Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Aboveground carbon stocks across a hydrological gradient: Ghost forests to non-tidal freshwater forested wetlands Aboveground carbon stocks across a hydrological gradient: Ghost forests to non-tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Upper estuarine forested wetlands (UEFWs) play an important role in the sequestration of atmospheric carbon (C), which is facilitated by their position at the boundary of terrestrial and maritime environments but threatened by sea level rise. This study assessed the change in aboveground C stocks along the estuarine–riverine hydrogeomorphic gradient spanning salt-impacted freshwater...
Authors
Christopher J. Shipway, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Ken Krauss, Gregory E. Noe, Stefanie L. Whitmire
Ecological function maintained despite mesomammal declines Ecological function maintained despite mesomammal declines
Mid-sized mammals (i.e., mesomammals) fulfill important ecological roles, serving as essential scavengers, predators, pollinators, and seed dispersers in the ecosystems they inhabit. Consequently, declines in mesomammal populations have the potential to alter ecological processes and fundamentally change ecosystems. However, ecosystems characterized by high functional redundancy, where...
Authors
Rebecca K. McKee, Paul J. Taillie, Kristen Hart, Christopher L. Lopez, Adam Sanjar, Robert A. McCleery
Vulnerability of endemic insular mole skinks to sea-level rise Vulnerability of endemic insular mole skinks to sea-level rise
Although coastal islands are home to many endemic species, they are also at risk of inundation from storm surge and sea level rise. Three subspecies of mole skink (Plestiodon egregius egregius, P. e. insularis, and the Egmont Key Mole Skink known from a single occurrence) occur on a small number of islands off the Gulf Coast of Florida, USA. We used the most recent sea level rise...
Authors
Erin L. Koen, William Barichivich, Susan Walls
Community for Data Integration 2020 project report Community for Data Integration 2020 project report
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 12 projects funded in fiscal year 2020, outlining their goals, activities, and accomplishments.
Authors
Leslie Hsu, Emily G. Chapin, Theodore B. Barnhart, Amanda E. Cravens, Richard A. Erickson, Jason Ferrante, Aaron Fox, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Margaret Hunter, Katharine Kolb, Jared R. Peacock, Matthew D. Petkewich, Sasha C. Reed, Terry Sohl, Tanja N. Williamson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Fort Collins Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
DNA-based studies and genetic diversity indicator assessments are complementary approaches to conserving evolutionary potential DNA-based studies and genetic diversity indicator assessments are complementary approaches to conserving evolutionary potential
Genetic diversity is essential for maintaining healthy populations and ecosystems. Several approaches have recently been developed to evaluate population genetic trends without necessarily collecting new genetic data. Such “genetic diversity indicators” enable rapid, large-scale evaluation across dozens to thousands of species. Empirical genetic studies, when available, provide detailed
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Robyn E. Shaw, Luis Castillo-Reina, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Robert Ekblom, Ancuta Fedorca, Brenna R. Forester, W. Chris Funk, Julia C. Geue, Myriam Heuertz, Peter M. Hollingsworth, Alice C. Hughes, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Belma Kalamujic Stroil, Francine Kershaw, Colin K. Khoury, Viktoria Koppa, Linda Laikre, Anna J. MacDonald, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Mariah H. Meek, Joachim Mergeay, Katie L. Millette, David O'Brien, Victor J. Rincon-Parra, M. Alejandra Rodriguez-Morales, Meredith C. Schuman, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Rebecca S. Taylor, Henrik Thurfjell, Cristiano Vernesi, Catherine E. Grueber
A conterminous United States–Wide validation of relative tidal elevation products A conterminous United States–Wide validation of relative tidal elevation products
Recent large-scale spatial products have been developed to assess wetland position in the tidal frame, but nationwide comparisons and validations are missing for these products. Wetland position within the tidal frame is a commonly used characteristic to compare wetlands across biogeomorphic gradients and factors heavily into wetland vulnerability models. We utilize a dataset of 365...
Authors
Justine Annaliese Neville, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James Grace, Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu
Projected changes in mangrove distribution and vegetation structure under climate change in the southeastern United States Projected changes in mangrove distribution and vegetation structure under climate change in the southeastern United States
Aim The climate change-induced transition from grass-dominated marshes to woody-plant-dominated mangrove forests has the potential to impact the ecosystem goods and services provided by coastal wetlands. To better anticipate and prepare for these impacts, there is a need to advance understanding of future changes in mangrove distribution and coastal wetland vegetation structural...
Authors
Remi Bardou, Michael Osland, Jahson B. Alemu I, Laura Colleen Feher, David P. Harlan, Steven B. Scyphers, Christine C. Shepard, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Jill E. Andrew, A. Randall Hughes
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
Introduction National parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a...
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Asynchronous movement patterns between breeding and stopover locations in a long-distance migratory songbird Asynchronous movement patterns between breeding and stopover locations in a long-distance migratory songbird
The species-specific migratory patterns and strategies of many songbirds remain unknown or understudied, as research in animal ecology is biased toward the breeding period, with the fewest studies on the migratory period across taxa. Identifying large-scale spatiotemporal migratory patterns is challenging, as individuals within a species may vary in their migratory behavior and...
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Andrea Contina, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Leanne K. Kuwahara, Daniel C. Allen, Kristen M. Covino
Modeling the effects of spatial distribution on dynamics of an invading Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake population Modeling the effects of spatial distribution on dynamics of an invading Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake population
To predict the potential success of an invading non-native species, it is important to understand its dynamics and interactions with native species in the early stages of its invasion. In spatially implicit models, mathematical stability criteria are commonly used to predict whether an invading population grows in number in an early time period. But spatial context is important for real...
Authors
Yuanming Lu, Junfei Xia, Robert D. Holt, Don DeAngelis
Feedbacks: A new synthesis of causal loops across ecology Feedbacks: A new synthesis of causal loops across ecology
Feedbacks are the basic linkages of living systems. In organisms, they regulate the processes of growth and homeostasis, as well as their interactions with their world. Feedback, which Judson (1980) called ‘one of the chief themes of scientific understanding,' is equally important in ecological systems. The ecological literature is rich in papers dealing with the role of feedback in...
Authors
Donald L. DeAngelis, Linhao Xu
Stability concepts in ecology Stability concepts in ecology
The term stability, as applied to ecological systems, whether populations, communities, or ecosystems, means the tendency either to stay either close to some initial state, or to stay within certain bounds, or to persist in the face of environmental disturbances or changes. Here, a historical overview of stability concepts in ecology is outlined and measures of stability are discussed...
Authors
Donald L. DeAngelis, Linhao Xu