Jack Martin-Introduction.

 Introduction to Everglades Field trip!

In my opinion Florida is an ideal place to visit in order to study a wide variety of plant and animal life which it hosts. Its unique ecosystems are also fascinating study (Everglades and Cypress swamps etc.). The variation in plant species is primarily due to the hot, humid sub-tropical climate experienced in southern-Florida.

The trip was primarily focused on the wetland ecosystems in Florida, its effects on the surrounding area and the pressures it faces (land clearances,agriculture,invasive species, lightning etc.). During our trip we stayed at the Vester Marine Field station in Fort Myers near the coastline. This location was very handy due to the close proximity to the mangroves and that the fact that it's driving distance to 'Lovers Key' state park and JN 'ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Merrit Island and NASA-February 27th.

Merrit Island

Temperature: 19 degrees, mainly sunny with some clouds.

At the start of the day we visited Merrit island which specialized in managing species and maintaining habitats around the area. Simply by traveling there is was a clear how much wildlife Florida had to offer with Sandhill cranes, (Grus canadensis), reddish egrets (Egretta rufescans), great egrets (Ardea alba), a 9 banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) (know leprosy vector) and a wood stork (Mycteria americana) all being spotted during travel. A ranger working here gave us detailed information (during a talk) on the island and its co-operation with NASA (NASA owned). Migratory birds are the main benefactors of the work that is done here. Prescribed fire is considered to be one of the most important methods in order to maintain habitats. Other methods used by the rangers are impoundments (can control mosquitoes). Impoundment salinity and level can be impacted by the current wet/dry season. Knat catchers can also be used to manage the increasing mosquito population.




NASA facts:

• 
  VAB (vehicle assembly building) is the 6th largest building in the world.

• April 12, 1981 was the first shuttle mission Hubble space scope.

• There was a low population here before Merritt island was purchased by NASA. 

• Merrit island was selected because it was close to the sea and more isolated from large settlements and cities (lower risk of falling debris causing damage).

Although much work is done to help conserve the species who live in close proximity to NASA some animals can be harmed by the rocket launches e.g. woodpeckers nesting in the shuttles/turkey vultures flying into buildings etc.. 

The Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) is a major issue as it creates a dome-like effect which disables any plant life under it from growing.The seeds of the Brazilian pepper are fire resistant and are usually hand-pulled or through use of herbicides.

A poster on Brazilian pepper tree and how it became so successful yet problematic.






Merrit Island's funding is primarily based off government funding/grants and donations. During the talk, the ranger mentioned some of the major problems in the surrounding area such as the (above) Brazilian pepper tree and lightning strikes (fire suppression problems can be caused by droughts and passing cold fronts). 

The Scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica -endemic to Florida) was also discussed and observed and I found them to be one of the highlights of my trip. Using prescribed fire proved to be the most efficient way to help maintain their habitat.

The inquisitive scrub jay roosting was very curious toward us and was a joy to watch.

Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA)-February 28th.

Lake Okeechobee

Temperature: 24 degrees, some clouds.

During our third day a visit to lake Okeechobee a guide talked to us about the south FL water management hydrology issues with drainage becoming more of a problem due to increased compartmentalization. A lack of information on previous constructions (plumbing etc.) makes it increasingly difficult to find solutions.

• LILA manages water in the area by pumping it circularly and measuring the depth/velocity of the water.

• LILA provides very important statistical analysis which helps to time the distribution, timing and quantity of the water.

• 2800 data points are managed each day. An example of the experiments undertaken at Loxahatchee is the planting of 7000 trees at different slopes for comparison in order to find the optimum slope for future notice (the elevation gradient between slopes is about four feet). 

• LILA manages water in the area by pumping it circularly and measuring the depth/velocity of the water.

 During our talk there was very informative posters telling us all about LILA

• LILA provides very important statistical analysis which helps to time the distribution, timing and quantity of the water. 2800 data points are managed each day. 

