Ken Krauss, Ph.D.
Ken Krauss is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2004
M.S., Forestry, Louisiana State University, 1997
B.S., Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1994
RESEARCH
Ken Krauss' research spans several habitats, from mangroves to tidal freshwater forested wetlands and marshes. His research takes a multi-tiered approach to understanding eco-physiological processes in coastal wetland forests; defining gas exchange between the soil and atmosphere, and among the leaf, tree, and atmosphere. Research has defined thresholds to tidal freshwater forested wetland habitat change in the face of persistent environmental drivers (esp. sea level rise and salinity), defined the potential of forested wetlands to influence water cycling in coastal areas, and has begun to establish the potential of other wetland types to contribute to water conservation, especially under drought and perennial salinization. Krauss also focuses on the vulnerability of coastal swamp forests and mangroves to sea-level rise, and on how science can inform management and restoration activity within the coastal zone.
BACKGROUND
He has been a scientist with the federal government since 1997, first with the USDA Forest Service in Stoneville, Mississippi and, then, in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he studied sedimentation, systematics, regeneration, growth, invasion biology, and ecophysiology of Pacific island forested wetlands in the Federated States of Micronesia and Hawaii. Krauss began working at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center in 2001 (renamed to USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, or WARC, in 2015), where he maintains an expertise in forest ecology and ecophysiology, and serves as one of WARC's climate change scientists focusing on mangroves and tidal freshwater forested wetlands.
2004-present, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana
2001-2004, Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana
1997-2001, Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Honolulu, Hawaii
1996-1997, Ecophysiologist Technician, USDA Forest Service, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Forestry, Stoneville, Mississippi
1995-1996, Graduate Research Assistant, Louisiana State University, School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Science and Products
Assessing stand water use in four coastal wetland forests using sapflow techniques: annual estimates, errors and associated uncertainties
Approximations of stand water use versus evapotranspiration from three mangrove forests in southwest Florida, USA
Sediment accretion in tidal freshwater forests and oligohaline marshes of the Waccamaw and Savannah Rivers, USA
Wetlands: Tidal
Woody vegetation communities of tidal freshwater swamps in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (US) with comparisons to similar systems in the US and South America
Water use characteristics of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) communities along an ecotone with marsh at a northern geographical limit
How mangrove forests adjust to rising sea level
Marsh soils as potential sinks for Bacteroides fecal indicator bacteria, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Georgetown, SC, USA
Mangrove expansion and saltmarsh decline at mangrove poleward limits
Final Project Memorandum: Ecological implications of mangrove forest migration in the southeastern U.S.
Leaf gas exchange and nutrient use efficiency help explain the distribution of two Neotropical mangroves under contrasting flooding and salinity
A long-term comparison of carbon sequestration rates in impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the lower Waccamaw River, South Carolina
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Assessing stand water use in four coastal wetland forests using sapflow techniques: annual estimates, errors and associated uncertainties
Forests comprise approximately 37% of the terrestrial land surface and influence global water cycling. However, very little attention has been directed towards understanding environmental impacts on stand water use (S) or in identifying rates of S from specific forested wetlands. Here, we use sapflow techniques to address two separate but linked objectives: (1) determine S in four, hydrologicallyAuthorsKen W. Krauss, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. ConnerApproximations of stand water use versus evapotranspiration from three mangrove forests in southwest Florida, USA
