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Terrestrial ecosystems
Communities of living organisms in a specific geographical location which exist primarily on land and not in water.
Subtopics:
Coastal ecosystems (38 items)
Desert ecosystems (11 items)
Forest ecosystems (20 items)
Grassland ecosystems (13 items)
Shrubland ecosystems (5 items)
Tundra ecosystems (1 items)
Island ecosystems (1 items)
Related topics:
Results 1 - 85 of 85 listed by similarity [list alphabetically]
Biological resource status and trends: Terrestrial ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on terrestrial ecosystems
Arctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries [New Window]
Updated summaries of research in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, on caribou, muskoxen, predators (grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles), polar bears, snow geese and their wildlife habitats with maps of land-cover and vegetation.
PDF Assessing rangelands [New Window]
Fact sheet in Adobe PDF on assessing the health of rangeland by monitoring and inventory which can help land managers
Biological resource status and trends: Boreal forest ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on boreal forest ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Desert ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on desert ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Forest ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on Forest ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Grassland ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on Grassland ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Montane ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on montane ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Savanna ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on savanna ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Shrubland and steppe ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on shrubland and steppe ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Temperate forest ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on temperate forest ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: Terrestrial invasive organisms [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on terrestrial invasive organisms
Biological resource status and trends: Tropical forest ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on tropical forest ecosystems
Biological resource status and trends: intertidal and coastline ecosystems [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on intertidal and coastline ecosystems
Boston Harbor ecosystems [New Window]
This web site is an outgrowth of an agreement between the USGS and the New England Aquarium, designed to summarize and make available results of scientific research. It will also present educational material of interest to wide audiences.
Coastal ecosystems [New Window]
Coastal ecosystem research at the Western Ecological Research Center with summaries of current projects and fact sheets on research studies (PDF format).
Contaminant exposure and effects--terrestrial vertebrates (CEE-TV) database [New Window]
The information provided in the CEE-TV database profiles available geo-referenced information on contaminant exposure and effects in terrestrial vertebrates along the U. S. coasts. The database utilizes Microsoft's Access 2000 for Windows.
Ecosystems of South Florida [New Window]
An overview with brief descriptions and photographs of some of South Florida's unique ecosystems.
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center [New Window]
Home page of the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, providing research and technical support for ecosystem management in the western U.S. Links to projects, field stations, fact sheets, partnerships, and publications.
Forest and rangeland birds of the United States: natural history and habitat use [New Window]
Catalog of bird species common to forest and rangeland habitats in the U.S. with natural histories including taxonomic information, range, and habitat descriptions to assist land managers in resource management. Text available as a *.zip file.
Global change research: a focus on mountain ecosystems [New Window]
Overview of interdisciplinary research studies in Glacier National Park to understand how this mountain wilderness responds to present climatic variability and other external stressors, such as air pollution, and links to detailed reports.
Recoverability and vulnerability of desert ecosystems [New Window]
Research results (publications, photographs, maps) on ecological processes within the Mojave Desert Ecosystem to provide land managers with scientific understanding and tools needed to conserve and restore threatened desert landscapes.
Restoration Ecology for Southeast ecosystems [New Window]
Overview of research at the Restoration Ecology facility on sustainable restoration of South Florida's greater Everglades and coastal ecosystems. Includes links study of birds, snails, and alligators, ecological modeling, photos, and posters.
USGS Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources Program [New Window]
Homepage of the USGS Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources Program with links to projects, centers, and cooperative research units.
Access USGS - San Francisco Bay and Delta [New Window]
Main page for accessing links for information and data on the San Francisco Bay estuary and its watershed with links to highlights, water, biology, wetlands, hazards, digital maps, geologic mapping, winds, bathymetry and overview of the Bay.
Atchafalaya & Mississippi River Deltas study: a tale of two deltas [New Window]
Project of the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science program that evaluates the transport and sedimentation of contaminates through the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River delta to the near-shore Gulf of Mexico. Includes aerial photographs.
