Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3510
Response and resilience of Spartina alterniflora to sudden dieback Response and resilience of Spartina alterniflora to sudden dieback
We measured an array of biophysical and spectral variables to evaluate the response and recovery of Spartina alterniflora to a sudden dieback event in spring and summer 2004 within a low marsh in coastal Virginia, USA. S. alterniflora is a foundation species, whose loss decreases ecosystem services and potentiates ecosystem state change. Long-term records of the potential environmental...
Authors
Amanda Marsh, Linda K. Blum, Robert R. Christian, Elijah W. Ramsey, Amina Rangoonwala
Do the rich get richer? Varying effects of tree species identity and diversity on the richness of understory taxa Do the rich get richer? Varying effects of tree species identity and diversity on the richness of understory taxa
Understory herbs and soil invertebrates play key roles in soil formation and nutrient cycling in forests. Studies suggest that diversity in the canopy and in the understory are positively associated, but these studies often confound the effects of tree species diversity with those of tree species identity and abiotic conditions. We combined extensive field sampling with structural...
Authors
Juilette Champagne, C. E. Timothy Paine, Donald Schoolmaster, Robert Stejskal, Daniel Volarik, Jan Šebesta, Filip Trnka, Tomas Koutecky, Petr Svarc, Martin Svatek, Andy Hector, Radim Matula
Evaluating water management scenarios to support habitat management for the Cape Sable seaside sparrow Evaluating water management scenarios to support habitat management for the Cape Sable seaside sparrow
The endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis) is endemic to south Florida and a key indicator species of marl prairie, a highly diverse freshwater community in the Florida Everglades. Maintenance and creation of suitable habitat is seen as the most important pathway to the persistence of the six existing sparrow subpopulations; however, major uncertainties...
Authors
James M. Beerens, Stephanie S. Romañach, Mark McKelvy
State-dependent resource harvesting with lagged information about system states State-dependent resource harvesting with lagged information about system states
Markov decision processes (MDPs), which involve a temporal sequence of actions conditioned on the state of the managed system, are increasingly being applied in natural resource management. This study focuses on the modification of a traditional MDP to account for those cases in which an action must be chosen after a significant time lag in observing system state, but just prior to a new
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Paul L. Fackler, G Scott Boomer, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Byron K. Williams, James D. Nichols, Robert Dorazio
A new genus and species of blind sleeper (Teleostei: Eleotridae) from Oaxaca, Mexico: First obligate cave gobiiform in the Western Hemisphere A new genus and species of blind sleeper (Teleostei: Eleotridae) from Oaxaca, Mexico: First obligate cave gobiiform in the Western Hemisphere
Caecieleotris morrisi, new genus and species of sleeper (family Eleotridae), is described from a submerged freshwater cave in a karst region of the northern portion of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, Río Papaloapan drainage, Gulf of Mexico basin. The new species represents the first cave-adapted sleeper known from the Western Hemisphere and is one of only 13 stygobitic gobiiforms known...
Authors
Stephen J. Walsh, Prosanta Chakrabarty
Head-started Kemp’s ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) nest recorded in Florida: Possible implications Head-started Kemp’s ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) nest recorded in Florida: Possible implications
A head-started Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) was documented nesting on South Walton Beach, Florida on 25 May 2015. This record supports the possibility that exposure to Florida waters after being held in captivity through 1–3 yrs of age during the head-starting process may have influenced future nest site selection of this and perhaps other Kemp’s ridley turtles. Such...
Authors
Donna J. Shaver, Margaret M. Lamont, Sharon Maxwell, Jennifer Shelby Walker, Ted Dillingham
Physiology of the invasive apple snail Pomacea maculata: tolerance to low temperatures Physiology of the invasive apple snail Pomacea maculata: tolerance to low temperatures
Apple snails of the genus Pomacea native to South America have invaded and become established in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Both the channeled apple snail Pomacea canaliculata and the island apple snail Pomacea maculata have been reported in the United States. The two species are difficult to distinguish using morphological characters, leading to uncertainty about the identity...
Authors
Lewis E. Deaton, William Schmidt, Brody Leblanc, Jacoby Carter, Kristy Mueck, Sergio Merino
Disease prevalence and snail predation associated with swell-generated damage on the threatened coral, Acropora palmata (Lamarck) Disease prevalence and snail predation associated with swell-generated damage on the threatened coral, Acropora palmata (Lamarck)
Disturbances such as tropical storms cause coral mortality and reduce coral cover as a direct result of physical damage. Storms can be one of the most important disturbances in coral reef ecosystems, and it is crucial to understand their long-term impacts on coral populations. The primary objective of this study was to determine trends in disease prevalence and snail predation on damaged...
