The Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Sciences Program (GEPES) in USGS was established to conduct long-term research, monitoring, and modeling to provide science to inform Everglades restoration decisions and meet natural resource management goals. The program is one of several placed-based efforts in the USGS that focuses resources and science in “iconic” landscapes to support restoration and management activities.
Everglades Research
Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
Knowledge Synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Science
Ecological Modeling in Support of the Lake Okeechobee Water Management
Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) Program for the Greater Everglades
Fish Chat and Slam November 2019
Spatial Ecology of Bobcats in the Greater Everglades
Ecological Modeling in Support of the Western Everglades Restoration Project
Evaluating Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem to Provide Decision Support for Restoration
Decision Analysis to Help Improve the Effectiveness of Invasive Plants Management
Fish Slam November 2018
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Wader Distribution & Evaluation Modeling (WADEM)
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS Everglades research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS Everglades data is available from the button below.
Ecological modeling output for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual iteration 3 (of 3), 2022
Ecological modeling output for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual iterations 1 and 2 (of 3), 2021
Decompartmentalization Physical Model (South Florida Water Management District) Periphyton Abundance and Biovolume Data 2017–21
Ecological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round One of Four, 2018
Ecological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Two of Four, 2018
Ecological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Three of Four, 2019
Ecological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Four of Four, 2020
Ecological Model Support for RECOVER's Update of Interim Goals, 2019
Multiple Species Comparisons from EverForecast May 2021
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at 50 m resolution for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
Southwest Everglades coastal soil pore water data Everglades National Park 1997-2012
Droplet digital PCR data for environmental DNA surveys of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS Everglades research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS Everglades publications is available from the button below.
Natural and anthropogenic factors influencing nesting ecology of the American crocodile in Florida, United States
Egg retention in wild-caught Python bivittatus in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Wading bird foraging on a wetland landscape: A comparison of two strategies
Face-off: Novel depredation and nest defense behaviors between an invasive and a native predator in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Managing multiple species with conflicting needs in the Greater Everglades
Inter-nesting movements, migratory pathways, and resident foraging areas of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) satellite-tagged in Southwest Florida
Agkistrodon conanti (Florida Cottonmouth) and Python bivittatus (Burmese Python). Diet and Predation
Loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at smaller sizes than expected in the Gulf of Mexico: Implications for turtle behavior, population dynamics, and conservation
Clutch may predict growth of hatchling Burmese pythons better than food availability or sex
Environmental DNA surveys of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Carbon fluxes and potential soil accumulation within Greater Everglades cypress and pine forested wetlands
Hierarchical functional response of a forager on a wetland landscape
Explore our science using the web tools below.
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 Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Sciences Program (GEPES) in USGS was established to conduct long-term research, monitoring, and modeling to provide science to inform Everglades restoration decisions and meet natural resource management goals. The program is one of several placed-based efforts in the USGS that focuses resources and science in “iconic” landscapes to support restoration and management activities.
