Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3374
Predicting wading bird and aquatic faunal responses to ecosystem restoration scenarios
In large-scale conservation decisions, scenario planning identifies key uncertainties of ecosystem function linked to ecological drivers affected by management, incorporates ecological feedbacks, and scales up to answer questions robust to alternative futures. Wetland restoration planning requires an understanding of how proposed changes in surface hydrology, water storage, and landscape connectiv
Authors
James M. Beerens, Joel C. Trexler, Christopher P. Catano
Book review: Biology and management of invasive quagga and zebra mussels in the western United States
Water is a precious and limited commodity in the western United States and its conveyance is extremely important. Therefore, it is critical to do as much as possible to prevent the spread of two species of dreissenid mussels, both non-native and highly invasive aquatic species already well-established in the eastern half of the United States. This book addresses the occurrences of the two dreissen
Authors
Amy J. Benson
Similarity of plant functional traits and aggregation pattern in a subtropical forest
The distribution of species and communities in relation to environmental heterogeneity is a central focus in ecology. Co-occurrence of species with similar functional traits is an indication that communities are determined in part by environmental filters. However, few studies have been designed to test how functional traits are selectively filtered by environmental conditions at local scales. Exp
Authors
Bo Zhang, Xiaozhen Lu, Jiang Jiang, Donald L. DeAngelis, Zhiyuan Fu, Jinchi Zhang
Causal mechanisms of soil organic matter decomposition: Deconstructing salinity and flooding impacts in coastal wetlands
Coastal wetlands significantly contribute to global carbon storage potential. Sea-level rise and other climate change-induced disturbances threaten coastal wetland sustainability and carbon storage capacity. It is critical that we understand the mechanisms controlling wetland carbon loss so that we can predict and manage these resources in anticipation of climate change. However, our current under
Authors
Camille L. Stagg, Donald Schoolmaster, Ken W. Krauss, Nicole Cormier, William H. Conner
How do en route events around the Gulf of Mexico influence landbird populations
Habitats around the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) provide critical resources for Nearctic–Neotropical migratory landbirds, the majority of which travel across or around the GOM every spring and fall as they migrate between temperate breeding grounds in North America and tropical wintering grounds in the Caribbean and Central and South America. At the same time, ecosystems in the GOM are changing rapidly, w
Authors
Emily B. Cohen, Wylie C. Barrow, Jeffrey J. Buler, Jill L. Deppe, Andrew Farnsworth, Peter P. Marra, Scott R. McWilliams, David W Mehlman, R. Randy Wilson, Mark S Woodrey, Frank R. Moore
Freshwater mussels (Unionidae): Central and West Texas Final Report
The goal of this study was two-fold: (1) assess the taxonomic identity and phylogenetic
placement of Quadrula aurea (Golden Orb) [Federal Candidate], Quadrula houstonensis
(Smooth Pimpleback) [Federal Candidate], and Quadrula petrina (Texas Pimpleback) [Federal
Candidate] through mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequencing; and (2) provided additional
information on the distribution and abundance for
Authors
Charles R. Randklev, Nathan Johnson, T. J. Miller, J.M. Morton, J. Dudding, K. Skow, B. Boseman, M. Hart, E.T. Tsakiris, K. Inoue, R.R. Lopez
Ecological regime shift drives declining growth rates of sea turtles throughout the West Atlantic
Somatic growth is an integrated, individual-based response to environmental conditions, especially in ectotherms. Growth dynamics of large, mobile animals are particularly useful as bio-indicators of environmental change at regional scales. We assembled growth rate data from throughout the West Atlantic for green turtles, Chelonia mydas, which are long-lived, highly migratory, primarily herbivorou
Authors
