Kristen Hart, Ph.D.
Kristen Hart is a research ecologist, focusing on population-level studies on the ecology of a broad array of herpetofauna and other wildlife in south Florida.
She leads several research programs and collaborates closely with other USGS, university, and National Park Service scientists. She has built a program of USGS cyclic- and reimbursable funded research; major funding has been provided from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the USGS Priority Ecosystem Studies Program, the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, and the National Park Service. She works with rare, threatened, endangered, and invasive species of reptiles including Diamondback terrapins, loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, crocodilians, and Burmese pythons. She is based in Davie, FL and has field sites in both Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks in South Florida, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (Gulf Shores, AL), and Buck Island Reef National Monument (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands).
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Ecology, Duke University, 2005
M.E.M. (Master's of Environmental Management), Coastal Environmental Management, Duke University, 1999
B.S., Boston College, Bachelor of Science, 1997
Science and Products
Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
The importance of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico to foraging loggerhead sea turtles
Space use and relative habitat selection for immature green turtles within a Caribbean marine protected area
Green turtle mitochondrial microsatellites indicate finer-scale natal homing to isolated islands than to continental nesting sites
Migration corridors and threats in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits for loggerhead sea turtles
Shifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida
Acoustic tag retention rate varies between juvenile green and hawksbill sea turtles
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) diving changes with productivity, behavioral mode, and sea surface temperature
Efficacy of eDNA as an early detection indicator for Burmese pythons in the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Influence of salinity on relative density of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Everglades National Park: Implications for restoration of Everglades ecosystems
West Florida shelf pipeline serves as sea turtle benthic habitat based on in-situ towed camera observations
Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands: Inter-nesting and foraging period movements and migrations
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Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
Quantifying the distribution of animals and identifying underlying characteristics that define suitable habitat are essential for effective conservation of free-ranging species. Prioritizing areas for conservation is important in managing a geographic extent that has a high level of disturbance and limited conservation resources. We examined the potential use of a species distribution model ensembAuthorsIkuko Fujisaki, Kristen Hart, David N. Bucklin, Autumn R. Iverson, Cynthia Rubio, Margaret M. Lamont, Raul de Jesus G.D. Miron, Patrick M. Burchfield, Jaime Pena, Donna J. ShaverThe importance of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico to foraging loggerhead sea turtles
Identification of high-use foraging sites where imperiled sea turtles are resident remains a globally-recognized conservation priority. In the biodiverse Gulf of Mexico (GoM), recent telemetry studies highlighted post-nesting foraging sites for federally threatened loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Our aim here was to discern loggerhead use of additional northern GoM regions that may serve asAuthorsKristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn Iverson, Brian SmithSpace use and relative habitat selection for immature green turtles within a Caribbean marine protected area
Background A better understanding of sea turtle spatial ecology is critical for the continued conservation of imperiled sea turtles and their habitats. For resource managers to develop the most effective conservation strategies, it is especially important to examine how turtles use and select for habitats within their developmental foraging grounds. Here, we examine the space use and relative habiAuthorsLucas P Griffin, Brian J. Smith, Michael Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Clayton G Pollock, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Andy J. Danylchuk, Kristen HartGreen turtle mitochondrial microsatellites indicate finer-scale natal homing to isolated islands than to continental nesting sites
In highly mobile philopatric species, defining the scale of natal homing is fundamental to characterizing population dynamics and effectively managing distinct populations. Genetic tools have provided evidence of regional natal philopatry in marine turtles, but extensive sharing of maternally inherited mitochondrial control region (CR) haplotypes within regions (<500 km) often impedes identificatAuthorsBrian M. Shamblin, Kristen Hart, Kelly J. Martin, Simona A. Ceriani, Dean A. Bagley, Katherine L. Mansfield, Llewellyn M. Ehrhart, Campbell J. NairnMigration corridors and threats in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits for loggerhead sea turtles
