Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3505
Climate change Climate change
Amphibian ecology and distribution are strongly correlated with climate. Regional patterns of amphibian biodiversity are intimately linked to temperature, evapotranspiration rate, and clines in humidity. While amphibians are and will continue to be adversely affected by recent and projected changes in climate, research suggests that adaptation may happen more slowly than the expected...
Authors
David Bickford, Guinevere O.U. Wogan, Deanna H. Olson, K.S. Seshadri, Mark C. Urban, Ana Carnaval, John Measey, Jodi J.L. Rowley, Sean Rovito, Rudolf von May, Susan Walls
Realizing the potential of eDNA biodiversity monitoring tools in the marine environment with application to offshore renewable energy Realizing the potential of eDNA biodiversity monitoring tools in the marine environment with application to offshore renewable energy
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researches the biological diversity and distribution of species to support management, conservation, and resource use decisions. USGS scientists advance detection and monitoring technologies to assess changes in fish and wildlife populations, biodiversity, and the health of ecosystems. The United States is planning to install 30 gigawatts of offshore...
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Cheryl Morrison, Margaret Hunter, Mona Khalil
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Gulf of America
Deep vs shallow: GPS tags reveal a dichotomy in movement patterns of loggerhead turtles foraging in a coastal bay Deep vs shallow: GPS tags reveal a dichotomy in movement patterns of loggerhead turtles foraging in a coastal bay
Background Individual variation in movement strategies of foraging loggerhead turtles have been documented on the scale of tens to hundreds of kilometers within single ocean basins. Use of different strategies among individuals may reflect variations in resources, predation pressure or competition. It is less common for individual turtles to use different foraging strategies on the scale...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Daniel Slone, James P. Reid, Susan M. Butler, Joseph A. Alday
Best practices for genetic and genomic data archiving Best practices for genetic and genomic data archiving
Genetic and genomic data are collected for a vast array of scientific and applied purposes. Despite mandates for public archiving, data are typically used only by the generating authors. The reuse of genetic and genomic datasets remains uncommon because it is difficult, if not impossible, due to non-standard archiving practices and lack of contextual metadata. But as the new field of...
Authors
Deborah M. Leigh, Amy G. Vandergast, Margaret Hunter, Eric D. Crandall, W. Chris Funk, Colin J Garroway, Sean M. Hoban, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Christian Rellstab, Gernot Segelbacher, Chloe Schmidt, Ella Vazquez-Dominguez, Ivan Paz-Vinas
Environmental DNA Environmental DNA
The widespread adoption of environmental DNA (eDNA) detection tools for biodiversity monitoring has led to the need for universal data standards to inform principled eDNA data applications. Improvements in understanding the meaning and possible uncertainty of eDNA data can minimize erroneous conclusions, increase confidence in eDNA data, and maximize conservation outcomes. -Environmental...
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Kristian Meissner, Catherine Abbott, Florien Leese, Gernot Segelbacher
Multinational evaluation of genetic diversity indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Multinational evaluation of genetic diversity indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
Under the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 196 Parties committed to reporting the status of genetic diversity for all species. To facilitate reporting, three genetic diversity indicators were developed, two of which focus on processes contributing to genetic diversity conservation: maintaining genetically distinct populations and ensuring populations are...
Authors
Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Jessica M. da Silva, Catherine E. Grueber, Luis Castillo-Reina, Viktoria Koppa, Brenna R. Forester, W. Chris Funk, Myriam Heuertz, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Joachim Mergeay, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Victor Julio Rincon-Parra, Maria Alejandra Rodriguez-Morales, Libertad Arredondo-Amezcua, Gaelle Brahy, Matt DeSaix, Lily Durkee, Ashley Hamilton, Margaret E. Hunter, Austin Koontz, Iris Lang, Maria Camila Latorre-Cardenas, Tanya Latty, Alexander Llanes-Quevedo, Anna J. MacDonald, Meg Mahoney, Caitlin Miller, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Santiago Ramirez-Barahona, Erica Robertson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Metztli Arcila Santiago, Robyn E. Shaw, Glenn M. Shea, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Emma Suzuki Spence, Taylor Stack, Sofia Suarez, Akio Takenaka, Henrik Thurfjell, Sheela P. Turbek, Marlien van der Merwe, Fleur Visser, Ana Wegier, Georgina Wood, Eugenia Zarza, Linda Laikre, Sean M. Hoban
Zebra and Quagga mussels in the United States—Dreissenid mussel research by the U.S. Geological Survey Zebra and Quagga mussels in the United States—Dreissenid mussel research by the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers high-quality data, technologies, and decision-support tools to help managers both reduce existing populations and control the spread of dreissenid mussels. The USGS researches ecology, biology, risk assessment, and early detection and rapid response methods; provides decision support; and develops and tests control measures.
Authors
Cayla R. Morningstar, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Michael E. Colvin, Timothy D. Counihan, Wesley M. Daniel, Peter C. Esselman, Cathy A. Richter, Adam Sepulveda, Diane L. Waller
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Restoring blue carbon ecosystems Restoring blue carbon ecosystems
Mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses have experienced extensive historical reduction in extent due to direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic land use change. Habitat loss has contributed carbon emissions and led to foregone opportunities for carbon sequestration, which are disproportionately large due to high ‘blue carbon’ stocks and sequestration rates in these coastal...
Authors
Daniel A. Friess, Zoe I. Shribman, Milica Stankovic, Naima Iram, Melissa Millman Baustian, Carolyn J. Ewers Lewis
Final report to the Gulf Coast Joint Venture: Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern Final report to the Gulf Coast Joint Venture: Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern
Many bird species are of conservation concern across the Northern Gulf of Mexico from stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss due to directional environmental change (e.g., increased sea-level rise and storm frequency and intensity, human infrastructure, changes in land use). Consequently, managers need decision-support tools that can help to answer important...
Authors
James P. Cronin, William Vermillion, Barry C Wilson
A new era of genetic diversity conservation through novel tools and accessible data A new era of genetic diversity conservation through novel tools and accessible data
As the foundation of biodiversity, genetic diversity is necessary for species to adapt to ecological changes, such as impacts from disease, invasive species, and climate change. Genetic diversity also supports ecosystem resilience and societal innovations. Unfortunately, declines in genetic diversity have been frequently observed in populations of wild and domestic species. Yet the field...
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Jessica M. da Silva, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Sean M. Hoban
Coastal breeding bird phenology on the dredged-material islands of the Baptiste Collette Bayou, US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, Louisiana Coastal breeding bird phenology on the dredged-material islands of the Baptiste Collette Bayou, US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, Louisiana
Coastal bird populations in North America have experienced significant population declines over the past four decades, and many species have become dependent upon human-made islands and other sediment-based habitats created through dredged material deposition. We monitored the breeding phenology of coastal bird populations utilizing dredged-material islands and open depositional areas in...
Authors
Michael P. Guilfoyle, Amanda Nicole Anderson, Samuel S. Jackson, Jacob F. Jung, Theodore J. Zenzal, Burton C. Suedel, Jeffrey M. Corbino
Hiding in plain sight: Federally protected Ringed Map Turtles (Graptemys oculifera) found in a new river system Hiding in plain sight: Federally protected Ringed Map Turtles (Graptemys oculifera) found in a new river system
Understanding the geographical range of a species is essential to successful conservation and management, but their ranges are not always fully known. Ringed Map Turtles (Graptemys oculifera) have been federally listed as a Threatened species since 1986, and they have long been considered endemic to the Pearl River system of central Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana, USA. Based on a...
Authors
Brad Glorioso, Will Selman, Brian R. Kreiser, Aidan Ford