Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Trends of litter decomposition and soil organic matter stocks across forested swamp environments of the southeastern US Trends of litter decomposition and soil organic matter stocks across forested swamp environments of the southeastern US
A common idea in the discussion of soil carbon processes is that litter decomposition rates and soil carbon stocks are inversely related. To test this overall hypothesis, simultaneous studies were conducted of the relationship of environmental gradients to leaf and wood decomposition, buried cloth decomposition and percent soil organic matter in Taxodium distichum swamps across the...
Authors
Beth A. Middleton
Carrying capacity of a population diffusing in a heterogeneous environment Carrying capacity of a population diffusing in a heterogeneous environment
The carrying capacity of the environment for a population is one of the key concepts in ecology and it is incorporated in the growth term of reaction-diffusion equations describing populations in space. Analysis of reaction-diffusion models of populations in heterogeneous space have shown that, when the maximum growth rate and carrying capacity in a logistic growth function vary in space
Authors
Don DeAngelis, Bo Zhang, Wei-Ming Ni, Yuanshi Wang
Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback terrapin) Lepadomorph epibionts Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback terrapin) Lepadomorph epibionts
Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are distributed along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (GoM) coasts of the U.S.A. (Hart et al. 2014. Conserv. Genet. DOI 10.1007/s10592-014-0563-6). Under consideration for listing in Florida and proposed for Appendix II listing by the U.S. at CoP16 (CITES), terrapin populations are declining in many parts of their range due to drowning in crab...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Daniel J. Catizone, Richard O’Connor, Robert Blais, Limarie Rodgriguez, Cathy Holmes
Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons
The imperative for finding, cataloging, and understanding continental margin diversity derives from the many key functions, goods and services provided by margin ecosystems and by an increasingly deleterious human footprint on our continental slopes (Levin and Dayton 2009). Progress in seafloor mapping technology and direct observation has revealed unexpected heterogeneity, with a mosaic...
Authors
Craig M. Robertson, Jill R. Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos
Decision context as an essential component of population viability analysis Decision context as an essential component of population viability analysis
Population viability analysis (PVA) is a widely used tool that applies demographic data in simulation frameworks to assess extinction risk for species or populations. It is used in diverse conservation applications, including evaluating management effectiveness, relative risk of threats, and potential changes to protective status (Beissinger & McCullough, 2002), and can be a critical...
Authors
Abigail Jean Lawson, Brian Folt, Anna Maureen Tucker, Francesca T. Erickson, Conor P. McGowan
Mapping Phragmites australis live fractional cover in the lower Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana Mapping Phragmites australis live fractional cover in the lower Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana
In response to a co-occurring non-native scale infestation and Phragmites australis dieback in southeast Louisiana, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite mapping was implemented to track P. australis condition in the lower Mississippi River Delta. While the NDVI mapping successfully documented relative condition changes, identification of cause required a quantitative...
Authors
Amina Rangoonwala, Rebecca J. Howard, Elijah W. Ramsey III
Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region
This report is a deliverable to the RESTORE Council for Task 7: Document the existing baseline habitat and water quality conditions prior to implementation of the restoration projects; these baseline conditions will serve as a basis for measuring change/progress after restoration. It is the second in a series of CMAP reports. The first report describes the process and development of the...
Authors
Julie Bosch, Heidi Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon M. Hart, Sarah Davidson Hile, Jacob Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael T. Lee, Terrence A. McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B. Meyers, Scott V. Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard A. Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Gregory D. Steyer, Kevin J. Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Katie Watson
Envisioning a national invasive species information framework Envisioning a national invasive species information framework
With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program, the United States National Invasive Species Council Management Plan for 2016–2018 calls for a series of assessments of federal EDRR capacities, including the evaluation of “relevant federal information systems to provide the data and other information necessary for risk analyses/horizon...
Authors
Jamie K Reaser, Annie Simpson, Gerald Guala, Jeffrey Morisette, Pam Fuller
Quantifying changes to infaunal communities associated with several deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and their potential recovery from the DWH oil spill Quantifying changes to infaunal communities associated with several deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and their potential recovery from the DWH oil spill
Extensive information is available about infaunal soft-sediment communities in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) (Pequegnat et al. 1990, Rowe and Kennicutt II 2009, Wei et al. 2010), particularly from the large-scale sampling effort of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGOMB) project in the early 2000s (Rowe and Kennicutt II 2009). Infaunal soft-sediment communities in the northern Gulf differ by
Authors
Jill R. Bourque, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos
Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles
Recent discussions of model selection and multimodel inference highlight a general challenge for researchers, which is how to clearly convey the explanatory content of a hypothesized model or set of competing models. The advice from statisticians for scientists employing multimodel inference is to develop a well‐thought‐out set of candidate models for comparison, though precise...
Authors
James B. Grace, Kathryn Irvine
Plot Locator: An app for locating plots in the field Plot Locator: An app for locating plots in the field
PREMISE: One of the challenges in field biology is locating previously sampled plots. The Plot Locator app was developed to assist field biologists with plot identification and location, with or without GPS or online connectivity. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Plot Locator Android app helps users locate field plots by creating a searchable database that stores study area information, such as...
Authors
Jere Boudell, Beth Middleton
Using maintenance records from a long-term sensor monitoring network to evaluate the relationship between maintenance schedule and data quality Using maintenance records from a long-term sensor monitoring network to evaluate the relationship between maintenance schedule and data quality
Sensor-based environmental monitoring networks are beginning to provide the large-scale, long-term data required to address important fundamental and applied questions in ecology. However, the data quality from deployed sensors can be difficult and costly to ensure. In this study, we use maintenance records from the 12-year history of Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sarai Piazza