Florida Panhandle Research Articles

Beach nourishment is not a sustainable strategy to mitigate climate change

Some studies published over the past several decades have concluded nourishment of oceanic beaches is a viable strategy to mitigate climate change. However, these were generally too limited in scope to accurately evaluate beach nourishment because each omit one or more of the following: (1) a realistic assessment of potential borrow area sand volume, (2) native beach compatibility, (3) construction costs, (4) all vulnerable geomorphic elements of the coastal zone, and (5) environmental impacts. When all of these parameters are considered, the results are markedly different. To demonstrate our point, we evaluated the recommendations of Houston (2017) using all five parameters. Contrary to Houston, we provide multiple lines of evidence that beach fill projects are not a sustainable strategy to protect or defend oceanic beaches of the Florida panhandle (USA), nor likely most of the world's developed coastlines at risk to the effects of climate change. The nourishment of oceanic beaches as historically constructed will surely continue over the next several decades. But, it must be done as an interim strategy during the formulation and implementation of a robust, long-term adaptive management strategy that incorporates managed withdrawal from the coastline.

Patterns of diversification in a North American endemic fish, the Blackbanded Darter (Perciformes, Percidae)

The coastal plain of the south‐eastern United States shows multiple biogeographic patterns of plant and animal dispersal; however, few freshwater fish taxa span these biogeographic barriers. Percina nigrofasciata, the Blackbanded Darter (Teleostomi: Percidae), is a small, benthic, freshwater fish species with an extensive range in the south‐eastern United States. Recently, two species have been elevated from within P. nigrofasciata: P. crypta and P. westfalli, but their ranges have not been established. We broadly sampled across the south‐eastern United States, encompassing the range of P. nigrofasciata sensu lato. We reconstruct the phylogeny of Percina using both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Eighty‐four specimens of Percina nigrofasciata were sampled for the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (1,119 bp) to form a base phylogeny. The nuclear marker S7‐I1 was subsampled across populations to detect instances of hybridization. Phylogenetic relationships with other members of the genus Percina were assessed through Bayesian inference. Our results suggest that Percina nigrofasciata sensu stricto occurs from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin in Louisiana to the rivers of the Mobile Basin with little genetic structuring throughout its range. Percina westfalli occurs from the Apalachicola River drainages to the Atlantic Slope from the Savannah River to the St. Johns River. We find that P. crypta is not genetically distinct from P. westfalli in the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. Possible ancestral hybridization occurred between the P. nigrofasciata and P. westfalli in the panhandle of Florida between Mobile Bay and the Apalachicola River.

Phytoplankton Spatial Variability in the River-Dominated Estuary, Apalachicola Bay, Florida

In shallow estuaries with strong river influence, the short residence time and pronounced gradients generate an environment for plankton that differs substantially in its dynamics from that of the open ocean, and the question arises “How is phytoplankton biomass affected?” This study assesses the small-scale spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in Apalachicola Bay, a shallow bar-built estuary in the Florida Panhandle. Phytoplankton peaks were characterized to gain insights into the processes affecting spatial heterogeneity in biomass. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) distribution at 50-m spatial resolution was mapped using a flow-through sensor array, Dataflow©, operated from a boat that sampled four transects across the bay every 2 weeks for 16 months. Chl a peaks exceeding background concentrations had an average width of 1.3 ± 0.7 km delineated by an average gradient of 3.0 ± 6.0 μg Chl a L−1 km−1. Magnitude of E-W wind, velocity of N-S wind, tidal stage, and temperature affected peak characteristics. Phytoplankton contained in the peaks contributed 7.7 ± 2.7% of the total integrated biomass observed along the transects during the study period. The river plume front was frequently a location of elevated Chl a, which shifted in response to river discharge. The results demonstrate that despite the shallow water column, river flushing, and strong wind and tidal mixing, distinct patchiness develops that should be taken into consideration in ecological studies and when assessing productivity of such ecosystems.

The endangered Florida pondweed (Potamogeton floridanus) is a hybrid: Why we need to understand biodiversity thoroughly.

