Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Stress gradients interact with disturbance to reveal alternative states in salt marsh: Multivariate resilience at the landscape scale Stress gradients interact with disturbance to reveal alternative states in salt marsh: Multivariate resilience at the landscape scale
Stress gradients influence many ecosystem processes and properties, including ecosystem recovery from and resistance to disturbance. While recent analytical approaches have advanced multivariate metrics of ecosystem resilience that allow quantification of conceptual resilience models and identification of thresholds of state change, these approaches are not often translated to landscape...
Authors
Scott Jones, Camille Stagg, Erik S. Yando, W. Ryan James, Kevin J. Buffington, Mark W. Hester
Germination potential of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) swamp soil seed bank along geographical gradients Germination potential of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) swamp soil seed bank along geographical gradients
Changing environments of temperature, precipitation and moisture availability can affect vegetation in ecosystems, by affecting regeneration from the seed bank. Our objective was to explore the responses of soil seed bank germination to climate-related environments along geographic gradients. We collected seed banks in baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) swamps along the Mississippi River...
Authors
Ting Lei, Beth Middleton
Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP): A framework for using the monitoring program inventory to conduct gap assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP): A framework for using the monitoring program inventory to conduct gap assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region
Executive Summary Under the Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council or Council) is required to report on the progress of funded projects and programs. Systematic monitoring of restoration at the project-specific and programmatic...
Authors
Julie Bosch, Heidi B Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon Hart, Sarah D Hile, Jacob S Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael Lee, Terrance McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B Meyers, Katie E Miller, Scott Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Kelly Marie Sanks, Gregory Steyer, Kevin Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Hana Rose Thurman
Carrying capacity of spatially distributed metapopulations Carrying capacity of spatially distributed metapopulations
Carrying capacity is a key concept in ecology. A body of theory, based on the logistic equation, has extended predictions of carrying capacity to spatially distributed, dispersing populations. However, this theory has only recently been tested empirically. The experimental results disagree with some theoretical predictions of when they are extended to a population dispersing randomly in...
Authors
Bo Zhang, Don DeAngelis, Wei-Ming Ni
Surface elevation change evaluation in mangrove forests using a low‐cost, rapid‐scan terrestrial laser scanner Surface elevation change evaluation in mangrove forests using a low‐cost, rapid‐scan terrestrial laser scanner
Mangrove forests have adapted to sea level rise (SLR) increases by maintaining their forest floor elevation via belowground root growth and surface sediment deposits. Researchers use surface elevation tables (SETs) to monitor surface elevation change (SEC) in mangrove forests, after which this information is used to assess SLR resiliency or to dictate active forest management for...
Authors
Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Richard A. MacKenzie, Alexander Fafard, Ken Krauss, Jan van Aardt
Double exposure and dynamic vulnerability: Assessing economic well-being, ecological change and the development of the oil and gas industry in coastal Louisiana Double exposure and dynamic vulnerability: Assessing economic well-being, ecological change and the development of the oil and gas industry in coastal Louisiana
The oil and gas industry has been a powerful driver of economic change in coastal Louisiana for the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st. Yet, the overall impact of the industry on the economic well-being of host communities is varied, both spatially and temporally. While the majority of Louisiana’s oil and gas production now occurs offshore, processing the extracted product...
Authors
Scott Hemmerling, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Ann Hijuelos, Harris C. Bienn
Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
Quantifying the distribution of animals and identifying underlying characteristics that define suitable habitat are essential for effective conservation of free-ranging species. Prioritizing areas for conservation is important in managing a geographic extent that has a high level of disturbance and limited conservation resources. We examined the potential use of a species distribution...
Authors
Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen Hart, David N. Bucklin, Autumn R. Iverson, Cynthia Rubio, Margaret M. Lamont, Raul de Jesus G.D. Miron, Patrick M. Burchfield, Jaime Pena, Donna J. Shaver
Changes in ecosystem nitrogen and carbon allocation with black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) encroachment into Spartina alterniflora salt marsh Changes in ecosystem nitrogen and carbon allocation with black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) encroachment into Spartina alterniflora salt marsh
Increases in temperature are expected to facilitate encroachment of tropical mangrove forests into temperate salt marshes, yet the effects on ecosystem services are understudied. Our work was conducted along a mangrove expansion front in Louisiana (USA), an area where coastal wetlands are in rapid decline due to compounding factors, including reduced sediment supply, rising sea level...
Authors
Aaron Macy, Michael Osland, Julia A Cherry, Just Cebrian
Growth rates for immature Kemp’s ridley sea turtles from a foraging area in the northern Gulf of Mexico Growth rates for immature Kemp’s ridley sea turtles from a foraging area in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Examining vital rates helps clarify how environmental characteristics, biological resources and human activities affect population growth. Carapace lengths were gathered for 241 Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii sea turtles that were marked and recaptured (n = 23) between 2011 and 2019 at a foraging location in northwest Florida, USA. There was a strong correlation between length, width...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Darren Johnson
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) surface-water interpolation model, version 3 The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) surface-water interpolation model, version 3
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) is an integrated network of water-level gages, interpolation models that estimate daily water-level data at ungaged locations, and applications that generate derived hydrologic data across the freshwater part of the Greater Everglades landscape. Version 3 (V3) of the EDEN interpolation surface-water model is the most recent update, replacing...
Authors
Saira M. Haider, Eric Swain, James Beerens, Matthew D. Petkewich, Bryan McCloskey, Heather Henkel
Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate
Hydrology is a critical driver controlling mangrove wetlands structural and functional attributes at different spatial and temporal scales. Yet, human activities have negatively affected hydrology, causing mangrove diebacks and coverage loss worldwide. In fact, the assessment of mangrove water budgets, impacted by natural and human disturbances, is limited due to a lack of long-term data...
Authors
Xiaochen Zhao, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Hongqing Wang, Zuo Xue, Cheng-Feng Tsai, C. S. Willson, E. Castañeda-Moya, Robert R. Twilley
How plants influence resilience of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to sea-level rise How plants influence resilience of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to sea-level rise
This review evaluates the importance of plants and associated biological processes in determining the vulnerability of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise. Coastal wetlands occur across a broad sedimentary continuum from minerogenic to biogenic, providing an opportunity to examine the relative importance of biological processes in wetland resilience to sea-level rise. We explore how...
Authors
Donald R. Cahoon, Karen L. McKee, James Morris