Invasive reptiles like the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) and Black-and-White Tegu Lizard (Tupinambis merianae) are exerting tremendous harm on Everglades ecosystems, but these problematic species present an excellent opportunity to engage the next generation in science. Since entering into an agreement with Everglades National Park in late 2013, the Invasive Species Science Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey's Fort Collins Science Center has provided internships for, and, in turn, benefitted from, 13 young people conducting research on invasive reptiles in the Everglades.
Each participant - hired as an intern through the youth corps or via an agreement with the University of Florida - has uniquely and meaningfully contributed to the team’s invasive species research. “Our project workload has significantly increased over the last couple of years, and we rely heavily on help from our interns,” says Michelle Collier, a Biological Science Technician, who provides direct oversight of the students. Some interns can write informative, easy-to-understand protocols or are fast and meticulous with data entry while others have the charisma for effective outreach or are highly-efficient in the field. “There are so many jobs to be done, and we’ve found they respond well when they have something to be in charge of, to be proud of,” she says.
“There is no ‘typical’ day for most of them,” says Dr. Bryan Falk, the project lead in Florida. “We hire interns for a set of core duties, but in the end, they wind up wearing several hats and gaining skills in multiple areas.” That diversity in experience includes checking traps and automated cameras, radio telemetry, road cruising for snakes, specimen necropsy, museum specimen preparation, and data management. Because they’re based in Everglades National Park, the interns are also able to participate in and contribute to National Park Service projects like throw-trap surveys for fish or nest surveys for alligators. “These experiences help with their future job or graduate school opportunities,” says Falk.
The team often has to bring new hires up-to-speed quickly, and uses the experiential education approach of ‘see one, do one, teach one.’ See one, do one, teach one is a traditional format for acquiring skills, based on a 3-step process: visualise, perform, regurgitate the new information. Alejandro Grajal-Puche, a 2015 intern, did this with python necropsies. Falk explains, “We necropsy all of the pythons to collect data on size and reproduction, take various kinds of samples, and look for evidence of disease, stuff like that. Some things – like characterizing reproductive anatomy – can be tricky. I taught Alejandro how to do it, and he developed an image-based necropsy guide for the other interns. It was advantageous for both him and us.”
Publishing in a scientific journal is a pinnacle achievement for a young scientist, and three interns in the Florida-based group have been authors on published papers or notes, with two of them as first authors. Jill Josimovich, another 2015 intern, is currently writing up a project she completed last year. “They had some interesting preliminary data on growth rates in hatchling Burmese pythons,” explained Josimovich, “and Bryan asked me if I wanted to take on a project exploring how hatchling pythons optimize growth. I was thrilled to be offered such an incredible opportunity and jumped at the chance. I learned an unbelievable amount while managing the project, which included lots of writing and planning, constructing snake racks for 60 snakes, caring for 60 snakes for four months, collecting data, and so on. We’re working on the paper now, and the experience has helped shape the direction of my career.” Josimovich is currently deciding between multiple graduate-school opportunities in herpetology.
The team is breaking diversity barriers, too. Last year they undertook a research project to identify covariates of Burmese Python observations, and that research included road-cruising and catching the large snakes in the Everglades. “Field herpetology in general and python catching, in particular, is a bit of a boys’ club,” says Falk, “but we had young women doing it. They were out every night doing difficult work, breaking down stereotypes. One of our colleagues respectfully dubbed them the ‘Ladies of the Glades.’ It’s been great.” The opportunities to engage youth in science in the Everglades in the future also looks strong, and both the students and the USGS win in the end.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
USGS Everglades Research Office - Florida
Ecology and Control of Invasive Reptiles in Florida
Below are publications associated with this project.
Supersize me: Remains of three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in an invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in Florida
Brumation of introduced Black and White Tegus, Tupinambis merianae (Squamata: Teiidae), in southern Florida
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling improves occurrence and detection estimates of invasive Burmese pythons
The influence of disturbed habitat on the spatial ecology of Argentine black and white tegu (Tupinambis merianae), a recent invader in the Everglades ecosystem (Florida, USA)
Assessing risks to humans from invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Python molurus bivittatus (Burmese python). Minimum size at maturity
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Invasive reptiles like the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) and Black-and-White Tegu Lizard (Tupinambis merianae) are exerting tremendous harm on Everglades ecosystems, but these problematic species present an excellent opportunity to engage the next generation in science. Since entering into an agreement with Everglades National Park in late 2013, the Invasive Species Science Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey's Fort Collins Science Center has provided internships for, and, in turn, benefitted from, 13 young people conducting research on invasive reptiles in the Everglades.
Alejandro Grajal-Puche shows an Argentine black-and-white tegu (Tupinambis merianae) with a radio-transmitter backpack over its pelvis. Photo by Michelle Collier, USGS. Public domain. Each participant - hired as an intern through the youth corps or via an agreement with the University of Florida - has uniquely and meaningfully contributed to the team’s invasive species research. “Our project workload has significantly increased over the last couple of years, and we rely heavily on help from our interns,” says Michelle Collier, a Biological Science Technician, who provides direct oversight of the students. Some interns can write informative, easy-to-understand protocols or are fast and meticulous with data entry while others have the charisma for effective outreach or are highly-efficient in the field. “There are so many jobs to be done, and we’ve found they respond well when they have something to be in charge of, to be proud of,” she says.
