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Richard H Day

Aim Climate change is expected to result in the tropicalization of coastal wetlands in the northern Gulf of Mexico, as warming winters allow tropical mangrove forests to expand their distribution poleward at the expense of temperate salt marshes. Data limitations near mangrove range limits have hindered understanding of the effects of winter temperature extremes on mangrove distribution and structure. Here, we investigated the influence of extreme freeze events on the abundance, height and coverage of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans ) near their northern range limit in Louisiana. Location Coastal Louisiana, USA. Methods We quantified the relationships between the frequency of extreme freeze events and A. germinans...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Abstract (from Springer): Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime shift that has significant ecological and societal ramifications. Here, we synthesized existing data and expert knowledge to assess the distribution of mangroves near rapidly changing range limits in the southeastern USA. We used expert elicitation to identify data limitations and highlight knowledge gaps for...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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This release consists of vegetation data collected across an environmental gradient at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (TTI NWR) near Naples, Florida, USA. The refuge is within the impact area of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP), a large-scale hydrologic restoration project in southwest Florida that was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 2007. Vegetation transects were located in the following wetland types on the refuge: brackish marsh, salt marsh, and transition marsh. Data from vegetation transects established in nearby areas outside of the PSRP impact area, in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (FSPSP) and Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY), are also included. The study spanned...
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Barrier islands provide important ecosystem services, including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, and tourism (Barbier and others, 2011; Feagin and others, 2010). These islands tend to be dynamic due to their location along the estuarine-marine interface. Besides gradual changes caused by constant forces, such as currents and tides, barrier islands face numerous threats including hurricanes, accelerated sea-level rise, oil spills, and anthropogenic impacts (Pilkey and Cooper, 2014). These threats are likely to influence the future of barrier islands in the latter part of the 21st century, especially as climate-related threats to coastal areas are expected to increase...
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A green-tree reservoir (GTR) is a stand of bottomland hardwoods that is intentionally flooded in the fall and winter to support migrating waterfowl. Bottomland hardwood forest plots in the GTR on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge (FNWR) are measured every 5-6 years to monitor tree survival, growth, and mortality. This dataset presents the measurements of all the trees in 54 plots during the year 2001. Parameters measured are species, diameter, vigor class, canopy class, and whether or not the tree is a new recruit in 2001. These parameters are defined in the Entity and Attributes section of this metadata file. Additional Information: A series of square 0.1 ha (31.6 m X 31.6 m) permanent plots was previously established...
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