Southeast Ecological Science Center

Current Interest

A female Burmese python (Python molurus) on her nest with eggs. Photo by Jemeema Carrigan, University of Florida. Courtesy of Skip Snow, National Park Service. Used with permission.

Salt Water Alone Unlikely to Halt Burmese Python Invasion

Gainesville, Fla. - Invasive Burmese python hatchlings from the Florida Everglades can withstand exposure to salt water long enough to potentially expand their range through ocean and estuarine environments, according to research in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

This recent study, based on lab experiments conducted by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, provides initial evidence that pythons may be able to survive in marine and estuarine environments such as bays, inlets and open seas. The results raise concerns that the invasive constrictor may invade nearby islands, such as the Florida Keys, said Kristen Hart, a USGS research ecologist and lead author of the study. USGS News Release>>

Chessie surfaces for a breath in Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland on July 12, 2011. Photo courtesy of Hank Curtis.

Famous Manatee Sighted in Chesapeake Bay After Long Absence

Gainesville, Fla. – A manatee spotted this week in Calvert County, Maryland is the same one that first made waves 17 years ago when he appeared in Chesapeake Bay just before the onset of winter and later had to be rescued.

Named "Chessie," the manatee's identity was verified by U.S. Geological Survey biologist Cathy Beck, who used photos taken July 12 and matched them with Chessie's photographic record in a USGS manatee database. Chessie's tell-tale markings include a long, gray scar on his left side. USGS News Release>>

Adult Lionfish - credit James Morris (NOAA) - click to enlarge

Extent and Speed of Lionfish Spread Unprecedented

The rapid spread of lionfishes along the U.S. eastern seaboard, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean is the first documented case of a non-native marine fish establishing a self-sustaining population in the region, according to recent U.S. Geological Survey studies. USGS News Release>>

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Recent Publications

Kuffner IB, Hickey TD, Paul VJ, Morrison JM, Walters LJ, Grablow KR, Turner T, Parish ER. 2011. Half-dead colonies of Montastraea annularis release viable gametes on a degraded reef in the US Virgin Islands. Bull Mar Sci 87:855-856.

Walls, S.C., W.J. Barichivich, and M.E. Brown. 2011. Ambystoma talpoideum (Mole Salamander). Oviposition mode and timing. Herpetological Review 42(4):579-580.

Melillo-Sweeting, Kelly, James P. Reid, Lester Gittens, Nicole Adimey, and Jared Z. Dillet. 2011. Observations and Relocation of a West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) off Bimini, The Bahamas. Aquatic Mammals, 37(4), 502-505.

Nico, L.G. and S.J. Walsh. 2011. Nonindigenous freshwater fishes on tropical Pacific islands: a review of eradication efforts. Pages 97-107 in C. R. Veitch, M. N. Clout, and D. R. Towns, editors. Island Invasives: Eradication and Management. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland and Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity (CBB), Auckland, New Zealand. [Available Online]

Johnson, F. A., D. R. Breininger, B. W. Duncan, J. D. Nichols, M. C. Runge, and B. K. Williams. 2011. A Markov decision process for managing habitat for Florida scrub-jays. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 2:234-246.

Rolland, V., J. A. Hostetler, T. C. Hines, F. A. Johnson, H. F. percival, M. K. Oli. 2011. Effects of harvest and climate on population dynamics of northern bobwhites in south Florida. Wildlife Research 38:396-407.

Harr, K.E., R. Rember, P.E. Ginn, J. Lightsey, M. Keller, J. Reid and R.K Bonde. 2011. Serum amyloid A (SAA) as a biomarker of chronic infection due to boat strike trauma in a free-ranging Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) with incidental polycystic kidneys. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 47:1026-1031.

Hart, K.M., P.J. Schofield and D.R. Gregoire. 2012. Experimentally derived salinity tolerance of hatchling Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) from the Everglades, Florida (USA). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 413: 56-59. [Journal Article]

Garrison, V.H., Beets, J., Friedlander, A.M., and Canty, S., 2011, Data from in situ Observations of Fish Traps Set by Fishermen in St. John Waters, U.S. Virgin Islands, 1992-94: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 642.

Romañach, S.S., Conzelmann, C., Daugherty, A., Lorenz, J.L., Hunnicutt, C., and Mazzotti, F.J. 2011, Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Ecological Model Documentation Volume 1: Estuarine Prey Fish Biomass Availability v1.0.0: U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1272, 20 p.

Romañach, S.S., Conzelmann, Craig, Daugherty, Adam, Lorenz, J.L., Hunnicutt, Christina, and Mazzotti, F.J., 2011, Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Ecological Model Documentation Volume 2: Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) Landscape Habitat Suitability Index v1.0.0: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1273, 23 p.

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