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Explore WARC's science publications.

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Forecasting water levels using the ConvLSTM algorithm in the Everglades, USA Forecasting water levels using the ConvLSTM algorithm in the Everglades, USA

Forecasting water levels in complex ecosystems like wetlands can support effective water resource management, ecological conservation, and understanding surface and groundwater hydrology. Predictive models can be used to simulate the complex interactions among natural processes, hydrometeorological factors, and human activities. The Greater Everglades in the USA is a well-known example...
Authors
Raidan Bassah, Gerald Corzo Perez, Biswa Bhattacharya, Saira Haider, Eric Swain, Nicholas Aumen

Navigating new threats: Prey naivete in native mammals Navigating new threats: Prey naivete in native mammals

1. Invasive predators pose a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Native prey species frequently exhibit naïveté to the cues of invasive predators, and this phenomenon may contribute to the disproportionate impact of invasive predators on prey populations. However, not all species exhibit naïveté, which has led to the generation of many hypotheses to explain patterns in prey...
Authors
Rebecca McKee, Kristen Hart, Spencer Zeitoune, Robert McCleery

The MIEM guidelines: Minimum information for reporting of environmental metabarcoding data The MIEM guidelines: Minimum information for reporting of environmental metabarcoding data

Environmental DNA (eDNA) and RNA (eRNA) metabarcoding has become a popular tool for assessing biodiversity from environmental samples, but inconsistent documentation of methods, data and metadata makes results difficult to reproduce and synthesise. A working group of scientists have collaborated to produce a set of minimum reporting guidelines for the constituent steps of metabarcoding...
Authors
Katy Klymus, Jacoby D. Baker, Cathryn L. Abbott, Rachel J. Brown, Joseph Craine, Zachary Gold, Margaret Hunter, Mark D. Johnson, Devin Jones-Slobodian, Michelle J. Jungbluth, Sean P. Jungbluth, Yer Lor, Aaron P. Maloy, Christopher Merkes, Rachel Noble, Nastassia V. Patin, Adam Sepulveda, Stephen Spear, Joshua A. Steele, Miwa Takahashi, Alison Watts, Susanna Theroux

Vertebrates in trade that pose high invasion risk to the United States Vertebrates in trade that pose high invasion risk to the United States

The United States imports thousands of live vertebrate species annually as part of legal trade. Escapes and releases from captivity are major pathways of invasion, however, the risk posed by the thousands of imported vertebrate species has not been systematically assessed. We conducted a horizon scan that used a data-driven climate match to filter a list of nearly 15,000 taxa drawn from...
Authors
Wesley Daniel, Helen Sofaer, Catherine Jarnevich, Richard Erickson, Brett DeGregorio, Peder Scott Engelstad, Jonathan A. Freedman, Susan Canavan, Emily M. Dean, Michael J Adams, Charmayne L. Anderson, Mindy Barnett, Marybeth Brey, Kyle J. Brumm, Matthew S. Bunting, Emily Caffrey, Laura Cardador, Jacoby Carter, Phillip Cassey, Duane Chapman, Natalie Claunch, Timothy D. Counihan, Kristin P. Davis, Anant Deshwal, Andrew K. Douglas, Corey Dunn, Chase Ehlo, Katie Everett, Jason M. Gleditsch, Andrew Grosse, Zoey Hendrickson, Steven Hess, Jeffrey Hill, Nick Holmes, Ana Longo, Julie Lockwood, Doran M. Mason, Ashley McDonald, Matthew Neilson, Kristen Reaver, Robert Reed, Caleb Roberts, Jane Rogosch, Christina Romagosa, James Russell, Annie Simpson, Scott Smith, Jinelle Sperry, Quenton Tuckett, Kurt VerCauteren, J. Hardin Waddle, Christian Wanamaker, John Willson, Arden Williams, Deah Lieurance

A comparative framework to develop transferable species distribution models for animal telemetry data A comparative framework to develop transferable species distribution models for animal telemetry data

Species distribution models (SDMs) have become increasingly popular for making ecological inferences, as well as predictions to inform conservation and management. In predictive modeling, practitioners often use correlative SDMs that only evaluate a single spatial scale and do not account for differences in life stages. These modeling decisions may limit the performance of SDMs beyond...
Authors
Joshua A. Cullen, Camila Domit, Margaret Lamont, Christopher D. Marshall, Armando Santos, Christopher Sasso, Mehsin Al Ansi, Kristen Hart, Mariana Fuentes