The first time I noticed the southeastern lubbers (Romalea guttata) was here and once I saw them first I always saw them! These lubbers have become a bit of a problem as although the feed on some type of weeds they also cause damage to cultivated crops (most affected is the citrus) and flowers in residential areas. Some of the guides also informed of the problems they are encountering with Cattail (Typha latifolia) because if it left unchecked it can become a major issue. Controlling it can be a problem as Cattail recycles phosphorous and when it's removed it causes nutrients to flow downstream which in turn cause more Cattail. Eventually however the trade-off of removing Cattail is generally worth it. Overall it was a great day and we saw loads of animal and plant species such as a Great horned owl (Bubo virginiansus), an Anhinga (Anhinga Anhinga), an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and a south eastern cricket frog (Acris gryllus).



Islands in the everglades are considered to be biodiversity hotspots and play host to an abundance of mangroves and many other plant and animal species. Unfortunately around 90% of these islands have been lost. I was very interested to find out how delicate of a system exists here and how each species relies on each other to survive. For example many parts of the everglades can be become isolated during a drought as many birds leave and stay in certain areas. During this dry season crayfish began to supply birds as they burrowed during the dry season and came out after the season past. One thing that was extremely noticeable was the incredible amount of empty or cracked apple snails found along the river banks. We found out that some of the apple shells were damaged because of all the limpkins (Aranus guarana) nearby would feed on them.

Bird ringing, Panther conservation and 'slogging'- February 29th.

Bird ringing at FGCU

Temperature: 26 degrees, mostly clear skies.

Before we visited Loxahatchee we made a trip to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and had a very interesting talk with professor Jerry Jackson. We discussed various banding techniques and their benefits. We also saw real life example of capturing (with mist nets) and banding birds such as the catbirds and warblers. A patching pine warbler unfortunately died due to a lack of feeding and stress (we were told that this is a very rare occurrence). 

Banding a Catbird!

The professor brought us through a small forest near near the campus where the birds were being caught. We were very careful when we were passing through as there was small patches of poison ivy seen. 

We had a very interesting talk on the history of bird banding and some of us even had the chance to band the birds ourselves! Of course, we were shown how to safely do this beforehand using a technique called the bander's grip. The bands used come in strings of 100 and must be in order, A plier (size of which is determined by the size of the band) is used to apply them. 

The history of bird banding started with Christian Moretson who was the first person to band birds (using zinc first but the switched to lighter aluminium). In 1911 the the American banding association was founded. The professor also stressed the importance of taking well wrote, detailed notes when banding birds and mentioned a technique called the Granelle system of note taking (using light, durable paper where the ink does not run). 

Alligator Flag seen at Naples Botanical Garden. 

We also saw alligator flag (Thalia Geniculata-arrowroot family) which has very large leaves and small purple flowers on two bracts and bay leaves 

   

The Panther conservation talk

After Professor Jerry Jackson's talk we got some food at FGCU campus and then enjoyed a very informative talk on the live's of the Florida Panther and efforts undertaken to conserve them as a species in Florida. We were given detailed information on the current panthers in Florida (all restricted to South FL). I was shocked to find out that there was only roughly 180 wild Panthers left in the world. The average male is about 130-160 pounds and roughly 8 foot long. The average female is about 70-100 pounds and roughly 6 foot long. White coloration is on the face and the inside legs of the Panther and it is concolour (tan is it's one colour). The average lifespan is 10-12 years and its primary prey is the white-tailed deer. One male Panther's territory is 200 squared miles and this was really put into perspective for me when we were told it was the same length as 97,000 football fields!

