Science In Your Backyard  >  Alaska  >  Biological Resource Information

Alaska Highlights Biometric Studies The Biometrics Research Project conducts research and provides technical assistance related to the development and application of quantitative methods in wildlife studies. Research is focused on problems in sampling wildlife and habitats, estimating biological and ecological parameters, testing biological and ecological hypotheses, and modeling population, community and ecosystem dynamics. (more...) Bird Banding and Telemetry Each year, biologists with the Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office mark nearly 3,000 birds of 50 different species with uniquely-coded metal or plastic leg bands, neck collars, or radio transmitters. (more...) Black Oystercatchers Black Oystercatchers range from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California, but the vast majority of the global population (estimated at 8,900 birds) resides in the Pacific Northwest, with nearly 65% of the world's population breeding in Alaska (Andres and Falxa 1995, Brown et al. 2001). Despite being gregarious and highly visible, this species remains relatively unknown. (more...) Brown Bears Conflicts between bears and people in North America increased through the 20th century. During that time, bear-human conflict in Alaska resulted in 52 documented fatalities, hundreds of injuries and extensive property damage. (more...) Caribou The boreal forest ecosystem of interior Alaska comprises the wintering habitat of the majority of the caribou herds in the state. Boreal forests are chronically subject to wildland fires, which alter vegetative composition for decades. (more...) Coastal and Marine Ecology The Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office research extends to the coastal and marine environments and their relationship to fish and wildlife populations. (more...) Contaminant Studies The banking of environmental specimens under cryogenic conditions for future retrospective analysis has been recognized for many years as an important part of environmental monitoring programs. (more...) Exxon Valdez Oil-Spill Studies Exxon Valdez detailed project imformation (more...) Fisheries Projects Fisheries Projects at the Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office are extensive and diverse. They are organized in four different ways to help you find the project you are interested in. (more...) Genetic Research The Molecular Ecology Laboratory at the Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office (ASC-BSO) uses mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite DNA markers in a variety of fish, bird, mammal, and plant species. These markers are valuable tools for a better understanding of breeding and wintering population subdivision, individual behavior, gene flow, species systematics, and evolution. (more...) GIS and Remote Sensing Studies This project serves as a focal point of capability and expertise for integrating remote sensing, satellite telemetry and GIS into the methodologies of appropriate biological research programs. (more...) Land Birds Boreal habitats in Alaska support 130 species of breeding landbirds, including 68 species that migrate to Neotropical wintering areas. Significant population declines have been documented for many of these species in temperate regions over the past 30 years. (more...) Loon Ecology The conservation of loons has gained attention due to declines in some species, small population sizes in others, potential vulnerability to oil and gas development, relatively limited data on which to base predictions, and the general interest of the public in this highly visible and symbolic taxon. (more...) Loons Numbers of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska declined by 53% from 1977 to 1993. Four information needs listed by the USFWS include data on demographic parameters, distribution among wintering areas and their links to breeding areas, subsistence by-catch in fishing nets, and exposure to contaminants. (more...) Polar Bears Polar bears occur in the ice-covered portions of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas adjacent to Alaska. Their dependence upon drifting ice makes polar bears an important indicator of global warming and its effects in the Arctic. (more...) Sea Birds Populations of seabirds in Alaska are larger and more diverse than in any similar region of the northern hemisphere. Alaska's extensive estuaries and offshore waters provide breeding, feeding, and migrating habitats for upwards of 100 million seabirds of 66 species. (more...) Sea Ducks The sea duck tribe, Mergini, has 15 diverse species that nest in North America including eiders, harlequin, long-tailed duck, scoters, goldeneye, bufflehead, and mergansers. The status and health of sea duck populations are of local, regional, national, and international concern. (more...) Sea Otters The role of sea otters in structuring nearshore marine communities in the north Pacific Ocean are recognized as significant, particularly among exposed rocky shorelines. (more...) Shore Birds Ninety percent of the migratory species (n = 53) in the Western Hemisphere have breeding populations in Alaska; 37 of these, plus three additional races, regularly breed there. The North Pacific, including Alaska and the Russian Far East, host fully one-third of the world's shorebird fauna. (more...) Terrestrial Ecology Researchers with the Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office are conducting a variety of projects to increase understanding of terrestrial ecosystems in Alaska. (more...) Walrus USGS is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to develop new techniques for surveying the walrus population. (more...) Waterfowl Waterfowl detailed project imformation (more...) Wolves Management of wolves and their prey, is currently a major national environmental issue with recovery of threatened and endangered wolf populations in the western United States. In Alaska, the contentious wolf management debate continues, and federal land managers are playing a larger role in traditional wildlife management because of subsistence management responsibilities. (more...) Yellow-Billed Loon Yellow-billed loons are rare (<3,000 individuals) and patchily distributed in northern Alaska and are a Bird of Conservation Concern to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is becoming increasingly important to understand yellow-billed loon habitat preferences across northern Alaska as oil and gas development proceeds in the National Petroleum Reserve where approximately 93% of Alaska's yellow-billed loons reside. (more...)

Alaska Biology Locations  Locations on image are approximate Capital: Juneau () Research Center: Anchorage ()  Alaska Biology Location Links  Biological Science Office of the Alaska Science Center, Anchorage [new window] Western Region State Links More Biology in the Western Region Alaska Arizona California Hawaii Idaho Nevada Oregon Utah Washington Contact USGS offices in your State[new window]

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