USGS: Biology arrow iconStatus & Trends Home arrow iconIssues arrow iconInvasives arrow iconAquatic
Have a suggestion for new material?


Nonindigenous Mollusks Distribution Information

This site has been established as a central repository for accurate and spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of nonindigenous aquatic species. The program provides scientific reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, regional contact lists, and general information. The data is made available for use by biologists, interagency More...

  • blank image

National Invasive Species Forecasting System

The FORT research team will develop maps of invasive species at local, regional, and national scales and identify priority invasive species, vulnerable habitats, and pathways of invasion. County-level and point data on occurrence will be linked to plot-level and site-level information on species abundance and spread. Together, USGS, NASA, and CSU More...

  • Photograph of Cheatgrass at Dinosaur National Monument

Sea Turtles in the Dry Tortugas: Tracking Movements of Endangered Species in Florida's Coral-Reef Habitats

Kristen Hart and Keith Ludwig of the USGS Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) participated in two research cruises in 2008 to study patterns of habitat use by endangered sea turtles in and around the National Park. Hart's research effort focuses on quantifying patterns of sea turtle habitat use, employing capture-recapture and satellite- and More...

  • One of the smallest juvenile green turtles (Chelonia agassizii) captured thus far, August 2008, Dry

CCMA: National Status & Trends Program

This website is the entry point to data for the Mussel Watch, Bioeffects, and Benthic Surveillance programs. This resource links to the National Status & Trends Program fact sheet (pdf), and several projects including Mussel Watch, Benthic Surveillance, and Bioeffects Assessment. Users can also get general information about the Center for More...

  • blank image

Foreign Nonindigenous Carps and Minnows (Cyprinidae) in the United States - A Guide to their Identification, Distribution, and Biology

This guide contains an identification key to the eleven foreign nonindigenous cyprinids, as well as species accounts that include physical characteristics, reproduction, ecology, and distribution in its native habitat and in the United States. Biologists, resource managers and others interested in nonindigenous fishes will find it a useful tool More...

  • Carp ID Cover Image

Nonindigenous Fish Program

New nonindigenous fishes are introduced to the region's waters each year and already-established invasive fishes continually expand their ranges. Assessing the effects of a new invader on native species and environments is complicated by the fact that most habitats are under stress as a result of human disturbance and because many sites are More...

  • Spotted Tilapia (Tilapia mariae)

Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse

The Internet Map Server (IMS) visually displays the non-native, invasive plants (weed) occurrences in the current (2003) SWEMP database. An IMS allows you to interactively draw, query, and print maps. The SWEMP IMS was developed from ESRI's ArcIMS presentation product.The Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse is a cooperative effort More...

  • SWEMP IMS Screenshot, United States Map

Progression of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Distribution in North America

This website is a map that shows the Progression of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Distribution in North America. The site links to a distribution map in small lakes and also a photo gallery.

  • image of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

Scleria lacustris (Wright's nut-rush) invasive and spreading in seasonal marshes of Florida

This web resource is a species profile and checklist for the Scleria lacustris (Wright's nut-rush), which is an invasive plant, which spreads in seasonal marshes of Florida. The site gives an introduction to the plant, along with identification tips with images of the weed.

  • Wright's nut-rush (Scleria lacustris)

Salinity Tolerance of Hemichromis letourneuxi

The African jewelfish (Hemichromis letourneuxi) has been established in canals surrounding the Miami area since the 1960s. With changes in water delivery to the park, the species has recently (2000) entered Everglades National Park and expanded its range westward through Big Cypress National Preserve. Simultaneously, African jewelfish from a More...

  • African jewelfish (Hemichromis letourneuxi)

Effects of salinity on survival, growth and reproduction of non-native Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from southern Mississippi

The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is commonly used in aquaculture worldwide. Feral populations exist in many regions where individuals escape culture and establish in natural habitats. In Mississippi, Nile tilapia are established in at least three distinct localities (fig. 1): the lower Pascagoula and Escatawpa river drainages, and a More...

  • Image of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Zebra Mussels

Zebra mussels have caused drastic declines in native clam and mussel populations in some locations. Zebra mussels compete with other invertebrates and young fish for plankton, the primary food source for these groups. UMESC scientists are investigating the effects zebra mussels are having on the riverine ecosystem. This study examines the effects More...

  • blank image