Publications
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Geographically isolated wetlands: Rethinking a misnomer Geographically isolated wetlands: Rethinking a misnomer
We explore the category “geographically isolated wetlands” (GIWs; i.e., wetlands completely surrounded by uplands at the local scale) as used in the wetland sciences. As currently used, the GIW category (1) hampers scientific efforts by obscuring important hydrological and ecological differences among multiple wetland functional types, (2) aggregates wetlands in a manner not reflective...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Laurie C. Alexander, Matthew J. Cohen, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie G. Fowler, Charles R. Lane, Megan W. Lang, Mark C. Rains, Susan C. Walls
Proximity to encroaching coconut palm limits native forest water use and persistence on a Pacific atoll Proximity to encroaching coconut palm limits native forest water use and persistence on a Pacific atoll
Competition for fresh water between native and introduced plants is one important challenge facing native forests as rainfall variability increases. Competition can be especially acute for vegetation on Pacific atolls, which depend upon consistent rainfall to replenish shallow groundwater stores. Patterns of sap flow, water use, and diameter growth of Pisonia grandis trees were...
Authors
Ken W. Krauss, Jamie A. Duberstein, Nicole Cormier, Hillary S. Young, Stacie A. Hathaway
Structural equation modeling: Building and evaluating causal models Structural equation modeling: Building and evaluating causal models
Scientists frequently wish to study hypotheses about causal relationships, rather than just statistical associations. This chapter addresses the question of how scientists might approach this ambitious task. Here we describe structural equation modeling (SEM), a general modeling framework for the study of causal hypotheses. Our goals are to (a) concisely describe the methodology, (b)...
Authors
James B. Grace, Samuel M. Scheiner, Donald R. Schoolmaster
Value of information in natural resource management: technical developments and application to pink-footed geese Value of information in natural resource management: technical developments and application to pink-footed geese
The “value of information” (VOI) is a generic term for the increase in value resulting from better information to guide management, or alternatively, the value foregone under uncertainty about the impacts of management (Yokota and Thompson, Medical Decision Making 2004; 24: 287). The value of information can be characterized in terms of several metrics, including the expected value of...
Authors
Byron K. Williams, Fred A. Johnson
Breeding loggerhead marine turtles Caretta caretta in Dry Tortugas National Park, USA, show high fidelity to diverse habitats near nesting beaches Breeding loggerhead marine turtles Caretta caretta in Dry Tortugas National Park, USA, show high fidelity to diverse habitats near nesting beaches
We used satellite telemetry to identify in-water habitat used by individuals in the smallest North-west Atlantic subpopulation of adult nesting loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta during the breeding season. During 2010, 2011 and 2012 breeding periods, a total of 20 adult females used habitats proximal to nesting beaches with various levels of protection within Dry Tortugas National Park...
Authors
Kristen M. Hart, David G. Zawada, Autumn R. Sartain-Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki
Evaluating the piscicide rotenone as an option for eradication of invasive Mozambique tilapia in a Hawaiian brackish-water wetland complex Evaluating the piscicide rotenone as an option for eradication of invasive Mozambique tilapia in a Hawaiian brackish-water wetland complex
Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus were recently discovered in ‘Aimakapā Fishpond, a 12-hectare brackish-water wetland complex in Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, on the Island of Hawai’i. As a possible eradication method, we evaluated rotenone, a natural piscicide used in fish management and the active ingredient in plants traditionally used by indigenous Hawaiians for...
Authors
Leo Nico, Ronald A. Englund, Howard L. Jelks
Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals
Marine mammals from different mammalian orders share several phenotypic traits adapted to the aquatic environment and therefore represent a classic example of convergent evolution. To investigate convergent evolution at the genomic level, we sequenced and performed de novo assembly of the genomes of three species of marine mammals (the killer whale, walrus and manatee) from three...
Authors
Andrew D. Foote, Yue Liu, Gregg W.C. Thomas, Tomas Vinar, Jessica Alfoldi, Jixin Deng, Shannon Dugan, Cornelis E. van Elk, Margaret Hunter, Vandita Joshi, Ziad Khan, Christie Kovar, Sandra L. Lee, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Annalaura Mancia, Rasmus Nielsen, Xiang Qin, Jiaxin Qu, Brian J. Raney, Nagarjun Vijay, Jochen B. W. Wolf, Matthew W. Hahn, Donna M. Muzny, Kim C. Worley, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Richard A. Gibbs
Spring resource phenology and timing of songbird migration across the Gulf of Mexico Spring resource phenology and timing of songbird migration across the Gulf of Mexico
Migratory songbirds are advancing their arrival to breeding areas in response to climatic warming at temperate latitudes. Less is understood about the impacts of climate changes outside the breeding period. Every spring, millions of migrating songbirds that overwinter in the Caribbean and Central and South America stop to rest and refuel in the first available habitats after crossing the...
Authors
Eben H. Paxton, Emily B. Cohen, Zoltan Nemeth, Theodore J. Zenzal, Kristina L. Paxton, Robert H. Diehl, Frank R. Moore
Soil greenhouse gas emissions and carbon budgeting in a short-hydroperiod floodplain wetland Soil greenhouse gas emissions and carbon budgeting in a short-hydroperiod floodplain wetland
Understanding the controls on floodplain carbon (C) cycling is important for assessing greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for C sequestration in river-floodplain ecosystems. We hypothesized that greater hydrologic connectivity would increase C inputs to floodplains that would not only stimulate soil C gas emissions but also sequester more C in soils. In an urban Piedmont river...
Authors
Jackie Batson, Gregory B. Noe, Cliff R. Hupp, Ken W. Krauss, Nancy B. Rybicki, Edward R. Schenk
Enhanced understanding of ectoparasite: host trophic linkages on coral reefs through stable isotope analysis Enhanced understanding of ectoparasite: host trophic linkages on coral reefs through stable isotope analysis
Parasitism, although the most common type of ecological interaction, is usually ignored in food web models and studies of trophic connectivity. Stable isotope analysis is widely used in assessing the flow of energy in ecological communities and thus is a potentially valuable tool in understanding the cryptic trophic relationships mediated by parasites. In an effort to assess the utility...
Authors
Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
Core-satellite species hypothesis and native versus exotic species in secondary succession Core-satellite species hypothesis and native versus exotic species in secondary succession
A number of hypotheses exist to explain species’ distributions in a landscape, but these hypotheses are not frequently utilized to explain the differences in native and exotic species distributions. The core-satellite species (CSS) hypothesis predicts species occupancy will be bimodally distributed, i.e., many species will be common and many species will be rare, but does not explicitly...
Authors
Kelsey A. Martinez, David J. Gibson, Beth A. Middleton
Genetic analysis of invasive Asian Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) in the Mississippi River Basin: evidence for multiple introductions Genetic analysis of invasive Asian Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) in the Mississippi River Basin: evidence for multiple introductions
Invasive Asian Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) have been present in USA aquaculture facilities since the 1980s and wild Black Carp have been found in the Mississippi River Basin since the early 1990s. This study characterizes the genetic diversity and relatedness of the Basin’s Black Carp and clarifies the introduction history. Analyses focused on three mitochondrial markers (control...
Authors
Margaret E. Hunter, Leo G. Nico