Publications

Metapopulation models may be applied to inform natural resource management to guide actions targeted at location-specific subpopulations. Model insights frequently help to understand which subpopulations to target and highlight the importance of connections among subpopulations. For example, managers often treat aquatic invasive species populations as discrete populations due to...

The quasispecies concept had two independent origins. One source was the theoretical ideas of Manfred Eigen and Peter Schuster in the 1970s. Studying the self-organization and evolution of primitive RNA molecules, they defined quasispecies as a distribution of mutant viral genomes generated by the mutation-selection process. In particular, the quasispecies nucleotide distribution...

Reproductive abnormalities, that could lead to possible effects at the population level, have been observed in wild fish throughout the United States, with high prevalence in largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Estrone (E1) and atrazine (ATR) are common environmental contaminants often associated with agricultural land use. 17alpha...

One of the primary ways in which climate change will impact coastal freshwater wetlands is through changes in the frequency, intensity, timing and distribution of extreme weather events. Disentangling the direct and indirect mechanisms of population- and community-level responses to extreme events is vital to predicting how species composition of coastal wetlands will change under future...

Deep-sea coral habitats, comprising mostly Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus 1758), are well developed on the upper and middle continental slope off the southeastern United States (SEUS). These habitats support a diverse and abundant invertebrate fauna, yet ecology and biology of most of these species are poorly known. Ten cruises conducted off the SEUS (Summer–Fall; Cape Lookout, NC–Cape...

Rare plant species that are constrained by shading may be threatened by a lack of natural disturbance that removes overhanging vegetation. The original distribution of the study species Physostegia correllii (Lundell) Shinners included freshwater floodplains of large rivers in the southcentral U.S. (Colorado, Rio Grande, and Mississippi rivers). A second species, Trillium texanum Buckley...

Understanding the ecology of endangered taxa and the factors affecting their population growth and decline is imperative for their recovery. In the southeastern USA, the Everglades wetland ecosystem supports a high diversity of species and communities, including many endemic and imperiled taxa, such as the federally endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow Ammospiza maritima mirabilis (CSSS...

Coastal regions are susceptible to increasing flood risks amid climate change. Coastal wetlands play an important role in mitigating coastal hazards. Vegetation exerts a drag force to the flow and dampens storm surges and wind waves. The prediction of wave attenuation by vegetation typically relies on a pre-determined drag coefficient CD. Existing CD formulas are subject to vegetation...

The design of successful invasive species control programs is often hindered by the absence of basic demographic data on the targeted population. Establishment of invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida USA has led to local precipitous declines (> 90%) of mesomammal populations and is also a major threat to native populations of...

Over the past century, piñon and juniper trees have encroached into sagebrush steppe lands of the interior United States, and managers have for many years removed trees to stimulate the favored understory. While consistent understory response to tree removal in these semiarid lands suggests that trees outcompete other plants for water, no studies have linked increased soil water to...

Extensive drainage of peatlands in the southeastern United States coastal plain for the purposes of agriculture and timber harvesting has led to large releases of soil carbon as carbon dioxide (CO2) due to enhanced peat decomposition. Growth in mechanisms that provide financial incentives for reducing emissions from land use and land-use change could increase funding for hydrological...

A decrease in the ground surface height of coastal wetlands is of worldwide concern because of its relationship to peat loss, coastal carbon, and biodiversity in freshwater wetlands. We asked if it is possible to determine indicators of impending transitions of freshwater swamps to other coastal types by examining long-term changes in the environment and vegetation. In a tidal Taxodium...