Biological resource status and trends: Caves and subterranean habitats [New Window]
Information concerning status and trends of biological resources, focusing on caves and subterranean habitats
Biological soil crusts [New Window]
Explains biological soil crusts, organism-produced soil formations commonly found in semiarid and arid environments, with special reference to their biological composition, physical characteristics, and ecological significance.
PDF Biological soil crusts: webs of life in the desert [New Window]
Fact sheet on the need to protect biological soil crusts in the desert. These crusts are most of the soil surface in deserts not covered by green plants and are inhabited by cyanobacterium (blue-green algae) and other organisms useful to the ecosystem.
PDF Born of fire: restoring sagebrush steppe [New Window]
USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center: fact sheet in Adobe PDF about the studies to restore sagebrush steppe
PDF Bryophytes and lichens, small but indispensable forest dwellers [New Window]
Description of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and lichens (dual organisms of a fungus and an alga or a cyanobacterium) that are part of forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest with information on habitat and conservation.
Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies - St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida [New Window]
Homepage for the Florida Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with links to a newsletter Sound Waves, research projects by area and topic, publications, data sets, news, and contacts.
Central Southwest/Gulf Coast Information Node (CSWGCIN) [New Window]
Central Southwest/Gulf Coast Information Node (CSWGCIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is a gateway to biological information on Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico Coast.
Coastal habitats in Puget Sound [New Window]
Declines in fish and wildlife populations, water-quality issues, and changes in coastal habitats have prompted this USGS study of the region's nearshore life and environment. Includes links to data from published reports.
Community model for coastal sediment transport [New Window]
Description of the National Community Sediment-Transport Model (NCSTM), an open source numerical model for sediment transport in coastal regions.
Contributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota [New Window]
Assessment of the importance of the Conservation Reserve Program in preventing the decline of grassland breeding birds by preserving grassland habitats in North Dakota. Published as Wilson Bulletin v. 107 no. 4, pp. 709-718 (1995).
Cryptobiotic soils: holding the place in place [New Window]
Describes biological soil crusts, with special reference to their role in resisting soil erosion, improving soil fertility, and increasing water infiltration in the deserts of the Colorado Plateau region.
Desert tortoise research at Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) [New Window]
Links to research studies, conservation information, and general information on desert tortoises at the Western Ecological Research Center in Sacramento, California.
Deserts, geology and resources [New Window]
Online edition of booklet describing desert geology and mineral resources.
Diatoms: applications [New Window]
Use of diatoms in biostratigraphy, coastal and estuarine studies, paleoceanology, paleoliminology, earthquake studies, environmental quality and forensic studies. Includes listing of USGS diatom projects and links to other diatom websites.
Earthshots, satellite images of environmental change [New Window]
Satellite images of geographic areas of interest, cities, deserts, glaciers, geologic features, disaster areas, water bodies, and wildlife linked with articles, maps, and other images such as AVHRR, photographs, and special project images.
PDF Effects of wastewater on forested wetlands [New Window]
Study of the effects of the practice of cycling municipal nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through forested wetlands. Studies were in the Cypiere Perdue Swamp, Louisiana, and the Drummond Bog, Wisconsin.
Erosion of a sea stack over 100 years [New Window]
Series of photographs showing the demise of Jump-off Joe, a sea stack at Nye Beach, Newport, Oregon from 1890 as a result of erosion.
Fire ecology research [New Window]
Study of wildland fire history and fire ecology such as plants in the Sierra Nevada forests, California shrublands, the Mojave, and Sonoran deserts to develop management techniques that will reduce hazards.
Florida Integrated Science Center - biological science poster presentations [New Window]
Poster presentations for Center for Aquatic Resource Studies projects related to Greater Everglades, marine and coral studies, ecotoxicology, manatees, coastal ecology, nonindigenous aquatic species, coastal ecology, freshwater fisheries, and herpetology.
Galveston Bay Wetland Inventory Project [New Window]
Links to reports, partners, principal investigators, maps, aerial photos, and contacts for the Galveston Bay Wetland Inventory Project.