Thorough understanding of biodiversity is a fundamental prerequisite for biological research. A lack of taxonomic knowledge and species misidentifications are particularly critical for conservation. Here we present an example of Potamogeton floridanus, the Florida Pondweed, an endangered taxon endemic to a small area in the Florida panhandle, whose taxonomic status remained controversial for more than a century, and all previous attempts to elucidate its identity have failed. We applied molecular approaches to tackle the origin of the mysterious taxon and supplemented them with morphological and anatomical investigations of both historical herbarium collections and plants recently collected in the type area for a comprehensive taxonomic reassessment. Sequencing of two nuclear ribosomal markers and one chloroplast non-coding spacer resulted in the surprising discovery that P. floridanus is a hybrid of P. pulcher and P. oakesianus, with the former being the maternal parent. The hybrid colony is currently geographically isolated from the distribution range of P. oakesianus. We show that previous molecular analyses have failed to reveal its hybrid identity due to inadequate nuclear DNA sequence editing. This is an example how the uncritical use of automized sequence reads can hamper molecular species identifications and also affect phylogenetic tree construction and interpretation. This unique hybrid taxon, P. ×floridanus, adds another case study to the debate on hybrid protection; consequences for its conservation are discussed.

Hierarchical modeling assessment of the influence of watershed stressors on fish and invertebrate species in Gulf of Mexico estuaries

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) spans five U.S. states and encompasses estuaries that vary greatly in size, shape, upstream river input, eutrophication status, and biotic communities. Given the variability among these estuaries, assessing their biological condition relative to anthropogenic stressors is challenging, but important to regional fisheries management and habitat conservation initiatives. Here, a hierarchical generalized linear modeling approach was developed to predict species presence in bottom trawl samples, using data from 33 estuaries over a nineteen-year study period. This is the first GoM estuary assessment to leverage Gulf-wide trawl data to develop species-level indicators and a quantitative index of estuary disturbance. After controlling for sources of variability at the sampling event, estuary, state, and sampling program levels, our approach screened for statistically significant relationships between watershed-level anthropogenic stressors and fish and invertebrate species presence. Modeling results indicate species level indicators with sensitivities to landscape stressor gradients. The most influential stressors include total anthropogenic land use, crop land use, and the number of toxic release sites in upstream watersheds, as well as agriculture in the shoreline buffer, each of which was significantly related to between 21% and 39% of the 57 species studied. Averaging the effects of these influential stressors across species, we develop a quantitative estuary stress index that can be compared against benchmark conditions. In general, disturbance levels were greatest in estuaries west of the Mississippi delta and in highly developed estuaries in southwest Florida. Estuaries from the Florida panhandle to the eastern Mississippi delta had less anthropogenic stress.

Reproductive ecology of three rareNorthAmericanPinguiculaspecies

AbstractPinguicula(Lentibulariaceae) is a genus of more than 100 carnivorous plant species. A handful of comprehensive studies have examined the reproductive ecology of these species, mostly in Europe and none in the USA. During 2013–2016 different aspects of the reproductive ecology ofP. ionantha,P. luteaandP. planifoliawere studied at multiple locations in the Florida Panhandle, USA. All three species are of conservation concern within the study region and some aspects of their reproductive ecology may be contributing to their rarity. For all species, we conducted breeding system studies investigating xenogamy vs. autogamy, self‐incompatibility vs. self‐compatibility, pollen:ovule ratios, flower phenology and longevity, and pollinator visitation, as well as fruit and seed set differences among populations. All threePinguiculaspecies were determined to be xenogamous and self‐compatible, although the pollen:ovule ratios were extremely low. In addition, these species have floral nastic movements and flower longevity that ranges from 2 to 3 weeks depending on the species. Hymenoptera was identified as the primary group of pollinators visiting all species, although observed visitation events were low. All threePinguiculaspecies had extremely high levels of fruit set and seed set. Worldwide,Pinguiculaspecies share similar breeding system and reproductive patterns. The rare status ofP. ionantha,P. luteaandP. planifoliais more likely due to their ecological requirements, demographics and/or patterns of genetic diversity, than reproduction. This work is among the first and most comprehensive associated with the reproductive ecology of North AmericanPinguicula.