Roadkill is the biggest threat to Panthers along with it's vulnerability to feline leukemia. Inbreeding has also become an issue as Texas cougars was introduced to the population which also came with political issues. It was stressed how important it was to track and be able to identify each South Florida Panther. Panthers can be tracked mainly by examining scat, scrapes/scratched, drags (prey), tracks. Tracking dogs and the wildlife underpass are also used. The wildlife underpass is a remarkable way to track all sorts of wildlife at night as infrared cameras are set up as wildlife pass by. 16 South Florida Panthers are radio collared. The radio collars are two pound in weight and the battery last about 3 years. The radio collars worked through frequency so if a particular panther needs to be located you can simply tune to its frequency.

Slogging through the Cypress Swamp

'Slogging' was such a surreal experience for me and in my opinion was one of the highlights of the trip. We were escorted through the Cypress swamp by our guide Wynn who has done much research into flooding, hurricanes and is a renowned disturbance ecologist. His admiration of the Cypress swamp was clear when he asked us each to give three words to describe it for a poem he was working on. What made the Cypress swamp even better was that before the trip many of us had thought that the swamp would not live up to its name as in previous trips it was a much drier season. This time, however we had a great surprise because the water depth was almost waist high!

The 'knee' of a Cypress found at the entrance of the swamp

We were also showed the 'knee' of one of the cypress trees (which is usually above water level) and how it functions. The Cypress knee serves for structure and support and uses a buttressed system (large roots on all side of the tree). Although, it has also been hypothesized that they also help in oxygenation to the trees roots. 







The cypress dome was  beautiful and almost Cathedral-like as the taller trees were located in the center, surrounding the pond cypress. Apple snail (Ampullariidae) larvae (pink) was seen on many of the bases of the large trees along with some empty apple snail shells which were found on logs and at the base of the swamp. A beautiful peninsula ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus sackenii) resting on a log was spotted by one of the students. Some of the students held the ribbon snake who seemed fairly docile and relaxed in comparison to the black racer snake we saw some days later. 

The panther trail, the FWC and Coopertown-March 1st.

The Panther trail and Alligator alley

Temperature: 28 degrees mainly clear, some cloudy patches.

An alligator spotted enjoying the sun at the side of the road.

In the morning we went to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Most of this is closed off to the public but we did get to go on a walking trail of its habitat. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any panthers but we also passed through the famous Alligator Alley on   route and we must have easily seen over 60 alligators in the space of two hours! There was also a black crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) spotted further up the trail by one of the vans which was really cool to see. 

Coopertown

Before we decided to go airboating we were warned that some of the guides show little care in avoiding some of the wildlife and can kill or seriously harm them. Thankfully, this did not occur when we were there and our guide knowledgeable given up to date facts that we had heard before. As for the trip itself it was my first time on an airboat and I found the experience to be quite enjoyable and the surrounding was gorgeous. Unfortunately there was also a small containment on site which had some large Alligators which I and many of the rest of us felt were really underdeveloped (and far too small) and the Alligators themselves seemed lethargic and unhappy

Canoeing

Today was our first chance to have a bit of an early evening but we decided to go out canoeing for our first but not last time! At first we found using the canoe to be a bit tricky but after a while we began to get the hand of it and really enjoyed ourselves. We saw lots pelicans roosting in the mangroves and getting some of the early morning sun. We also saw some large floating propagules of mangroves but many of these were dead or had been eaten by a hungry pelican! We got an incredible surprise when we were putting our canoe when we saw some bottlenose dolphins (Tursiop) inquisitively swam past us! 

FWC and snorkeling- March 2nd.

The FWC

Temperature: 28 degrees mainly clear skies.

The FWC (Florida Wildlife Conservation) is a group which primarily aims to aid the ongoing crisis of invasive species in south Florida. The FWC's main goals in tackling this issue is to:

• Prevent any more invasive species entering South Florida.
• Detect any invasive species as soon as possible.
• Respond to the problem immediately to ensure it does not worsen.
• Control the effects of invasive species to the best of their ability (many invasive species are believed to be 'too far on' and must be controlled rather than removed e,g, Burmese Python.
• Educate and spread awareness of the ongoing problem with invasive species. 