Leaves from mangrove forests are often considered efficient in the use of water during photosynthesis, but less is known about whole-tree and stand-level water use strategies. Are mangrove forests as conservative in water use as experimental studies on seedlings imply? Here, we apply a simple model to estimate stand water use (S), determine the contribution of S to evapotranspiration (ET), and appAuthorsKen W. Krauss, Jordan G. Barr, Victor C. Engel, Jose D. Fuentes, Hongqing WangSediment accretion in tidal freshwater forests and oligohaline marshes of the Waccamaw and Savannah Rivers, USA
Sediment accretion was measured at four sites in varying stages of forest-to-marsh succession along a fresh-to-oligohaline gradient on the Waccamaw River and its tributary Turkey Creek (Coastal Plain watersheds, South Carolina) and the Savannah River (Piedmont watershed, South Carolina and Georgia). Sites included tidal freshwater forests, moderately salt-impacted forests at the freshwater–oligohaAuthorsScott H. Ensign, Cliff R. Hupp, Gregory B. Noe, Ken W. Krauss, Camille L. StaggWetlands: Tidal
Tidal wetlands are some of the most dynamic areas of the Earth and are found at the interface between the land and sea. Salinity, regular tidal flooding, and infrequent catastrophic flooding due to storm events result in complex interactions among biotic and abiotic factors. The complexity of these interactions, along with the uncertainty of where one draws the line between tidal and nontidal, makAuthorsWilliam H. Conner, Ken W. Krauss, Andrew H. Baldwin, Stephen HutchinsonWoody vegetation communities of tidal freshwater swamps in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (US) with comparisons to similar systems in the US and South America
Questions What are the general tree communities found in tidal freshwater swamps along four large coastal rivers in the southeastern United States (US)? How do these communities compare to other tidal freshwater swamps in the US and South America? Locations Tidal floodplains of major rivers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the southeastern US: Savannah, Altamaha, Suwannee and ApalachicolaAuthorsJamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Ken W. KraussWater use characteristics of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) communities along an ecotone with marsh at a northern geographical limit
Mangroves are expanding into warm temperate-zone salt marsh communities in several locations globally. Although scientists have discovered that expansion might have modest effects on ecosystem functioning, water use characteristics have not been assessed relative to this transition. We measured early growing season sapflow (Js) and leaf transpiration (Tr) in Avicennia germinans at a latitudinal liAuthorsKen W. Krauss, Karen L. McKee, Mark W. HesterHow mangrove forests adjust to rising sea level
Mangroves are among the most well described and widely studied wetland communities in the world. The greatest threats to mangrove persistence are deforestation and other anthropogenic disturbances that can compromise habitat stability and resilience to sea-level rise. To persist, mangrove ecosystems must adjust to rising sea level by building vertically or become submerged. Mangroves may directlyAuthorsKen W. Krauss, Karen L. McKee, Catherine E. Lovelock, Donald R. Cahoon, Neil Saintilan, Ruth Reef, Luzhen ChenMarsh soils as potential sinks for Bacteroides fecal indicator bacteria, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Georgetown, SC, USA
A soil core collected in a tidal freshwater marsh in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (Georgetown, SC) exuded a particularly strong odor of cow manure upon extrusion. In order to test for manure and determine its provenance, we carried out microbial source tracking using DNA markers for Bacteroides, a noncoliform, anaerobic bacterial group that represents a broad group of the fecal populationAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Heather E. Johnson, Joseph W. Duris, Ken W. KraussMangrove expansion and saltmarsh decline at mangrove poleward limits
Mangroves are species of halophytic intertidal trees and shrubs derived from tropical genera and are likely delimited in latitudinal range by varying sensitivity to cold. There is now sufficient evidence that mangrove species have proliferated at or near their poleward limits on at least five continents over the past half century, at the expense of salt marsh. Avicennia is the most cold-tolerant gAuthorsNeil Saintilan, Nicholas C. Wilson, Kerrylee Rogers, Anusha Rajkaran, Ken W. KraussFinal Project Memorandum: Ecological implications of mangrove forest migration in the southeastern U.S.
