Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS40 Long-Term Research Programs in the Twenty-first Century (Spatial and Temporal Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 2:30:00 PM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Langtimm, C, A, US Geological Survey, Florida Caribbean Science Center, Gainesville, FL, USA, cathy_langtimm@usgs.gov

Beck, C, A, US Geological Survey, Florida Caribbean Science Center, Gainesville, FL, USA, cathy_beck@usgs.gov

HURRICANES AND MANATEE POPULATION DYNAMICS: RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

The Florida manatee is a large, herbivorous marine mammal found in near-shore marine and freshwater habitats of the southeastern United States. As an endangered species it has been actively monitored and studied for over 20 years. In a retrospective analysis of 19 years of photo-documented sightings of known individuals from a population along the Gulf coast, we estimated adult survival rates with mark-resighting statistical models and found lower survival during three years with major hurricanes or extra-tropical storms. With this same dataset we are estimating past storm effects on reproduction rate. Hurricane activity in the western Atlantic occurs in quasi-cyclic multi-decade regimes that alternate between active and quiet phases. We have been in a quiet phase, but are moving into a predicted active phase. The impact of anticipated global climate change on storm cycles is equivocal. Understanding how climate change affects the complex aquatic systems of the Gulf of Mexico will require continued long-term monitoring and modeling. We suggest that such studies incorporate a diversity of aquatic species, including the long-lived Florida manatee.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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