We had a very interesting talk at the Lakeland Regional Office and I was surprised at how much of an effect invasive species have in the local area and it's species. There is 600 plus non-native species in Florida (over 50 plus are reptilian) and this is primarily due to the ideal climate, quantity of ports and the exotic pet trade (which was very unregulated in the past). 

The Burmese Python (python bivittatus)

The Burmese Python (one of the worst invasive species in Florida) is an example of a non-native species introduced via exotic pet trades and a lot of times when the python gets to large their owners release them into the wild where they reproduce. The Burmese Python was reported first around the 1970s and determined to be breeding in 2000. The average sized Burmese Python caught in Florida is around 10 foot but the largest captured was 18 foot long and I think this really makes it clear how much of an impact an animal of that size can make in it's surrounding area. Another worry is the increasing number of Burmese Pythons found in South Florida, mainly in Alligator alley and suburban Miami-Dade.


During the talk we are also told about the Python challenge which annually occurs on behalf of University Florida (UF/IFAS) and the national park service.This consists mainly of python-removal competitions (prizes for most and biggest pythons caught) with 106 pythons removed this year. Improvement seemed to be shown as although less people participated python captures had doubled which I found to be really impressive. The main objective of the python challenge was to get more of the public involved with helping to remove the pythons and teaching to safely capture, report and dispose of the pythons.


 Other non-native reptilian species and their impacts were also mentioned such as the Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae), Rock pythons (Python sebae), Nile monitors (Varanus miloticus), Black spiny tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) and chameleons (Chamaeleo zeylanicus). The ranger giving the talk showed us a captive Tegu which was really enjoyable but he also informed us of the problems they cause. These problems occur due to their increasing population (600 were caught in Miami-Dade alone), ability to eat almost anything (disrupting food chains, causing agricultural problems by eating fruit, crops etc,) and that they are able to overwinter during the cold season.

A Tegu we had the pleasure of seeing during the talk.

Aside from reptilian invasive species the ranger also mentioned others such as non-native deer and fish. The non-native deer include the Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelli) which is endangered in India and cannot be removed. I found this to be a very interesting point of debate as it directly competes with the native white-tailed deer. Other non-native deer include the Axis (Cervus axis) and the red stag (Cervus elaphus). In regard to non-native fish the ranger mainly talked about the measures being taken to reduce their effects (with the exception of the lizard snakehead (Channa argus) which eats almost anything). He mentioned the annual canal surveys. life history studies and assessments.


 I was very impressed when I heard the had a hotline and app to use when someone sees an invasive animal/plant which gives them your current location and can allows to upload an image of the animal seen. The ranger also mentioned Amnesty day which I think is a great idea as it allows people who were keeping illegal or unlicensed animals to turn them in without any repercussions. Without this I feel many of these animals would never have been turned and probably released into the wild if they become a nuisance to their owner. Also, Amnesty day includes educational displays and are informative so people can come and learn about these exotic animals even if they don't have to turn one in.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling was one of the highlights of my trip as it was something I've never done before and the experience was really fun. During our snorkel we saw loads of marine life such as a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), a barracuda (Sphyraena) and sun fish Also the water on the reef was incredibly clear and we were surrounded by tonnes of fish species and corals. The name of the snorkelling company we went with was called sun diver and I was very impressed to see they really cared about the reef here and insisted on us making every effort not too touch the fragile corals.The location was Pennekamp state park.

Meeting Bill Mitsch, Naples botanical gardens and the invasive species talk- March 3rd.