Everglades ResearchFilter Total Items: 37Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Spring Fish Slam event in southwest Florida. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.Knowledge Synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Science
WARC researchers have developed a literature review of science on the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow focused on topics relevant to upcoming management decisions.Ecological Modeling in Support of the Lake Okeechobee Water Management
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling team will be running a suite of ecological models to evaluate scenarios and provide insight into how alternative restorations plans compare, indicate whether alternatives could lead to unintended consequences, and determine effects of alternatives that could conflict with other goals.Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) Program for the Greater Everglades
Goals of the ATLSS Program are to help achieve a better understanding of components of the Everglades ecosystem, to provide an integrative tool for empirical studies, and to apply these tools to an adaptive management framework.Fish Chat and Slam November 2019
Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 2019.Spatial Ecology of Bobcats in the Greater Everglades
WARC researchers will estimate the density and distribution of bobcats in relation to environmental variables through the development of spatially explicit capture-recapture and occupancy models.Ecological Modeling in Support of the Western Everglades Restoration Project
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues, for example, the Western Everglades Restoration Project.Evaluating Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem to Provide Decision Support for Restoration
USGS scientists develop decision support tools to help inform management and restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.Decision Analysis to Help Improve the Effectiveness of Invasive Plants Management
Melaleuca is an invasive tree that is highly problematic in the Everglades, threatening native wildlife and habitat. USGS is helping to improve management strategies for the invasive plant.Fish Slam November 2018
In November 2018, USGS researchers joined partners in South Florida where they sampled freshwater bodies for non-native fishes. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native fishes.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). - Data
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS Everglades research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS Everglades data is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 23Ecological modeling output for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual iteration 3 (of 3), 2022
Ecological models facilitate the evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues. The multi-agency REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) science team uses ecological models (i.e., ecological planning tools) to evaluate the potentiaEcological modeling output for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual iterations 1 and 2 (of 3), 2021
Ecological models facilitate the evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues. The multi-agency REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) science team uses ecological models (i.e., ecological planning tools) to evaluate the potentiaDecompartmentalization Physical Model (South Florida Water Management District) Periphyton Abundance and Biovolume Data 2017–21
Periphyton is a complex community of detritus, bacteria, fungi, and algae that grows attached to submerged substrates. Assemblage structure data for algae and cyanobacteria from periphyton samples were collected on a monthly basis from 2017 to 2021. Compiled data were reported as absolute abundance (cells) and biovolume per volume as well as absolute abundance (cells) and biovolume per area at fouEcological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round One of Four, 2018
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decEcological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Two of Four, 2018
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decEcological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Three of Four, 2019
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decEcological Model Support for the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Round Four of Four, 2020
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decEcological Model Support for RECOVER's Update of Interim Goals, 2019
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decMultiple Species Comparisons from EverForecast May 2021
These data are summaries and comparisons of the EverForecast outputs from May 2021. EverForecast is a near-term hydrologic forecasting application that provides daily water depth forecasts across the freshwater Everglades (Pearlstine et al. 2020); water depth forecasts are then used to run species models. Here, we examine the EverForecast outputs of five species models: (1) American alligator prodDigital Elevation Model (DEM) at 50 m resolution for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
Since its inception, the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) has used the High Accuracy Elevation Dataset (HAED) digital elevation model (DEM) to provide scientists and managers with continuous water depth surfaces, derived from interpolated water stage, on a 400 X 400 meter grid. A new, high resolution LiDAR-based DEM is available through a collaboration between Everglades National Park (ESouthwest Everglades coastal soil pore water data Everglades National Park 1997-2012
Soil porewater (30cm and 60cm depth) was sampled for specific conductance, salinity and temperature in the southwest coastal Everglades, Everglades National Park from 1997-2012 at four sampling locations. Principal sampling location (HR) was located adjacent the Harney River and had five sampling sites (~ 60m apart) along a 300m N-S transect in a coastal mangrove fringe forest sampled from 1997-20Droplet digital PCR data for environmental DNA surveys of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Environmental DNA water samples were collected in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem between May 20-22, 2019 and analyzed to estimate Burmese python (Python bivittatus) occurrence. Twenty-eight sites were sampled in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, with 5 field replicate samples per site, for a total of 140 water samples collected. Python eDNA was detected at 25 of the 28 sampling sites using Dropl - Publications
