D’Acunto, L.E. and Zollner, P.A. 2019. Factors influencing endangered bat conservation management by professional foresters. Forest Ecology and Management, 434:172-180.
Laura E D'Acunto, Ph.D.
Biography
Education
PhD., Wildlife Science, Purdue University, 2018
M.Sc., Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2012
B.Sc., University of Rhode Island, 2010
Research
Laura is a quantitative ecologist interested in the behavioral landscape ecology of wildlife communities and how climate change and ecosystem restoration impact those wildlife communities.
Background
Before joining USGS, Laura's research focused on modeling anthropogenic disturbance to wildlife such as recreation or road traffic to identify management strategies that mitigate adverse effects to wildlife populations. She also researched the landscape and social ecology of threatened and endangered Midwestern bats.
Science and Products
Date published: October 15, 2019
Status: Active Spatial Ecology of Bobcats in the Greater Everglades
WARC researchers will estimate the density and distribution of bobcats in relation to environmental variables through the development of spatially explicit capture-recapture and occupancy models.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: June 27, 2019
Status: Active Model Improvements for Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s Coastal Master Plan is a blueprint for responding to environmental changes. As part of the agency’s continued engagement, USGS supports model developments and improvements for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan.
Date published: May 23, 2019
Status: Active Ecological Modeling in Support of the Western Everglades Restoration Project
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues, for example, the Western Everglades Restoration Project.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: May 1, 2019
Status: Active Evaluating Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem to Provide Decision Support for Restoration
USGS scientists develop decision support tools to help inform management and restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.
Contacts: Laura E D'Acunto, Ph.D., Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: February 27, 2019
Status: Active Habitat Modeling for the Endangered Everglades Snail Kite and Its Prey
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides real-time habitat suitability models for species of interest in Everglades restoration planning, including the federally endangered Everglades snail kite.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: May 11, 2016
Status: Active Assessment of Small Mammal Demographics and Communities in the Picayune Strand Restoration Area
The Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) is in the process of restoring pre-drainage hydrology to the southwest portion of the Greater Everglades ecosystem.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Year Published: 2020
Sediments and the sea floor of the continental shelves and coastal waters of the United States—About the usSEABED integrated sea-floor-characterization database, built with the dbSEABED processing system
Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been an increase in scientific interest, research effort, and information gathered on the geologic sedimentary character of the continental margins of the United States. Data and information from thousands of sources have increased our scientific understanding of the character of the margin...
Buczkowski, Brian J.; Reid, Jane A.; Jenkins, Chris J.View Citation
Buczkowski, B.J., Reid, J.A., and Jenkins, C.J., 2020, Sediments and the sea floor of the continental shelves and coastal waters of the United States—About the usSEABED integrated sea-floor-characterization database, built with the dbSEABED processing system: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1046, 14 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201046.
Year Published: 2020
Precipitation runoff modeling system (PRMS) as part of an integrated hydrologic model for the Osage Nation, northeastern Oklahoma, 1915–2014
Executive SummaryThe Osage Nation lacks a comprehensive tribal water plan to describe the quality and quantity of water resources in the Osage Nation, a 2,304-square-mile (mi2) area of rolling pastures, tallgrass prairie, and mixed woodlands in northeastern Oklahoma. A tribal water plan can be used to help manage the sustainable development of...
Hevesi, Joseph A.; Hanson, Randall T.; Masoner, Jason R.Attribution: California Water Science Center, Water Resources
View Citation
Hevesi, J.A., Hanson, R.T., and Masoner, J.R., 2019, Precipitation runoff modeling system (PRMS) as part of an integrated hydrologic model for the Osage Nation, northeastern Oklahoma, 1915–2014: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5030, 142 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195030.
Year Published: 2020
Quantifying trends in arsenic, nitrate, and dissolved solids from selected wells in Utah
Groundwater makes up a primary portion of the water supply in many parts of Utah, with annual withdrawals estimated at more than 1,000,000 acre-feet per year. Increases to groundwater withdrawal and land use may negatively impact water availability. Ensuring availability of clean water requires understanding how water quality has changed over time...
Miller, Olivia L.View Citation
Miller, O.L., 2020, Quantifying trends in arsenic, nitrate, and dissolved solids from selected wells in Utah: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5047, 80 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205047.
Year Published: 2020
Using remotely sensed data to map Joshua Tree distributions at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, 2018
Species distribution models (SDMs) that are derived through inference have been used to provide important insights toward species distributions. Their inferences can be robust in relation to known presences, but SDMs have error rates that cannot be quantified with certainty. For large plant species with unique signatures and in sparsely vegetated...
Esque, Todd C.; Baird, Patrick E.; Chen, Felicia C.; Housman, David C.; Holton, Tom J.Attribution: Western Ecological Research Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Esque, T.C., Baird, P.E., Chen, F.C., Housman, D., and Holton, J.T., 2020, Using remotely sensed data to map Joshua Tree distributions at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, 2018: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5053, 13 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205053.
Year Published: 2020
Seismic velocity variations associated with the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea (Hawai‘i) marked a dramatic change in the volcano’s 35-year-long rift zone eruption. The collapse of the middle East Rift Zone vent Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō was followed by one of the volcano’s most voluminous eruptions in 500 years. Over the course of this 3-month eruption, the draining of summit-stored magma...
Flinders, Ashton; Caudron, Corentin; Johanson, Ingrid; Taira, Taka'aki; Shiro, Brian; Haney, Matthew M.Attribution: Volcano Hazards Program Office
Year Published: 2020
Estimating the effect of winter cover crops on nitrogen leaching using cost-share enrollment data, satellite remote sensing, and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling
This study employed a novel combination of data (winter cover crop cost-share enrollment records, satellite remote sensing of wintertime vegetation, and results of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) water quality simulations) to estimate the environmental performance of winter cover crops (WCC) at the watershed scale, from 2008 through 2017,...
