Publications
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A pragmatic approach for integrating molecular tools into biodiversity conservation
Molecular tools are increasingly applied for assessing and monitoring biodiversity and informing conservation action. While recent developments in genetic and genomic methods provide greater sensitivity in analysis and the capacity to address new questions, they are not equally available to all practitioners: There is considerable bias across institutions and countries in access to technologies, f
Authors
Laura D. Bertola, Anna Brüniche-Olsen, Francine Kershaw, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Anna J. MacDonald, Paul Sunnucks, Michael W. Bruford, Carlos Daniel Cadena, Kyle M. Ewart, Mark de Bruyn, Mark D. B. Eldridge, Richard Frankham, Juan M. Guayasamin, Catherine E. Grueber, Thierry B. Hoareau, Sean M. Hoban, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Margaret Hunter, Antoinette Kotze, Josiah Kuja, Robert C. Lacy, Linda Laikre, Nathan C. Loecker, Mariah H. Meek, Joachim Mergeay, Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Linda E. Neaves, David O´Brien, Joel W. Ochieng, Rob Ogden, Pablo Orozco-terWengel, Mónica Páez-Vacas, Jennifer Pierson, Katherine Ralls, Robyn E. Shaw, Etotépé A. Sogbohossou, Adam Stow, Tammy Steeves, Cristiano Vernesi, Mrinalini Watsa, Gernot Segelbacher
A Buteo sp. hawk predates a hummingbird (Trochilidae) during autumn migration
Predation can play a significant role on survival during migration as birds find themselves competing for resources in unfamiliar habitats. Here we describe the first documented observation of a Buteo platypterus (Broad-winged Hawk) predating an Archilochus colubris (Ruby-throated Hummingbird) during autumn migration. To our knowledge, this is the first documented record of any Buteo sp. hawk pred
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Emily J. Lain
Assessing microplastics contamination in unviable loggerhead sea turtle eggs
Sea turtles, in comparison with marine mammals, sea birds, and fishes, are the most affected by microplastics in terms of number of individuals impacted and concentration within each organism. The ubiquitous nature and persistence of microplastics in the environment further compromises sea turtles as many species are currently vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. The objective of this
Authors
Lindsay F. Curl, Samantha A. Hurst, Christopher M. Pomory, Margaret Lamont, Alexis M. Janosik
A new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients
Bioassessment of complex and heterogeneous ecosystems is a challenge when there are multiple, strong, natural environmental gradients; unknown, or spatially varying, mixtures of stressors; and large numbers of taxa with unknown responses to both the environmental gradients and the stressors. Current methods of bioassessment are not designed for use under this set of constraints. To address this ga
Authors
Donald Schoolmaster, Valerie A. Partridge
Elevated temperature and nutrients lead to increased N2O emissions from salt marsh soils from cold and warm climates
Salt marshes can attenuate nutrient pollution and store large amounts of ‘blue carbon’ in their soils, however, the value of sequestered carbon may be partially offset by nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Global climate and land use changes result in higher temperatures and inputs of reactive nitrogen (Nr) into coastal zones. Here, we investigated the combined effects of elevated temperature (ambient
Authors
Sophie A. Comer-Warner, Sami Ullah, Arunabha Dey, Camille Stagg, Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Fotis Sgouridis, Stefan Krause, Gail L. Chmura
Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity
Managing invasive species with prevention and early-detection strategies can avert severe ecological and economic impacts. Horizon scanning, an evidence-based process combining risk screening and consensus building to identify threats, has become a valuable tool for prioritizing invasive species management and prevention. We assembled a working group of experts from academic, government, and nonpr
Authors
Deah Lieurance, Susan Canavan, Donald C. Behringer, Amy E. Kendig, Carey R. Minteer, Lindsey S. Reisinger, Christina M. Romagosa, S. Luke Flory, Julie L. Lockwood, Patti J. Anderson, Shirley M. Baker, Jamie Bojko, Kristen E. Bowers, Kim Canavan, Kelly Carruthers, Wesley Daniel, Doria R. Gordon, Jeffrey E. Hill, Jennifer G. Howeth, Basil V. Iannone, Lucas Jennings, Lyn A. Gettys, Eutychus M. Kariuki, John M. Kunzer, H. Dail Laughinghouse, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Sara McCann, Tolulope Morawo, Cayla Morningstar, Matthew Neilson, Tabitha Petri, Ian Pfingsten, Robert Reed, Linda J. Walters, Christian Wanamaker
Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the greatest future threats to mangrove forests. Mangroves have kept up with or paced past SLR by maintaining their forest floor elevation relative to sea level through root growth, sedimentation, and peat development. Monitoring surface elevation change (SEC) or accretion rates allows us to understand mangrove response to SLR and prioritizes resilient ecosystems for
Authors
Richard A. MacKenzie, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Eugene Eperiam, Jan van Aardt, Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Jessica Grow, J. Val Klump
Ecological benefits of integrative weed management of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Big Cypress National Preserve
The southern tip of North America coalesces into one of the world’s largest freshwater wetlands, the Everglades, Florida, USA. Though this region is much like an island, home to high biodiversity and endemism, it is also the site of a century of development and associated landscape-scale species invasions. Melaleuca quinquenervia (hereafter melaleuca), a tree native to tropical Australia, was plan
Authors
Melissa C. Smith, Paul Julien, Don DeAngelis, Bo Zhang
Bobcat occupancy, tree islands, and invasive Burmese pythons in an Everglades conservation area
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are terrestrial mammals that also inhabit tree islands (i.e., topographically elevated patches of forested land) embedded in the subtropical Everglades wetlands, which serve as a dry refuge habitat during the wet season in this region of Florida, USA. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan seeks to restore Everglades water flow to pre-drainage conditions, but little is
Authors
Katherine M. Buckman, Laura D'Acunto, Stephanie Romanach, Rachel M. Taylor, Nathan J. Dorn
America's most wanted fishes: Cataloging risk assessments to prioritize invasive species for management action
Hundreds of fish species enter the United States through human intervention (e.g., importation) and some of these fishes pose a substantial risk to the nation’s assets and ecosystems. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response (EDRR) are vital to stop species invasions, but time and resources to manage the large suite of fish species that enter the nation are limited. Evaluating the risk of a
Authors
Emily M. Dean, Audrey Jordon, Aimee Christine Agnew, Nicole D Hernandez, Cayla Morningstar, Matthew Neilson, Sara Elizabeth Piccolomini, Brian Reichert, Amy Kristine Wray, Wesley Daniel
A minimally invasive, field-applicable CRISPR/Cas biosensor to aid in the detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative fungal agent of white-nose syndrome in bats
The accessibility to CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein) genetic tools has given rise to applications beyond site-directed genome editing for the detection of DNA and RNA. These tools include precise diagnostic detection of human disease pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus. Despite the technology being rapid and cost-effective,
Authors
Adam Alberto Perez, Abigail Tobin, John V. Stechly, Jason Ferrante, Margaret Hunter
Mapping high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Coastal wetlands are predicted to undergo extensive transformation due to climate and land use change. Baseline maps of coastal wetlands can be used to help assess changes. Found in the upper portion of the estuarine zone, high marsh and salt pannes/flats provide ecosystem goods and services and are particularly important to fish and wildlife. We developed the first map of high marsh and salt pann
Authors
Nicholas Enwright, Wyatt Charles Cheney, Kristine O. Evans, Hana R. Thurman, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Jena A. Moon, Heather E. Levy, James A. Cox, Peter J. Kappes, John A. Nyman, Jonathan L. Pitchford