Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
Filter Total Items: 3509
Sea level rise may pose conservation challenges for the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow Sea level rise may pose conservation challenges for the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow
Biodiversity conservation under a changing climate is a challenging endeavor. Landscapes are shifting as a result of climate change and sea level rise but plant communities in particular may not keep up with the pace of change. Predictive ecological models can help decision makers understand how species are likely to respond to change and then adjust management actions to align with...
Authors
Stephanie Romanach, Saira M. Haider, Allison Benscoter
Burmese pythons in Florida: A synthesis of biology, impacts, and management tools Burmese pythons in Florida: A synthesis of biology, impacts, and management tools
Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to southeastern Asia, however, there is an established invasive population inhabiting much of southern Florida throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Pythons have severely impacted native species and ecosystems in Florida and represent one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe. The...
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Bryan G. Falk, Brian J. Smith, John David Willson, Robert Reed, Nicholas Aumen, Michael L. Avery, Ian A. Bartoszek, Earl Campbell, Michael Cherkiss, Natalie M. Claunch, Andrea Faye Currylow, Tylan Dean, Jeremy Dixon, Richard M. Engeman, Sarah Funck, Rebekah Gibble, Kodiak C. Hengstebeck, John S. Humphrey, Margaret Hunter, Jillian Josimovich, Jennifer Ketterlin Eckles, Michael Kirkland, Frank J. Mazzotti, Robert A. McCleery, Melissa A. Miller, Matthew F. McCollister, M. Rockwell Parker, Shannon E. Pittman, Michael R. Rochford, Christina Romagosa, Art Roybal, Ray W. Snow, McKayla M. Spencer, Hardin Waddle, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Kristen Hart
Sources and chemical stability of soil organic carbon in natural and created coastal marshes of Louisiana Sources and chemical stability of soil organic carbon in natural and created coastal marshes of Louisiana
Coastal marshes are globally important for sequestering carbon, yet sea-level rise and anthropogenic stressors can reduce their capacity as carbon sinks. Marsh restoration can offset a portion of carbon loss through the degradation of natural marshes, but potential differences in the sources and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) between created and natural marshes may affect their...
Authors
Megan Kelsall, Tracy Quirk, Carol Wilson, Gregg Snedden
2021–2022 Statewide Abundance Estimates for the Florida Manatee 2021–2022 Statewide Abundance Estimates for the Florida Manatee
Knowing the population size of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is critical for conservation and management of this threatened species. Martin et al. (2015) and Hostetler et al. (2018) applied statistical models that incorporated multiple data sources to estimate the statewide abundance of manatees from aerial surveys f lown in 2011–2012 and 2015–2016. We conducted...
Authors
Timothy A. Gowan, Holly H. Edwards, Andrea M. Krzystan, Julien Martin, J. A. Hostetler
Comprehensive inventory of habitat assessment and evaluation datasets to support Deepwater Horizon mesophotic and deep benthic communities Comprehensive inventory of habitat assessment and evaluation datasets to support Deepwater Horizon mesophotic and deep benthic communities
This report is part of the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) Series of publications that share the results of work conducted by the Deepwater Horizon MDBC restoration projects. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event. Approximately 3.2 million barrels of oil were released into the deep ocean over nearly three months. The plume of oil moved...
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Jennifer Herting, Janessy Frometa, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Jacob Howell, Laughlin Siceloff, Jill R. Bourque, Megan Cromwell, Kirstie Francis, Randy Clark, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Stacey L. Harter
Discerning behavioral patterns of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico to inform management decisions Discerning behavioral patterns of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico to inform management decisions
The protection of all sea turtles globally is a high priority, and research projects on these imperiled species are focused on those that are likely to result in improvements in monitoring and management for population recovery. Determining distribution, seasonal movements, vital rates and habitat use for all life-stages of sea turtles has been identified by the US Fish and Wildlife...
Authors
Kristen Hart, Margaret Lamont
Crocodylus acutus (American crocodile). Diet Crocodylus acutus (American crocodile). Diet
Reported prey items of Crocodylus acutus include insects, crustaceans, fish, and large reptiles (Medem 1981. Los Crocodylia de Sur America. Volumen I. Los Crocodylia de Colombia. Colciencias. Bogota, Colombia. 398 pp.; Platt et al. 2002. Herpetol. Rev. 33:202–203; Platt et al. 2013. J. Herpetol. 47:1–10; Balaguera-Reina et al. 2018. Ecosphere 9:e02393). Recently, new potential prey items...
Authors
Sidney T. Godfrey, Michael Cherkiss, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Michiko A. Squires, Frank J. Mazzotti, Lindsey Hord, William Billings
Analysis of per capita contributions from a spatial model provides strategies for controlling spread of invasive carp Analysis of per capita contributions from a spatial model provides strategies for controlling spread of invasive carp
Metapopulation models may be applied to inform natural resource management to guide actions targeted at location-specific subpopulations. Model insights frequently help to understand which subpopulations to target and highlight the importance of connections among subpopulations. For example, managers often treat aquatic invasive species populations as discrete populations due to...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Alison A. Coulter, Jahn L. Kallis, David C. Glover, John M. Dettmers, Richard A. Erickson
Book review: Quasispecies as a unifying concept in population dynamics Book review: Quasispecies as a unifying concept in population dynamics
The quasispecies concept had two independent origins. One source was the theoretical ideas of Manfred Eigen and Peter Schuster in the 1970s. Studying the self-organization and evolution of primitive RNA molecules, they defined quasispecies as a distribution of mutant viral genomes generated by the mutation-selection process. In particular, the quasispecies nucleotide distribution...
Authors
Don DeAngelis
Declines in reproductive condition of male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) following seasonal exposure to estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds Declines in reproductive condition of male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) following seasonal exposure to estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds
Reproductive abnormalities, that could lead to possible effects at the population level, have been observed in wild fish throughout the United States, with high prevalence in largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Estrone (E1) and atrazine (ATR) are common environmental contaminants often associated with agricultural land use. 17alpha
Authors
Jessica Kristin Leet, Cathy A. Richter, Robert Gale, Donald E. Tillitt, Jill Jenkins
Disentangling direct and indirect effects of extreme events on coastal wetland communities Disentangling direct and indirect effects of extreme events on coastal wetland communities
One of the primary ways in which climate change will impact coastal freshwater wetlands is through changes in the frequency, intensity, timing and distribution of extreme weather events. Disentangling the direct and indirect mechanisms of population- and community-level responses to extreme events is vital to predicting how species composition of coastal wetlands will change under future
Authors
Courtney L. Davis, Susan E. Walls, William J. Barichivich, Mary Brown, David A.W. Miller
Habitat utilization, demography, and behavioral observations of the squat lobster, Eumunida picta (Crustacea: Anomura: Eumunididae), on western North Atlantic deep-water coral habitats Habitat utilization, demography, and behavioral observations of the squat lobster, Eumunida picta (Crustacea: Anomura: Eumunididae), on western North Atlantic deep-water coral habitats
Deep-sea coral habitats, comprising mostly Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus 1758), are well developed on the upper and middle continental slope off the southeastern United States (SEUS). These habitats support a diverse and abundant invertebrate fauna, yet ecology and biology of most of these species are poorly known. Ten cruises conducted off the SEUS (Summer–Fall; Cape Lookout, NC–Cape...
Authors
Martha S. Nizinski, Jennifer McClain Counts, Steve W. Ross