The Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) team will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow occurrence.
The Science Issue and Relevance: The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (hereafter sparrow) is endemic to South Florida and a key indicator species of marl prairie, the most diverse freshwater community in the Florida Everglades. Habitat loss and hydrologic alteration have precipitated the dramatic decline in sparrow numbers since 1992. Currently, the sparrow is restricted to the freshwater prairies of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. The Endangered Species Act protects the sparrow, and federal agencies have a statutory obligation to not jeopardize the survival of the species or adversely modify its critical habitat. The sparrow’s small population size and restricted range result in uncertainty about how to increase suitable habitat. Identifying factors affecting sparrow habitat suitability is essential if we are to expand the total area of suitable habitat over a gradient of environmental conditions. Our objective is to identify the characteristics of suitable sparrow habitat based on the relationship between daily sparrow distributions from 1992 to present and hydrologic and habitat variables.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: To meet our objective, we will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence sparrow occurrence. Suitable habitat for sparrow feeding, mating, and nesting is characterized by distinct hydropatterns that support a mixed marl prairie. This prairie is comprised of a diverse community of grasses dominated by muhly grass. Periodic fires prevent invasion from hardwood species and taller, denser grasses, as well as the accumulation of dead plant material, all of which are unsuitable for sparrow nesting. After initial model development, we will link model outputs to demographic response. Coordination with the Ecostudies Institute and Everglades National Park staff will provide data necessary to relate occurrence models to reproductive metrics in order to determine habitat quality.
Future Steps: Software using the models will be developed through an existing Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) agreement. This agreement increases the accessibility of real-time and projected habitat suitability to inform water management decisions for the sparrow. The resultant software will provide state and federal agencies a useful tool to increase suitable habitat around existing sparrow populations by altering factors such as hydropatterns or frequencies of prescribed burns.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Wader Distribution & Evaluation Modeling (WADEM)
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSnail
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Alligator Production Probability Model
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Greater Everglades Modeling Decision Support Tools
Advanced Technological Solutions in Support of Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Science: Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM)
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Support
The JEM community of practice is focused on ecological modeling and monitoring across the Greater Everglades, with particular interest in habitats, how various factors affect habitat change, and how the organisms dependent on those habitats respond today and into the future.
- Overview
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) team will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow occurrence.
The Science Issue and Relevance: The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (hereafter sparrow) is endemic to South Florida and a key indicator species of marl prairie, the most diverse freshwater community in the Florida Everglades. Habitat loss and hydrologic alteration have precipitated the dramatic decline in sparrow numbers since 1992. Currently, the sparrow is restricted to the freshwater prairies of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. The Endangered Species Act protects the sparrow, and federal agencies have a statutory obligation to not jeopardize the survival of the species or adversely modify its critical habitat. The sparrow’s small population size and restricted range result in uncertainty about how to increase suitable habitat. Identifying factors affecting sparrow habitat suitability is essential if we are to expand the total area of suitable habitat over a gradient of environmental conditions. Our objective is to identify the characteristics of suitable sparrow habitat based on the relationship between daily sparrow distributions from 1992 to present and hydrologic and habitat variables.
Image of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow through telescopic lens. Methodology for Addressing the Issue: To meet our objective, we will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence sparrow occurrence. Suitable habitat for sparrow feeding, mating, and nesting is characterized by distinct hydropatterns that support a mixed marl prairie. This prairie is comprised of a diverse community of grasses dominated by muhly grass. Periodic fires prevent invasion from hardwood species and taller, denser grasses, as well as the accumulation of dead plant material, all of which are unsuitable for sparrow nesting. After initial model development, we will link model outputs to demographic response. Coordination with the Ecostudies Institute and Everglades National Park staff will provide data necessary to relate occurrence models to reproductive metrics in order to determine habitat quality.
Example of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow species distribution model. Future Steps: Software using the models will be developed through an existing Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) agreement. This agreement increases the accessibility of real-time and projected habitat suitability to inform water management decisions for the sparrow. The resultant software will provide state and federal agencies a useful tool to increase suitable habitat around existing sparrow populations by altering factors such as hydropatterns or frequencies of prescribed burns.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
The Sparrow Helper tool allows for the evaluation of water management scenarios by generating, plotting, and mapping hydrologic metrics across a range of time scales to predict impacts of proposed water depth changes to sparrow subpopulations.Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Wader Distribution & Evaluation Modeling (WADEM)
WADEM (Wader Distribution Evaluation Modeling) is a JEM model that estimates species-specific habitat suitability across the landscape for Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), and Wood Stork (Mycteria americana).Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator
Marl prairie is the most diverse freshwater vegetation community in the Greater Everglades and provides the only suitable habitat for the federally endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow (CSSS; Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis).Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSnail
EverSnail, developed in collaboration with the University of West Florida, is an age- and size-structured spatially-explicit landscape model of native apple snails (Pomacea paludosa).Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Alligator Production Probability Model
Because the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a keystone species of the Everglades ecosystem, managers need a way to quantitatively assess the effects of alternative restoration scenarios on alligators.Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Greater Everglades Modeling Decision Support Tools
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling team is developing and applying ecological models and other decision support tools for Greater Everglades restoration project planning.Advanced Technological Solutions in Support of Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Science: Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM)
The JEM Biological Database offers secure data storage in relational databases, as well as web applications to manage, search, analyze, and report on captured data. - Web Tools
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Support
The JEM community of practice is focused on ecological modeling and monitoring across the Greater Everglades, with particular interest in habitats, how various factors affect habitat change, and how the organisms dependent on those habitats respond today and into the future.