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Jena Moon

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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Using light-level geolocators to measure breeding propensity of mottled ducks in the Western Gulf Coast
Of the vital rates that determine recruitment, breeding propensity (i.e., the proportion of females that lay at least one egg) and nest success appear to have the greatest influence, but breeding propensity remains poorly studied. The few studies that have been conducted reveal it to be highly variable among years (15–77%), likely in response to environmental conditions (e.g., precipitation and wetland availability), and lower than estimates from other dabbling ducks. Thus, quantifying breeding propensity across the mottled duck range in the WGC and identifying factors responsible for its variation remain high priorities for future investigation. Breeding propensity is also among the most difficult vital rates to...
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This data release includes geospatial data for irregularly flooded wetlands and high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Texas to Florida. Specifically, this release includes seven products: (1) a map highlighting the continuous probability that an area is an irregularly flooded wetland; (2) a map of irregularly flooded wetland probability reclassified into four bins; (3) a map delineating high marsh and salt pannes/flats; (4) a map from Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana to the Florida Big Bend delineating the coverage of irregularly flooded wetlands that have Juncus roemerianus (Black needlerush) as the dominant vegetation species; (5) a spatial metadata file showing what elevation...
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Restoring Texas Coastal Wetlands: Decision Support for the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material
Coastal wetland loss is a serious concern along the northern Gulf of Mexico, especially in Texas and Louisiana where rates of wetland loss and relative sea-level rise are among the highest in the world, extreme storms are becoming more frequent, and flooding events are intensifying. Because coastal wetlands of the northern Gulf of Mexico provide numerous ecosystem services, including providing critical habitat for species of concern such as the whooping crane and the mottled duck, federal, state, and local agencies have made significant efforts to restore habitats to increase their resilience to sea-level rise and extreme storm events. One way to help wetlands adapt to sea-level rise and extreme flooding events...
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The Western Gulf Coast (WGC) is home to approximately 90% of the worldwide population of mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula), a non-migratory species that must satisfy its annual cycle needs within a small geographic range. Available population data suggest the WGC mottled duck population has experienced a slight to moderate decline across its range since 1985 (Gulf Coast Joint Venture [GCJV] Mottled Duck Working Group, Unpublished report). Because of its population status and reliance on a restricted geography, the mottled duck has been identified as a focal species for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a priority species in Texas and Louisiana Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plans, and the subject of targeted...
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