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Attack of the Burmese pythons
Burmese pythons are a popular kind of pet snake in the United States. However, they're meant to live in India and parts of China not Florida. These huge snakes can harm people and generally disrupt the food chain of southern Florida enough for them to be called an invasive species. This book introduces readers to the concept of native and invasive animals through the facts surrounding the spread of Burmese pythons. The main content covers how the snakes came to be in southern Florida, their harm to the environment, and modern ways conservation groups are trying to stop their spread.
Book
Marsh rabbit mortalities tie pythons to the precipitous decline of mammals in the Everglades
To address the ongoing debate over the impact of invasive species on native terrestrial wildlife, we conducted a large-scale experiment to test the hypothesis that invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) were a cause of the precipitous decline of mammals in Everglades National Park (ENP). Evidence linking pythons to mammal declines has been indirect and there are reasons to question whether pythons, or any predator, could have caused the precipitous declines seen across a range of mammalian functional groups. Experimentally manipulating marsh rabbits, we found that pythons accounted for 77% of rabbit mortalities within 11 months of their translocation to ENP and that python predation appeared to preclude the persistence of rabbit populations in ENP. On control sites, outside of the park, no rabbits were killed by pythons and 71% of attributable marsh rabbit mortalities were classified as mammal predations. Burmese pythons pose a serious threat to the faunal communities and ecological functioning of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, which will probably spread as python populations expand their range.
Journal Article
Red-tailed hawk vs. Burmese python
A bird and a snake may not seem like they could have much in common, but the red-tailed hawk and Burmese python are both skilled hunters. In a fight, they'd each bring quite a bit to the table. This thrilling book is packed with information that compares and contrasts these two carnivores. Eye-catching photographs help readers visualize these two animals in a battle. Habitats and adaptations are just a couple of the important science concepts that this exciting book discusses.
Book
Mammal declines correspond with increasing prevalence of Burmese pythons at their southern invasion front in the Florida Keys
The negative impacts of invasive Burmese pythons (
Python bivittatus
) on mammal communities in mainland South Florida are well-documented. However, few studies have examined the ecological effects of Burmese pythons along their southern invasion front in the Florida Keys. The establishment of Burmese pythons in the Keys could be devastating for island mammal communities and their ecosystem functions. We leveraged long-term data from camera trap surveys of endangered Key Largo woodrats (
Neotoma floridana smalli
) and free-ranging cats (
Felis catus
), as well as publicly available datasets to create time-dependent occupancy and generalized linear models to explore potential changes in the mammal community associated with increasing prevalence of Burmese pythons on Key Largo. Top occupancy models indicated that detection probabilities of endangered Key Largo cotton mice (
Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola
), Key Largo woodrats, and invasive black rats (
Rattus rattus
) all decreased since the establishment of Burmese pythons in 2016 on North Key Largo, but the detection probability of Virginia opossums (
Didelphis virginiana
) might have increased. Additionally, top models indicated that increasing python prevalence was associated with high local extinction probabilities for woodrats and black rats. Generalized linear models indicated raccoon (
Procyon lotor
) and opossum counts decreased locally over time in areas where pythons were present, despite no broad-scale changes in occupancy. These results reveal a complex dynamic wherein Burmese pythons are likely having a stronger effect on rodent communities over mesopredator communities in North Key Largo—presumably due to demographics of a relatively new established python population. This study indicates that the python invasion in Key Largo has started to have ecological impacts. While these findings are cause for concern, evidence does suggest python removals are mitigating effects on certain mammal populations.
