DOCSLIB.ORG

Species Status Assessment Report for the Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish (Procambarus Horsti) Version 1.1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Species Status Assessment Report for the Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish (Procambarus Horsti) Version 1.1 Species Status Assessment Report for the Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish (Procambarus horsti) Version 1.1 Type locality for Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish, Big Blue Spring, FL. (credit: Ryan Means, Florida Geological Survey) May 2017 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 Atlanta, GA Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish SSA Report Page ii May 2017 This document was prepared by Peter Maholland (USFWS – Athens, GA Field Office) with assistance from Dr. Sean Blomquist (USFWS – Panama City, FL Field Office) and Patricia Kelly (USFWS – Panama City, FL Field Office). Valuable peer reviews of a draft of this document were provided by Chester Figiel (USFWS – Warm Springs Fish Technology Center), Chris Skelton (Georgia College State University), and David Cook (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission). We appreciate the time and effort of those dedicated to learning and implementing the SSA Framework, which resulted in a more robust assessment and final report. Suggested reference: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2017. Species status assessment report for the Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish (Procambarus horsti). Version 1.1. May, 2017. Atlanta, GA. Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish SSA Report Page iii May 2017 Species Status Assessment Report For Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish (Procambarus horsti) Prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This species status assessment (SSA) reports the results of the comprehensive status review for the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish (Procambarus horsti), documenting the species’ historical condition and providing estimates of current and future condition under a range of different scenarios. The Big Blue Springs cave crayfish is a hypogean species of crayfish endemic to several freshwater spring and sink caves within the panhandle of Florida. The Big Blue Springs cave crayfish has been collected from aquatic caves and limestone springs associated with the Woodville Karst Plain near and below (south of) the Cody Scarp, paralleling riverine karst areas of the Wakulla, St. Marks, and Wacissa rivers. The principal habitat feature supporting this species appears to be a flowing, freshwater, subterranean environment. The SSA process can be categorized into three sequential stages. During the first stage, we used the conservation biology principles of resilience, redundancy, and representation (together, the 3Rs) to evaluate individual Big Blue Springs cave crayfish life history needs. The next stage involved an assessment of the historical and current condition of species’ demographics and habitat characteristics, including an explanation of how the species arrived at its current condition. The final stage of the SSA involved making predictions about the species’ response to positive and negative environmental and anthropogenic influences. This process used the best available information to characterize viability as the ability of a species to sustain populations in the wild over time. To evaluate the current and future viability of the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish, we assessed a range of conditions to allow us to consider the species’ resiliency, representation, and redundancy. For the purposes of this assessment, populations were delineated using the three sites that Big Blue Springs cave crayfish has historically occupied. Limited access to aquatic cave habitat prohibits confirmation, but it is presumed that the species is actually found throughout the karst conduits of the aquifer, and that these sites are merely “windows” where Big Blue Springs cave crayfish can be observed. Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish SSA Report Page iv May 2017 Resilience, assessed at the population level, describes the ability of a population to withstand stochastic disturbance events. A species needs multiple resilient populations distributed across its range to persist into the future and avoid extinction. These factors include (1) fresh water availability (water quantity), (2) sufficient water quality, and (3) appropriate habitat. If spring and sink ecosystems provide adequate fresh water, suitable water quality, and adequate habitat, we anticipate Big Blue Springs cave crayfish will survive and thrive in abundance. Each of these factors is discussed here (Table ES-1). As we consider the future viability of the species, more populations with high resiliency distributed across the known range of the species are associated with higher overall species viability. Redundancy describes the ability of the species to withstand catastrophic disturbance events. Redundancy is about spreading the risk and can be measured through the duplication and distribution of populations across the range of the species. The greater the number of populations a species has distributed over a larger landscape, the better it can withstand catastrophic events. For the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish, we considered whether the distribution of resilient populations was sufficient for minimizing the potential loss of the species from such an event. Representation characterizes a species’ adaptive potential by assessing geographic, genetic, ecological, and niche variability. Representation can be measured through the genetic diversity within and among populations and the ecological