Daniel Slone, Ph.D.
Biography
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Entomology, Oregon State University, 1999 [Ph.D. Dissertation: Spatial Patterns of Predaceous and Phytophagous Apple Mites (Acari: Eriophyidae, Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae, Tetranychidae): Intra- and Interspecific Relationships]
B.A., Biology (with honors) and B.A., Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1992
RESEARCH
Dan Slone works with population and habitat data analyses and simulation models, generally with West Indian manatees, Florida crocodillians, and seagrasses.
BACKGROUND
Research Ecologist, USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Sirenia Project, Gainesville, FL: August 2004 – Present.
Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Forest insect Research, Pineville, LA: June 2001 – August 2004.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Entomology/Nematology Dept., University of Florida: April 1999 – May 2001.
Substitute instructor for Insect Population Biology, Ent./Nem. Dept., University of Florida: March 2000.
Graduate Research Assistant, Entomology Department, Oregon State University: June 1995 - April 1999.
Instructor for Map-Making and Orienteering workshop, H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: June 1997.
Teaching Assistant for Integrated Pest Management, Entomology Dept., Oregon State U.: Sept-Dec 1997.
Assistant instructor, computer and statistical techniques for Computers and I.P.M., Entomology Department, Oregon State University: Jan-Mar 1998.
Committee member for Ph.D Student, ECOSUR. 2007 – Present.
Committee member and thesis project advisor (not major advisor) for Ph.D Student, University of Florida Entomology Dept. 2005 – Present.
Provided graduate research assistantship, served on committee, and advised on thesis project for MS Student, University of Florida Entomology Dept. 2001 – 2005.
Provided graduate assistantship to MS student, University of Florida Fish and Wildlife Co-op unit, 2002 – 2003.
Science and Products
Health Effects and Behavioral Response of Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) to Persistent Algal Bloom and Associated Loss of Seagrass Resources in Brevard County, Florida
USGS researchers are working with partners to assess the health and foraging behavior of Florida manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon and Banana River, areas that have experienced declining seagrasses due to an extended phytoplankton bloom.
Effects of Native and Non-native Fishes on Native Apple Snail Population Dynamics
The Florida apple snail is a critical component of the state's wetland food webs. USGS scientists assess the effects of native and non-native fishes on the native snail populations.
Development of a Quantitative Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Invasiveness of Non-native Freshwater Fishes in Everglades National Park
The introduction of non-native fishes is a problem across the United States, particularly in Florida. USGS scientists are developing a decision support tool to help natural resourece managers prioritize which species to focus prevention, detection, rapid response, and control efforts.
Past and Future Modeling of Ecological Indicators for the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative
The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) has developed a Conservation Blueprint: a “living spatial plan to conserve natural and cultural resources for future generations.” This blueprint is a data-driven plan based on terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and cross-ecosystem indicators to measure the overall health of South...
Manatee Distribution and Habitat Use in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
USGS works with partners to assess manatee distribution and habitat use throughout the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Monitoring and Assessing Effects of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) on the Florida Manatee
Critical information predicting condition changes in manatee habitat resulting from the alteration of freshwater flows to estuaries is needed to develop the PSRP Detailed Design and PSRP Operations Plan components and complete consultation under the Endangered Species Act.
Seagrass Beds and Manatee Foraging Areas in the Ten Thousand Islands: Mapping and Characterizing by Incorporating Manatee GPS Tracking Data and Habitat Information
Turbid water conditions make the delineation and characterization of benthic habitats difficult by traditional in situ and remote sensing methods. Consequently, only a small fraction of this valuable resource has been mapped or characterized.
Winter Manatee Foraging Behavior and the Decline of Seagrass Beds in the Northern Indian River Lagoon
With high numbers of manatees using the Florida Power and Light power plant warm water refuge during winter, their impact on the seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon is considered an important indicator of the long-term capacity of the area to support the manatees. USGS is working with partners to investigate the spatial extent and intensity of manatee use of seagrass beds in the area. ...
Traveling to thermal refuges during stressful temperatures leads to foraging constraints in a central-place forager
Central-place foragers can be constrained by the distance between habitats. When an organism relies on a central place for thermal refuge, the distance to food resources can potentially constrain foraging behavior. We investigated the effect of distance between thermal refuges and forage patches of the cold-intolerant marine mammal, the Florida...
Haase, Catherine G.; Fletcher, Robert J.; Slone, Daniel H.; Reid, James P.; Butler, Susan M. Coastal habitat change and marine megafauna behavior: Florida manatees encountering reduced food provisions in a prominent winter refuge
A decline in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within Florida’s spring-fed thermal refuges raises questions about how these systems support winter foraging of Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris. We analyzed telemetry data for 12 manatees over 7 yr to assess their use of Kings Bay, a winter refuge with diminished SAV. After...
