Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Lacunarity as a tool for assessing landscape configuration over time and informing long-term monitoring: An example using seagrass Lacunarity as a tool for assessing landscape configuration over time and informing long-term monitoring: An example using seagrass
Context Seagrasses are submerged marine plants that have been declining globally at increasing rates. Natural resource managers rely on monitoring programs to detect and understand changes in these ecosystems. Technological advancements are allowing for the development of patch-level seagrass maps, which can be used to explore seagrass meadow spatial patterns.Objectives Our research...
Authors
Nicholas Enwright, Kelly M. Darnell, Greg A. Carter
Understanding impacts of sea-level rise and land management on critical coastal marsh habitat Understanding impacts of sea-level rise and land management on critical coastal marsh habitat
Coastal wetlands in the Louisiana Mississippi River Deltaic Plain (MRDP) experience some of the highest rates of relative sea-level rise (SLR) in the world, leading to elevated surface water salinity and prolonged flooding. Elevated salinity causes a shift toward more salt-tolerant vegetation communities, associated with changes in ecosystem function and services. As sea level continues...
Authors
Camille Stagg
A comprehensive assessment of mangrove species and carbon stock on Pohnpei, Micronesia A comprehensive assessment of mangrove species and carbon stock on Pohnpei, Micronesia
Mangrove forests are the most important ecosystems on Pohnpei Island, Federated States of Micronesia, as the island communities of the central Pacific rely on the forests for many essential services including protection from sea-level rise that is occurring at a greater pace than the global average. As part of a multi-component assessment to evaluate vulnerabilities of mangrove forests...
Authors
Victoria Woltz, Elitsa I. Peneva-Reed, Zhiliang Zhu, Eric L. Bullock, Richard A. MacKenzie, Maybeleen Apwong, Ken Krauss, Dean B. Gesch
Constraints on the adjustment of tidal marshes to accelerating sea level rise Constraints on the adjustment of tidal marshes to accelerating sea level rise
Much uncertainty exists about the vulnerability of valuable tidal marsh ecosystems to relative sea level rise. Previous assessments of resilience to sea level rise, to which marshes can adjust by sediment accretion and elevation gain, revealed contrasting results, depending on contemporary or Holocene geological data. By analyzing globally distributed contemporary data, we found that...
Authors
Neil Saintilan, Katya E. Kovalenko, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Kerrylee Rogers, James C. Lynch, Donald Cahoon, Catherine E. Lovelock, Daniel A. Friess, Erica Ashe, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Tom Spencer, Janine Adams, Jacqueline Raw, Carles Ibanez, Francesco Scarton, Stijn Temmerman, Patrick Meire, Tom Maris, Karen M. Thorne, John Brazner, Gail L. Chmura, Tony Bowron, Vishmie Palepitiya Gamage, Kimberly Cressman, Charlie Endris, Christina Marconi, Pamela Marcum, Kari St. Laurent, William G. Reay, Kenneth B. Raposa, Jason A. Garwood, Nicole Kahn
Temporal and spatial relationships of Yellowfin Tuna to deepwater petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico Temporal and spatial relationships of Yellowfin Tuna to deepwater petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico
In 2006–2007, 110 Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares were tagged with acoustic transmitters near deepwater oil platforms and one drillship in the northern Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi River delta to determine the extent to which platforms act as fish aggregating devices (FADs). Vemco acoustic receivers were installed on six deepwater platforms to detect the presence of tagged...
Authors
Melissa E. Price, Michael T. Randall, Kenneth J. Sulak, Randy E. Edwards, Margaret Lamont
Scanning the horizon for invasive plant threats using a data-driven approach Scanning the horizon for invasive plant threats using a data-driven approach
Early detection and eradication of invasive plants are more cost-effective than managing well-established invasive plant populations and their impacts. However, there is high uncertainty around which taxa are likely to become invasive in a given area. Horizon scanning that combines a data-driven approach with rapid risk assessment and consensus building among experts can help identify...
Authors
Amy E Kendig, Susan Canavan, Patti J Anderson, S Luke Flory, Lyn A Gettys, Doria R. Gordon, Basil V Iannone, John M Kunzer, Tabitha Petri, Ian Pfingsten, Deah Lieurance
Genetic diversity and connectivity of chemosynthetic cold seep mussels from the U.S. Atlantic margin Genetic diversity and connectivity of chemosynthetic cold seep mussels from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Background Deep-sea mussels in the subfamily Bathymodiolinae have unique adaptations to colonize hydrothermal-vent and cold-seep environments throughout the world ocean. These invertebrates function as important ecosystem engineers, creating heterogeneous habitat and promoting biodiversity in the deep sea. Despite their ecological significance, efforts to assess the diversity and...
Authors
Danielle M. DeLeo, Cheryl Morrison, Mariki Sei, Veronica J. Salamone, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrea M. Quattrini
Natural and anthropogenic factors influencing nesting ecology of the American crocodile in Florida, United States Natural and anthropogenic factors influencing nesting ecology of the American crocodile in Florida, United States
Nesting ecology of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Florida has been both positively and negatively influenced by anthropogenic and natural factors since the species was placed on the federally endangered species list in 1975. This includes a shift in nesting sites and an expansion of nesting to anthropogenic habitat. Using a 50-year record of monitoring data (1970-2020), we...
Authors
Frank J. Mazzotti, Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina, Laura A. Brandt, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Michael Cherkiss, Seth C Farris, Avishka Godahewa
Ventilation systems in wetland plant species Ventilation systems in wetland plant species
Molecular oxygen and carbon dioxide may be limited for aquatic plants, but they have various mechanisms for acquiring these gases from the atmosphere, soil, or metabolic processes. The most common adaptations of aquatic plants involve various aerenchymatic structures, which occur in various organs, and enable the throughflow of gases. These gases can be transferred in emergent plants by...
Authors
Lars O. Bjorn, Beth Middleton, Mateja Germ, Alenka Gaberscik
Using mollusks as indicators of restoration in nearshore zones of south Florida's estuaries Using mollusks as indicators of restoration in nearshore zones of south Florida's estuaries
Current south Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are focused on restoring more natural freshwater flow through the wetlands and into the estuaries to reestablish natural salinity gradients, particularly in the nearshore zones. Indicator taxa are used to monitor and assess restoration progress and the current suite of biota used for the estuaries in south Florida (Biscayne Bay, Florida...
Authors
G. Lynn Wingard, Bethany Stackhouse, Andre Daniels
A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott
Migration and transformation of coastal wetlands in response to rising seas Migration and transformation of coastal wetlands in response to rising seas
Coastal wetlands are not only among the world’s most valued ecosystems but also among the most threatened by high greenhouse gas emissions that lead to accelerated sea level rise. There is intense debate regarding the extent to which landward migration of wetlands might compensate for seaward wetland losses. By integrating data from 166 estuaries across the conterminous United States, we...
Authors
Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, Nicholas Enwright, Karen M. Thorne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James Grace, Leah Dale, William Brooks, Nathaniel Herold, John W. Day, Fred H. Sklar, Christopher M. Swarzenski
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Land Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of America