Donald Schoolmaster, Ph.D.
Don Schoolmaster is an Ecologist at WARC in Lafayette, LA.
RESEARCH
Don Schoolmaster's research focuses on the use quantitative tools to combine ecological theory and data to address important applied questions. Two major avenues his work takes is 1) Using theory in inform causal networks (such as structural equations) that can be tested with data. His work in this area included both the development of methods, such as advanced methods for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and applying these method to address ecological problems. 2) Using ecological theory to inform tools of ecological assessment. The methods used to develop quantitative tools such as Ecological Indicators (EI) and Multimetric Indices (MMI) often imply causal assumptions. The usefulness of the final assessment tool will often depend critically on how well these assumptions are met. Schoolmaster works to develop quantitative assessment methods that have causal assumptions that are met by ecological theory and expert opinion to insure a match between the assessment tool and understanding of how the systems works.
Science and Products
Quantifying Changes in Wetland Area and Habitat Types in the Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Restoration Area 1985-Present with Remote Sensing
Puget Sound Marine Benthic Index and Graphical Causal Model
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
Development of a Multimetric Index for Integrated Assessment of Salt Marsh Condition in the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network
Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands
Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019
Land area change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016) - persistent land change spatial data
Primary production across a coastal wetland landscape in Louisiana, U.S.A. (2012-2014)
Development of a Multimetric Index for Integrated Assessment of Salt Marsh Ecosystem Condition
Organic matter decomposition along coastal wetland landscape gradient from tidal freshwater forested wetland to oligohaline marsh in Southeastern U.S.A. (2010-2011)
Land area change in coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016)
Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon
A new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients
Evolution of a minimal cell
2023 Coastal master plan: ICM-wetlands – Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) updates
Results of validation exercise for Marine Benthic Index
Analysis of per capita contributions from a spatial model provides strategies for controlling spread of invasive carp
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 graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations: Reply
A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations
Using maintenance records from a long-term sensor monitoring network to evaluate the relationship between maintenance schedule and data quality
A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language
Vegetation cover, tidal amplitude and land area predict short-term marsh vulnerability in Coastal Louisiana
Science and Products
- Science
Quantifying Changes in Wetland Area and Habitat Types in the Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Restoration Area 1985-Present with Remote Sensing
USGS researchers will quantify wetland change and wetland vegetation community type change through the analyses of aerial vegetation survey data and investigate potential relationships between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and marsh elevation change.Puget Sound Marine Benthic Index and Graphical Causal Model
USGS scientists are working with partners at the Puget Sound Partnership and the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology to develop two new tools to help us understand how human disturbance affects life at the top of Puget Sound: a Marine Benthic Index and a graphical causal model.Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
To ensure successful restoration of coastal wetlands, WARC researchers will measure carbon cycling processes that indicate ecosystem health and sustainability.Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
The Science Issue and Relevance: Coastal wetlands are some of the most productive and valuable habitats in the world. Louisiana contains 40% of the United States’ coastal wetlands, which provide critical habitat for waterfowl and fisheries, as well as many other benefits, such as storm surge protection for coastal communities. In terms of ecosystem services, biological resource production, and infDevelopment of a Multimetric Index for Integrated Assessment of Salt Marsh Condition in the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network
Salt marsh ecosystems along all US coastlines have been altered, degraded, and destroyed by human activities, including ditching and drainage of the marsh platform, tidal restrictions, discharge of pollutants, and introduction of invasive species. The National Park Service conducts long-term monitoring of salt marsh vegetation and nekton (fish and free-swimming crustaceans) to provide information...Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
This study will employ a space for time substitution to show long-term effects of rising sea-level and increasing salinity on vegetation community structure, primary production and decomposition. Productivity and decomposition rates will be estimated for four wetland plant community types defined by salinity zones and dominant plant species. - Data
Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands
Site, field, and soil data collected from 14 sites along a chronosequence of wetland submergence on 15 – 17 October 2019 in a Louisiana salt marsh in Barataria Basin, part of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast.Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019
This dataset provides the water content, bulk density, carbon concentrations, nitrogen concentrations, and carbon content of all fourteen cores sampled in coastal Louisiana (CRMS 0224) in October of 2019. Each sample is identified by a unique identifier that corresponds to each site by depth increment combination. The pond age range associated with each site is provided. The depth increment associLand area change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016) - persistent land change spatial data
Coastal Louisiana wetlands are one of the most critically threatened environments in the United States. These wetlands are in peril because Louisiana currently experiences greater coastal wetland loss than all other States in the contiguous United States combined. The analyses of landscape change presented here have utilized historical surveys, aerial, and satellite data to quantify landscape chanPrimary production across a coastal wetland landscape in Louisiana, U.S.A. (2012-2014)
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we lack an understanding of the lanDevelopment of a Multimetric Index for Integrated Assessment of Salt Marsh Ecosystem Condition
