James Reid
Biography
EDUCATION
B.A., Zoology, University of Montana Missoula, 1979
RESEARCH
Jim Reid's research interests include the use of GPS, Argos and VHF radio tracking techniques in field-based studies of manatees; seagrass mapping and characterization studies to assess benthic habitats; photo-identification and behavioral observations on individuals; cooperation in international studies of sirenians. Since 1990, Reid has been a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U. S Geological Survey's Sirenia Project. For the program, he: coordinates the application of tagging and tracking systems for research on manatees in the US and Puerto Rico; manages the project’s program of GPS tags monitored through the satellite-based tracking system Service Argos; conducts assessments of marine habitats known to be essential for manatees accomplished by mapping nearshore habitats and seagrass characterization studies; acts as an investigator in radio tracking studies of manatees Everglades National Park, Atlantic coast of southeastern US, northern Gulf of Mexico, and Puerto Rico; acts as field staff for photography efforts at winter aggregation sites for the Manatee Individual Photo-Identification System (MIPS), a computerized database on recognizable manatees; and collaborates with personnel from DOI, DOD, NGOs, and the Commonwealth. Reid's international research has co-evolved with manatee researchers in other countries (Brazil, Bahamas, Mexico) to address manatee status, distribution, life history, and research techniques.
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.
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.
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. Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA): a new approach to estimate occurrence in Vulnerable manatee populations
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a technique used to non-invasively detect cryptic, low density, or logistically difficult-to-study species, such as imperiled manatees. For eDNA measurement, genetic material shed into the environment is concentrated from water samples and analyzed for the presence of target species. Cytochrome...
Hunter, Margaret; Meigs-Friend, Gaia; Ferrante, Jason A.; Takoukam Kamla, Aristide; Dorazio, Robert; Keith Diagne, Lucy; Luna, Fabia; Lanyon, Janet M.; Reid, James P.
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. Tagging and tracking
The number of stranding response facilities for marine mammals in the United States has increased over the past two decades, resulting in thousands of rehabilitated marine mammals released back into the wild (Geraci and Lounsbury 2005; Moore et al. 2007; Johnson and Mayer 2015; Simeone et al. 2015). All rehabilitated marine mammals released in the...
Lander, Michelle E.; Westgate, Andrew J.; Balmer, Brian C.; Reid, James P.; Murray, Michael J.; Laidre, Kristen L. 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. Post-release monitoring of Antillean manatees: an assessment of the Brazilian rehabilitation and release programme
Mammalian reintroduction programmes frequently aim to reconnect isolated sub-populations and restore population viability. However, these long-term objectives are rarely evaluated due to the inadequacy of post-release monitoring. Here, we report the results of a unique long term telemetry-based monitoring programme for rehabilitated Antillean...
Normande, Iran C.; Malhado, Ana C. M.; Reid, James P.; Viana Junior, P.C.; Savaget, P. V. S.; Correia, R. A.; Luna, F. O.; R. J. Ladle Twenty-six years of post-release monitoring of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris): evaluation of a cooperative rehabilitation program
The rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) into the wild has occurred since 1974; however, a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of the releases has never been conducted. Herein, we examined data for 136 Florida manatees that were rehabilitated and released with telemetry tags between 1988 and...
Adimey, Nicole M.; Ross, Monica; Hall, Madison; Reid, James P.; Barlas, Margie E.; Keith Diagne, Lucy W; Bonde, Robert K. 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 Movement patterns of Antillean manatees in Chetumal Bay (Mexico) and coastal Belize: A challenge for regional conservation
Information from 15 satellite-tracked Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) was analyzed in order to assess individual movements, home ranges, and high-use areas for conservation decisions. Manatees were captured in Chetumal Bay, Mexico, and tagged with Argos-monitored satellite transmitters. Location of the manatees and physical...
Castelblanco-Martínez, Delma Nataly; Padilla-Saldivar, J.; Hernández-Arana, Héctor Abuid; Slone, D.H.; Reid, J.P.; Morales-Vela, B.
New genetic test detects manatees' recent presence in fresh or saltwater
Environmental DNA picks up traces of the elusive mammals’ saliva, skin, waste, or exhaled breaths.