Advection of Karenia brevis blooms from the Florida Panhandle towards Mississippi coastal waters

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) of Karenia brevis have been documented along coastal waters of every state bordering the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Some Gulf Coast locations, such as Florida and Texas, suffer from recurrent intense and spatially large blooms, while others such as Mississippi seem to rarely observe them. The main objective of this work is to understand the dynamics that led to the K. brevis bloom in Mississippi coastal waters in fall 2015. Blooms of K. brevis from the Florida Panhandle region are often advected westward towards the Mississippi-Alabama coast; however there is interannual variability in their presence and intensity in Mississippi coastal waters. The 2015 K. brevis bloom was compared to the 2007 Florida Panhandle K. brevis bloom, which showed a westward advection pattern, but did not intensify along the Mississippi coast. Cell counts and flow cytometry were obtained from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Alabama Department of Public Health, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and The University of Southern Mississippi. Ocean color satellite imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer onboard the Aqua satellite was used to detect and delineate the blooms in 2007 and 2015. Two different regional applications of NCOM-Navy Coastal Ocean Model (1-km resolution NCOM-GoM/Gulf of Mexico and 6-km resolution NCOM-IASNFS/Intra Americas Sea Nowcast Forecast System) were used to understand the circulation and transport pathways. A Lagrangian particle tracking software was used to track the passive movement of particles released at different locations for both bloom events. Ancillary data (e.g., nutrients, wind, salinity, river discharge) from local buoys, monitoring stations and coincident oceanographic cruises were also included in the analysis. The blooms of K. brevis reached the Mississippi coast both years; however, the bloom in 2007 lasted only a few days and there is no evidence that it entered the Mississippi Sound. Two major differences were observed between both years. First, circulation patterns in 2015 resulting from an intense westward-northwestward that persisted until December allowed for continuous advection, whereas this pattern was not evident in 2007. Second, local river discharge was elevated throughout late fall 2015 while 2007 was below the average. Thus, elevated discharge may have provided sufficient nutrients for bloom intensification. These results illustrate the complex, but important interactions in coastal zones. Further, they emphasize the importance in establishing comprehensive HAB monitoring programs, which facilitate our understanding of nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics, and stress the importance for multi-agency cooperation across state boundaries.

Mass Mortality of the Sea Cucumber (Holothuria princeps) along the Florida Panhandle, December 2016

Mass Mortality of the Sea Cucumber (Holothuria princeps) along the Florida Panhandle, December 2016

Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA): a new approach to estimate occurrence in Vulnerable manatee populations

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 35:101-111 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00880 Theme Section: Drones in conservation research Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA): a new approach to estimate occurrence in Vulnerable manatee populations Margaret E. Hunter1,*, Gaia Meigs-Friend1, Jason A. Ferrante1, Aristide Takoukam Kamla2, Robert M. Dorazio1, Lucy Keith Diagne3, Fabia Luna4, Janet M. Lanyon5, James P. Reid1 1U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Sirenia Project, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653, USA 2Aquatic Animal Health Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA 3African Aquatic Conservation Fund, BP 449, Ngaparou, Mbour 33022, Senegal, West Africa 4The National Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals (ICMBio/CMA), Santos, SP, Brazil 5The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia *Corresponding author: mhunter@usgs.gov ABSTRACT: Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a technique used to non-invasively detect cryptic, low density, or logistically difficult-to-study species, such as imperiled manatees. For eDNA measurement, genetic material shed into the environment is concentrated from water samples and analyzed for the presence of target species. Cytochrome b quantitative PCR and droplet digital PCR eDNA assays were developed for the 3 Vulnerable manatee species: African, Amazonian, and both subspecies of the West Indian (Florida and Antillean) manatee. Environmental DNA assays can help to delineate manatee habitat ranges, high use areas, and seasonal population changes. To validate the assay, water was analyzed from Florida’s east coast containing a high-density manatee population and produced 31564 DNA molecules l-1 on average and high occurrence (ψ) and detection (p) estimates (ψ = 0.84 [0.40-0.99]; p = 0.99 [0.95-1.00]; limit of detection 3 copies µl-1). Similar occupancy estimates were produced in the Florida Panhandle (ψ = 0.79 [0.54-0.97]) and Cuba (ψ = 0.89 [0.54-1.00]), while occupancy estimates in Cameroon were lower (ψ = 0.49 [0.09-0.95]). The eDNA-derived detection estimates were higher than those generated using aerial survey data on the west coast of Florida and may be effective for population monitoring. Subsequent eDNA studies could be particularly useful in locations where manatees are (1) difficult to identify visually (e.g. the Amazon River and Africa), (2) are present in patchy distributions or are on the verge of extinction (e.g. Jamaica, Haiti), and (3) where repatriation efforts are proposed (e.g. Brazil, Guadeloupe). Extension of these eDNA techniques could be applied to other imperiled marine mammal populations such as African and Asian dugongs. KEY WORDS: Marine mammal · Multi-scale occupancy model · Salt water · Trichechus · Non‑invasive detection · Quantitative PCR · eDNA · Sirenia Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Hunter ME, Meigs-Friend G, Ferrante JA, Takoukam Kamla A and others (2018) Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA): a new approach to estimate occurrence in Vulnerable manatee populations. Endang Species Res 35:101-111. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00880 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 35. Online publication date: March 13, 2018 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.

