![\"..\/Screen%20Shot%202020-04-29%20at%2010.35.15%20AM.png\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Maver_1.png\")
In a 2017 study, Dr. John D. Willson, of the University of Arkansas, and his research team examined how Burmese pythons are indirectly impacting south Florida ecosystems. The study hypothesized that predation rates, specifically on turtle eggs, would be lowest in the southern part of the Everglades National Park, where pythons have been established the longest and where mammals are rare. Dr. Willson constructed artificial turtle nests baited with quail eggs at 13 sites and used camera traps to monitor predator activity. The 13 sites were divided into three categories; \u201ccore\u201d sites, areas where pythons have been detected the longest, \u201cperipheral\u201d sites, where pythons have only recently been detected, and \u201cextralimital\u201d sites, where breeding python populations have not been detected yet. The spatial distinction of the study design allowed Dr. Willson to examine what animal species were present and their abundance so that conclusions could be drawn regarding both the direct effects pythons have on mammals and the indirect effect that has on turtle nest predation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Willson, and his research team, found that nest predation rates, and the observed number of species, were significantly greater at \u201cextralimital\u201d sites where python breeding is not yet believed to be occurring. Nest predation at \u201ccore\u201d sites, where python populations have been established the longest, was low and only a few species of mammals were observed. In addition, the nest predation that did occur at \u201ccore\u201d sites were done almost exclusively by crows. Whether or not the greater occurrence of crows at core nest sites compared to \u201cperipheral\u201d and \u201cextralimital\u201d sites can be attributed to decreased competition with the prey species of the Burmese python could not be \u201cconclusively concluded based on the [Study\u2019s] data\u201d, says Dr. Willson. However, data from the camera traps at each site did indicate that the \u201cspatial pattern of mammal abundance is inversely correlated with the spatial expansion of python population\u201d. In layman\u2019s terms, what Dr. Willson means by this is that mammal abundance was found to be lower in areas where pythons were abundant and higher in areas where pythons were less abundant. Furthermore, the results of the study supported the hypothesis that the decreased mammal populations caused by python predation is positively effecting the abundance of the non-prey species of the Burmese python. The study also refuted the previously suggested alternative hypothesis that the recent increase in the abundance of coyotes in the Everglades is driving the observed decline in mammal populations. So based on the findings of the study, Dr. Willson and his team concluded that a trophic cascade, where Burmese pythons are having a positive indirect effect on the recruitment of small egg-laying species by suppressing mammal populations, is occurring in the Everglades National Park. What this means is that more egg laying species, such as turtles, are surviving to adulthood because the pythons have eaten a large number of their predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on\nthe conclusions Dr. Willson and his team were able to draw from the findings of\nthis study, I asked him what he believes needs to be done next in order to\nmitigate the issues Burmese pythons are causing in south Florida. At the current\nmoment, Dr. Willson believes that more extensive research is still needed and\nstates how, in his mind, there are currently no \u201ctools that can be used at a\nlarge-scale to do anything about this problem\u201d because of how widely\ndistributed pythons are in south Florida and how difficult they are to detect.\nRight now, the most effective way to mitigate Florida\u2019s python problem is to\nwork at a \u201csmall-scale and do things such as protect key area\u2019s used by wading\nbirds, and to keep python populations low in the Florida Keys where there are a\nlot of endemic species like the key deer, the lower keys marsh rabbit, and the\nKey Largo wood rat\u201d says Dr. Willson. But, before any large-scale management\nplan can be implemented Dr. Willson is adamant that more research on control\nmethods, such as python traps, needs to be done. He goes on to explain how on\nthe island of Guam where invasive brown tree snakes lead to a significant loss\nof native fauna, well funded research regarding basic control methods, like\ntraps and visual searches to remove tree snakes, has allowed researchers on the\nisland to begin large scale removals and the reintroduction of native birds;\nsomething he would have said was impossible ten to fifteen years ago. \u201cThe\nsolid research on the very basic level of how to detect [brown tree snakes]\nusing very simple techniques basically laid the groundwork for large scale\nremovals and we are just not doing that with [south Florida] pythons\u201d says Dr.\nWillson. The main problem he currently sees in Florida is that \u201cthere is more\npressure to present the visual of doing something rather than doing things that\nare less glamorous but actually inform our knowledge of the situation better\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After\ngaining a better understanding of the current python problem in south Florida,\nI asked Dr. Willson if thinks Burmese pythons are affecting the Everglades\necosystem in ways that have not yet been examined. He mentions how, in his\nmind, pythons are most likely having some indirect effect on the area\u2019s\nvegetation dynamics by suppressing populations of important herbivores such as\nrabbits and deer. Furthermore, he suspects that pythons are indirectly\naffecting the seed dispersal of fruit-forming plant species by reducing the\nabundance of seed dispersing mammals. In Guam, research regarding the invasive\nbrown tree snake suggests that brown tree snake\u2019s \u201care changing the forest by\nchanging the recruitment, pollination, and seed dispersal of trees\u201d says Dr.\nWillson. If a similar phenomenon is occurring in the Everglades, its very\nlikely that the forest structure of the park will be different in future than\nhow it has been historically which could have far reaching implications that\ncan not yet be predicted. However, if wildlife managers in the Everglades take what\nhas been learned on Guam, in regards to invasive snake management, in to\naccount as the come up with there own python management strategies it is\npossible that further large scale changes to the ecosystem dynamics of the\nEverglades can be prevented. Lastly, Dr. Willson mentioned how there is a lack\nof knowledge regarding the effects pythons have on wading birds because of how\nhard it is to keep track of there populations. The knowledge gaps that still\nexists regarding the effects pythons have on vegetation and other organisms\nwill be a major hurdle researchers and wildlife managers will have to get over\nbefore any large scale management plan can be implemented<\/p>\n\n\n\n To conclude\nthe interview, Dr. Willson mentioned how the greatest challenge, when it comes\nto carrying out large-scale studies such as this one, is overcoming the very\ncomplex political and regulatory environment of south Florida. Since pythons\nare now so widely distributed across the region, to test his hypothesis meant\nhe needed to include sites located on lands that are managed by several\ndifferent entities. This made \u201cthe permitting required to conduct this study\nastronomically difficult to get organized\u201d says Dr. Willson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Willson\u2019s full journal article can be found in volume 54\nof the Journal of Applied Ecology on page 1251 or at\nhttps:\/\/besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/1365-2664.12844.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gibbons, J.\n(2011) Invasive Burmese Pythons Are Taking a Toll on Florida\u2019s Native Birds.\nSmithsonian Insider. Retrieved from https:\/\/insider.si.edu\/2011\/03\/burmese-pythons-are-taking-a-toll-on-floridas-native-birds\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Willson, J. D.\n(2017) Indirect Effects of Invasive Burmese Pythons on Ecosystems in Southern\nFlorida. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54, 1251-1258<\/p>\n\n\n\n Garcia, S. E.\n(2019) A 17-Foot Burmese Python Was Found in Florida. What Was It Even Doing\nThere? The New York Times. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/08\/us\/python-florida.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Mitch Maver Across the globe, the introduction of exotic species is having catastrophic negative effects on the health of our planet\u2019s natural ecosystems. Reptiles and amphibians are commonly caught and transported far from their native range to be sold … Continue reading ![\"..\/Screen%20Shot%202020-04-29%20at%2010.42.16%20AM.png\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Maver_2.png\")