Winter climate change has the potential to have a large impact on coastal wetlands in the southeastern United States. Warmer winter temperatures and reductions in the intensity of freeze events would likely lead to mangrove forest range expansion and salt marsh displacement in parts of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast. The objective of this research was to better evaluate the ecologicalAuthorsMichael J. Osland, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Andrew S. From, Jack C. Larriviere, Mark W. Hester, Erik S. Yando, Jonathan A WillisLeaf gas exchange and nutrient use efficiency help explain the distribution of two Neotropical mangroves under contrasting flooding and salinity
Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa co-occur along many intertidal floodplains in the Neotropics. Their patterns of dominance shift along various gradients, coincident with salinity, soil fertility, and tidal flooding. We used leaf gas exchange metrics to investigate the strategies of these two species in mixed culture to simulate competition under different salinity concentrations and hydAuthorsPablo Cardona-Olarte, Ken W. Krauss, Robert R. TwilleyA long-term comparison of carbon sequestration rates in impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the lower Waccamaw River, South Carolina
Carbon storage was compared between impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the Lower Waccamaw River in South Carolina, USA. Soil cores were collected in (1) naturally tidal, (2) moist soil (impounded, seasonally drained since ~1970), and (3) deeply flooded “treatments” (impounded, flooded to ~90 cm since ~2002). Cores were analyzed for % organic carbon, % total carbon, bulk densityAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Ken W. Krauss, M. Craig Sasser, Christopher C. Fuller, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Amber Powell, Kathleen M. Swanson, James L. OrlandoNon-USGS Publications**
Kumara, M.P., L.P. Jayatissa, K.W. Krauss, D.H. Phillips, & M. Huxham. 2010. High mangrove density enhances surface accretion, surface elevation change, and tree survival in coastal areas susceptible to sea-level rise. Oecologia 164: 545-553.Huxham, M., M. Kumara, L. Jayatissa, K.W. Krauss, J. Kairo, J. Langat, M. Mencuccini, M. Skov & B. Kirui. 2010. Intra and inter-specific facilitation in mangroves may increase resilience to climate change threats. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 365: 2127-2135.Krauss, K.W. 2009. Mangrove energetics. Ecology 90: 3588-3589. [book review]Krauss, K.W., C.E. Lovelock, K.L. McKee, L. López-Hoffman, S.M.L. Ewe & W.P. Sousa. 2008. Environmental drivers in mangrove establishment and early development: a review. Aquatic Botany 89: 105-127.Conner, W.H., T.W. Doyle & K.W. Krauss, Eds., 2007. Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Krauss, K.W., J.L. Chambers & D. Creech. 2007. Selection for salt tolerance in tidal freshwater swamp species: advances using baldcypress as a model for restoration. Pages 385-410 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Conner W.H., K.W. Krauss & T.W. Doyle. 2007. Ecology of tidal freshwater forests in coastal deltaic Louisiana and northeastern South Carolina. Pages 223-253 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Conner, W.H., C.T. Hackney, K.W. Krauss & J.W. Day, Jr. 2007. Tidal freshwater forested wetlands: future research needs and an overview of restoration. Pages 461-485 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Gardiner, E.S. & K.W. Krauss. 2001. Photosynthetic light response of flooded cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda) seedlings grown in two light regimes. Tree Physiology 21: 1103-1111.Krauss, K.W., R.A. Goyer, J.A. Allen & J.L. Chambers. 2000. Tree shelters effective in coastal swamp restoration (Louisiana). Ecological Restoration18: 200-201.Allen, J.A., K.W. Krauss, N.C. Duke, O. Björkman, D.R. Herbst & C. Shih. 2000. Bruguiera species in Hawai’i: systematic considerations and ecological implications. Pacific Science 54: 331-343.Doyle, T.W. & K.W. Krauss. 1999. The sands and sambars of St. Vincent Island. Florida Wildlife 53: 22-25.Krauss, K.W., J.L. Chambers & J.A. Allen. 1998. Salinity effects and differential germination of several half-sib families of baldcypress from different seed sources. New Forests 15: 53-68.Allen, J.A., W.H. Conner, R.A. Goyer, J.L. Chambers & K.W. Krauss. 1998. Chapter 4: Freshwater forested wetlands and global climate change. Pages 33-44 in G.R. Guntenspergen and B.A Vairin (eds.), Vulnerability of coastal wetlands in the Southeastern United States: climate change research results, 1992-97. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division Biological Science Report USGS/BRD/BSR-1998-0002. 101 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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