Geography research programs in Alaska [New Window]
Descriptions, results, and data on research projects using geographic analysis and monitoring and remote sensing to study ecosystems and land processes in the Arctic region.
Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC) wildland fire support [New Window]
Description of the Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC) project, online maps of current wildland fire locations using Netscape Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, and user guide on how to use mapping application.
Grizzly bear and black bear ecology [New Window]
Summaries of research projects on black bear and grizzly ecology and ecosystems supporting the populations and bibliography of related publications.
Gulf of Mexico Estuaries Integrated Science Strategy [New Window]
A white paper describing a plan for USGS research in Gulf of Mexico estuaries, developed in 2001 using Tampa Bay as an example with links to program strategy and design.
History and ecology of mangroves in the Dry Tortugas [New Window]
Fact sheet on the historic and current conditions of mangroves of Dry Tortugas National Park, a cluster of islands and coral reefs west of Key West, Florida. Mangroves and nesting frigate bird colonies are at risk to destruction by hurricanes.
Hudson River salt front data [New Window]
Tide stage, specific conductance, water temperature, and freshwater inflow at selected Hudson River (New York) gages updated every 4-hours to measure the effects of freshwater withdrawals and upstream movement of the salt front.
Hurricane Katrina disaster: general information and USGS response [New Window]
Observations and effects of hurricane Katrina, with information about USGS monitoring and studies related to the area affected.
Hurricane and extreme storm impact studies: coastal and nearshore mapping with scanning airborne laser (LIDAR) [New Window]
Airborne scanning laser surveys (LIDAR) are used to obtaining data to investigate the magnitude and causes of coastal changes that occur during severe storms. Links to examples of coastal mapping during specific hurricanes.
Identifying predators and fates of grassland passerine nests using miniature video cameras [New Window]
Description of the use of a miniature video-camera system deployed at nests of passerine species in North Dakota to videotape predation of eggs or nestlings by animals such as mice, ground squirrels, deer, cowbirds and others.
Limber pine communities [New Window]
Report on status and trends of limber pine communities with references.
Louisiana coastal land loss [New Window]
Homepage for Louisiana coastal land loss, including links to press release, animation of wetland loss, and PDF digital images of land change maps.
Managing habitat for grassland birds: a guide for Wisconsin [New Window]
Guide to identification, selection, and management of grassland habitats in Wisconsin to conserve the populations of grassland birds. Includes glossary, references, bird lists, graphs, and maps.
Maps of distribution and abundance of selected species of birds on uncultivated native upland grasslands and shrubsteppe in the northern Great Plains [New Window]
Links to maps of breeding distributions of bird species on grasslands and shrublands in the northern Great Plains. Maps can also be downloaded from *.zip files in HTML format.
Marine Realms Information Bank: topic search, geographic search [New Window]
Searching by geography and topics to locate scientific information about oceans, lakes, marine environments and coastal environments.
National Water Quality Assessment urban studies portal [New Window]
Multiple studies addressing urban water-quality issues, to describe biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of urban water resources over time, and relate those characteristics to natural processes and human activities
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program - Water quality in the Puget Sound Basin [New Window]
The Puget Sound Basin is a National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program study unit for studying the status, trends, and changes affecting the nation's water quality. Site links to data, publications, and results.
National assessment of coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise: preliminary results for the U.S. Pacific Coast [New Window]
Report on the potential of coastal change due to future sea level rise using the coastal vulnerability index (C.V.I.) with two regional examples in San Francisco and Monterey Bay and Tillamook Head, Oregon, to Ocean Shores, WA.
National assessment of coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise: preliminary results of the U.S. Atlantic coast [New Window]
Brief report on map showing the relative vulnerability of the Atlantic coast to changes due to future rise in sea level. Includes links to similar maps in Open-file report 2000-178 on the Pacific Coast and 2000-179 on the Gulf of Mexico Coast.
Natural and human drivers of biodiversity in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem [New Window]
This study reconstructs past interactions among ecosystem factors, native species, and human land use in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem to provide a context for future management to sustain both ecological and human communities.