Hively, W. Dean; Lee, Sangchul; Sadeghi, Ali M.; McCarty, Gregory W.; Lamb, Brian T.; Soroka, Alexander M.; Keppler, Jason; Yeo, In-Young; Moglen, Glenn E.
Year Published: 2020
Ten ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption
Mount St. Helens was once enjoyed for its serene beauty and was considered one of America’s most majestic volcanoes because of its perfect cone shape, similar to Japan’s beloved Mount Fuji. Nearby residents assumed that the mountain was solid and enduring. That perception changed during the early spring of 1980. Then, on May 18, 1980,...
Driedger, Carolyn L.; Major, Jon J.; Pallister, John S.; Clynne, Michael A.; Moran, Seth C.; Westby, Elizabeth G.; Ewert, John W.Attribution: Natural Hazards, Volcano Hazards Program Office
View Citation
Driedger, C.L., Major, J.J., Pallister, J.S., Clynne, M.A., Moran, S.C., Westby, E.G., and Ewert, J.W., 2020, Ten ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020-3031, 6 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203031.
Year Published: 2020
Representing the function and sensitivity of coastal interfaces in Earth system models
Along coastal interfaces, components of the Earth system interact to regulate ecosystem functions and Earth’s climate. Between the land and ocean, diverse coastal ecosystem types transform, store, and transport material. A dynamic two-way exchange of energy and matter is driven by hydrological and marine processes such as river and groundwater...
Ward, Nicholas; Megonigal, J. Patrick; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Bailey, Vanessa; Butman, David; Canuel, Elizabeth; Diefenderfer, Heida; Ganju, Neil Kamal; Goni, Miguel; Graham, Emily B.; Hopkinson, Charles; Khangaonkar, Tarang; Langley, Adam; McDowell, Nate; Myers-Pigg, Allison; Neumann, Rebecca; Osburn, Christopher; Price, Rene; Rowland, Joel; Sengupta, Aditi; Simard, Marc; Thornton, Peter E.; Tzortziou, Maria; Vargas, Rodrigo; Weisenhorn, Pamela; Windham-Myers, LisamarieAttribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2020
Understanding mountain lakes in a changing world: Introduction to the special issue
No abstract available.
Baron, Jill; Chandra, Sudeep; James J. ElserAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program: Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16
Barrier islands, headlands, and coastal shorelines provide numerous valuable ecosystem goods and services, including storm protection and erosion control for the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, salinity regulation in estuaries, carbon sequestration in marshes, and areas for recreation and tourism. These coastal features are dynamic...
Enwright, Nicholas M.; SooHoo, William M.; Dugas, Jason L.; Conzelmann, Craig P.; Laurenzano, Claudia; Lee, Darin M.; Mouton, Kelly; Stelly, Spencer J.Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin
View Citation
Enwright, N.M., SooHoo, W.M., Dugas, J.L., Conzelmann, C.P., Laurenzano, C., Lee, D.M., Mouton, K., and Stelly, S.J., 2020, Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program—Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1030, 57 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201030.
Year Published: 2020
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus, is a highly migratory shorebird with a cosmopolitan distribution. Six subspecies have been identified, two of which occur regularly in North America (C.c. rufa and C.c. roselaari). Given their long-distance migrations through many jurisdictions and conservation status, tools are needed to reliably distinguish the...
Kazyak, David; Aunins, Aaron; Johnson, RobinView Citation
Kazyak, D., Aunins, A., and Johnson, R., 2020, Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1050, 6 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201050.
Year Published: 2020
At the end of the road: Lessons learned from comparing model- and design-based approaches to estimate population sizes of boreal birds in Alberta, Canada
Estimating population abundance is a challenging task complicated by the amount, type, and quality of available data. Conservationists have relied on design-based estimates from Partners in Flight (PIF), which primarily uses roadside data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) to estimate populations sizes. However, the BBS was not...
Solymos, Peter; Toms, Judith D; Matsuoka, Steven M.; Cumming, Steven G.; Barker, Nicole K. S.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Stralberg, Diana; Crosby, Andrew D.; Denes, Francisco V; Hache, Samuel; Mahon, C Lisa; Schmiegelow, Fiona K A; Bayne, Erin M.Pre-USGS Publications
D’Acunto, L.E., Spaul, R.J., Heath, J.A., and Zollner, P.A. 2018. Simulating the success of trail closure strategies on reducing disturbance to nesting Golden Eagles. The Condor: Ornithological Applications, 120, 703-719.
Flaherty, E.A., Urbanek, R., Wood, D., Day, C., D’Acunto, L., Quinn, V., and Zollner, P.A. 2018. A framework for mentoring students attending their first professional conference. Natural Sciences Education, 47, 1-8.
D’Acunto, L.E., Pauli, B.P., Moy, M., Johnson, K., Abu-Omar, J., and Zollner, P.A. 2018. Timing and technique impact the effectiveness of road-based, mobile acoustic surveys of bats. Ecology and Evolution, 8, 3153-3160.
Mutascio, H.E., Zollner, P.A., Pittman, S.E., and D’Acunto, L.E. 2017. Modeling relative habitat suitability of southern Florida for invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus). Landscape Ecology, 33, 257-274.
Quackenbush*, H., D’Acunto, L.E., Flaherty, E.A., and Zollner, P.A. 2016. Testing the efficacy of an acoustic lure on bat mist-netting success in North American central hardwood forests. Journal of Mammalogy, 97, 1602-1616.