Meeting Bill Mitsch

Temperature: 29 degrees, mainly cloudy

                                                                                                                                                  

Dr. William 'Bill' Mitch is one of the world's most foremost minds in wetland ecology and biogeochemistry. I was really excited to hear that we were getting a private audience with Dr. Mitsch and he gave us a very interesting lecture at he Everglades Wetlands Research Park. His talk centered primarily on Phosphorous (problems in freshwater), Nitrogen (problems in coastal waters) and Carbon (problems in the atmosphere) and the issues each of them can cause. He related these problems to climate change and sea level change. In regard to climate change he revealed a very interesting fact in regard to the increasing temperature we are experiencing worldwide, This fact was that temperature has increased by 0.85 degrees Celsius from 1880-2012. You would not be blamed for thinking this isn't that big of a change but you would be very surprised how big of an impact this can have. In regard to sea level change he also had some very startling stats. From 1901-2010 sea level had risen 1.7mm a year on average. To put this in context it has been rising by a foot each century and 1.2 inches per decade. The average rate of ice lost from 1971-2010 has been 226 x 10 to the power of 9 tonnes per year.

Bill also went into great detail into the increasing level of carbon found in the atmosphere with a major comparison in Carbon dioxide levels in 1958 and 2010. To obtain fair results both test would have been taken during the same season due to photosynthesis and respiration (oscillation etc.). Bill also stressed the importance of using wetlands to tackle these issues as it one of the best natural environments of long term storage of Carbon dioxide.

Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is described as the amount of Carbon that stays in the soil and Bill emphasised the importance of this by telling us that 220,000 tonnes of Carbon are sequestered annually from the atmosphere in Florida. As most wetlands are Carbon dioxide sinks their role in emitting Methane gases have less of an impact as Methane decays in the atmosphere unlike Carbon dioxide. The importance of mangroves in Florida's wetlands can not be underrated as one Florida mangrove carbon sequestration is equal carbon emission of roughly 11,000 cars. For this reason, the Florida mangrove is now heavily protected whereas before many were destroyed due to development.

Naples Botanical Gardens

Just a small glimpse of the lovely scenery the gardens had to offer

I found the Naples Botanical Gardens to be really fun and interesting as it offered a variety of native and non-native plant species and the place was designed beautifully. There was such a wide variety of plants on show I could hardly keep track! Plants ranged from ones seen in Florida to more exotic ones from Asia, Australia and other parts of America. Royal palm (Roystonea regia), Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis), Sabal palm (Sabal palmetto), Florida Peperomia (Peperomia obtusifolia) and of course the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and the White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) are all examples of plants seen in Florida which were on display in the botanical garden.

Red Mangrove spotted at the right of a bridge in the gardens.

I felt like this deserved a mention!

Non-native plants I saw while walking through the gardens included the Queensland bottle tree (Branchychiton rupestris-native to Australia), Flame of the forest (Butea Monosperma-native to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia and India), Screw Pine (Pandanus-native to Madagascar) and Thai Bangor (Lagerstroemia loudonni var. rosea Lythraceae-Tropical Asia-Australia).







I found the Butterfly Garden to be one of the highlights here with some of the butterflies displaying beautiful colours and patterns.

Spicebush Swallowtail- Papilio troilus

Invasive species talk-'when nature bites back'

Before the invasive species talk (back at the Everglades Wetlands Research Park)we met up with Wynn just before to have the fourth ever recorded tailgate for a science seminar according to Wynn which was really fun! Dr. David M. Lodge of the University of Notre Dame was the guest speaker. I found it funny yet eye-opening when he described planes as flying zoos and ships as floating ones transporting non-native species around the world. The talk was primarily centered around combatting expenses which are caused by invasive species

Kudzu and the Kudzu bug

There was some fantastic examples of invasive species and specific figures as to their impact on an ecological and/or social scale. A great example of this is Kudzu (Pueraria), which was introduced in the 1930s to control soil erosion as it is a legume and fixes Nitrogen (through use of Rhizobium bacteria in root nodules). However, the Kudzu plant proved to be more harmful than helpful as it smothered almost all vegetation around it and began to spread through climate change. The Kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) was introduced in 2009 but although it eats Kudzu it also eats soy bean which has been very costly for agriculture.

