Unified Interior Regions
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
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Exotic invasive Pomacea maculata (Giant Apple Snail) will depredate eggs of frog and toad species of the Southeastern US
Pomacea maculata (Perry) (Giant Apple Snail) is a freshwater snail native to South America (Hayes et al. 2015) that is an invasive species in the freshwater wetlands and waterways of the northern Gulf of Mexico, peninsular Florida (Benson 2017, Burks 2017) and globally (Hayes et al. 2015). Karraker and Dudgeon (2014) found that ...
Carter, Jacoby; Johnson, Darren; Merino, SergioInternal parasites of the two subspecies of the West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus
The West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus is divided into 2 subspecies: the Antillean (T. m. manatus) and Florida (T. m. latirostris) manatees. This study reports sample prevalence of manatee parasites from populations of these 2 subspecies in different geographical locations. Although necropsy is a valuable diagnostic tool for parasite...
Wyrosdick, Heidi M.; Chapman, Alycia; Mignucci-Giannoni, Antonio A.; Riviera-Perez, Carla I.; Bonde, Robert K.Leveraging big data towards functionally-based, catchment scale restoration prioritization
The persistence of freshwater degradation has necessitated the growth of an expansive stream and wetland restoration industry, yet restoration prioritization at broad spatial extents is still limited and ad-hoc restoration prevails. The River Basin Restoration Prioritization tool has been developed to incorporate vetted, distributed data models...
Lovette, John P.; Duncan, Jonathan M.; Smart, Lindsey S.; Fay, John P.; Urban, Dean L.; Daly, Nancy; Blackwell, Jamie; Hoos, Anne B.; Garcia, Ana M.; Band, Lawrence E.Marine threats overlap key foraging habitat for two imperiled sea turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico
Effective management of human activities affecting listed species requires understanding both threats and animal habitat-use patterns. However, the extent of spatial overlap between high-use foraging areas (where multiple marine species congregate) and anthropogenic threats is not well known. Our modeling approach incorporates data on sea turtle...
Hart, Kristen M.; Iverson, Autumn R.; Fujisaki, Ikuko; Lamont, Margaret M.; Bucklin, David N.; Shaver, Donna J.Genetic diversity and structure from Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the southern Gulf of Mexico: Comparison between connected and isolated populations
Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus), a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is listed as endangered species in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The aims of this research were to survey on the possible regional genetic structure in the southern Gulf of Mexico and to compare...
Gomez-Carrasco, Guadalupe; Lesher-Gordillo, Julia Maria; Olivera-Gomez, Leon David; Bonde, Robert K.; Arriaga-Weiss, Stefan; Hernandez-Martinez, Raymundo; Castañón-Nájera, Guillermo; Jimenez-Dominguez, Darwin; Romo-Lopez, Armando; Delgado-Estrella, AlbertoStandard operating procedure 1.2.16 wadeable stream reach-scale field data collection—version 1.0
The following standard operation procedure (SOP) outlines the procedure for collecting physical habitat data from previously selected and benchmarked wadeable streams. The purpose of this SOP is to ensure that data are collected using methods that are consistent between reaches and years. Using the methods described in this SOP will also ensure...
McDonald, J. M; Starkey, E. N.; Gregory, Mark B.; Riley, Jeffrey W.Standard Operating Procedure 1.2.14 Wadeable Stream Reach Selection and Location of Sampling Points—Version 1.0
The following standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the procedure for selecting stream reaches to be used in Monitoring Wadeable Stream Habitat Conditions in Southeast Coast Network Parks: Protocol Narrative (McDonald et al. 2018a). The techniques and procedures outlined in this SOP are based on methods used by the U.S. Environmental...
McDonald, Jacob M.; Starkey, E. N.; Riley, Jeffrey W.; Gregory, Mark B.Setting up and configuring a total station: Version 1.0: Southeast coast network standard operating procedure 1.2.17
The following standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the process for setting up and configuring a total station to collect accurate x, y, and z coordinate data. Total stations allow accurate spatial data to be collected and tied to a permanent benchmark. These data can be used to detect small geomorphic changes between site surveys. Many...
McDonald, Jacob M.; Gregory, Mark B.; Riley, Jeffrey W.; Starkey, E. N.Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)
The invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) has been reproducing in the Florida Everglades since the 1980s. These giant constrictor snakes have caused a precipitous decline in small mammal populations in southern Florida following escapes or releases from the commercial pet trade. To better understand the invasion pathway and genetic...
Hunter, Margaret E.; Johnson, Nathan A.; Smith, Brian J.; Davis, Michelle C.; Butterfield, John S.; Snow, Ray W.; Hart, Kristen M.Ancient convergent losses of Paraoxonase 1 yield potential risks for modern marine mammals
Mammals diversified by colonizing drastically different environments, with each transition yielding numerous molecular changes, including losses of protein function. Though not initially deleterious, these losses could subsequently carry deleterious pleiotropic consequences. We have used phylogenetic methods to identify convergent functional...
Meyer, Wynn K.; Jamison, Jerrica; Richter, Rebecca; Woods, Stacy E.; Partha, Raghavendran; Kowalczyk, Amanda; Kronk, Charles; Chikina, Maria; Bonde, Robert K.; Crocker, Daniel E.; Gaspard, Joseph C.; Lanyon, Janet M.; Marsillach, Judit; Furlong, Clement E.; Clark, Nathan L.Sensitivity of mangrove range limits to climate variability
AimCorrelative distribution models have been used to identify potential climatic controls of mangrove range limits, but there is still uncertainty about the relative importance of these factors across different regions. To provide insights into the strength of climatic control of different mangrove range limits, we tested whether temporal...
Cavanaugh, Kyle C.; Osland, Michael J.; Bardou, Rémi; Hinojosa-Arango, Gustavo; López-Vivas, Juan M.; Parker, John D.; Rovai, Andre S.Effects of proposed navigation channel improvements on sediment transport in Mobile Harbor, Alabama
A Delft3D model was developed to evaluate the potential effects of proposed navigationchannel deepening and widening in Mobile Harbor, Alabama. The model performance wasassessed through comparisons of modeled and observed data of water levels, velocities, and bedlevel changes; the model captured hydrodynamic and sediment transport patterns in the...
Passeri, Davina L.; Long, Joseph W.; Jenkins, Robert L.; Thompson, David M.Follow Region 2 activities on social media, get contact information for Region 2 USGS centers, and meet Region 2's staff and center directors.