Erika Lozano, Marcie Cruz, and Emma Hanslowe (L-R), prepare an Argentine black-and-white tegu for surgery as part of a study on cold-weather behavior on the lizards. USGS photo. Public domain. “There is no ‘typical’ day for most of them,” says Dr. Bryan Falk, the project lead in Florida. “We hire interns for a set of core duties, but in the end, they wind up wearing several hats and gaining skills in multiple areas.” That diversity in experience includes checking traps and automated cameras, radio telemetry, road cruising for snakes, specimen necropsy, museum specimen preparation, and data management. Because they’re based in Everglades National Park, the interns are also able to participate in and contribute to National Park Service projects like throw-trap surveys for fish or nest surveys for alligators. “These experiences help with their future job or graduate school opportunities,” says Falk.
The team often has to bring new hires up-to-speed quickly, and uses the experiential education approach of ‘see one, do one, teach one.’ See one, do one, teach one is a traditional format for acquiring skills, based on a 3-step process: visualise, perform, regurgitate the new information. Alejandro Grajal-Puche, a 2015 intern, did this with python necropsies. Falk explains, “We necropsy all of the pythons to collect data on size and reproduction, take various kinds of samples, and look for evidence of disease, stuff like that. Some things – like characterizing reproductive anatomy – can be tricky. I taught Alejandro how to do it, and he developed an image-based necropsy guide for the other interns. It was advantageous for both him and us.”
Jillian Josimovich stands in front of a snake rack she built to house 60 hatchling Burmese pythons. She completed a research project to examine how these snakes optimize growth. USGS photo. Public domain. Publishing in a scientific journal is a pinnacle achievement for a young scientist, and three interns in the Florida-based group have been authors on published papers or notes, with two of them as first authors. Jill Josimovich, another 2015 intern, is currently writing up a project she completed last year. “They had some interesting preliminary data on growth rates in hatchling Burmese pythons,” explained Josimovich, “and Bryan asked me if I wanted to take on a project exploring how hatchling pythons optimize growth. I was thrilled to be offered such an incredible opportunity and jumped at the chance. I learned an unbelievable amount while managing the project, which included lots of writing and planning, constructing snake racks for 60 snakes, caring for 60 snakes for four months, collecting data, and so on. We’re working on the paper now, and the experience has helped shape the direction of my career.” Josimovich is currently deciding between multiple graduate-school opportunities in herpetology.
Molly Conway uses a burrow camera to visualize a Burmese python in a burrow in Everglades National Park. USGS photo. Public domain. The team is breaking diversity barriers, too. Last year they undertook a research project to identify covariates of Burmese Python observations, and that research included road-cruising and catching the large snakes in the Everglades. “Field herpetology in general and python catching, in particular, is a bit of a boys’ club,” says Falk, “but we had young women doing it. They were out every night doing difficult work, breaking down stereotypes. One of our colleagues respectfully dubbed them the ‘Ladies of the Glades.’ It’s been great.” The opportunities to engage youth in science in the Everglades in the future also looks strong, and both the students and the USGS win in the end.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
USGS Everglades Research Office - Florida
The Daniel Beard Center in Everglades National Park provides the base for most of the field work done on the control of invasive reptiles by USGS Fort Collins Science Center staff. The team works in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and other parts of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem focusing on, among other species of concern...Ecology and Control of Invasive Reptiles in Florida
This project involves ongoing development of tools for the detection and capture of invasive reptiles in Florida, with an emphasis on Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Black and white tegu lizards (Salvator merianae). The goals are to reduce the risk of reptile invasions in high-value resources such as Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys, to access early detection methods of new... - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Supersize me: Remains of three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in an invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in Florida
Snakes have become successful invaders in a wide variety of ecosystems worldwide. In southern Florida, USA, the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) has become established across thousands of square kilometers including all of Everglades National Park (ENP). Both experimental and correlative data have supported a relationship between Burmese python predation and declines or extirpations of mBrumation of introduced Black and White Tegus, Tupinambis merianae (Squamata: Teiidae), in southern Florida
An established population of Tupinambis merianae (Black and White Tegu) in southeastern Florida threatens the Everglades ecosystem. Understanding the behavioral ecology of Black and White Tegus could aid in management and control plans. Black and White Tegus are seasonally active and brumate during the winter in their native range, but brumation behavior is largely unstudied in either the native oEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) sampling improves occurrence and detection estimates of invasive Burmese pythons
Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are used to detect DNA that is shed into the aquatic environment by cryptic or low density species. Applied in eDNA studies, occupancy models can be used to estimate occurrence and detection probabilities and thereby account for imperfect detection. However, occupancy terminology has been applied inconsistently in eDNA studies, and many have calculated occurrence pThe influence of disturbed habitat on the spatial ecology of Argentine black and white tegu (Tupinambis merianae), a recent invader in the Everglades ecosystem (Florida, USA)
The threat of invasive species is often intensified in disturbed habitat. To optimize control programs, it is necessary to understand how degraded habitat influences the behavior of invasive species. We conducted a radio telemetry study to characterize movement and habitat use of introduced male Argentine black and white tegus (Tupinambis merianae) in the Everglades of southern Florida from May toAssessing risks to humans from invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are now established across a large area of southern Florida, USA, including all of Everglades National Park (NP). The presence of these large-bodied snakes in the continental United States has attracted intense media attention, including regular reference to the possibility of these snakes preying on humans. Over the course of a decade (2003–201Python molurus bivittatus (Burmese python). Minimum size at maturity
No abstract available. - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.