Littles, Chanda J.; Bonde, Robert K.; Butler, Susan M.; Jacoby, Charles A.; Notestein, Sky K.; Reid, James P.; Slone, Daniel H.; Frazer, Thomas K.
Movements and habitat use locations of manatees within Kings Bay Florida during the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge winter season (November 15–March 31)
Kings Bay, Florida, is one of the most important natural winter habitat locations for the federally threatened Trichechus manatus latirostris (Florida manatee). Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983 specifically to provide protection for manatees and their critical habitat. To aid managers at the refuge and other agencies...
Slone, Daniel H.; Butler, Susan M.; Reid, James P. Consortial brown tide − picocyanobacteria blooms in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
A brown tide bloom of Aureoumbra lagunensis developed in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba during a period of drought in 2013 that followed heavy winds and rainfall from Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Based on satellite images and water turbidity measurements, the bloom appeared to initiate in January 2013. The causative species (A. lagunensis...
Hall, Nathan S; Litaker, R. Wayne; Kenworthy, W. Judson; Vandersea, Mark W.; Sunda, William G.; Reid, James P.; Slone, Daniel H.; Butler, Susan M.
Timing of warm water refuge use in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge by manatees—Results and insights from Global Positioning System telemetry data
Managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR) desire to update their management plan regarding the operation of select springs including Three Sisters Springs. They wish to refine existing parameters used to predict the presence of federally threatened Trichechus manatus latirostris (Florida manatee...
Slone, Daniel H.; Butler, Susan M.; Reid, James P.; Haase, Catherine G. Landscape complementation revealed through bipartite networks: An example with the Florida manatee
Context Landscape complementation, or how landscapes that contain two or more non-substitutable and spatially separated resources facilitate resource use, is critical for many populations. Implicit to the problem of landscape complementation is the movement of individuals to access multiple resources. Conventional measures of complementation, such...
Haase, Catherine G.; Fletcher, Robert J.; Slone, Daniel H.; Reid, James P.; Butler, Susan M. Manatee grazing impacts on a mixed species seagrass bed
The endangered manatee Trichechus manatus is one of few large grazers in seagrass systems. To assess the long-term impacts of repeated grazing on seagrasses, we selected a study site within Kennedy Space Center in the northern Banana River, Brevard County, Florida, that was typically grazed by large numbers of manatees in spring. Two 13x13 m...
Lefebvre, Lynn W.; Provancha, Jane A.; Slone, Daniel H.; Kenworthy, W. Judson Volume of larvae Is the most important single predictor of mass temperatures in the forensically important Calliphorid, Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
Calliphorid species form larval aggregations that are capable of generating heat above ambient temperature. We wanted to determine the relationship between volume, number of larvae, and different combinations of instars on larval mass heat generation. We compared different numbers of Chrysomya megacephala (F.) larvae (40, 100, 250, 600, and 2,000...
Gruner, S. V.; Slone, D. H.; Capinera, J.L.; Turco, M. P. Development of the oriental latrine fly, Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae), at five constant temperatures
Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) is a forensically important fly that is found throughout the tropics and subtropics. We calculated the accumulated development time and transition points for each life stage from eclosion to adult emergence at five constant temperatures: 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C. For each transition, the 10th, 50th, and 90th...
Gruner, S. V.; Slone, D. H.; Capinera, J.L.; Turco, M. P. Survival and growth of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish at low salinities
Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish [Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828)] are now established throughout the Western North Atlantic. Several studies have documented negative effects of lionfish on marine fauna including significant changes to reef fish community composition. Established populations of lionfish...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Huge, Dane H.; Rezek, Troy C.; Slone, Daniel H.; Morris, James A. Inferring spatial and temporal behavioral patterns of free-ranging manatees using saltwater sensors of telemetry tags
Diving or respiratory behavior in aquatic mammals can be used as an indicator of physiological activity and consequently, to infer behavioral patterns. Five Antillean manatees, Trichechus manatus manatus, were captured in Chetumal Bay and tagged with GPS tracking devices. The radios were equipped with a micropower saltwater sensor (SWS), which...
Castelblanco-Martínez, Delma Nataly; Morales-Vela, Benjamin; Slone, Daniel H.; Padilla-Saldívar, Janneth Adriana; Reid, James P.; Hernández-Arana, Héctor Abuid Evaluating effects of Everglades restoration on American crocodile populations in south Florida using a spatially-explicit, stage-based population model
The distribution and abundance of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in the Florida Everglades is dependent on the timing, amount, and location of freshwater flow. One of the goals of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is to restore historic freshwater flows to American crocodile habitat throughout the Everglades. To...
Green, Timothy W.; Slone, Daniel H.; Swain, Eric D.; Cherkiss, Michael S.; Lohmann, Melinda; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Rice, Kenneth G.