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS Everglades research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS Everglades publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 30Natural and anthropogenic factors influencing nesting ecology of the American crocodile in Florida, United States
Nesting ecology of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Florida has been both positively and negatively influenced by anthropogenic and natural factors since the species was placed on the federally endangered species list in 1975. This includes a shift in nesting sites and an expansion of nesting to anthropogenic habitat. Using a 50-year record of monitoring data (1970-2020), we assessed facEgg retention in wild-caught Python bivittatus in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Retention of eggs in oviducts beyond the normal oviposition period is a common problem for captive reptiles, but the occurrence of egg retention in wild populations is largely unknown. The Burmese python (Python [molurus] bivittatus; Kühl 1820) is an oviparous snake native to south-eastern Asia that is now established in southern Florida. From 2011–2019, invasive Burmese pythons were opportunisticWading bird foraging on a wetland landscape: A comparison of two strategies
Tactile-feeding wading birds, such as wood storks and white ibises, require high densities of prey such as small fishes and crayfish to support themselves and their offspring during the breeding season. Prey availability in wetlands is often determined by seasonal hydrologic pulsing, such as in the subtropical Everglades, where spatial distributions of prey can vary through time, becoming heterogeFace-off: Novel depredation and nest defense behaviors between an invasive and a native predator in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
We describe several photo-documented novel interactions between intraguild predators in southern Florida—the native bobcat (Lynx rufus) and the invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus). Over several days we documented a bobcat's depredation of an unguarded python nest and subsequent python nest defense behavior following the return of both animals to the nest. This is the first documentation ofManaging multiple species with conflicting needs in the Greater Everglades
Given limited funding, natural resources decision making is riddled with tradeoffs, including which species or landscapes to prioritize for management action. Florida’s Everglades wetland is home to numerous indicator species, some of which are endangered. But with a multitude of species comes differing hydrologic requirements to yield appropriate foraging and breeding conditions for each. The EveInter-nesting movements, migratory pathways, and resident foraging areas of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) satellite-tagged in Southwest Florida
Globally, sea turtle research and conservation efforts are underway to identify important high-use areas where these imperiled individuals may be resident for weeks to months to years. In the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, recent telemetry studies highlighted post-nesting foraging sites for federally endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) around the Florida Keys. In order to delineate additionalAgkistrodon conanti (Florida Cottonmouth) and Python bivittatus (Burmese Python). Diet and Predation
Python bivittatus is established in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in southern Florida, USA. Documented predators on pythons in Florida include Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator; Snow et al. 2006. Herpetol. Rev. 37:81–81), Drymarchon couperi (Gulf Coast Indigo Snake; Andreadis et al. 2018. Herpetol. Rev. 49:341–342), Lynx rufus (Bobcat; McCollister et al. 2021. Southeast. Nat. 20:N5Loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at smaller sizes than expected in the Gulf of Mexico: Implications for turtle behavior, population dynamics, and conservation
Estimates of parameters that affect population dynamics, including the size at which individuals reproduce, are crucial for efforts aimed at understanding how imperiled species may recover from the numerous threats they face. In this study, we observed loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at three sites in the Gulf of Mexico at sizes assumed nonreproductive in this region (≤87 cm cuClutch may predict growth of hatchling Burmese pythons better than food availability or sex
Identifying which environmental and genetic factors affect growth pattern phenotypes can help biologists predict how organisms distribute finite energy resources in response to varying environmental conditions and physiological states. This information may be useful for monitoring and managing populations of cryptic, endangered, and invasive species. Consequently, we assessed the effects of food aEnvironmental DNA surveys of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Improving the probability of detecting invasive giant snakes is vital for the management of emerging or established populations. Burmese pythons occupy thousands of square kilometers of mostly inaccessible habitats in Florida. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have been shown to be time and cost effective in a number of systems and may be preferable to traditional detection methods for constrictorCarbon fluxes and potential soil accumulation within Greater Everglades cypress and pine forested wetlands
In forested wetlands, accumulation of organic matter in soil is partly governed by carbon fluxes where photosynthesis, respiration, lateral advection of waterborne carbon, fire-derived carbon emissions, and methanogenesis are balanced by changes in stored carbon. Stored carbon can eventually accumulate as soil over time if net primary productivity exceeds biomass decomposition. For this study, potHierarchical functional response of a forager on a wetland landscape
We show that for some foragers the form that a functional response takes depends on the temporal and spatial scales considered. In representing the consumption rate of an organism, it may be necessary to use a hierarchy of functional responses. Consider, for example, a wading bird foraging in wetland landscape characterized by a spatial distribution of potential foraging sites, such as ponds. At t - Web Tools
Explore our science using the web tools below.
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.