Editor’s Introduction

Editor’s Introduction Hilda E. Kurtz and Deepak R. Mishra The papers in Volume 58 Issue 4 of Southeastern Geographer each address, in some way, the passage of time. The papers operationalize attention to the passage of time in different ways. Bright et al. examine the degrees of human recovery three years after a natural hazard in Alabama. Burris et al. mine data from detailed log-books to investigate changing weather and related growing patterns over time from an antebellum Virginia plantation. Hanes’ historical geography of the oyster industry in antebellum Virginia argues for the relevance of even failed policies in the distant past for contemporary political sensibilities. Engström analyzes hydropower generation through time in three southeastern river basins with high inter-annual rainfall—with concommitant limits on ability to generate hydropower—and relates to indirect measure of development pressures surrounding the reservoirs created by the dams. In the context of a period of numerous high-profile environmental disasters, Bright, Sayre, Hanks, and Bagley’s paper “Social Vulnerability and Perceptions of Recovery from the 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado” is timely. Bright et al. interviewed more than 200 people approximately three years after the E4 tornado affected their homes and lives to investigate the degrees of recovery achieved. They argue for parsing recovery or achieving a “new normal” into both time frame and degree of recovery. After watching the destruction from Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas and Hurricane Matthew in the Florida panhandle through September and October 2018, Bright et al.’s research results remind us the recovery time of those caught in the track of catastrophic storms is much longer than public attention, as those impacted by last year’s storms pummeling Houston and Puerto Rico will surely attest. In “Plantation Records as a Source of Historical Weather and Agricultural Data”, Burris, Elsner and Doel data mined plantation log books from the Shirley Plantation in Virginia. Before standardized instrumentation measurement, weather and related human activities were recorded in handwritten log books, in elaborate and idiosyncratic cursive. Plantation log books were important to planters’ efforts to acquire capital, because they documented the success of experimental agricultural ventures in a world and climate unfamiliar to European planters in what is now the United States. Converting hand-written log books to a searchable digital database is time-intensive and requires patience and diligence. Such records can provide broader scale (decadal) quantitative data. (Similar handwritten logs exist throughout the world for both sailing vessels and large-scale colonial enterprises well beyond the southeastern United States). [End Page 325] Significantly, the time period documented in the log books in question was a time of experimental agriculture during which growers lacked in-depth knowledge of local weather patterns. As the southeastern region of the United States experiences unfamiliar weather events, historical studies of experimental agriculture and cultivars may provide adaptive insights for present and future growers. Hanes’ historical geography of the oyster industry in Virginia considers policy attempts to regulate and stimulate segments of the state’s economy. Hanes argues for an Atlantic perspective on southern historical geography, which considers events and conditions in the southern states in the context of economic, political and cultural relations across the broader Atlantic world. Hanes examines the ways in which White fear of the relative autonomy of Black oyster fishermen shaped the trajectory of the oyster trade in Virginia, with reverberations in the present day. Engström looks at the indirect management impacts of development on the “lakes” created by damming rivers in the southern Appalachian region. Natural lakes in the region are non-existent, but reservoirs are created by dams along the many rivers flowing from the one of the oldest mountain chains in the world. The reservoirs included in the study were created along major rivers, with the primary purpose of providing hydroelectric power. Secondarily, the reservoirs created lake-front residential development opportunities marketed as second-home or full-time living. The study investigates the natural and anthropogenic drivers affecting hydropower potential. This is particularly important in a region that can have episodes of drought, which limit both hydropower generation and the access of surrounding landowners to the reservoir. The paper offers insight into how management of...

