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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

WARC conducts relevant and objective research, develops new approaches and technologies, and disseminates scientific information needed to understand, manage, conserve, and restore wetlands and other aquatic and coastal ecosystems and their associated plant and animal communities throughout the nation and the world. 

News

Event: Explore USGS Careers in the Southeast 2024

Event: Explore USGS Careers in the Southeast 2024

USGS scientists find new relationship between elevation change and wetland loss in Mississippi River Delta

USGS scientists find new relationship between elevation change and wetland loss in Mississippi River Delta

Traversing the Sea for Science: How USGS Uses the Federal Fleet to Study Natural Hazards, Resources, and More

Traversing the Sea for Science: How USGS Uses the Federal Fleet to Study Natural Hazards, Resources, and More

Publications

Pathology of lesions in corals from the US Virgin Islands after emergence of stony coral tissue loss disease

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first documented in Florida in 2014 and has since spread through the Caribbean causing unprecedented mortality in more than 20 species of corals. The cause of SCTLD is unknown, but bacteria are suspected based on regression of gross lesions in some corals treated with antibiotics. Limited pathology studies on SCTLD exist, but it is likely that ‘SCTLD’ is
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Jeff Miller, Thomas Kelley, Aine C. Hawthorn, Tina Weatherby, Caroline Rogers

Ticks without borders: Microbiome of immature neotropical tick species parasitizing migratory songbirds along northern Gulf of Mexico

Introduction: The long-distance, seasonal migrations of birds make them an effective ecological bridge for the movement of ticks. The introduction of exotic tick species to new geographical regions can cause the emergence of novel tick-borne pathogens. This study examined the prevalence of exotic tick species parasitizing migratory songbirds at stopover sites along the northern Gulf of Mexico usin
Authors
Shahid Karim, Theodore J. Zenzal, Lorenza Beati, Raima Sen, Abdulsalam Adegoke, Deepak Kumar, Latoyia P. Downs, Mario Keko, Ashly Nussbaum, Daniel J. Becker, Frank R. Moore

Secondary contact erodes Pleistocene diversification in a wide-ranging freshwater mussel (Quadrula)

The isolated river drainages of eastern North America serve as a natural laboratory to investigate the roles of allopatry and secondary contact in the evolutionary trajectories of recently diverged lineages. Drainage divides facilitate allopatric speciation, but due to their sensitivity to climatic and geomorphological changes, neighboring rivers frequently coalesce, creating recurrent opportuniti
Authors
Sean M. Keogh, Nathan Johnson, Chase H. Smith, Bernard E. Sietman, Jeffrey T. Garner, Charles R. Randklev, Andrew M. Simons

Science

Burmese Python Environmental DNA (eDNA) Surveys in the Stormwater Treatment Areas and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed

USGS scientists have developed and optimized python-specific eDNA markers to detect Burmese pythons from water samples taken from the Florida Everglades. This development may aid in the identification of possible waterways used as corridors for northward expansion of this invasive species.
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Burmese Python Environmental DNA (eDNA) Surveys in the Stormwater Treatment Areas and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed

USGS scientists have developed and optimized python-specific eDNA markers to detect Burmese pythons from water samples taken from the Florida Everglades. This development may aid in the identification of possible waterways used as corridors for northward expansion of this invasive species.
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Developing an Oyster Metapopulation Model for Louisiana Estuaries to Assess Reef Connectivity, Recruitment, and Sustainability in support of Louisiana Monitoring and Adaptive Management Strategy

USGS and collaborators are co-producing integrated oceanographic and ecological modeling to support decision making in Louisiana estuaries.
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Developing an Oyster Metapopulation Model for Louisiana Estuaries to Assess Reef Connectivity, Recruitment, and Sustainability in support of Louisiana Monitoring and Adaptive Management Strategy

USGS and collaborators are co-producing integrated oceanographic and ecological modeling to support decision making in Louisiana estuaries.
Learn More

Vulnerability of Mole Skinks to Sea-Level Rise

Mole skinks that occur on Florida’s islands rely on sand beaches, beach berms, and dunes, making them particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge. USGS researchers predicted the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge on habitat for the Florida Keys mole skink ( Plestiodon egregius egregius ), the Cedar Key mole skink ( P. e. insularis ), and the Egmont Key mole skink (known from a...
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Vulnerability of Mole Skinks to Sea-Level Rise

Mole skinks that occur on Florida’s islands rely on sand beaches, beach berms, and dunes, making them particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge. USGS researchers predicted the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge on habitat for the Florida Keys mole skink ( Plestiodon egregius egregius ), the Cedar Key mole skink ( P. e. insularis ), and the Egmont Key mole skink (known from a...
Learn More
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