forest bird population status.

Hawaii↗

USGS2026

Recent range expansion and documentation of a reproductive population of northern snakehead Channa argus (Cantor, 1842) in the Saint Francis River Drainage, Missouri

Northern snakehead Channa argus (Cantor, 1842) is an aquatic invasive fish species in the United States with first documented occurrence in the wild in the 2000s. Management efforts to control their populations in the eastern United States are ongoing. In the Mississippi River basin, limited resources have been allocated to control its distribution, after initial detection and rapid response in Arkansas were unsuccessful. Northern snakehead distribution in the Mississippi River basin was limited to Arkansas and Mississippi until 2019 when a single northern snakehead was detected on the southern border of Missouri in the Saint Francis River drainage, the furthest northern detection. Described here are additional northern snakehead detections following public reports and subsequent monitoring in the Mingo basin of the Saint Francis River drainage, a historical braided channel and floodplain habitat of the Mississippi River with intermittently flooded bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands, and other consistent aquatic habitats. These increasing captures document the recent range expansion of northern snakehead. Most of the 11,300 ha Mingo basin consists of Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Duck Creek Conservation Area; these areas are protected aquatic ecosystems possessing sensitive species and serve as a potential example of prioritized areas for northern snakehead control efforts. Additionally, we highlight the significance of these detections in the Mingo basin which is connected via the Castor River water-control structure to the Upper Mississippi River and may facilitate further range expansion.

Missouri↗

USGS2012

Where eagles nest, the wind also blows: consolidating habitat and energy needs

Energy development is rapidly escalating in resource-rich Wyoming, and with it the risks posed to raptor populations. These risks are of increasing concern to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for protecting the persistence of protected species, including raptors. In support of a Federal mandate to protect trust species and the wind energy industry’s need to find suitable sites on which to build wind farms, scientists at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) and their partners are conducting research to help reduce impacts to raptor species from wind energy operations. Potential impacts include collision with the turbine blades and habitat disruption and disturbance from construction and operations. This feature describes a science-based tool—a quantitative predictive model—being developed and tested by FORT scientists to potentially avoid or reduce such impacts. This tool will provide industry and resource managers with the biological basis for decisions related to sustainably siting wind turbines in a way that also conserves important habitats for nesting golden eagles. Because of the availability of comprehensive data on nesting sites, golden eagles in Wyoming are the prototype species (and location) for the first phase of this investigation.

Report↗

USGS2012

Compartment-based hydrodynamics and water quality modeling of a northern Everglades wetland, Florida, USA

The last remaining large remnant of softwater wetlands in the US Florida Everglades lies within the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. However, Refuge water quality today is impacted by pumped stormwater inflows to the eutrophic and mineral-enriched 100-km canal, which circumscribes the wetland. Optimal management is a challenge and requires scientifically based predictive tools to assess and forecast the impacts of water management on Refuge water quality. In this research, we developed a compartment-based numerical model of hydrodynamics and water quality for the Refuge. Using the numerical model, we examined the dynamics in stage, water depth, discharge from hydraulic structures along the canal, and exchange flow among canal and marsh compartments. We also investigated the transport of chloride, sulfate and total phosphorus from the canal to the marsh interior driven by hydraulic gradients as well as biological removal of sulfate and total phosphorus. The model was calibrated and validated using long-term stage and water quality data (1995-2007). Statistical analysis indicates that the model is capable of capturing the spatial (from canal to interior marsh) gradients of constituents across the Refuge. Simulations demonstrate that flow from the eutrophic and mineral-enriched canal impacts chloride and sulfate in the interior marsh. In contrast, total phosphorus in the interior marsh shows low sensitivity to intrusion and dispersive transport. We conducted a rainfall-driven scenario test in which the pumped inflow concentrations of chloride, sulfate and total phosphorus were equal to rainfall concentrations (wet deposition). This test shows that pumped inflow is the dominant factor responsible for the substantially increased chloride and sulfate concentrations in the interior marsh. Therefore, the present day Refuge should not be classified as solely a rainfall-driven or ombrotrophic wetland. The model provides an effective screening tool for studying the impacts of various water management alternatives on water quality across the Refuge, and demonstrates the practicality of similarly modeling other wetland systems. As a general rule, modeling provides one component of a multi-faceted effort to provide technical support for ecosystem management decisions.

Florida↗

USGS1994

Behavior and successful nesting of American oystercatchers on Falkner Island, Connecticut, in 1993

Falkner Island, a two hectare unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, is located at 41°13'N, 72°39'W in Long Island Sound about 5 km south of Guilford, Connecticut. This island, described in detail by Helander (1988), is the nesting site of a mixed colony of several thousand Common Terns ( Sterna hirundo ) and a few hundred Roseate Terns ( S. dougallii ) (Spendelow 1994a,b). This colony has been studied by the staff of the Falkner Island Tern Project (FITP) since 1978 (Spendelow 1982, Spendelow and Nichols 1989). In 1993, I made opportunistic observations of a pair of American Oystercatchers ( Haematopus palliatus ) and their young. I describe here their nesting activity and behavior. I did not find similar published material on much of the behavior I observed or on oystercatcher breeding biology in Connecticut. Oystercatchers have attempted to nest in Connecticut since the late 1970s (Proctor 1981, Anon. 1982) [not in 1980 in Westbrook as misstated earlier (Zingo 1992) ]. A first attempt by American Oystercatchers to nest on Falkner Island in 1991 was unsuccessful (Zingo 1992). Although a pair of oystercatchers was seen on Falkner Island several times from April to August 1992, they made no apparent attempt to nest. In 1993, however, a pair (Figure 1) successfully fledged two young. Although young have been produced previously elsewhere in the state (e.g., Dewire 1981, Rosgen 1986, Taylor 1989), these were the first young produced in New Haven County.

Connecticut↗

USGS2024

Melded integrated population models

Integrated population models provide a framework for assimilating multiple datasets to understand population dynamics. Understanding drivers of demography is key to improving wildlife management, and integrated population models have informed conservation practices for many species of conservation concern. Motivated by multiple surveys of lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ), we developed a flexible integrated population modeling framework for assimilating demographic data with multiple surveys of abundance. Measurements of abundance are derived from aerial and ground surveys that vary in their observational uncertainty, sampling design, temporal coverage, and survey effort. Our proposed integrated population model draws from the strengths of each survey and prevents their sampling biases from compromising inference. We facilitate posterior inference for our integrated population model using chained Markov melding, which induces the joint distribution for all data sources by linking inference across several submodels. Using Markov melding, we extend the modeling framework previously proposed for analyzing the individual data sources while still obtaining joint Bayesian inference. We fit the melded model with a multistage Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm that decreases run time and improves mixing. We assimilate data from several state and federal wildlife agencies and over a dozen independent researchers to infer lesser prairie-chicken abundance and vital rates across its entire range over the last 18 years. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.

Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas↗