Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3377
Integrating physiology, population dynamics and climate to make multi-scale predictions for the spread of an invasive insect: The Argentine ant at Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Mechanistic models for predicting species’ distribution patterns present particular advantages and challenges relative to models developed from statistical correlations between distribution and climate. They can be especially useful for predicting the range of invasive species whose distribution has not yet reached equilibrium. Here, we illustrate how a physiological model of development for th
Authors
Stephen Hartley, Paul D. Krushelnycky, Philip J. Lester
Increase in black mangrove abundance in coastal Louisiana
Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), a subtropical species, has historically occurred in saline marsh habitat along the Louisiana coast, but their distribution has always been sparse and they seldom achieved heights of greater than 1 m. The distribution of black mangrove in Louisiana has been largely limited by freezing temperatures. Weather records show a decrease in freeze frequency and duratio
Authors
Thomas Claud Michot, Richard H. Day, Christopher J. Wells
Detecting the spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a concentration and total suspended solids in Apalachicola Bay, Florida using MODIS imagery
Apalachicola Bay, Florida, accounts for 90% of Florida's and 10% of the nation's eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) harvesting. Chlorophyll-a concentration and total suspended solids (TSS) are two important water quality variables, among other environmental factors such as salinity, for eastern oyster production in Apalachicola Bay. In this research, we developed regression models of the relat
Authors
Hongqing Wang, C.M. Hladik, W. Huang, K. Milla, L. Edmiston, M.A. Harwell, J.F. Schalles
Sapflow and water use of freshwater wetland trees exposed to saltwater incursion in a tidally influenced South Carolina watershed
Sea-level rise and anthropogenic activity promote salinity incursion into many tidal freshwater forested wetlands. Interestingly, individual trees can persist for decades after salt impact. To understand why, we documented sapflow (Js), reduction in Js with sapwood depth, and water use (F) of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) trees undergoing exposure to salinity. The mean Js of individu
Authors
K. W. Krauss, J.A. Duberstein
Restoring Ecological Function to a Submerged Salt Marsh
Impacts of global climate change, such as sea level rise and severe drought, have altered the hydrology of coastal salt marshes resulting in submergence and subsequent degradation of ecosystem function. A potential method of rehabilitating these systems is the addition of sediment-slurries to increase marsh surface elevation, thus ameliorating effects of excessive inundation. Although this techniq
Authors
C.L. Stagg, I.A. Mendelssohn
Ecological hierarchies and self-organisation - Pattern analysis, modelling and process integration across scales
A continuing discussion in applied and theoretical ecology focuses on the relationship of different organisational levels and on how ecological systems interact across scales. We address principal approaches to cope with complex across-level issues in ecology by applying elements of hierarchy theory and the theory of complex adaptive systems. A top-down approach, often characterised by the use of
Authors
H. Reuter, F. Jopp, J. M. Blanco-Moreno, C. Damgaard, Y. Matsinos, D.L. DeAngelis
Red imported fire ant impacts on upland arthropods in Southern Mississippi
Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) have negative impacts on a broad array of invertebrate species. We investigated the impacts of fire ants on the upland arthropod community on 20???40 ha study sites in southern Mississippi. Study sites were sampled from 19972000 before, during, and after fire ant bait treatments to reduce fire ant populations. Fire ant abundance was assessed with bait tr
Authors
D.M. Epperson, Craig R. Allen
Predicting the retreat and migration of tidal forests along the northern Gulf of Mexico under sea-level rise
Tidal freshwater forests in coastal regions of the southeastern United States are undergoing dieback and retreat from increasing tidal inundation and saltwater intrusion attributed to climate variability and sea-level rise. In many areas, tidal saltwater forests (mangroves) contrastingly are expanding landward in subtropical coastal reaches succeeding freshwater marsh and forest zones. Hydrologica
Authors
T.W. Doyle, K. W. Krauss, W.H. Conner, A.S. From
Predicting performance for ecological restoration: A case study using Spartina altemiflora
The success of population-based ecological restoration relies on the growth and reproductive performance of selected donor materials, whether consisting of whole plants or seed. Accurately predicting performance requires an understanding of a variety of underlying processes, particularly gene flow and selection, which can be measured, at least in part, using surrogates such as neutral marker genet
Authors
S.E. Travis, J.B. Grace
Analytical models for the groundwater tidal prism and associated benthic water flux
The groundwater tidal prism is defined as the volume of water that inundates a porous medium, forced by one tidal oscillation in surface water. The pressure gradient that generates the prism acts on the subterranean estuary. Analytical models for the groundwater tidal prism and associated benthic flux are presented. The prism and flux are shown to be directly proportional to porosity, tidal amplit
Authors
Jeffrey N. King, Ashish J. Mehta, Robert G. Dean
Surface water discharge and salinity monitoring of coastal estuaries in Everglades National Park, USA, in support of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Discharge and salinity were measured along the southwest and the southeast coast of Florida in Everglades National Park (ENP) within several rivers and creeks from 1996 through 2008. Data were collected using hydro-acoustic instruments and continuous water-quality monitors at fixed monitoring stations. Water flowed through ENP within two distinct drainage basins; specifically, Shark Slough and Tay
Authors
Jeff Woods
Old data, new problems
Old data are a gold standard in climate change research, and much more use should be made of these data sets to document changes in wetlands in recent decades. Key data sets for the study of climate or land use change effects on wetlands may include historical field studies. Old data sets such as those from Iowa State University in the 1980s have immense value for assessing long term vegetation ch
Authors
Beth Middleton