Karen A. Bjorndal, Alan B. Bolten, Milani Chaloupka, Vincent S. Saba, Cláudio Bellini, Maria A.G. Marcovaldi, Armando J.B. Santos, Luis Felipe Wurdig Bortolon, Anne B. Meylan, Peter A. Meylan, Jennifer Gray, Robert Hardy, Beth Brost, Michael Bresette, Jonathan C. Gorham, Stephen Connett, Barbara Van Sciver Crouchley, Mike Dawson, Deborah Hayes, Carlos E. Diez, Robert P. van Dam, Sue Willis, Mabel Nava, Kristen M. Hart, Michael S. Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Clayton Pollock, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Fernando A. Muñoz Tenería, Roberto Herrera-Pavón, Vanessa Labrada-Martagón, Armando Lorences, Ana Negrete-Philippe, Margaret M. Lamont, Allen M. Foley, Rhonda Bailey, Raymond R. Carthy, Russell Scarpino, Erin McMichael, Jane A. Provancha, Annabelle Brooks, Adriana Jardim, Milagros López-Mendilaharsu, Daniel González-Paredes, Andrés Estrades, Alejandro Fallabrino, Gustavo Martínez-Souza, Gabriela M. Vélez-Rubio, Ralf H. Boulon, Jaime Collazo, Robert Wershoven, Vicente Guzmán Hernández, Thomas B. Stringell, Amdeep Sanghera, Peter B. Richardson, Annette C. Broderick, Quinton Phillips, Marta C. Calosso, John A.B. Claydon, Tasha L. Metz, Amanda L. Gordon, Andre M. Landry, Donna J. Shaver, Janice Blumenthal, Lucy Collyer, Brendan J. Godley, Andrew McGowan, Matthew J. Witt, Cathi L. Campbell, Cynthia J. Lagueux, Thomas L. Bethel, Lory Kenyon
Created mangrove wetlands store belowground carbon and surface elevation change enables them to adjust to sea-level rise
Mangrove wetlands provide ecosystem services for millions of people, most prominently by providing storm protection, food and fodder. Mangrove wetlands are also valuable ecosystems for promoting carbon (C) sequestration and storage. However, loss of mangrove wetlands and these ecosystem services are a global concern, prompting the restoration and creation of mangrove wetlands as a potential soluti
Authors
Ken W. Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Michael J. Osland, Matthew L. Kirwan, Camille L. Stagg, Janet A. Nestlerode, Marc J. Russell, Andrew From, Amanda C. Spivak, Darrin D. Dantin, James E. Harvey, Alejandro E. Almario
Modeling the long-term effects of introduced herbivores on the spread of an invasive tree
ContextMelaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake (hereafter melaleuca) is an invasive tree from Australia that has spread over the freshwater ecosystems of southern Florida, displacing native vegetation, thus threatening native biodiversity. Suppression of melaleuca appears to be progressing through the introduction of insect species, the weevil, Oxiops vitiosa, and the psyllid, Boreioglycaspis melaleu
Authors
Bo Zhang, Donald L. DeAngelis, Min B. Rayamajhi, Daniel B. Botkin
Five-year external reviews of the eight Department of Interior Climate Science Centers: Southeast Climate Science Center
In 2008, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) within the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). Housed administratively within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NCCWSC is part of the DOI’s ongoing mission to meet the challenges of climate change and its effects on wildlife and aquatic resources. From 2010 through 2012, NC
Authors
Kenneth G. Rice, Paul Beier, Tim Breault, Beth A. Middleton, Myron A. Peck, John M. Tirpak, Mary Ratnaswamy
Host-dependent differences in resource use associated with Anilocra spp. parasitism in two coral reef fishes, as revealed by stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses
The role of parasites in trophic ecology is poorly understood in marine ecosystems. Stable isotope analyses (SIA) have been widely used in studies of trophic ecology, but have rarely been applied to study the role of parasites. Considering that some parasites are associated with altered host foraging patterns, SIA can help elucidate whether parasitism influences host trophic interactions. French g
Authors
Rachel Welicky, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
Evaluation of harvest and information needs for North American sea ducks
Wildlife managers routinely seek to establish sustainable limits of sport harvest or other regulated forms of take while confronted with considerable uncertainty. A growing body of ecological research focuses on methods to describe and account for uncertainty in management decision-making and to prioritize research and monitoring investments to reduce the most influential uncertainties. We used si
Authors
Mark D. Koneff, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Chris P. Dwyer, Kathleen K. Fleming, Paul I. Padding, Patrick K. Devers, Fred A. Johnson, Michael C. Runge, Anthony J. Roberts