Katy Cummings - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Katy Cummings

Research paper thumbnail of Concordant Spatial Gradients in Predation Intensity and Productivity Archived in Surficial Mollusk Shell Accumulations in Seagrass Meadows Along the Gulf Coast of Florida

Paleoecology studies provide pre-instrument data from the Everglades painting an informative pict... more Paleoecology studies provide pre-instrument data from the Everglades painting an informative picture of physical, biological, and ecological conditions prior to human intervention. Because Florida's development history is relatively recent, and because observational data span only the last half-century, managers rely on paleoecology data as the basis for important decisions regarding multi-decadal and expensive restoration. Effective restoration depends strongly on the establishment of restoration targets, especially pre-development vegetation and hydropatterns (flow, depth, timing, distribution). Coring data were instrumental in the reconstruction of paleo hydrologic and vegetation trends in the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, helping managers understand the magnitude and causes of 20th century problems. Similarly, sediment cores from the Big Cypress National Preserve led managers to understand that the development of marl prairies in Everglades National Park-critical habitat for the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow-was a 20th century phenomenon resulting from past water management practices. Finally, paleoecological and modeling studies in Florida Bay and the Everglades for the $20B+ Comprehensive Everglades Restoration plan established freshwater flow targets now used by managers. Although restoration of historic freshwater flow is not feasible, knowledge about Everglades hydrology and ecology prior to human intervention plays a pivotal role in the design, selection, and construction of restoration projects. Paleoecological data, coupled with decadal-scale monitoring and other long-term studies, provide the long-term perspective necessary to understand decadal, to centennial, and to millennial timescale processes. While these data are cost-effective to procure, a long-term commitment to funding these types of studies is essential to provide the scientific foundation for restoration.

Research paper thumbnail of Concordant Spatial Gradients in Predation Intensity and Productivity Archived in Surficial Mollusk Shell Accumulations in Seagrass Meadows Along the Gulf Coast of Florida

Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History

Seagrass meadows are highly structured habitats of great socioeconomic value but are declining gl... more Seagrass meadows are highly structured habitats of great socioeconomic value but are declining globally due to human impacts. The northern Gulf Coast of Florida contains one of the largest relatively unaltered seagrass habitats (~3,000 km2), making it a model system for acquiring baselines to better manage and monitor seagrass meadows. This project investigated spatial gradients in ecological and taphonomic attributes of surficial seagrass-associated benthic mollusk death assemblages. An updated analysis of water parameters (based on project COAST data) indicated that total dissolved phosphorous (TDP) and chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) concentrations increased steadily northward. To analyze the historical ecology of local seagrass meadows, mollusk assemblages were bulk sampled at 12 stations across multiple estuaries along the gradient. Radiocarbon dating of valves (n = 90) from several estuaries indicated that the assemblages represented a multi-millennial accumulation with a median shell a...

Research paper thumbnail of Coral Growth Assessment on an Established Artificial Reef in Antigua

Ecological Restoration, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Seagrass-Associated Molluscan Death Assemblages in the Big Bend Region of Florida, Gulf of Mexico

Research paper thumbnail of Coral Growth Assessment on an Established Artificial Reef in Antigua

Ecological Restoration, 2015

Anthropogenic pressure on coral reef ecosystems has increased the need for effective restoration ... more Anthropogenic pressure on coral reef ecosystems has increased the need for effective restoration and rehabilitation as a management tool. However, quantifying the success of restoration projects can be difficult, and adequate monitoring data are scarce. This study compared growth rates over a six-year period of three Caribbean coral species, staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), and thick finger coral (Porites porites), transplanted on an artificial reef off Maiden Island, Antigua, to literature values for the same species growing on naturally formed reefs in the Caribbean region. The average growth rate of staghorn coral was considerably lower than growth rates reported in the literature, while elkhorn and finger corals showed growth rates similar to literature values. The observed inter-and intraspecific differences may be caused by species-specific growth requirements and/or restoration site conditions, factors that should be taken into account when planning future projects involving coral transplant or rescue. This study also determined the analytical precision of a 'low tech' monitoring method using a basic underwater digital camera and the software program ImageJ to measure growth rates of corals. Measurement error between volunteer analysts receiving only minimal training was shown to be very small, ranging from 0.37-1.40% depending on the coral species. This confirms the validity of this basic technique, particularly in cases where data are sparse and resources for monitoring are extremely limited.