Germination and Predation of Quercus geminata and Quercus myrtifolia Acorns on Santa Rosa Island, Florida

Tobing, S.L.; Thetford, M., and Miller, D.L., 2018. Germination and predation of Quercus geminata and Quercus myrtifolia acorns on Santa Rosa Island, Florida.Scrub oak species are an important component of barrier island and xeric mainland scrub ecosystems. Limited recruitment of scrub oaks has been noted on barrier islands. This study evaluated several factors believed to alter germination of the scrub oak species Quercus geminata (sand live oak) and Quercus myrtifolia (myrtle oak) along interior dune fields and swales of Santa Rosa Island in the western panhandle of Florida. Influences of dune-field microrelief (interdunal swale or low-lying dune), vegetation cover (vegetated and unvegetated), and seed placement (buried and surface) on germination of acorns were analyzed. Predation of acorns with and without protection from nonburrowing herbivores (open-bottom cage and no cage) was also evaluated. Acorn predation was high. Less than 1% of Q. myrtifolia acorns were recovered outside cages. Only 33% of Q. geminata acorns were recovered outside of cages, with acorn loss reduced only by burial. Burrowing beach mice were able to access acorns within cages. Recovery inside cages was also greater when acorns were buried. Germination of Q. geminata acorns was 15% and was greatest when acorns were buried but was not influenced by microsite or vegetation cover. Germination of Q. myrtifolia was 74% and greater when buried but similar regardless of microsite and vegetation cover. Scrub restoration strategies to increase germination of these two scrub oak species would benefit from an approach that implements direct seeding (burial) in mesic microsites, while sites with strong predator pressure would further benefit from addition of physical protection from seed predators.

An Analysis of Total Lightning Flash Rates Over Florida

AbstractAlthough Florida is known as the “Sunshine State”, it also contains the greatest lightning flash densities in the United States. Flash density has received considerable attention in the literature, but lightning flash rate has received much less attention. We use data from the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) to produce a 5 year (2010–2014) set of statistics regarding total flash rates over Florida and adjacent regions. Instead of tracking individual storms, we superimpose a 0.2° × 0.2° grid over the study region and count both cloud‐to‐ground (CG) and in‐cloud (IC) flashes over 5 min intervals. Results show that the distribution of total flash rates is highly skewed toward small values, whereas the greatest rate is ~185 flashes min−1. Greatest average annual flash rates (~3 flashes min−1) are located near Orlando. The southernmost peninsula, North Florida, and the Florida Panhandle exhibit smaller average annual flash rates (~1.5 flashes min−1). Large flash rates >~ 100 flashes min−1 can occur during any season, at any time during the 24 h period, and at any location within the domain. However, they are most likely during the afternoon and early evening in East Central Florida during the spring and summer months.

Birds and Burrows: Avifauna Use and Visitation of Burrows of Gopher Tortoises At Two Military Sites In the Florida Panhandle

ABSTRACT.— The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has a dual mission of maintaining military readiness and stewardship of its natural resources. The DoD invests more than $334 million on land and species management on their properties, which support high levels of biodiversity and harbor a disproportionate number of threatened, endangered, and at-risk species. The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) occurs on 28 DoD installations in the southeastern United States. Because more than 350 species have been documented to use their burrows, the gopher tortoise is considered a keystone species. However, few species of birds have previously been documented as burrow associates. In this study, we compare bird species richness, visitation frequency, and behaviors at gopher tortoise burrows at two Department of Navy properties (Santa Rosa County, Florida) that differed in size, training intensity, habitat diversity, and proportion of habitat suitable for gopher tortoises. We detected a total of 33 species ...

