Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Genetic Characterization of Non-Native African Jewelfish, Hemichromis letourneuxi Sauvage 1880, in Florida
The African Jewelfish, Hemichromis letourneuxi, is an invasive, predatory cichlid fish introduced at least once to Florida. Its native range is in northern Africa. First encountered in Miami in the 1960s, it has since been found west and north within the State of Florida. It thrives in a wide range of aquatic habitats, including shallow,...
Belfiore, Natalia M.; Schofield, Pamela J. Asymptotic population abundance of a two-patch system with asymmetric diffusion
This paper considers a two-patch system with asymmetric diffusion rates, in which exploitable resources are included. By using dynamical system theory, we exclude periodic solution in the one-patch subsystem and demonstrate its global dynamics. Then we exhibit uniform persistence of the two-patch system and demonstrate uniqueness of the positive...
Fang, Mengting; Wang, Yuanshi; Chen, Mingshu; DeAngelis, Donald L. Targeting wildlife crime interventions through geographic profiling
Seeing an animal hanging lifelessly from a snare is a heart-wrenching experience. Knowing that most animals caught in snares are left to rot without being used for meat or any other purpose might be worse. Over an eight-year period, 2001–2009, we recorded 10,231 incidents of illegal hunting in a wildlife conservation area in southeastern Zimbabwe...
Romanach, Stephanie; Faulkner, Sally C.; Stevens, Michael C.A.; Lindsey, Peter A.; Le Comber, Steven C. Climatic controls on the distribution of foundation plant species in coastal wetlands of the conterminous United States: Knowledge gaps and emerging research needs
Foundation plant species play a critical role in coastal wetlands, often modifying abiotic conditions that are too stressful for most organisms and providing the primary habitat features that support entire ecological communities. Here, we consider the influence of climatic drivers on the distribution of foundation plant species within coastal...
Osland, Michael; Grace, James; Guntenspergen, Glenn; Thorne, Karen; Carr, Joel; Feher, Laura Plant community establishment in a coastal marsh restored using sediment additions
A goal of wetland restoration is the establishment of resilient plant communities that persist under a variety of environmental conditions. We investigated the role of intraspecific and interspecific variation on plant community establishment in a brackish marsh that had been restored by sediment addition. Plant growth, sediment accretion, and...
Howard, Rebecca; Rafferty, Patricia S.; Johnson, Darren J. Fire disturbance influences endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammopiza maritima mirabilis) relative bird count
Periodicity of fire disturbance is a known driver of ecosystem function and is reported as important in both promoting and maintaining viable breeding habitat for the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis; CSSS). In south Florida, the CSSS serves as a fine‐scale indicator of the marl and mixed‐marl prairie communities...
Benscoter, Allison; Beerens, James (Contractor); Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Romanach, Stephanie Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review
Background Many mangrove ecosystems are periodically exposed to high velocity winds and surge from tropical cyclones and often recover with time and continue to provide numerous societal benefits in the wake of storm events. Scope This review focuses on the drivers and disturbance mechanisms (visible and functional) that tropical cyclones of...
Krauss, Ken; Osland, Michael
Catalog of microscopic organisms of the Everglades, part 2—The desmids of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (refuge), Boynton Beach, Florida, contains approximately 147,000 acres southeast of Lake Okeechobee. Water quality in the interior portion of the refuge is strongly influenced by rainfall, resulting in slightly acidic waters with low dissolved ions. Desmids, a unique, ornate group of...
Rosen, Barry H.; Stahlhut, Katherine N.; Hall, John D. Standardizing a non-lethal method for characterizing the reproductive status and larval development of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida)
Actively monitoring the timing, development, and reproductive patterns of endangered species is critical when managing for population recovery. Freshwater mussels are among the most imperiled organisms in the world, but information about early larval (glochidial) development and brooding periods is still lacking for many species. Previous studies...
Beaver, Caitlin; Geda, Susan; Johnson, Nathan Wetland biomass and productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base line data (1976-2015) and knowledge gaps for the development of spatially explicit models for ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation initiatives
Coastal Louisiana host 37% of the coastal wetland area in the conterminous US, including one of the deltaic coastal regions more susceptible to the synergy of human and natural impacts causing wetland loss. As a result of the construction of flood protection infrastructure, dredging of channels across wetlands for oil/gas exploration and maritime...
Rivera-Monroy, Victor H.; Elliton, Courtney; Narra, Siddhartha; Meselhe, Ehab; Zhao, Xiaochen; White, Eric; Sasser, Charles E.; Visser, Jenneke M.; Meng, X.; Wang, Hongqing; Xue, Zuo; Jaramillo, Fernando Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of nonnative bullseye snakehead in southern Florida
Bullseye Snakehead Channa marulius (Hamilton 1822) was first detected in the southern Florida town of Tamarac in 2000 and has been expanding its geographic range since. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a newly-developed technique used to noninvasively detect cryptic or low-density species or those that are logistically difficult-to-study....
Hunter, Margaret; Schofield, Pam; Meigs-Friend, Gaia; Brown, Mary; Ferrante, Jason Hemidactylus parvimaculatus (Sri Lankan spotted house gecko)
USA: LOUISIANA: PLAQUEMINES PARISH: 0.15 km S of the intersection of LA-23 and Jump road, Venice (29.266630°N, 89.35570°W; WGS 84). 2 May 2019. V. C. Montross and W. McGighan. Verified by Aaron M. Bauer. Florida Museum of Natural History (UF 189238; photo voucher). New parish record. On 2 May 2019, three Hemidactylus parvimaculatus were...
Pellacchia, C. M.; Glorioso, Brad M.; Mendyk, R. W.; Collen, C. A.; Montross, V. C.; McGighan, W.; Macedo, K.; Maldonado, B. R.; Morenc, I. N.