Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Species Biology
Research into life history, successful conservation, and recovery of threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act; trust species that are protected by law; sensitive species that are declining, rare, or uncommon and are identified as candidates for future listing consideration; and species of management concern that warrant management or conservation attention as identified by a natural resource management agency. This category includes a variety of species, including those that are considered at-risk, have economic or intrinsic value, or are overly abundant and therefore leading to management conflicts; biological systematics to understand the evolutionary interrelationships of living things, trying to interpret the way in which life has diversified and changed over time; and decision science, a collaborative approach involving mathematical formulae, business tactics, technological applications, and behavioral sciences to help management make data driven decisions.
Browse Species Biology science related to:
Quantitative Tools for the Urgent Recovery and Regulatory Needs of the Florida Bonneted Bat, Eumops floridanus
WARC researchers are organizing Florida bonneted bat echolocation recordings into a database to assess population trends and bat response to management actions.
A Multiscale Approach to Understanding Migratory Landbird Habitat Use of Functional Stopover Habitat Types and Management Efforts
USGS scientists are using a spatially-explicit Bayesian network model to predict the difference between energetic value and energetic demand for stopover habitats for migrating landbirds.
Adapting to Climate Change: Trends and Severe Storm Responses by Migratory Landbirds and Their Habitats
USGS scientists will be analyzing weather surveillance radar observations of birds departing stopover habitats to measure responses to climate change.
Using Occupancy Analysis to Understand Ecological and Environmental Stressors that Affect the Range and Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) in Louisiana Bayous
Sampling for Gulf Coast waterdogs is providing essential information to better understand the factors that impact the species' occupancy across Louisiana.
Effects of Saltwater Intrusion on Anuran Occupancy in Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas
WARC researchers sampled anuran populations at sites within Big Thicket National Preserve to explore saltwater intrusion on these populations.
Acoustic Monitoring for Two Rare Frog Species in Northwest Louisiana
WARC researchers are using automated recording units to monitor southern crawfish frogs and Strecker's chorus frogs in Louisiana.
Amphibian Research and Occupancy Modeling in the South-Central Region of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI)
In response to growing public concerns about this loss of biodiversity, the U.S. Congress funded the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), a national program coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Interaction of Environmental Stressors and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) Pathogen Loads on Survival of Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans)
The U.S. Geological Survey Amphibian Research Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is using a combination of swabbing, non-lethal tissue sampling, soil and water sampling, and collection of a variety of other environmental variables to determine the relationships between the prevalence and pathogen load of Bd infection and environmental stressors on green treefrog survival.
Diet and Reproductive Phenology in a Recently Established Population of Invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
WARC researchers are exploring relationships between body size, time of year, sex, and reproductive development to better understand the reproductive phenology of the New Orleans population of Cuban treefrogs compared to Florida populations.
Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) Research in Louisiana in Support of the Species Status Assessment and Listing Decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WARC researchers are investigating individual movement, growth, and population dynamics of alligator snapping turtles in a southwest Louisiana creek.
Capture-Mark-Recapture of Treefrogs at Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge
WARC researchers are gathering amphibian data to better understand the impact of natural disasters on treefrog populations and examine post-event processes.
Fine-Scale Dive Profiles and Activity Patterns of Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
Researchers are developing acceleration data logger pop-off packages that can be affixed to sea turtles to collect behavioral patterns of diving, surfacing, and general activity levels.