Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) along Bayou Lacombe, Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Few ecological studies have been conducted on Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri), and published studies have focused on relatively small stream sections of 125 m to 1.75 km. In 2015, we sampled 25 sites along a 13.4-km stretch of Bayou Lacombe (Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA) to better understand factors that may influence the distribution of Gulf Coast Waterdogs within streams. We check
Authors
Brad Glorioso, Hardin Waddle, Lindy J. Muse, Sidney T Godfrey
Spatial ecology of invasive Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida
Understanding the spatial ecology of an invasive species is critical for designing effective control programs. Determining and quantifying home range estimates and habitat associations can streamline targeted removal efforts for wide-ranging, cryptic animals. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is a large-bodied constrictor snake with an established and expanding invasive population in southern
Authors
Ian A. Bartoszek, Brian J. Smith, Robert Reed, Kristen Hart
Cape Romain partnership for coastal protection
This final report summarizes activities, outcomes, and lessons learned from a 3-year project titled “Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges” with the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and local partners in the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry. The Lowcountry is classified as the 10-county area encompassing the coastal plain of South Carolina (this report spec
Authors
Mitchell J. Eaton, Fred A. Johnson, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case, Julien Martin, Bradley Stith, Simeon Yurek, Bradley Udell, Laura Villegas, Laura Taylor, Zulquarnain Haider, Hadi Charkhgard, Changhyun Kwon
Using systems thinking to inform management of imperiled species: A case study with sea turtles
Management of imperiled species facing spatiotemporally dynamic threats is difficult. Systems thinking can inform their management by quantifying the impacts that they face. We apply systems thinking to the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM) loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Recovery Unit (RU), one of the smallest subpopulations of loggerheads nesting in the USA. We characterized disturbances to nests, mana
Authors
Ian Silver-Gorges, Simona A. Ceriani, Matthew Ware, Megan Lamb, Margaret Lamont, Janice Becker, Raymond Carthy, Chris Matechik, Joseph C. Mitchell, Raya Pruner, Mike Reynolds, Bradley Smith, Caitlyn Snyder, Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes
A hidden Markov model for estimating age-specific survival when age and size are uncertain
Estimates of age-specific survival probabilities are needed for age-structured population models and to inform conservation decisions. However, determining the age of individuals in wildlife populations is often problematic. We present a hidden Markov model for estimating age-specific survival from capture–recapture or capture–recapture–recovery data when age is unknown and indicators of age, such
Authors
Timothy A. Gowan, Michael D. Tringali, Jeffrey A. Hostetler, Julien Martin, Leslie I. Ward-Geiger, Jennifer M Johnson
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi Yanchis
Synthetic aperture radar and optical mapping used to monitor change and replacement of Phragmites australis marsh in the Lower Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping of density as an enhancement of Phragmites australis optical live fractional cover (LFC) mapping was carried out in the lower Mississippi Delta during 2016 to 2019. Also, as part of the study, the replacement of P. australis with elephant-ear was analyzed. To that end, yearly maps from 2016 to 2019 of L-band SAR horizontal send, vertical receive (HV) data rep
Authors
Elijah W. Ramsey III, Amina Rangoonwala
Estimating the influence of oyster reef chains on freshwater detention at the estuary scale using Landsat-8 imagery
Oyster reef chains grow in response to local hydrodynamics and can redirect flows, particularly when reef chains grow perpendicular to freshwater flow paths. Singularly, oyster reef chains can act as porous dams that may facilitate nearshore accumulation of fresh or low-salinity water, in turn creating intermediate salinities that support oyster growth and estuarine conditions. However, oyster-dri
Authors
Alice Alonso, Natalie G. Nelson, Simeon Yurek, David Kaplan, Maitane Olabarrieta, Peter C Frederick
Global commitments to conserving and monitoring genetic diversity are now necessary and feasible
Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity—one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species’ adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps in key areas, including the i
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Michael W. Bruford, W. Chris Funk, Peter Galbusera, M. Patrick Griffith, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Maggie Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Belma Kalamujic Stroil, Francine Kershaw, Colin K. Khoury, Linda Laikre, Magarida Lopes-Fernandes, Anna J. MacDonald, Joachim Mergeay, Mariah Meek, Cinnamon Mittan, Tarek A. Mukassabi, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Clarisse Palma-Silva, Uma Ramakrishnan, Gernot Segelbacher, Robyn E. Shaw, Per Sjögren-Gulve, Nevena Velickovic, Cristiano Vernesi
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades
The federally threatened American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a flagship species and ecological indicator of hydrologic restoration in the Florida Everglades. We conducted a long-term capture-recapture study on the South Florida population of American crocodiles from 1978 to 2015 to evaluate the effects of restoration efforts to more historic hydrologic conditions. The study produced 10,040 c
Authors
Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez, Mathieu Basille, Michael Cherkiss, Frank J. Mazzotti
Rediscovery and genetic confirmation of the Threeridge Mussel, Amblema plicata (Say, 1817) (Bivalvia, Unionidae), in the Choctawhatchee River, Florida, USA
Recent freshwater mussel research has resulted in rediscovery of several species presumed extinct. We report the rediscovery of Amblema plicata (Say, 1817) in 2019 from the Choctawhatchee River, Florida, USA. Amblema plicata has not been reported in the Choctawhatchee river basin since 1958, more than 61 years ago. This species was collected during the long-term monitoring of freshwater mussels in
Authors
Lauren N. Patterson, Susan R. Geda, Nathan A. Johnson
A U.S.-China EcoPartnership study of disturbed wetland vegetation in West Dongting Lake, China
West Dongting Lake in China is important for human livelihoods and habitat of migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The waterway re-engineering and agriculture intensification have contributed to changes in hydrology, sediment, and vegetation on the floodplain. This paper describes an EcoPartnership program conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, and Beijing
Authors
Ting Lei, Beth Middleton