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center [New Window]
Homepage for the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, with links to announcements, science prgorams, biological resources finder, publications search option, contacts, and answers to common questions about the Center
Our dynamic desert landscape [New Window]
Overview of studies of fragile and active landscape of the American Southwest deserts, including projects on geologic mapping, surface processes, remote sensing research, ecological processes, and earthquake hazard applications.
Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) [New Window]
Pacific Basin Information Node provides access to studies of biological resources associated with the Pacific Basin including tropical and subtropical islands and the surrounding marine environment.
Pacific Northwest Information Node [New Window]
Pacific Northwest Information Node is a regional information network of the National Biological Information Infrastructure intended to provide access to information and services relevant to forest resources in the Pacific Northwest.
Patuxent Fact Sheets [New Window]
Access to Patuxent Wildlife Research Center fact sheets (PDFs) providing summaries of center studies on coastal ecosystems, birds, amphibians, taxonomy and other subjects and on center activities including partners and volunteer program.
PDF SAGEMAP: a web-based spatial dataset for sage grouse and sagebrush steppe management in the Intermountain West [New Window]
Links to fact sheet describing the database of spatial information on sage grouse and sagebrush habitats.
Savanna restoration bibliography [New Window]
A searchable, living bibliography on the subject of savannas and their restoration.
Sea otter research at Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) [New Window]
Webpage on research on sea otters (Euhydra lutris) in the nearshore environment of the eastern Pacific Ocean with information on status of otters on the coast of Alaska, Washington, and California and link to fact sheet in PDF format.
South Florida Restoration Science Forum [New Window]
Discussions and posters about agriculture, ecology, hydrology, ecosystems, and resource management efforts in south Florida.
South Florida Virtual Tour [New Window]
A pictorial overview for general audiences of key landscapes and ecosystems in South Florida; includes extensive references and links to past and current research activities relating to the South Florida ecosystem restoration effort.
Tampa Bay Study [New Window]
Overview of interdisciplinary research on the Tampa Bay estuary of the Gulf of Mexico with links to digital library, interactive mapping, reports, posters, water chemistry maps, meetings and conferences, scientist directory, and field trips.
Tampa Bay estuary digital library [New Window]
Database entry page to search keywords and product type (document, map, data, metadata, photos, video, animation, aerial photo) for information on the Tampa Bay estuary and related research studies.
TerraWeb [New Window]
Terrestrial remote sensing program with links to coastal and marine, arid and semi-arid, other land environmental data and digital image products plus software Mini Image Processing Sensing System (MIPS).
The Marine Realms Information Bank family of digital libraries: Access to free online information for coastal and marine science [New Window]
An introduction to three related USGS digital libraries: the general-purpose Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB); the regionally focused Monterey Bay Science (MBS) Digital Library; and the topically focused Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) Digital Library.
The fragile fringe: a guide for teaching about coastal wetlands [New Window]
Teacher's guide on coastal wetlands to aid in developing lesson plans for different levels of grade school and high school students. Includes general information, activities, references, and glossary.
Water resources of Maine - Projects [New Window]
Summary of USGS programs in Maine relating to data collection and hydrologic studies of streamflow, ground water, coastal areas, and ecosystems.
Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) [New Window]
Describes the studies of five small watersheds, four in the U.S. and one in Puerto Rico, under the WEBB program to understand the processes controlling water, energy, and biogeochemical fluxes with links to other watershed research.
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) [New Window]
Links to research at the field stations of the Western Ecological Research Center with direct links to web pages for wildlife videos, satellite telemetry, fire ecology, invasive species, herpetology field guide, and coastal ecosystems.
Western Region Coastal and Marine Geology Program [New Window]
Site for Western Region Coastal and Marine Geology Program conducting scientific research in the coastal and offshore areas of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and other U.S. Pacific Islands.
Whitebark pine communities [New Window]
Report on status and trends of whitebark pine communities with references to related publications.


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