diversity of populations across the species’ range. The more representation a species has, the more it is capable of adapting to changes in its environment. In the absence of species-specific genetic and ecological diversity information, we evaluate representation based on the extent and variability of habitat characteristics within the geographical range. The Big Blue Springs cave crayfish historic range was limited to three sites in Florida’s panhandle. Maintaining those populations provides redundancy, and the species is currently represented across most of the known geographic extent of the species. We have assessed the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish’s levels of resiliency, redundancy, and representation currently and into the future by ranking the condition of each population, as delineated for this assessment. Together, the 3Rs comprise the key characteristics that contribute to a species’ ability to sustain multiple distinct populations in the wild over time (i.e., viability). Using the principles of resiliency, redundancy, and representation, we characterized both the species’ current viability and forecasted its future viability over a range of plausible future scenarios. To this end, we ranked the condition of each population by assessing the relative condition of occupied sites using the best available scientific information. Rankings are a qualitative assessment of the relative condition of spring and sink ecosystems based on the knowledge and expertise of U.S. Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish SSA Report Page v May 2017 Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff, and recent spring/sink condition reports. The most significant stressor to Big Blue Springs cave crayfish is the future loss of spring and sink ecosystems that individuals and populations need to complete their life history. The primary source of potential future habitat loss is groundwater depletion resulting in reduced or eliminated available fresh water in subterranean caves. Groundwater withdrawal is not anticipated to influence spring flow dramatically in the Woodville Karst Plain region due to the large areas of public ownership, changes to surface water flow and stormwater management, and sea level rise causing more freshwater to remain in the karst system instead of discharging into the Gulf of Mexico. The viability of the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish depends on maintaining multiple resilient populations over time. Given our uncertainty regarding if or when sites occupied by Big Blue Springs cave crayfish will experience a reduction or elimination of adequate fresh water in the future, we have forecasted what the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish may have in terms of resiliency, redundancy, and representation under three future plausible scenarios: (1) All or most springs and sinks occupied by Big Blue Springs cave crayfish experience no measureable drop in fresh water availability; (2) Available fresh water in springs and sinks occupied by Big Blue Springs cave crayfish is reduced but not eliminated; and (3) All or most springs and sinks occupied by Big Blue Springs cave crayfish experience an extreme reduction or elimination of available fresh water. We used the best available information to forecast the likely future condition of the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish. Our goal was to describe the viability of the species in a manner that will address the needs of the species in terms of the 3R’s. We considered a range of potential scenarios that may be important influences on the status of the species, and our results describe this range of possible conditions in terms how many and where Big Blue Springs cave crayfish populations are likely to persist into the future (Table ES-1). Big Blue Springs Cave Crayfish SSA Report Page vi May 2017 Table ES-1. Summary results of the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish Species Status Assessment. 3Rs Needs Current Condition Future Condition (Viability) Projections based on cave freshwater availability • Adequate • Two populations scenarios: Resiliency availability of fresh across range have high • No change: All populations are likely to remain (Large water resiliency, one extant into the future populations able • Sufficient water population has • Fresh water is reduced: Most populations are to withstand
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Habitat Distribution and Abundance of Crayfishes in Two Florida Spring-Fed Rivers
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2016 Habitat distribution and abundance of crayfishes in two Florida spring-fed rivers Tiffani Manteuffel University of Central Florida Part of the Biology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Manteuffel, Tiffani, "Habitat distribution and abundance of crayfishes in two Florida spring-fed rivers" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 5230. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5230 HABITAT DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF CRAYFISHES IN TWO FLORIDA SPRING-FED RIVERS by TIFFANI MANTEUFFEL B.S. Florida State University, 2012 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Biology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2016 Major Professor: C. Ross Hinkle © 2016 Tiffani Manteuffel ii ABSTRACT Crayfish are an economically and ecologically important invertebrate, however, research on crayfish in native habitats is patchy at best, including in Florida, even though the Southeastern U.S. is one of the most speciose areas globally. This study investigated patterns of abundance and habitat distribution of two crayfishes (Procambarus paeninsulanus and P. fallax) in two Florida spring-fed rivers (Wakulla River and Silver River, respectively).