Research paper thumbnail of Concordant Spatial Gradients in Predation Intensity and Productivity Archived in Surficial Mollusk Shell Accumulations in Seagrass Meadows Along the Gulf Coast of Florida

Paleoecology studies provide pre-instrument data from the Everglades painting an informative pict... more Paleoecology studies provide pre-instrument data from the Everglades painting an informative picture of physical, biological, and ecological conditions prior to human intervention. Because Florida's development history is relatively recent, and because observational data span only the last half-century, managers rely on paleoecology data as the basis for important decisions regarding multi-decadal and expensive restoration. Effective restoration depends strongly on the establishment of restoration targets, especially pre-development vegetation and hydropatterns (flow, depth, timing, distribution). Coring data were instrumental in the reconstruction of paleo hydrologic and vegetation trends in the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, helping managers understand the magnitude and causes of 20th century problems. Similarly, sediment cores from the Big Cypress National Preserve led managers to understand that the development of marl prairies in Everglades National Park-critical habitat for the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow-was a 20th century phenomenon resulting from past water management practices. Finally, paleoecological and modeling studies in Florida Bay and the Everglades for the $20B+ Comprehensive Everglades Restoration plan established freshwater flow targets now used by managers. Although restoration of historic freshwater flow is not feasible, knowledge about Everglades hydrology and ecology prior to human intervention plays a pivotal role in the design, selection, and construction of restoration projects. Paleoecological data, coupled with decadal-scale monitoring and other long-term studies, provide the long-term perspective necessary to understand decadal, to centennial, and to millennial timescale processes. While these data are cost-effective to procure, a long-term commitment to funding these types of studies is essential to provide the scientific foundation for restoration.

Research paper thumbnail of Concordant Spatial Gradients in Predation Intensity and Productivity Archived in Surficial Mollusk Shell Accumulations in Seagrass Meadows Along the Gulf Coast of Florida

Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History

Seagrass meadows are highly structured habitats of great socioeconomic value but are declining gl... more Seagrass meadows are highly structured habitats of great socioeconomic value but are declining globally due to human impacts. The northern Gulf Coast of Florida contains one of the largest relatively unaltered seagrass habitats (~3,000 km2), making it a model system for acquiring baselines to better manage and monitor seagrass meadows. This project investigated spatial gradients in ecological and taphonomic attributes of surficial seagrass-associated benthic mollusk death assemblages. An updated analysis of water parameters (based on project COAST data) indicated that total dissolved phosphorous (TDP) and chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) concentrations increased steadily northward. To analyze the historical ecology of local seagrass meadows, mollusk assemblages were bulk sampled at 12 stations across multiple estuaries along the gradient. Radiocarbon dating of valves (n = 90) from several estuaries indicated that the assemblages represented a multi-millennial accumulation with a median shell a...

Research paper thumbnail of Coral Growth Assessment on an Established Artificial Reef in Antigua

Ecological Restoration, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Seagrass-Associated Molluscan Death Assemblages in the Big Bend Region of Florida, Gulf of Mexico

Research paper thumbnail of Coral Growth Assessment on an Established Artificial Reef in Antigua

Ecological Restoration, 2015

Anthropogenic pressure on coral reef ecosystems has increased the need for effective restoration ... more Anthropogenic pressure on coral reef ecosystems has increased the need for effective restoration and rehabilitation as a management tool. However, quantifying the success of restoration projects can be difficult, and adequate monitoring data are scarce. This study compared growth rates over a six-year period of three Caribbean coral species, staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), and thick finger coral (Porites porites), transplanted on an artificial reef off Maiden Island, Antigua, to literature values for the same species growing on naturally formed reefs in the Caribbean region. The average growth rate of staghorn coral was considerably lower than growth rates reported in the literature, while elkhorn and finger corals showed growth rates similar to literature values. The observed inter-and intraspecific differences may be caused by species-specific growth requirements and/or restoration site conditions, factors that should be taken into account when planning future projects involving coral transplant or rescue. This study also determined the analytical precision of a 'low tech' monitoring method using a basic underwater digital camera and the software program ImageJ to measure growth rates of corals. Measurement error between volunteer analysts receiving only minimal training was shown to be very small, ranging from 0.37-1.40% depending on the coral species. This confirms the validity of this basic technique, particularly in cases where data are sparse and resources for monitoring are extremely limited.