Journal Article
Environmental DNA sampling reveals high occupancy rates of invasive Burmese pythons at wading bird breeding aggregations in the central Everglades
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is now established as a breeding population throughout south Florida, USA. However, the extent of the invasion, and the ecological impacts of this novel apex predator on animal communities are incompletely known, in large part because Burmese pythons (hereafter \"pythons\") are extremely cryptic and there has been no efficient way to detect them. Pythons are recently confirmed nest predators of long-legged wading bird breeding colonies (orders Ciconiiformes and Pelecaniformes). Pythons can consume large quantities of prey and may not be recognized as predators by wading birds, therefore they could be a particular threat to colonies. To quantify python occupancy rates at tree islands where wading birds breed, we utilized environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis-a genetic tool which detects shed DNA in water samples and provides high detection probabilities. We fitted multi-scale Bayesian occupancy models to test the prediction that pythons occupy islands with wading bird colonies at higher rates compared to representative control islands containing no breeding birds. Our results suggest that pythons are widely distributed across the central Everglades in proximity to active wading bird colonies. In support of our prediction that pythons are attracted to colonies, site-level python eDNA occupancy rates were higher at wading bird colonies (ψ = 0.88, 95% credible interval [0.59-1.00]) than at the control islands (ψ = 0.42 [0.16-0.80]) in April through June (n = 15 colony-control pairs). We found our water temperature proxy (time of day) to be informative of detection probability, in accordance with other studies demonstrating an effect of temperature on eDNA degradation in occupied samples. Individual sample concentrations ranged from 0.26 to 38.29 copies/μL and we generally detected higher concentrations of python eDNA in colony sites. Continued monitoring of wading bird colonies is warranted to determine the effect pythons are having on populations and investigate putative management activities.
Journal Article
Optimizing survey conditions for Burmese python detection and removal using community science data
Burmese pythons (
Python bivittatus
) have demonstrated prolific spread and low detectability within their invasive range in Florida, USA. Consequently, programs exist which incentivize contractors to remove pythons. While surveying, contractors collect data on search effort and python captures. We examined data from South Florida Water Management District’s Python Elimination Program to determine the effect of operational and environmental covariates on two measures of survey outcome: success (i.e., probability of removing at least one python) and efficiency (i.e., the number of pythons removed per survey hour). Additionally, we assessed the spatial distribution of contractor search effort and removals. Warm temperatures (> 25 °C) improve survey outcomes, especially when surveys occur late at night and during the wet season (May–Oct). The most efficient interval for conducting surveys occurs from 20:00 to 02:00. The spatial distribution of python removals is concentrated in four regions and coincides with contractor search effort. Our results provide insights into optimizing removal efforts for invasive Burmese pythons in Florida, which may allow for increases in removal efficiency. Moreover, this study demonstrates that community science data can be used to synthesize recommendations for invasive species removal efforts.
Journal Article
Highly competent native snake hosts extend the range of an introduced parasite beyond its invasive Burmese python host
Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) have introduced a nonnative pentastomid parasite (Raillietiella orientalis) to southern Florida that has spilled over to infect native snakes. However, the extent of spillover, regarding prevalence and intensity, is unknown. We examined native snakes (n = 523) and invasive pythons (n = 1003) collected from Florida to determine the degree to which parasite spillover is occurring. We found R. orientalis has infected 13 species of native snakes collected from areas of sympatry with pythons. Prevalence and infection intensity of R. orientalis were significantly higher among native snakes compared with pythons. Moreover, adult female pentastomes achieved larger sizes and represented a greater proportion of the overall parasite population in native snakes vs. pythons, indicating native snakes are more competent hosts of R. orientalis than pythons. We also examined native snakes from regions of allopatry with pythons to determine how far R. orientalis has spread. We found an infected native snake 348 km north of the northernmost infected python. Our data show that native snakes are highly competent hosts of R. orientalis and have facilitated the rapid spread of this nonnative pentastome beyond the range of its invasive host.
