Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Hydrodynamic controls on sediment retention in an emerging diversion-fed delta
The morphodynamics of river-dominated deltas are largely controlled by the supply and retention of sediment within deltaic wetlands and the rate of relative sea-level rise. Yet, sediment budgets for deltas are often poorly constrained. In the Mississippi River Delta, a system rapidly losing land due to natural...
Keogh, Molly E.; Kolker, Alexander S.; Snedden, Gregg A.; Renfro, Alisha A. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in plasma of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous, synthetic anthropogenic chemicals known to infiltrate and persist in biological systems as a result of their stability and bioaccumulation potential. This study investigated 15 PFAS, including short-chain carboxylic and sulfonic acids, and their presence in a threatened herbivore...
Palmer, Kady; Bangma, Jacqueline T.; Reiner, Jessica L.; Bonde, Robert K.; Korte, Jeffrey E.; Boggs, Ashley S. P.; Bowden, John A. Research priorities for freshwater mussel conservation assessment
Freshwater mussels are declining globally, and effective conservation requires prioritizing research and actions to identify and mitigate threats impacting mussel species. Conservation priorities vary widely, ranging from preventing imminent extinction to maintaining abundant populations. Here, we develop a portfolio of priority research topics...
Ferreira-Rodríguez, Noé ; Akiyama, Yoshihiro B.; Aksenova, Olga V.; M. Christopher Barnhart; Bespalaya, Yulia V.; Bogan, Arthur E.; Bolotov, Ivan N; Budha, Prem B.; Clavijo, Cristhian; Clearwater, Susan J.; Darrigran, Gustavo; Tu Do, Van ; Douda, Karel ; Froufe, Elsa ; Gumpinger, Clemens ; Henrikson, Lennart ; Humphrey, Chris L. ; Johnson, Nathan A.; Klishko, Olga; Klunzinger, Michael W. ; Kovitvadhi, Satit ; Kovitvadhi, Uthaiwan ; Lajtner, Jasna ; Lopes-Lima, Manuel ; Moorkens, Evelyn A. ; Nagayama, Shigeya ; Nagel, Karl-Otto ; Nakano, Mitsunori ; Negishi, Junjiro N. ; Ondina, Paz ; Oulasvirta, Panu ; Prié, Vincent ; Riccardi, Nicoletta ; Rudzīte, Mudīte ; Sheldon, Fran ; Sousa, Ronaldo ; Strayer, David L.; Takeuchi, Motoi ; Taskinen, Jouni ; Teixeira, Amilcar ; Tiemann, Jeremy S.; Urbańska, Maria ; Varandas, Simone ; Vinarski, Maxim V. ; Wicklow, Barry J.; Zając, Tadeusz ; Vaughn, Caryn C.
Assessment of bird exposure to lead at Tyndall and Beale Air Force Bases, 2016–17
Soil contamination by lead (Pb) from past small munitions training on Beale Air Force Base, California, and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, may result in adverse effects for passerine birds that utilize the locations. A study was conducted during 2016-17 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S...
Bargar, Timothy A. Defensible standardized ploidy assessments for Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinidae) intercepted from the commercial supply chain
Although methods are in place through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) program for ploidy testing of feral caught Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), no guidelines exist for carp hauled across state lines. Using 1200 Grass Carp purchased by undercover Ohio law enforcement during 2015–2016, we...
Jenkins, Jill A.; Chauvin, Megan D.; Johnson, Darren; Brown, Bonnie L.; Bailey, Jennifer; Kelly, Anita M.; Kinter, Bryan T. Decision-making in agent-based modeling: A current review and future prospectus
All basic processes of ecological populations involve decisions; when and where to move, when and what to eat, and whether to fight or flee. Yet decisions and the underlying principles of decision-making have been difficult to integrate into the classical population-level models of ecology. Certainly, there is a long history of modeling...
DeAngelis, Donald L.; Diaz, Stephanie G. Morphology and genetics of Lythrum salicaria from latitudinal gradients of the Northern Hemisphere grown in cold and hot common gardens
The aim of this project was to compare the phenotypic responses of global populations of Lythrum salicaria in cold/dry and hot/humid environments to determine if phenotypic plasticity varied between the native and invasive ranges, and secondarily if this variation was linked to genetic diversity. Common garden studies were conducted in...
Middleton, Beth A.; Travis, Steven E.; Kubátová, Barbora; Johnson, Darren; Edwards, Keith R. Patterning emergent marsh vegetation assemblages in coastal Louisiana, USA, with unsupervised artificial neural networks
QuestionAre self‐organizing maps (SOMs) useful for patterning coastal wetland vegetation communities? Do SOMs provide robust alternatives to traditional classification methods, particularly when underlying species response functions are unknown or difficult to approximate, or when a need exists to continuously classify new samples obtained under...
Snedden, Gregg A. Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands: Inter-nesting and foraging period movements and migrations
To conserve imperiled marine species, an understanding of high-density use zones is necessary prior to designing and evaluating management strategies that improve their survival. We satellite-tracked turtles captured after nesting at Buck Island ReefNational Monument (BIRNM), St. Croix, US...
Hart, Kristen M.; Iverson, Autumn; Benscoter, Allison; Fujisaki, Ikuko; Cherkiss, Michael S.; Pollock, Clayton; Lundgren, Ian; Hillis-Starr, Zandy Energetic constraints and the paradox of a diffusing population in a heterogeneous environment
Previous mathematical analyses have shown that, for certain parameter ranges, a population, described by logistic equations on a set of connected patches, and diffusing among them, can reach a higher equilibrium total population when the local carrying capacities are heterogeneously distributed across patches, than when carrying capacities having...
Wang, Yuanshi; DeAngelis, Donald L. Stable isotope analysis enhances our understanding of diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin foraging ecology
Dietary studies on generalist predators may provide valuable information on spatial or temporal changes in the structure of ecological communities. We initiated this study to provide baseline data and determine the utility of stable isotope analysis (SIA) to evaluate the foraging strategies of an opportunistic reptilian predator, the diamondback...
Denton, Mathew J.; Demopoulos, Amanda W.J.; Baldwin, John D.; Smith, Brian; Hart, Kristen M. Carbon storage potential in a recently created brackish marsh in eastern North Carolina, USA
Carbon (C) sequestration through accumulated plant biomass and storage in soils can potentially make wetland ecosystems net C sinks. Here, we collected GHG flux, plant biomass, and litter decomposition data from three distinct vegetation zones (Spartinaalterniflora, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina patens) on a 7-...
Shiau, Yo-Jin; Burchell, Michael R.; Krauss, Ken W.; Broome, Stephen W.; Birgand, Francois