Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3447
A new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients A new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients
Bioassessment of complex and heterogeneous ecosystems is a challenge when there are multiple, strong, natural environmental gradients; unknown, or spatially varying, mixtures of stressors; and large numbers of taxa with unknown responses to both the environmental gradients and the stressors. Current methods of bioassessment are not designed for use under this set of constraints. To...
Authors
Donald Schoolmaster, Valerie A. Partridge
Elevated temperature and nutrients lead to increased N2O emissions from salt marsh soils from cold and warm climates Elevated temperature and nutrients lead to increased N2O emissions from salt marsh soils from cold and warm climates
Salt marshes can attenuate nutrient pollution and store large amounts of ‘blue carbon’ in their soils, however, the value of sequestered carbon may be partially offset by nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Global climate and land use changes result in higher temperatures and inputs of reactive nitrogen (Nr) into coastal zones. Here, we investigated the combined effects of elevated...
Authors
Sophie A. Comer-Warner, Sami Ullah, Arunabha Dey, Camille Stagg, Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Fotis Sgouridis, Stefan Krause, Gail L. Chmura
Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity
Managing invasive species with prevention and early-detection strategies can avert severe ecological and economic impacts. Horizon scanning, an evidence-based process combining risk screening and consensus building to identify threats, has become a valuable tool for prioritizing invasive species management and prevention. We assembled a working group of experts from academic, government...
Authors
Deah Lieurance, Susan Canavan, Donald C. Behringer, Amy E. Kendig, Carey R. Minteer, Lindsey S. Reisinger, Christina M. Romagosa, S. Luke Flory, Julie L. Lockwood, Patti J. Anderson, Shirley M. Baker, Jamie Bojko, Kristen E. Bowers, Kim Canavan, Kelly Carruthers, Wesley M. Daniel, Doria R. Gordon, Jeffrey E. Hill, Jennifer G. Howeth, Basil V. Iannone, Lucas Jennings, Lyn A. Gettys, Eutychus M. Kariuki, John M. Kunzer, H. Dail Laughinghouse, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Sara McCann, Tolulope Morawo, Cayla R. Morningstar, Matthew Neilson, Tabitha Petri, Ian Pfingsten, Robert Reed, Linda J. Walters, Christian Wanamaker
Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the greatest future threats to mangrove forests. Mangroves have kept up with or paced past SLR by maintaining their forest floor elevation relative to sea level through root growth, sedimentation, and peat development. Monitoring surface elevation change (SEC) or accretion rates allows us to understand mangrove response to SLR and prioritizes resilient...
Authors
Richard A. MacKenzie, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Eugene Eperiam, Jan van Aardt, Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Jessica Grow, J. Val Klump
Ecological benefits of integrative weed management of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Big Cypress National Preserve Ecological benefits of integrative weed management of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Big Cypress National Preserve
The southern tip of North America coalesces into one of the world’s largest freshwater wetlands, the Everglades, Florida, USA. Though this region is much like an island, home to high biodiversity and endemism, it is also the site of a century of development and associated landscape-scale species invasions. Melaleuca quinquenervia (hereafter melaleuca), a tree native to tropical Australia...
Authors
Melissa C. Smith, Paul Julien, Don DeAngelis, Bo Zhang
Bobcat occupancy, tree islands, and invasive Burmese pythons in an Everglades conservation area Bobcat occupancy, tree islands, and invasive Burmese pythons in an Everglades conservation area
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are terrestrial mammals that also inhabit tree islands (i.e., topographically elevated patches of forested land) embedded in the subtropical Everglades wetlands, which serve as a dry refuge habitat during the wet season in this region of Florida, USA. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan seeks to restore Everglades water flow to pre-drainage conditions, but...
Authors
Katherine M. Buckman, Laura D'Acunto, Stephanie Romanach, Rachel M. Taylor, Nathan J. Dorn
America's most wanted fishes: Cataloging risk assessments to prioritize invasive species for management action America's most wanted fishes: Cataloging risk assessments to prioritize invasive species for management action
Hundreds of fish species enter the United States through human intervention (e.g., importation) and some of these fishes pose a substantial risk to the nation’s assets and ecosystems. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response (EDRR) are vital to stop species invasions, but time and resources to manage the large suite of fish species that enter the nation are limited. Evaluating the...
Authors
Emily M. Dean, Audrey Jordon, Aimee Christine Agnew, Nicole D Hernandez, Cayla R. Morningstar, Matthew Neilson, Sara Elizabeth Piccolomini, Brian Reichert, Amy Kristine Wray, Wesley M. Daniel
A minimally invasive, field-applicable CRISPR/Cas biosensor to aid in the detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative fungal agent of white-nose syndrome in bats A minimally invasive, field-applicable CRISPR/Cas biosensor to aid in the detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative fungal agent of white-nose syndrome in bats
The accessibility to CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein) genetic tools has given rise to applications beyond site-directed genome editing for the detection of DNA and RNA. These tools include precise diagnostic detection of human disease pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus. Despite the technology being rapid and cost...
Authors
Adam Alberto Perez, Abigail Tobin, John V. Stechly, Jason Ferrante, Margaret Hunter
Mapping high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast Mapping high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Coastal wetlands are predicted to undergo extensive transformation due to climate and land use change. Baseline maps of coastal wetlands can be used to help assess changes. Found in the upper portion of the estuarine zone, high marsh and salt pannes/flats provide ecosystem goods and services and are particularly important to fish and wildlife. We developed the first map of high marsh and...
Authors
Nicholas Enwright, Wyatt Charles Cheney, Kristine O. Evans, Hana R. Thurman, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Jena A. Moon, Heather E. Levy, James A. Cox, Peter J. Kappes, John A. Nyman, Jonathan L. Pitchford
Satellite telemetry reveals space use of diamondback terrapins Satellite telemetry reveals space use of diamondback terrapins
Movement and space use information of exploited and imperiled coastal species is critical to management and conservation actions. While satellite telemetry has been successfully used to document movements of marine turtles, the large tag sizes available have limited use on smaller turtle species. We used small Argos-based satellite tags to document movement patterns of diamondback...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Melissa E. Price, Daniel J. Catizone
Site occupancy of focal shorebird species at Whiskey Island and Caminada Headland, Louisiana 2012–2020 Site occupancy of focal shorebird species at Whiskey Island and Caminada Headland, Louisiana 2012–2020
Coastal restoration through island construction and augmentation is an increasingly common management method in the northern Gulf of Mexico, but evaluating the impacts to shorebird species is difficult. Shorebirds are mostly migratory and many aspects of their life history, including reproduction in some species, occur in other places. In addition, counts or observations of shorebirds...
Authors
Hardin Waddle, Wylie Barrow, Clint W Jeske, Jessica Schulz, Robert C. Dobbs, Delaina LeBlanc, Amanda Nicole Anderson, Brock Greary, Theodore J. Zenzal, Nicholas Enwright, Thurman. Hana, Darin L. Lee
Conclusions of evaluation of restoration for avian species at Caminada Headland and Whiskey Island, Louisiana Conclusions of evaluation of restoration for avian species at Caminada Headland and Whiskey Island, Louisiana
We conducted various analyses to determine the impact of coastal restoration on several focal avian species at Caminada Headland and Whiskey Island, Louisiana. We assessed if restoration affected avian use of restored sites by determining overall habitat changes, occupancy trends, and impacts of construction activities. Here, we summarize our findings from Chapters 2-9. For more details...
Authors
Darin L. Lee, Amanda Nicole Anderson, Paul Leberg, Nicholas Enwright, J. Hardin Waddle, Delaina LeBlanc, Theodore J. Zenzal