Integration of Mental and Behavioral Health in Pediatric Health Care Clinics

Integrating behavioral health services into primary and pediatric health care settings is important to increase availability and access to quality mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents. The Mental and Behavioral Health Capacity Project implemented models of pediatric integrated health care at Federally Qualified Health Clinics covering largely rural communities in Louisiana and impacted communities on the Florida Panhandle. The objectives of this article are to describe the programs and demonstrate sustainability and effectiveness of services provided. A subsample from the Louisiana clinics collected data at intake and follow-up at 1, 3, and 6-month intervals. The hypotheses were that child behavior problems and parenting stress would significantly decrease over the course of treatment. This study was conducted at 2 Federally Qualified Health Clinics in rural southeast Louisiana that provide pediatric primary health care. Sample parameters were child patients younger than 18 years presenting at primary health care clinics in Southeast Louisiana (N = 177); the mean age was 9.8 years (standard deviation = 4.3 years). Brief behavioral health services included parental education, medication management, stress management, empowerment, and psychodynamic interventions. The main outcome measures were the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and the Parenting Stress Index. Statistically significant decreases in child behavior problems and parenting stress were revealed, with 87% reporting satisfaction with services. Utilizing community-based and culturally sensitive approaches, mental and behavioral health integrated into pediatric health care clinics can be sustainable and effective at improving child behavior problems, parenting stress, and overall family functioning.

The influence of herbivory and weather on the vital rates of two closely related cactus species.

Herbivory has long been recognized as a significant driver of plant population dynamics, yet its effects along environmental gradients are unclear. Understanding how weather modulates plant–insect interactions can be particularly important for predicting the consequences of exotic insect invasions, and an explicit consideration of weather may help explain why the impact can vary greatly across space and time. We surveyed two native prickly pear cactus species (genus Opuntia) in the Florida panhandle, USA, and their specialist insect herbivores (the invasive South American cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, and three native insect species) for five years across six sites. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the impact of herbivory and weather on plant relative growth rate (RGR) and sexual reproduction, and we used Fisher's exact test to estimate the impact of herbivory on survival. Weather variables (precipitation and temperature) were consistently significant predictors of vital rate variation for both cactus species, in contrast to the limited and varied impacts of insect herbivory. Weather only significantly influenced the impact of herbivory on Opuntia humifusa fruit production. The relationships of RGR and fruit production with precipitation suggest that precipitation serves as a cue in determining the trade‐off in the allocation of resources to growth or fruit production. The presence of the native bug explained vital rate variation for both cactus species, whereas the invasive moth explained variation only for O. stricta. Despite the inconsistent effect of herbivory across vital rates and cactus species, almost half of O. stricta plants declined in size, and the invasive insect negatively affected RGR and fruit production. Given that fruit production was strongly size‐dependent, this suggests that O. stricta populations at the locations surveyed are transitioning to a size distribution of predominantly smaller sizes and with reduced sexual reproduction potential.

Comparisons of Demography and Inbreeding Depression in Introduced and Wild Populations of an Endangered Shrub

Population introduction is frequently attempted to promote rare plant conservation but there is little evidence to evaluate its effectiveness. We measured size structure, survival, growth, and recruitment in three 20-year-old introduced populations of the endangered shrub Conradina glabra, an endemic in upland longleaf pine habitat in the Florida Panhandle, and compared these with measurements from three natural populations. We also quantified inbreeding depression from hand pollinations in two populations and incorporated its consequences for seed production and germination into demographic projections. Individuals in introduced populations, which had been subjected to recent prescribed fire, grew nearly three times faster and produced more than twice as many recruits per individual, but suffered 3.7% greater mortality than individuals in wild populations growing in habitat where fire was suppressed. Demographic matrix projections based on our data predict that introduced populations would grow at least as fast as the naturally occurring populations. Inbreeding depression was strong (δ = 0.887, 0.65 in one introduced and one wild population, respectively) but was predicted to threaten population growth rates only if selfing were to increase substantially. Our results, along with previous evidence for population growth after the initial introductions and persistence for over 25 years, illustrate the potential for well-designed introduction combined with appropriate management to contribute to rare plant conservation.