Authors
Allan J. Bright, Caroline S. Rogers, Marilyn E. Brandt, Erinn Muller, Tyler B. Smith
INVASIVESNET towards an International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species INVASIVESNET towards an International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species
In a world where invasive alien species (IAS) are recognised as one of the major threats to biodiversity, leading scientists from five continents have come together to propose the concept of developing an international association for open knowledge and open data on IAS—termed “INVASIVESNET”. This new association will facilitate greater understanding and improved management of invasive...
Authors
Frances Lucy, Helen Roy, Annie Simpson, James T. Carlton, John Mark Hanson, Kit Magellan, Marnie L. Campbell, Mark John Costello, Shyama Pagad, Chad L Hewitt, Justin McDonald, Phillip Cassey, Sidinei M Thomaz, Stelios Katsanevakis, Argyro Zenetos, Elena Tricarico, Angela Boggero, Quentin J. Groom, Tim Adriaens, Sonia Vanderhoeven, Mark E. Torchin, Ruth A. Hufbauer, Pam Fuller, Mary R Carman, David Bruce Conn, Jean R. S. Vitule, Joao Canning-Clode, Bella S Galil, Henn Ojaveer, Sarah A Bailey, Thomas W Therriault, Renata Claudi, Anna Gazda, Jaimie T A Dick, Joe Caffrey, Arne Witt, Marc Kenis, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Harry Helmisaari, Vadim E Panov
Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps
The recent discovery of active methane venting along the US northern and mid-Atlantic margin represents a new source of global methane not previously accounted for in carbon budgets from this region. However, uncertainty remains as to the origin and history of methane seepage along this tectonically inactive passive margin. Here we present the first isotopic analyses of authigenic...
Authors
Nancy G. Prouty, Diana Sahy, Carolyn D. Ruppel, E. Brendan Roark, Dan Condon, Sandra Brooke, Steve W. Ross, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos
Small but tough: What can ecophysiology of croaking gourami Trichopsis vittatus (Cuvier 1831) tell us about invasiveness of non-native fishes in Florida? Small but tough: What can ecophysiology of croaking gourami Trichopsis vittatus (Cuvier 1831) tell us about invasiveness of non-native fishes in Florida?
Trichopsis vittata (Cuvier, 1831) is a small, freshwater gourami (Fam: Osphronemidae) native to southeast Asia. It was first detected in Florida in the 1970s and seems to have persisted for decades in a small area. In this study, we documented T. vittata’s ecophysiological tolerances (salinity and low-temperature) and qualitatively compared them to published values for other sympatric...
Authors
Pamela J. Schofield, Jessica Schulte
Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio-temporal perspective Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio-temporal perspective
Somatic growth dynamics are an integrated response to environmental conditions. Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are long-lived, major consumers in coral reef habitats that move over broad geographic areas (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). We evaluated spatio-temporal effects on hawksbill growth dynamics over a 33-yr period and 24 study sites throughout the West...
Authors
Karen A. Bjorndal, Milani Chaloupka, Vincent S. Saba, Carlos E. Diez, Robert P. van Dam, Barry H. Krueger, Julia A. Horrocks, Armando J.B. Santos, Claudio Bellini, Maria A.G. Marcovaldi, Mabel Nava, Sue Willis, Brendan J. Godley, Shannon Gore, Lucy A. Hawkes, Andrew McGowan, Matthew J. Witt, Thomas B. Stringell, Amdeep Sanghera, Peter B. Richardson, Annette C. Broderick, Quinton Phillips, Marta C. Calosso, John A.B. Claydon, Janice Blumenthal, Felix Moncada, Gonzalo Nodarse, Yosvani Medina, Stephen G. Dunbar, Lawrence D. Wood, Cynthia J. Lagueux, Cathi L. Campbell, Anne B. Meylan, Peter A. Meylan, Virginia R. Burns Perez, Robin A. Coleman, Samantha Strindberg, Vicente Guzman-H, Kristen M. Hart, Michael S. Cherkiss, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Ian Lundgren, Ralf H. Boulon, Stephen Connett, Mark E. Outerbridge, Alan B. Bolten