Applies genetics and genomics to answer questions of endangered species, wildlife populations, captive breeding and reintroductions, sources of nonnative species introductions and hybridization and functional genomics.
Research in fish and wildlife health and disease, geomicrobiology, ecosystem function, climate change, water quality for drinking and in recreation, bioremediation, nanotechnology, energy and geographic patterns of microbial distribution.
An interdisciplinary organization advancing the use of science in natural resource decision making. SDC focuses on research and applications in three science areas: decision science (adaptive management and structured decision making), ecosystem services, and resilience/sustainability.
USGS science can help allow for renewable energy growth while lessening conflicts between renewable energy, ecosystems and wildlife.
Science Feature: Ecosystems, Wildlife, and Homegrown Renewable Energy
Photo: Scientists have found that wind turbines are causing fatalities of certain species of migratory insect-eating bats, although a March 2011 study in Science suggests that solutions to reduce the impacts of wind turbines on bats may be possible. Credit: Paul Cryan, USGS.
Interest is booming in renewable energy sources, especially in the areas of wind, solar, and biofuels. Such energy sources have huge benefits, including diversification of the nation’s energy portfolio, new jobs, and potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet these energy sources sometimes have adverse effects on ecosystems and the wildlife that live in them, such as bats, birds, and reptiles and amphibians.
The USGS Ecosystem Mission Area serves our Department of the Interior partners and other resource managers by conducting research and monitoring to understand freshwater, terrestrial and marine ecosystems and the fish and wildlife within them. More...
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
