Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 10379
Will fluctuations in salt marsh–mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea‐level rise? Will fluctuations in salt marsh–mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea‐level rise?
To avoid submergence during sea-level rise, coastal wetlands build soil surfaces vertically through accumulation of inorganic sediment and organic matter. At climatic boundaries where mangroves are expanding and replacing salt marsh, wetland capacity to respond to sea-level rise may change. To compare how well mangroves and salt marshes accommodate sea-level rise, we conducted a...
Authors
Karen L. McKee, William Vervaeke
Single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi Single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi
As part of the Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within the estuarine, open-bay, and tidal creek environments of Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi, from May to June 2015. The goal of the SSIEES...
Authors
Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk, Christopher G. Smith, Stanley D. Locker, Jake J. Fredericks, Terrence A. McCloskey, Cathryn J. Wheaton
A survey of the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina and Georgia A survey of the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina and Georgia
From 2004 to 2006, we used a variety of sampling techniques to survey the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), a large protected area straddling the lower portions of the Savannah River on the border between South Carolina and Georgia. We documented 22 amphibian species—15 frogs and 7 salamanders—with a possible 23rd species present. Species richness was lower than...
Authors
C. Kenneth Dodd, William J. Barichivich
Metabarcoding of environmental DNA samples to explore the use of uranium mine containment ponds as a water source for wildlife Metabarcoding of environmental DNA samples to explore the use of uranium mine containment ponds as a water source for wildlife
Understanding how anthropogenic impacts on the landscape affect wildlife requires a knowledge of community assemblages. Species surveys are the first step in assessing community structure, and recent molecular applications such as metabarcoding and environmental DNA analyses have been proposed as an additional and complementary wildlife survey method. Here, we test eDNA metabarcoding as...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter, Nathan Thompson, Jo Ellen Hinck
Canyons microbiology studies Canyons microbiology studies
Off the eastern coast of the United States, several deep canyons cut through the continental shelf, acting like funnels to move sediment from the shelf out to the deep seafloor. Exposed rock outcrops and ledges along the walls of these canyons provide important habitat for deepsea corals and sponges. Although a few scientific expeditions have visited these canyons in the 1970s (Hecker...
Authors
Christina A. Kellogg, Stephanie N. Lawler
Overview of avian toxicity studies for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Overview of avian toxicity studies for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes liability for injuries to natural resources because of the release or threat of release of oil. Assessment of injury to natural resources resulting from an oil spill and development and implementation of a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement or acquisition of natural resources to compensate for those injuries is accomplished...
Authors
Steven J. Bursian, C. R. Alexander, Dave Cacela, Fred L. Cunningham, Karen M. Dean, Brian S. Dorr, Christine K. Ellis, Celine A.J. Godard-Codding, Christopher G. Guglielmo, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Kendall E. Harr, Katherine A. Healy, Michael J. Hooper, Katherine E. Horak, John P. Isanhart, Lisa V. Kennedy, Jane E. Link, Ivan Maggini, John K. Moye, Christina R. Perez, Chris A. Pritsos, Susan A. Shriner, Kinberly A. Trust, Peter L. Tuttle
Serrasalmidae — Piranhas and Pacus Serrasalmidae — Piranhas and Pacus
The family Serrasalmidae is a morphologically and ecologically diverse group of South American freshwater fishes consisting of 16 genera and about 91 valid species. This chapter is a summary of the current state of knowledge on serrasalmid taxonomy, species richness, and ecology, and provides an identification key to the genera and references to relevant literature for species-level
Authors
Leo Nico, Michel Jegu, Marcelo C Andrade
Investigating seagrass in Toxoplasma gondii transmission in Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Antillean (T. m. manatus) manatees Investigating seagrass in Toxoplasma gondii transmission in Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Antillean (T. m. manatus) manatees
Toxoplasma gondii is a feline protozoan reported to cause morbidity and mortality in manatees and other marine mammals. Given the herbivorous nature of manatees, ingestion of oocysts from contaminated water or seagrass is presumed to be their primary mode of infection. The objectives of this study were to investigate oocyst contamination of seagrass beds in Puerto Rico and determine the
Authors
Heidi M. Wyrosdick, Richard W. Gerhold, Chunlei Su, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Robert K. Bonde, Alycia Chapman, Carla Riviera-Perez, Jessica Martinez, Debra L. Miller
The effect of beaver ponds on water quality in rural coastal plain streams The effect of beaver ponds on water quality in rural coastal plain streams
We compared water-quality effects of 13 beaver ponds on adjacent free-flowing control reaches in the Coastal Plain of rural North Carolina. We measured concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and suspended sediment (SS) upstream and downstream of paired ponds and control reaches. Nitrate and SS concentrations decreased, ammonium concentrations increased...
Authors
Christopher W. Bason, Daniel Kroes, Mark M. Brinson
Effects of host injury on susceptibility of marine reef fishes to ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods Effects of host injury on susceptibility of marine reef fishes to ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods
The importance of the role that parasites play in ecological communities is becoming increasingly apparent. However much about their impact on hosts and thus populations and communities remains poorly understood. A common observation in wild populations is high variation in levels of parasite infestation among hosts. While high variation could be due to chance encounter, there is...
Authors
William G. Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
Concepts and practices: Estimating abundance of prey species using hierarchical model-based approaches Concepts and practices: Estimating abundance of prey species using hierarchical model-based approaches
Tigers predominantly prey on large ungulate species, such as sambar (Cervus unicolor), red deer (Cervus elaphus), gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos javanicus), chital (Axis axis), muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), wild pig (Sus scrofa), and bearded pig (Sus barbatus). The density of a tiger population is strongly correlated with the density of such prey species (Karanth et al. 2004). In the...
Authors
Robert Dorazio, N. Samba Kumar, J. Andrew Royle, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy
Field practices: Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic captures Field practices: Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic captures
From these histories, capture frequency statistics and estimates of capture probabilities can be derived.
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols, Abishek Harihar, Dale Miquelle, N. Samba Kumar, Robert Dorazio