Journal Article
Life-history traits moderate the susceptibility of native mammals to an invasive predator
The invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) is causing declines in the numbers and diversity of native mammals in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE). However, limited evidence suggests that some species may be less susceptible to pythons than others. This difference in susceptibility may be a function of different life-history traits. We analysed incidence data with a multi-species hierarchical occupancy model to evaluate the influence of pythons on native mammals and examine the association between python’s influence on species occurrence and life-history traits. We also used our traits-based model to predict the effects of pythons on occupancy probabilities of five mammalian species of conservation or management concern known to occur in the GEE but not detected in our study. Ten of 18 observed mammals showed significant negative effects from pythons, while one responded positively. We found that three of the six species traits evaluated (mass, fecundity, and habitat breadth) moderated the negative effects of pythons on mammal occurrence and were, thus, useful for predicting species responses. Our results suggest larger, fecund and/or species with wide habitat breadths were less susceptible to increasing relative densities of pythons. Our results also suggest a positive and neutral associations between rodents and relative python density, likely due to wide habitat breadths, high fecundity rates, and the reduction of mammalian predators in areas with higher relative python densities. These trait relationships predicted a negative response of all five unobserved species of management concern included in our analysis. Our study provides a broader understanding of wildlife community vulnerability to invasive predators and demonstrates how trait-based models can be used to elucidate generalizable patterns and generate predictions for rare and/or undetected species.
Journal Article
Divergent Serpentoviruses in Free-Ranging Invasive Pythons and Native Colubrids in Southern Florida, United States
Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is an invasive snake that has significantly affected ecosystems in southern Florida, United States. Aside from direct predation and competition, invasive species can also introduce nonnative pathogens that can adversely affect native species. The subfamily Serpentovirinae (order Nidovirales) is composed of positive-sense RNA viruses primarily found in reptiles. Some serpentoviruses, such as shingleback nidovirus, are associated with mortalities in wild populations, while others, including ball python nidovirus and green tree python nidovirus can be a major cause of disease and mortality in captive animals. To determine if serpentoviruses were present in invasive Burmese pythons in southern Florida, oral swabs were collected from both free-ranging and long-term captive snakes. Swabs were screened for the presence of serpentovirus by reverse transcription PCR and sequenced. A total serpentovirus prevalence of 27.8% was detected in 318 python samples. Of the initial swabs from 172 free-ranging pythons, 42 (24.4%) were positive for multiple divergent viral sequences comprising four clades across the sampling range. Both sex and snout-vent length were statistically significant factors in virus prevalence, with larger male snakes having the highest prevalence. Sampling location was statistically significant in circulating virus sequence. Mild clinical signs and lesions consistent with serpentovirus infection were observed in a subset of sampled pythons. Testing of native snakes (n = 219, 18 species) in part of the python range found no evidence of python virus spillover; however, five individual native snakes (2.3%) representing three species were PCR positive for unique, divergent serpentoviruses. Calculated pairwise uncorrected distance analysis indicated the newly discovered virus sequences likely represent three novel genera in the subfamily Serpentovirinae. This study is the first to characterize serpentovirus in wild free-ranging pythons or in any free-ranging North America reptile. Though the risk these viruses pose to the invasive and native species is unknown, the potential for spillover to native herpetofauna warrants further investigation.
Journal Article
Spatial ecology of invasive Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida
Understanding the spatial ecology of an invasive species is critical for designing effective control programs. Determining and quantifying home range estimates and habitat associations can streamline targeted removal efforts for wide‐ranging, cryptic animals. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is a large‐bodied constrictor snake with an established and expanding invasive population in southern Florida. This apex predator has severely impacted native wildlife across the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, limited ecological information exists on this invasive species at the landscape level. Here, we present results from a study using radiotelemetry to quantify movements and habitat use patterns of 25 adult Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida, USA, for average periods of 814 d (range: 288–1809). Our objective was to quantify home range size, movement rates, and second‐ and third‐order habitat selection. Mean annual home range size was 7.5 km2 ± 2.9 km2 (95% kernel density estimate), and pythons moved at a maximum mean daily rate of 0.52 km/d. Burmese pythons selected agriculture, freshwater wetland, saline wetland, and upland land cover classes but avoided open water and urban land cover classes. Nest site selection was highest for pythons at an elevation of 1.7 m with nesting hotspots concentrated on the borders of urban and agricultural areas or in sandy forested upland habitats. A broader understanding of the spatial utilization of Burmese pythons will enhance the utility of emerging control strategies across their invaded range.
Journal Article