Geology topics

David B. Reeves

Publications and source records attributed to David B. Reeves.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Lower trophic level monitoring implementation plan for Barataria Basin: Protocols and programmatic management

Prior work completed by Kiskaddon et al. (2021, 2022b, 2022a) identified critical data gaps for Lower Trophic Level (LTL) organisms in Barataria Basin, Louisiana. A Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Activity Implementation Plan (MAIP) was subsequently developed to describe a MAM Activity that would address and fill these critical data gaps (hereafter termed the “LTL project”). As the lead implementing Trustee of the LTL project, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in collaboration with the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG), is charged with implementing the LTL project (NOAA, 2022). The Water Institute (the Institute), in cooperation with federal, state, and private entities including NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Louisiana State University (LSU), University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette), University of California (UC) Santa Cruz, and Dynamic Solutions, LLC developed this implementation plan to further detail LTL data collection in Barataria Basin that will fulfill the MAIP. This monitoring implementation plan describes procedures and protocols critical for data collection and project management.

Louisiana↗

USGS2023

Horizon scanning for potentially invasive non-native marine species to inform trans-boundary conservation management – Example of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Prevention of non-native species introductions and establishment is essential to avoid adverse impacts of invasive species in marine environments. To identify potential new invasive species and inform non-native species management options for the northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas), 138 marine species were risk screened for current and future climate conditions using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. Species were risk-ranked as low, medium, high, and very high risk based on separate (calibrated) thresholds for fishes, tunicates, and invertebrates. In the basic screening, 15 fishes, two tunicates, and 26 invertebrates were classified as high or very high risk under current climate conditions. Whereas, under future climate conditions, 16 fishes, three tunicates, and 33 invertebrates were classified as high or very high risk. Very high risk species included: California scorpionfish Scorpaena guttata , red scorpionfish Scorpaena scrofa , purple whelk Rapana venosa , and Santo Domingo false mussel Mytilopsis sallei under both current and future climates, with weedy scorpionfish Rhinopias frondosa , Papuan scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis papuensis , daggertooth pike conger Muraenesox cinereus , yellowfin scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis neglecta , tassled scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus , brush-clawed shore crab Hemigrapsus takanoi , honeycomb oyster Hyotissa hyotis , carinate rock shell Indothais lacera , and Asian green mussel Perna viridis under climate change conditions only. This study provides evidence to inform trans-boundary management plans across the five Gulf of Mexico states to prevent, detect, and respond rapidly to new species arrivals.

Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗

USGS2023

Structured decision making to prioritize regional bird monitoring needs

Conservation planning for large ecosystems has multiple benefits but is often challenging to implement because of the multiple jurisdictions, species, and habitats involved. In addition, decision making at large spatial scales can be hampered because many approaches do not explicitly incorporate potentially competing values and concerns of stakeholders. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, establishing baselines was challenging because of (1) variation in study designs, (2) inconsistent use of explicit objectives and hypotheses, (3) inconsistent use of standardized monitoring protocols, and (4) variation in spatial and temporal scope associated with avian monitoring projects before the spill. Herein, we show how the Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network members used structured decision making to identify bird monitoring priorities. We used multiple tools and techniques to clearly define the problem and stakeholder objectives and to identify bird monitoring priorities at the scale of the entire northern Gulf of Mexico region. Although our example is specific to the northern Gulf of Mexico, this approach provides an example of how stakeholder values can be incorporated into the coordination process of broad-scale monitoring programs to address management, restoration, and scientific questions in other ecosystems and for other taxa.

INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics↗

USGS2022

Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity

Offshore platforms, subsea pipelines, wells and related fixed structures supporting the oil and gas (O&G) industry are prevalent in oceans across the globe, with many approaching the end of their operational life and requiring decommissioning. Although structures can possess high ecological diversity and productivity, information on how they interact with broader ecological processes remains unclear. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the role of O&G infrastructure in maintaining, altering or enhancing ecological connectivity with natural marine habitats. There is a paucity of studies on the subject with only 33 papers specifically targeting connectivity and O&G structures, although other studies provide important related information. Evidence for O&G structures facilitating vertical and horizontal seascape connectivity exists for larvae and mobile adult invertebrates, fish and megafauna; including threatened and commercially important species. The degree to which these structures represent a beneficial or detrimental net impact remains unclear, is complex and ultimately needs more research to determine the extent to which natural connectivity networks are conserved, enhanced or disrupted. We discuss the potential impacts of different decommissioning approaches on seascape connectivity and identify, through expert elicitation, critical knowledge gaps that, if addressed, may further inform decision making for the life cycle of O&G infrastructure, with relevance for other industries (e.g. renewables). The most highly ranked critical knowledge gap was a need to understand how O&G structures modify and influence the movement patterns of mobile species and dispersal stages of sessile marine species. Understanding how different decommissioning options affect species survival and movement was also highly ranked, as was understanding the extent to which O&G structures contribute to extending species distributions by providing rest stops, foraging habitat, and stepping stones. These questions could be addressed with further dedicated studies of animal movement in relation to structures using telemetry, molecular techniques and movement models. Our review and these priority questions provide a roadmap for advancing research needed to support evidence-based decision making for decommissioning O&G infrastructure.

Global Change Biology↗

USGS2016

Response of imperiled Okaloosa darters to stream restoration

The Okaloosa Darter Etheostoma okaloosae is a small percid endemic to six stream drainages in northwestern Florida. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Okaloosa Darters as endangered in 1973 and downlisted them to threatened in 2011 because of habitat improvements and increasing abundance across much of their geographic range. Delisting is possible if remaining recovery criteria are met, including restoration of degraded stream reaches. Impounded reaches of Anderson Branch, Mill Creek, and Toms Creek were restored by removing impediments to water ﬂow, draining impoundments, and reconstructing stream reaches. Restorations of Anderson Branch and Mill Creek were designed to rehabilitate populations of Okaloosa Darters without signiﬁcantly affecting popular recreational activities at these locations. Restorations were evaluated from 2007 to 2013 by comparing counts of Okaloosa Darters and the composition of microhabitats in restored and nearby undisturbed reference sites. Okaloosa Darters were absent from degraded stream reaches at the beginning of the study, but they rapidly colonized once restorations were completed. Counts of Okaloosa Darters in reference and restoration sites in Anderson Branch were similar by the end of the study, whereas counts in restoration sites were signiﬁcantly lower than nearby reference sites in Mill and Toms creeks. Restoration sites tended to have lower coverage of sand and root and higher coverage of macrophytes. As riparian vegetation surrounding restoration sites matures to a closed canopy that reduces excessive growth of macrophytes, stream microhabitats and numbers of darters will probably become similar to reference sites. Restoration of degraded stream sites increased abundance and distribution of Okaloosa Darters and reconnected formerly isolated upstream and downstream populations. These projects demonstrated that restoration is a useful conservation tool for imperiled ﬁshes such as Okaloosa Darters and can be undertaken without interfering with popular recreational activities.

Florida↗