Data Release for journal publication describing development of a multimetric index for assessing salt marsh condition in northeastern National Parks. This is the first application of an empirical, metric-selection algorithm to metrics from multiple trophic groups (vegetation and nekton). While MMIs derived from nekton or vegetation metrics alone were strongly correlated with human disturbance (r-vOrganic matter decomposition along coastal wetland landscape gradient from tidal freshwater forested wetland to oligohaline marsh in Southeastern U.S.A. (2010-2011)
Coastal wetlands significantly contribute to global carbon storage potential. Sea-level rise and other climate change-induced disturbances threaten coastal wetland sustainability and carbon storage capacity. It is critical that we understand the mechanisms controlling wetland carbon loss so that we can predict and manage these resources in anticipation of climate change. - Maps
Land area change in coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016)
Coastal Louisiana wetlands are one of the most critically threatened environments in the United States. These wetlands are in peril because Louisiana currently experiences greater coastal wetland loss than all other States in the contiguous United States combined. The analyses of landscape change presented here have utilized historical surveys, aerial, and satellite data to quantify landscape chan - Publications
Filter Total Items: 26
Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon
Wetland ecosystems hold nearly a third of the global soil carbon pool, but as wetlands rapidly disappear the fate of this stored soil carbon is unclear. The aim of this study was to quantify and then link potential rates of microbial decomposition after vertical drowning of vegetated tidal marshes in coastal Louisiana to known drivers of anaerobic decomposition altered by vegetation loss. ProfilesAuthorsCourtney Creamer, Mark Waldrop, Camille Stagg, Kristen L. Manies, Melissa Millman Baustian, Claudia Laurenzano, Tiong Gim Aw, Monica Haw, Sergio Merino, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Rachel Katherine Villani, Eric WardA new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients
Bioassessment of complex and heterogeneous ecosystems is a challenge when there are multiple, strong, natural environmental gradients; unknown, or spatially varying, mixtures of stressors; and large numbers of taxa with unknown responses to both the environmental gradients and the stressors. Current methods of bioassessment are not designed for use under this set of constraints. To address this gaAuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Valerie A. PartridgeEvolution of a minimal cell
Possessing only essential genes, a minimal cell can reveal mechanisms and processes that are critical for the persistence and stability of life1,2. Here we report on how an engineered minimal cell3,4 contends with the forces of evolution compared with the Mycoplasma mycoides non-minimal cell from which it was synthetically derived. Mutation rates were the highest among all reported bacteria, but wAuthorsRoy Z. Moger-Reischer, John I. Glass, Kim S. Wise, Lijie Sun, Daniela M.C. Bittencourt, Brent K. Lehmkuhl, Donald Schoolmaster, Michael Lynch, Jay T. Lennon2023 Coastal master plan: ICM-wetlands – Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) updates
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides critical structural habitat for valuable nekton and wildlife species across coastal ecosystems and can buffer the negative effects of land loss. Landscape change and restoration efforts across coastal Louisiana can impact the occurrence, coverage, and species assemblages of SAV, and changes to these foundational species can have cascading impacts acrossAuthorsKristin DeMarco, Donald Schoolmaster, Brady CouvillionResults of validation exercise for Marine Benthic Index
Marine benthic invertebrates (benthos) are key components of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Because of their direct association living in, and sometimes consuming, sediments, benthos can be valuable sentinels of ecosystem health. Therefore, indicators of benthic invertebrate community health can serve as direct measures of sediment and water quality. In 2021, the Puget Sound Partnership funded developAuthorsValerie Partridge, Donald SchoolmasterAnalysis of per capita contributions from a spatial model provides strategies for controlling spread of invasive carp
Metapopulation models may be applied to inform natural resource management to guide actions targeted at location-specific subpopulations. Model insights frequently help to understand which subpopulations to target and highlight the importance of connections among subpopulations. For example, managers often treat aquatic invasive species populations as discrete populations due to hydrological (e.g.AuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Alison A. Coulter, Jahn L. Kallis, David C. Glover, John M. Dettmers, Richard A. EricksonA 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 Mississippi RiAuthorsDonald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura ScottA graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations: Reply
No abstract available.AuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Chad R Zirbel, James P. CroninA graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations
Identifying and clearly communicating the drivers of ecosystem function is a crucially important goal for both basic and applied ecology. This has proven difficult because the putative causes (e.g., environment, species identity, biodiversity, and functional traits) are numerous and correlated. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of a formal framework for unambiguously relating theoretical languaAuthorsDonald R. Schoolmaster, Chad R Zirbel, James P. CroninUsing 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 (CRMS) to assAuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Sarai PiazzaA causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language
Recent studies hypothesize various causes of species‐level trait covariation, namely size (e.g., metabolic theory of ecology and leaf economics spectrum), pace‐of‐life (e.g., slow‐to‐fast continuum; lifestyle continuum), evolutionary history (e.g., phylogenetic conservatism), and ecological conditions (e.g., stabilizing selection). Various methods have been used in attempts to partition trait corrAuthorsJames P. Cronin, Donald SchoolmasterVegetation cover, tidal amplitude and land area predict short-term marsh vulnerability in Coastal Louisiana
The loss of coastal marshes is a topic of great concern, because these habitats provide tangible ecosystem services and are at risk from sea-level rise and human activities. In recent years, significant effort has gone into understanding and modeling the relationships between the biological and physical factors that contribute to marsh stability. Simulation-based process models suggest that marshAuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Camille L. Stagg, Leigh Anne Sharp, Tommy S. McGinnis, Bernard Wood, Sarai Piazza - News