New Distributional Records of the Stygobitic CrayfishCambarus cryptodytes(Decapoda: Cambaridae) in the Floridan Aquifer System of Southwestern Georgia

Cambarus cryptodytes (Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish) is an obligate inhabitant of groundwater habitats (i.e., a stygobiont) with troglomorphic adaptations in the Floridan aquifer system of southwestern Georgia and adjacent Florida panhandle, particularly in the Dougherty Plain and Marianna Lowlands. Documented occurrences of Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish are spatially distributed as 2 primary clusters separated by a region where few caves and springs have been documented; however, the paucity of humanly accessible karst features in this intermediate region has inhibited investigation of the species' distribution. To work around this constraint, we employed bottle traps to sample for Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish and other groundwater fauna in 18 groundwater-monitoring wells that access the Floridan aquifer system in 10 counties in southwestern Georgia. We captured 32 Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish in 9 wells in 8 counties between September 2014 and August 2015. We detected crayfish at depths ranging from 17.9 m to 40.6 m, and established new county records for Early, Miller, Mitchell, and Seminole counties in Georgia, increasing the number of occurrences in Georgia from 8 to 17 sites. In addition, a new US Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Unit Code 8 (HUC8) watershed record was established for the Spring Creek watershed. These new records fill in the distribution gap between the 2 previously known clusters in Georgia and Jackson County, FL. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that deployment of bottle traps in groundwater-monitoring wells can be an effective approach to presence—absence surveys of stygobionts, especially in areas where surface access to groundwater is limited.

Uterine Carcinosarcoma as a Cancer Cluster? [11J

INTRODUCTION: Carcinosarcoma is a rare uterine malignancy. While the risks are similar to endometrial adenocarcinoma, it is more aggressive It accounts for approximately 4% of all uterine malignancies. The CDC defines cancer clusters as a geographic area with a greater than expected number of cancer case occurrences. There is limited data on uterine carcinosarcoma as a cancer cluster. The primary purpose of this review is to determine if there is a cancer cluster of uterine carcinosarcoma. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed. All patients with a pathologic diagnosis of carcinosarcoma in the Florida panhandle between 2008 to 2015 were reviewed. Patients were further identified based on uterine carcinosarcoma. Data collected included race, city and zip code, cancer stage at diagnosis. RESULTS: There were 31 patients diagnosed with uterine carcinosarcoma during this seven-year period. There were two geographic areas in which most of the patients 17 patients lived in the 4 main areas while 5 patients lived another 4 main areas in this region. In regards to race the majority of patients were Caucasian (20). Of the patients who were staged the majority were Stage 1 (8). CONCLUSION: Within a seven-year period, 31 patients with one type of rare cancer is a high number. Our patient population had more Caucasian patients. These two areas in the Florida Panhandle could represent a potential cancer cluster for uterine carcinosarcoma that could prove to provide new epidemiological data about this cancer. Further work to examine the geographical area and determine progression and overall survival are necessary.

Drying Rates of Ephemeral Wetlands: Implications for Breeding Amphibians

Ephemeral wetlands provide breeding habitat for many amphibian species, and wetland hydrology plays a crucial role in determining amphibian breeding success. We discuss the potential influence of recession rates (i.e., rate of water level decline) and empirically evaluate them in wetlands inhabited by the endangered reticulated flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma bishopi). Rapid water level declines are potentially problematic for reticulated flatwoods salamanders because this species has a long development period, with metamorphosis generally occurring from March to May when groundwater losses are combined with high evapotranspiration rates. To evaluate magnitude, variability, and drivers of recession rates, we monitored water levels in 33 wetlands in the Florida panhandle and examined recession rates during the flatwoods salamander reproductive period. After controlling for the effects of specific yield, standardized recession rates were, on average, 3.9 times daily potential evapotranspiration rates, suggesting that groundwater fluxes are an important driver of water level declines in these wetlands. Standardized recession rates were variable across the landscape and increased with decreasing wetland size, indicating that larger wetlands are often hydrologically more suitable for flatwoods salamanders. This work points to these and other controls on wetland recession rates and their role in regulating amphibian reproductive success.

Biofilms for Monitoring Presence of Microsporidia in Environmental Water.

The development of molecular methodologies for targeting pathogens such as the Microsporidia has greatly improved our monitoring capabilities and initiatives. This study analyzed samples collected from five locations in Pensacola, Florida, USA for the presence of Microsporidian pathogens. To circumvent various impediments associated with water collection and filtration, we utilized biofilms as sentinels for detection of Microsporidia. We implemented membrane-dissolution and sample purification in a single confined step followed by real-time PCR to confirm pathogen presence. The results of this study demonstrate that microsporidia are present in environmental water sites in the Florida panhandle and that biofilms may serve as another alternative mode to circumvent filtration methods for their detection.