Nesting habitat for the federally endangered loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) were designated as critical in 2014 for beaches along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Nesting suitability is routinely determined based on site specific information. Given the expansive geographic location of the designated critical C. caretta nesting habitat and the highly dynamic coastal environment, understanding nesting suitability on a regional scale is essential for monitoring the changing status of the coast as a result of hydrodynamic forces and maintenance efforts. The increasing spatial resolution and temporal frequency of remote sensing data offers the opportunity to study this dynamic environment on a regional scale. Remote sensing data were used as input into the spatially-explicit, multi-criteria decision support model to determine nesting habitat suitability. Results from the study indicate that the morphological parameters used as input into the model are well suited to provide a regional level approach with the results from the optimized model having sensitivity and detection prevalence values greater than 80% and the detection rate being greater than 70%. The approach can be implemented in various geographic locations to better communicate priorities and evaluate management strategies as a result of changes to the dynamic coastal environment.

Environmental management decisions increasingly rely on quantitative ecological models to forecast potential outcomes of management actions. These models are becoming increasingly complex through the integration of processes from multiple disciplines (e.g., linking engineering and ecological models). Understandably, these models are often viewed as mysterious, baffling black boxes, which can lead to mistrust, misinterpretation and/or misapplication of model results. Numerical models have historically been developed without decision makers, coordinating partners, or stakeholders playing active roles in model development, which further complicates communication as diverse project teams have differing levels of understanding of models and their uses. Ultimately, mistrust of models and associated outputs can lead to poor decision-making, increase the risk of ineffective decisions, and lead to litigation over decisions. Improved ecological model development practices are needed to increase transparency, include stakeholders and decision makers throughout the entire modeling process from conceptualization through application, and overcome common communication barriers. Building from participatory modeling and prototyping methods, we have developed a workshop approach for applied ecosystem modeling problems that cultivates a foundational understanding of ecological models through hands-on, interactive model development. In this workshop environment, interdisciplinary and interagency working groups co-develop models in real-time which demystifies technical issues and educates participants on the modeling process. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize a repeatable mediated modeling workshop and identify its utility in overcoming major communication challenges of integrated modeling for complex environmental problems. The workshop approach informs modeling teams of the complexity facing decision-makers, creates a sense of model ownership by participants, builds trust among partners, and ultimately increases “buy-in” of the eventual decision.

Current hypotheses suggest that many of the biased sex ratios reported for turtle populations are the result of sampling errors, such as improper sex determination, collection bias, and behavioral differences between the sexes. This study was performed to assess whether the observed sex ratio of a population of stinkpots (Sternotherus odoratus) was an artifact of sampling biases. A total of 989 stinkpots (637 males, 352 females) was captured from 1996 through 2000 at Spring Lake, Aquarena Center, Hays County, Texas. The overall sex ratio based on all census techniques was significantly male-biased (1.8M:1F). The sex ratio changed across size classes. Data from a bimonthly trapping experiment from May 1999 through May 2000, in which hoop traps baited with either a food source or a mature female stinkpot, reinforced the view that the observed sex ratio in this population is inherently skewed, and not an artifact of sampling techniques. Hipótesis actuales sugieren que muchas de las tendencias en las proporciones de sexos de las poblaciones de tortugas son resultado de errores en los muestreos, como en la determinación de sexo, predisposición en la colecta y diferencias de comportamiento entre los sexos. Este estudio se hizo para determinar si la proporción sexual en una población de Sternotherus odoratus fue producto de muestreos sesgados. Un total de 989 S. odoratus (637 machos y 352 hembras) fue capturado desde 1996 hasta el 2000 en Spring Lake, Aquarena Center, condado de Hays, Texas. Usando todas las técnicas de censo, resultó que la proporción sexual estaba significativamente en favor de machos (1.8M:1.0H). La proporción sexual cambió con las clases de tamaño. Los resultados de un experimento de mayo de 1999 a mayo del 2000, con dos trampeos mensuales usando trampas cilíndricas cebadas con alimento o una hembra madura de S. odoratus, apoyaron la idea de que ésta es la verdadera proporción sexual que existe en esta población y no es un error de las técnicas de muestreos.

Background: Shallow, tropical coral reefs face compounding threats from climate change, habitat degradation due to coastal development and pollution, impacts from storms and sea-level rise, and pulse disturbances like blast fishing, mining, dredging, and ship groundings that reduce reef height and complexity. One approach toward restoring coral reef physical structure from such impacts is deploying built structures of artificial, natural, or hybrid (both artificial and natural) origin. Built structures range from designed modules and repurposed materials to underwater sculptures and intentionally placed natural rocks. Restoration practitioners and coastal managers increasingly consider incorporating – and in many cases have already begun to incorporate – built structures into coral reef-related applications, yet synthesized evidence on the ecological (coral-related; e.g., coral growth, coral survival) and physical performance of built structures in coral ecosystems across a variety of contexts (e.g., restoration, coastal protection, mitigation, tourism) is not readily available to guide decisions. To help fill this gap and inform management decisions, we systematically mapped the global distribution and abundance of published evidence on the ecological (coral-related) and physical performance of built structure interventions in shallow (≤ 30 m), tropical (35°N to 35°S) coral ecosystems. Methods: To identify potentially relevant articles, we used predefined and tested strategies to search two indexing platforms, one bibliographic database, two open discovery citation indexes, one web-based search engine, one novel literature discovery tool, 19 organizational websites, and information requested from stakeholders. Discovered articles were screened according to preset eligibility criteria first by title and abstract and second by full text. Articles included during full text screening were coded to extract metadata following a predefined framework. We analyzed and visualized the evidence base to answer our primary and secondary research questions and to identify knowledge clusters and gaps. Findings are reported in a narrative synthesis. Results: Our search discovered > 20,000 potentially relevant unique articles, of which 258 were included in the systematic map. The evidence base spans 50 countries, and the volume of evidence increased over the past five decades. Built structures were most commonly installed for coral restoration (61%) or coastal protection (12%). Structures were predominately characterized as artificial (87%), with fewer hybrid or natural interventions. Evidence clusters existed for intentionally designed artificial structures and outcomes associated with coral-related ecological performance, including coral mortality, growth, recruitment, cover, and diversity. Pronounced evidence gaps occurred at the intersection of several ecological coral-related performance outcomes (e.g., connectivity, microbiome) across all types of built structures; gaps also existed across most ecological coral-related outcomes for artwork and repurposed artificial structures. Physical performance of built structures was most frequently evaluated for outcomes related to waves (n = 14) and sediment and morphology (n = 11) with pervasive evidence gaps across other outcomes like storm surge and water level. Conclusions: While the systematic map highlighted several evidence clusters, it also revealed pronounced evidence gaps surrounding the coral-related ecological and physical performance of built structures in coral ecosystems. The compiled evidence base will help inform policy, management, and future consideration of built structures in reef-related applications, including habitat restoration, environmental mitigation, and coastal protection. Map findings also point to promising future research avenues, such as investigating seascape-scale ecological effects of and the physical performance of built structures.