Spatial differences in soil nutrients along a hydrographic gradient on floodplains in Dongting Lake Spatial differences in soil nutrients along a hydrographic gradient on floodplains in Dongting Lake

The spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients is crucial for the water bird and whole floodplain wetland ecosystem in large lakes, and it is influenced by the dramatic water level changes and sedimentation progress in West Dongting Lake (WDL). Soil samples were collected at various soil depths along the Yuan River and Li River that feed into WDL. The concentrations of soil total organic...
Authors
Jiayi Lin, Yuanmi Wu, Dong Peng, Mingzhu Chen, Lingli Peng, Beth Middleton, Ting Lei

Topographic and bathymetric survey in support of the effectiveness assessment of the living shoreline restoration in Gandys Beach, New Jersey Topographic and bathymetric survey in support of the effectiveness assessment of the living shoreline restoration in Gandys Beach, New Jersey

High resolution topobathymetric field surveys were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with Northeastern University and in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy in a selected shoreline along Gandys Beach, New Jersey, from January to April 2018. These data are a critical model input for hydrodynamic and wave models and can...
Authors
William Capurso, Lukasz Niemoczynski, Hongqing Wang, Qin Chen, Gregg Snedden, Ling Zhu

How, what, and where you sample environmental DNA affects diversity estimates and species detection How, what, and where you sample environmental DNA affects diversity estimates and species detection

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a complex mixture of DNA, varying in particle sizes and distributed heterogeneously in aquatic systems. Optimizing eDNA sampling is crucial for maximizing species detection, particularly in high-risk scenarios like invasive species management. In this study, we compare two eDNA sampling methods - namely tow net and grab sample, where the tow nets process large...
Authors
Anish Kirtane, Leif Howard, Caitlin Beaver, Margaret Hunter, Gordon Luikart, Kristy Deiner

A multidisciplinary approach that considers occurrence, geochemistry, bioavailability, and toxicity to prioritize critical minerals for environmental research A multidisciplinary approach that considers occurrence, geochemistry, bioavailability, and toxicity to prioritize critical minerals for environmental research

Critical minerals (or critical elements) are minerals or elements that are essential to global security and development and have supply chains vulnerable to disruption. In general, knowledge of the environmental behavior and health effects of critical elements is needed to support the development of safe and environmentally responsible supplies. This knowledge includes identifying...
Authors
Sarah White, Tyler Kane, Kate Campbell, Marie Croteau, Michael Iacchetta, Johanna Blake, Charles A. Cravotta, Bethany Kunz, Charles Alpers, Jill Jenkins, Katherine Walton-Day

Using camera traps to estimate site occupancy of invasive Argentine Black and White Tegus (Salvator merianae) in South Florida Using camera traps to estimate site occupancy of invasive Argentine Black and White Tegus (Salvator merianae) in South Florida

The introduction of nonnative species is a leading cause of biodiversity loss. Many invasive species are cryptic or elusive in nature and therefore often evade detection, complicating their management. Occupancy modeling can reveal the presence and spread of invasive species over time and therefore has important management implications. Camera traps can be used to estimate occupancy, or...
Authors
Samantha N. Smith, Melissa Miller, Hardin Waddle, Sarah Cooke, Amy Yackel Adams, Andrea Currylow, Kevin Donmoyer, Frank J. Mazzotti

Sea level rise threatens Florida’s insular vertebrate biodiversity Sea level rise threatens Florida’s insular vertebrate biodiversity

Islands are some of the most biodiverse places on earth, but they are also hotspots of biodiversity loss. The coastline of Florida, U.S.A., is surrounded by thousands of islands, many of which are home to species that occur nowhere else. A rapidly emerging threat to these low-lying islands is inundation as sea levels rise. The capacity of island-dwelling species to adapt to climate...
Authors
Erin Koen, William Barichivich, Elizabeth Braun De Torrez, Susan Walls

Salt marsh habitats and diamondback terrapins in a rapidly changing climate: A review Salt marsh habitats and diamondback terrapins in a rapidly changing climate: A review

The impacts associated with global climate change (e.g., sea-level rise, tropical storms, and warming temperatures) are expected to alter predator–prey interactions, foundation species, and plant community structure in coastal ecosystems. While the complex dynamics of these habitats have been examined under future climate predictions, few ecosystem models incorporate influences from...
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Michael Osland, Melissa M. Baustian
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