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Eastern Ecological Science Center

At the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC), our vision is to be recognized as a world leader in fish, wildlife and associated ecosystem science through scientific excellence and responsiveness to society’s needs.

News

Surviving Migration Through an Urban Landscape! One Songbird’s Journey

Surviving Migration Through an Urban Landscape! One Songbird’s Journey

Celebrating Women's History Month: Women in Bird Banding

Celebrating Women's History Month: Women in Bird Banding

Fostering Diversity in Science

Fostering Diversity in Science

Publications

Integrated science for the study of microplastics in the environment—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey

Executive SummaryEvidence of the widespread occurrence of microplastics throughout our environment and exposure to humans and other organisms over the past decade has led to questions about the possibility of health hazards and mitigation of exposures. This document discusses nanoplastics as well as microplastics (referred to solely as microplastics); the microplastics have a range from 1 micromet
Authors
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Austin K. Baldwin, Larry B. Barber, Vicki S. Blazer, Steven R. Corsi, Joseph W. Duris, Shawn C. Fisher, Michael Focazio, Sarah E. Janssen, Jeramy R. Jasmann, Dana W. Kolpin, Johanna M. Kraus, Rachael F. Lane, Mari E. Lee, Kristen B. McSwain, Timothy D. Oden, Timothy J. Reilly, Andrew R. Spanjer

Spatiotemporal patterns in habitat use of natal and non-natal adult Atlantic sturgeon in two spawning rivers

BackgroundMonitoring movement across an organism’s ontogeny is often challenging, particularly for long-lived or wide-ranging species. When empirical data are unavailable, general knowledge about species’ ecology may be used to make assumptions about habitat use across space or time. However, inferences about habitat use based on population-level ecology may overlook important eco-evolutionary con
Authors
Shannon L. White, Matthew W. Breece, Dewayne A. Fox, David C. Kazyak, Amanda Higgs, Ian A Park, Cassia Busch, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Amy Welsh

Identifying an understudied interface: Preliminary evaluation of the use of retention ponds on commercial poultry farms by wild waterfowl

While the recent incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza into North America has resulted in notable losses to the commercial poultry industry, the mechanism by which virus enters commercial poultry houses is still not understood. One theorized mechanism is that waterfowl shed virus into the environment surrounding poultry farms, such as into retention ponds, and is then transmitted into pou
Authors
Jeffery D. Sullivan, Ayla McDonough, Lauren Lescure, Diann Prosser

Science

Terrestrial Ecotoxicology and Disease Research Facility Core Technology Team

About the Research The Terrestrial Ecotoxicology and Disease Research Facility Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program provides an integrated mechanism for conducting controlled exposure studies on wildlife at varied spatiotemporal scales.
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Terrestrial Ecotoxicology and Disease Research Facility Core Technology Team

About the Research The Terrestrial Ecotoxicology and Disease Research Facility Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program provides an integrated mechanism for conducting controlled exposure studies on wildlife at varied spatiotemporal scales.
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Functional and Molecular Bioassay Core Technology Team

About the Research The Functional and Molecular Bioassay Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program utilizes reporter assays, quantitative gene expression analyses, and high-throughput sequencing methods to produce functional endpoints across a broad scope of environmental topics and sample matrices.
link

Functional and Molecular Bioassay Core Technology Team

About the Research The Functional and Molecular Bioassay Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program utilizes reporter assays, quantitative gene expression analyses, and high-throughput sequencing methods to produce functional endpoints across a broad scope of environmental topics and sample matrices.
Learn More

Exploring Biodiversity of the Deep Hawaiian Pacific Ocean with Seafloor Mapping and eDNA Technologies

Working in partnership with BOEM and the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, scientists from the USGS will embark on a 10-day voyage to the outer limits of the U.S. Pacific waters south of Hawai’i to conduct seafloor mapping and autonomous environmental DNA sampling in order to investigate and characterize the geology and biology of the Hawaiian abyssal plain.
link

Exploring Biodiversity of the Deep Hawaiian Pacific Ocean with Seafloor Mapping and eDNA Technologies

Working in partnership with BOEM and the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, scientists from the USGS will embark on a 10-day voyage to the outer limits of the U.S. Pacific waters south of Hawai’i to conduct seafloor mapping and autonomous environmental DNA sampling in order to investigate and characterize the geology and biology of the Hawaiian abyssal plain.
Learn More