Emerald ash borer, Zebra + Quagga mussels
Other interesting and costly invasive species included the Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), who is expected to kill almost all ash trees in the U.S. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and Quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) have cost 150 million dollars worth of damage in Great lakes. The damage is mainly caused by plugging pipes (shuts down power plants) and by decreasing tourism as they make for unattractive beaches. Boats helped to spread the mussels spread across the country

The conclusion of the talk was that many of the invasive species are irreversible and exponential and a rational approach is necessary to address it. Methods of prevention included species profiling, increasing risk assessment on species with a growing population and water treatment. The best method of detection is to analyse the DNA of a species to determine whether it is invasive.

Corkscrew swamp - March 4th.

Corkscrew swamp

Temperature: 26 degrees, cloudy with small showers

When we first walked into Corkscrew we got a nice greeting from a guide there and also some information about the history and background of Corkscrew swamp. For instance, Corkscrew swamp was originally 800 acres when it was bought for 200,000 dollars but has now been increases to 1300 acres. The trees are on average 800 years old with some being even older. The reception we were in had been elevated to 19 foot where the swamp itself is 17 foot. Logging was banded in 1956 when the cypress tree's ecological value was realised. 

Painted bunting spotted outside the feeder in Corkscrew Swamp- photo courtesy of  Sam Whittaker.

Corkscrew swamp was an amazing experience for me as it offered a fantastic array of plant and animal species and I really enjoyed just walking around and taking in the sights. Just outside the reception was probably where the most birdlife was spotted as there was Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), Painted buntings (Passerina ciris), a red bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) and an indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) all around the feeder outside.      

The sign accompanying the Cypress tree which gave lots of interesting history on the old tree.

There was even more unique plant and animal species spotted along the walkway with some birds of prey being spotted such as the red shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) spotted roosting afar at the peak of a tree. We got a nice surprise when we were sheltering from a short, heavy shower when a racoon casually walked along the railing past us and scaled a tree! I found some of the Cypress trees to be really impressive and really enjoyed reading the histories of them which were available to read on signs nearby the trees.  

The Roosevelt Cypress tree.

Lovers key state park and Barefoot Beach- March 5th.

Lovers key state park

 Temperature- 27 degrees, sunny and clear.

Our eyes were peeled!

For our last full day we went to Lovers key state park which is a set of barrier islands in Fort Myers. When we landed we were immediately greeted by a lovely sight of manatees feeding when we were crossing a bridge. After that we were allowed to walk around freely and explore the lovely area ourselves.

While walking around the area and watching for any signs of wildlife I had the very unfortunate experience of walking past some very angry fire ants (Solenopsis) who let me know they weren't very happy with being disturbed. Ouch!

After I stopped jumping around we continued on our walk and we even got see a black racer snake (Coluber constrictor priapus) before it scurried off. To my envy one of my colleagues also saw a belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) diving for fish further up the trail!

We noticed a palm tree that lots of holes bored into it. These were very large holes so my guess would be a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

                             

Barefoot beach

An Osprey we saw after catching his food! Photo credit to Sam Whittaker

 After Corkscrew swamp we decided to end the by heading down to the beach and relaxing by the shore. On route to the beach (and at the beach) we saw quite a few Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) resting by the side of the roads and digging burrows in the sand. I was very impressed by the amount of signs around imploring people to check under and around their car before pulling out in case of hitting the tortoises. A few of us went for a walk along the beach and we saw some amazing wildlife such as Egrets (Ardea alba) patrolling the shore for tasty snacks, Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and Ospreys (Pandion).

Summary.

A Northern Screech owl relaxing in the hollow of a tree-photo credit  to Sam Whittaker.

A Summary:

During our short stay in Florida the variation in species and wildlife I observed was incomparable in comparison to anywhere else I have been throughout my life. Unfortunately, the Everglades is as vulnerable as it is fragile and in order to maintain the wide array of wildlife seen there great amount of research, work and education is necessary.