Publications
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Wind shear stress measurements in a coastal marsh during Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew produced changes to the Louisiana wetlands not normally observed after lesser, more common storms. For example, the <25 m/s wind speeds generated by cold fronts and winter storms, and any accompanying storm surge, do not cause substantial, wide-spread alteration of marsh vegetation. During Hurricane Andrew, however, the wind, the wind-driven storm surge, or both produced severe, w
Authors
J. R. Dingler, S.A. Hsu, A. Lee Foote
Structural impact of hurricane Andrew on the forested wetlands of the Atchaflaya Basin in South Louisiana
On August 26, 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit the Louisiana coast and traversed a large portion of the lower Atchafalaya Basin, bounding the largest remaining tract of cypress-tupelo and bottomland hardwood swamp in the United States. Permanent field sites were established following the hurricane to assess the extent of forest damage and to monitor the rate and process of forest recovery. Bottomland ha
Authors
Thomas W. Doyle, Bobby D. Keeland, Lance E. Gorham, Darrin J. Johnson
Comparison of condition indices in migratory passerines at a stopover site in coastal Louisiana
We evaluated the utility of four nondestructive condition indices—body mass, body mass scaled by wing chord length, fat scoring, and total body electrical conductivity method (TOBEC)—as predictors of lipid levels in migrating Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina), Swainson's Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus), and Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra). The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), a winter
Authors
Terry J. Spengler, P.L. Leberg, Wylie C. Barrow
Effect of increased water depth on growth of a common perennial freshwater-intermediate marsh species in Coastal Louisiana
The response of Sagittaria lancifolia to increased water depths of 7.5 and 15 cm was examined in this field study. Water-depth treatments were achieved by digging sods containing one or two individual plants or ramets of S. lancifolia from the marsh, removing sediment from the resulting hole, and replacing the sods in their original location at the appropriate lower elevation. Plants subjected to
Authors
Rebecca J. Howard, Irving A. Mendelssohn
Species-specific patterns of hyperostosis in marine teleost fishes
The occurrence of swollen or hyperostotic bones in skeletal preparations, preserved museum material or whole fresh specimens of marine teleost fishes was identified in 92 species belonging to 22 families. Patterns of hyperostotic skeletal growth were typically consistent and often species-specific in all individuals larger than a certain size. The taxonomic distribution of hyperostosis in diverse
Authors
William F. Smith-Vaniz, L.S. Kaufman, J. Glowacki
Survey for blood parasites in redheads (Aythya americana) wintering at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
We detected no infections with species of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, Sarcocystis or Trypanosoma in blood smears, liver and spleen impressions, and muscle tissue from 136 redheads (Aythya americana) collected or captured at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana (USA), during three winters (1987 to 1990). One bird, a juvenile male, was infected with an unidentified species of microfilaria.
Authors
Thomas C. Michot, Mary C. Garvin, Earl H. Weidner
Seagrass distribution in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Seagrass ecosystems are widely recognized as some of the most productive benthic habitats in estuarine and nearshore waters of the gulf coast. Seagrass meadows provide food for wintering waterfowl and important spawning and foraging habitat for several species of commercially important finfish and shellfish. Physical structure provided by seagrasses affords juveniles refuge from predation and allo
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley
An alternative bacteriological medium for the isolation of Aeromonas spp.
Two solid bacteriologic media were compared for cultivating Aeromonas spp. from piscine sources: the Rimler-Shotts (RS) medium and a starch-glutamate-ampicillin-penicillin-based medium (SGAP-10C) used for the recovery of Aeromonas spp. from water samples. The selective and differential capacities of the media were assessed March through October 1992 by recovery rate and phenotype of 99 isolates re
Authors
J.A. Jenkins, P.W. Taylor
The effects of vertebrate herbivory on plant community structure in the coastal marshes of the Pearl River, Louisiana, USA
In this study, we investigated the impacts of herbivory by the introduced aquatic herbivore, nutria (Myocastor coypus), on three marsh communities of the Pearl River using fenced exclosures and control plots. Although total community above-ground biomass was reduced by 30% in the plots exposed to herbivory as compared to those protected from herbivory, we found species richness to be unaffected. W
Authors
K.L. Taylor, J.B. Grace
Coastal ecosystem decision‐support GIS: Functions and methodology
To solve coastal resource and environmental issues and handle complex spatial data and information effectively and efficiently, a coastal ecosystem decision‐support geographic information system (GIS) is being developed at the Southern Science Center of the U.S. National Biological Service. With three subsystems, natural resource management, environmental impact assessment, and data and informatio
Authors
Wei Ji, James B. Johnson
Monitoring flooding in coastal wetlands by using radar imagery and ground-based measurements
Satellite radar was used in a Florida Juncus roemerianus marsh to map tidal flooding, a critical control of coastal vegetation distribution. Radar images taken during a time of near-continuous recordings of ground-based hydrology measurements directly linked marsh flooding to lowered radar returns and indicated a negative covariation between flood frequency and radar return. Flood-extent contours
Authors
Elijah Ramsey