Along migration corridors, animals can face natural and anthropogenic threats that differ from those in breeding and non-breeding residence areas. Satellite telemetry can aid in describing the timing and location of these migrations. We use this tool with switching state-space modeling and line kernel density estimates to identify migration corridors of post-nesting adult female loggerhead sea turAuthorsAutumn Iverson, Allison Benscoter, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret Lamont, Kristen HartShifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida
Globally temperature of marine environments is on the rise and temperature plays an important role in the life-history of reptiles. In this study, we examined the relationship between sea surface temperature and average date of hatching for American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) over a 37-year period at two nesting sites, Everglades National Park and Florida Power and Light Turkey Point Power PlaAuthorsMichael Cherkiss, James I. Watling, Laura A. Brandt, Frank J. Mazzotti, Jim Linsay, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Jerome J. Lorenz, Joseph Wasilewski, Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen HartAcoustic tag retention rate varies between juvenile green and hawksbill sea turtles
Background Biotelemetry has become a key tool for studying marine animals in the last decade, and a wide range of electronic tags are now available for answering a range of research questions. However, comparatively, less attention has been given to attachment methods for these tags and the implications of tag retention on study design, especially when designing a comparative study looking at multAuthorsThomas Selby, Brian Smith, Michael Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Clayton Pollock, Kristen HartLoggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) diving changes with productivity, behavioral mode, and sea surface temperature
The relationship between dive behavior and oceanographic conditions is not well understood for marine predators, especially sea turtles. We tagged loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) with satellite-linked depth loggers in the Gulf of Mexico, where there is a minimal amount of dive data for this species. We tested for associations between four measurements of dive behavior (total daily dive frequeAuthorsAutumn Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret M. Lamont, Kristen HartEfficacy of eDNA as an early detection indicator for Burmese pythons in the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of invasive species can be used to delimited occupied ranges and estimate probabilities to inform management decisions. Environmental DNA is shed into the environment through skin cells and bodily fluids and can be detected in water samples collected from lakes, rivers, and swamps. In south Florida, invasive Burmese pythons occupy much of the Greater Everglades iAuthorsMargaret Hunter, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Jason Ferrante, Brian Smith, Kristen HartInfluence of salinity on relative density of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Everglades National Park: Implications for restoration of Everglades ecosystems
The status of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has long been a matter of concern in Everglades National Park (ENP) due to its classification as a federal and state listed species, its recognition as a flagship species, and its function as an ecosystem indicator. Survival and recovery of American crocodiles has been linked with regional hydrological conditions, especially freshwater flowAuthorsFrank J. Mazzotti, Brian Smith, Michiko Squires, Michael S. Cherkiss, Seth C Farris, Caitlin Hackett, Kristen M. Hart, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Laura A. BrandtWest Florida shelf pipeline serves as sea turtle benthic habitat based on in-situ towed camera observations
The use of marine offshore benthic habitats by sea turtles is poorly characterized due to the difficulty of obtaining in situ data. Understanding benthic habitat use that is important to the species’ reproduction, foraging, and migrations is critical for guiding management decisions. A towed camera-based assessment survey system (C-BASS) equipped with environmental sensors was used to characterizeAuthorsHeather A. Broadbent, Sarah E. Grasty, Robert F. Hardy, Margaret M. Lamont, Kristen M. Hart, Chad Lembke, Jennifer L. Brizzolara, Steven A. MurawskiSatellite tracking of hawksbill turtles nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands: Inter-nesting and foraging period movements and migrations
To conserve imperiled marine species, an understanding of high-density use zones is necessary prior to designing and evaluating management strategies that improve their survival. We satellite-tracked turtles captured after nesting at Buck Island ReefNational Monument (BIRNM), St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to determine habitat-use patterns of endangered adult female hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricatAuthorsKristen M. Hart, Autumn Iverson, Allison Benscoter, Ikuko Fujisaki, Michael S. Cherkiss, Clayton Pollock, Ian Lundgren, Zandy Hillis-Starr - News