    [Show full text]
  • Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Record No
    Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Record No. 101650452 Undeveloped Land Apalachee Parkway Near Copper Creek Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32311 Project No. T24023.003 September 15, 2010 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Record No. 101650452 Undeveloped Land Apalachee Parkway Near Copper Creek Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32311 Project No. T24023.003 September 15, 2010 Prepared By: Tetra Tech, Inc. 17885 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 500 Irvine, CA 92614 Office: (949) 809-5000 Fax: (949) 809-5010 Prepared For: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank, Bank No. 10165 c/o CB Richard Ellis, Inc. 2001 Ross Avenue, 33rd Floor Dallas, TX 75201 Attention: Mr. Jose Torres 17885 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 500 Irvine, CA 92614 Office: (949) 809-5000 Fax: (949) 809-5010 September 15, 2010 Mr. Jose Torres (CB Richard Ellis, Inc. [CBRE]) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank, Bank No. 10165 c/o CBRE 2001 Ross Avenue, 33rd Floor Dallas, Texas 75201 RE: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Record No. 101650452 Undeveloped Land Apalachee Parkway Near Copper Creek Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32311 Project No. T24023.003 Dear Mr. Torres: Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech) is pleased to submit this Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) report to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank, Bank No. 10165, c/o CBRE, for the above-referenced property (the Site). Tetra Tech found no recognized environmental conditions (RECs), no historical RECs (HRECs), one potential environmental concern (PEC), and one business environmental risk (BER) in connection with the Site. It is Tetra Tech’s understanding that this ESA is being requested in conjunction with due diligence activities for the Site by the FDIC, as Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank, Bank No.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation
    CONSERVATION ecapod crustaceans in the families Astacidae, recreational and commercial bait fisheries, and serve as a Cambaridae, and Parastacidae, commonly known profitable and popular food resource. Crayfishes often make as crayfishes or crawfishes, are native inhabitants up a large proportion of the biomass produced in aquatic of freshwater ecosystems on every continent systems (Rabeni 1992; Griffith et al. 1994). In streams, sport except Africa and Antarctica. Although nearly worldwide fishes such as sunfishes and basses (family Centrarchidae) in distribution, crayfishes exhibit the highest diversity in may consume up to two-thirds of the annual production of North America north of Mexico with 338 recognized taxa crayfishes, and as such, crayfishes often comprise critical (308 species and 30 subspecies). Mirroring continental pat- food resources for these fishes (Probst et al. 1984; Roell and terns of freshwater fishes (Warren and Burr 1994) and fresh- Orth 1993). Crayfishes also contribute to the maintenance of water mussels (J. D. Williams et al. 1993), the southeastern food webs by processing vegetation and leaf litter (Huryn United States harbors the highest number of crayfish species. and Wallace 1987; Griffith et al. 1994), which increases avail- Crayfishes are a significant component of aquatic ecosys- ability of nutrients and organic matter to other organisms. tems. They facilitate important ecological processes, sustain In some rivers, bait fisheries for crayfishes constitute an Christopher A. Taylor and Melvin L. Warren, Jr. are cochairs of the Crayfish Subcommittee of the AFS Endangered Species Committee. They can be contacted at the Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity, 607 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, and U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Phase I Environmental Site Assessment 2065 Baum Road Leon County, Tallahassee, Florida 32317 Record No
    Phase I Environmental Site Assessment 2065 Baum Road Leon County, Tallahassee, Florida 32317 Record No. 101650112 Project No. 112IG02645 June 9, 2010 TETRA TECH 201 Pine Street ● Suite 1000 ● Orlando, Florida 32801 (407) 839.3955 ● FAX (407) 839.3790 ● www.tetratech.com Phase I Environmental Site Assessment 2065 Baum Road Leon County, Tallahassee, Florida 32317 Record No. 101650112 Project No. 112IG02645 June 9, 2010 Prepared By: Tetra Tech, Inc. 17885 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 500 Irvine, California 92614 Phone: 949.809.5000 Fax: 949.809.5010 Prepared For: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) As Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank No. 10165 c/o NRT REO Experts, LLC 7100 W. Commercial Blvd, Suite 101 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33319 TETRA TECH 201 Pine Street ● Suite 1000 ● Orlando, Florida 32801 (407) 839.3955 ● FAX (407) 839.3790 ● www.tetratech.com June 9, 2010 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) As Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank No. 10165 c/o NRT REO Experts, LLC 7100 W. Commercial Blvd, Suite 101 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33319 Attention: Mr. Nick Graziadei RE: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment 2065 Baum Road Leon County, Tallahassee, Florida 32317 Record No. 101650112 Project No. 112IG02645 Dear Mr. Graziadei: Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech) is pleased to submit this Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) report to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as Receiver for Peoples First Community Bank No. 10165, c/o NRT REO Experts, LLC (Realogy), for the above-referenced property (the Site). Tetra Tech found two potential environmental concerns (PECs) associated with this Site and adjoining properties. Tetra Tech identified no recognized environmental conditions (RECs), historical RECs (HRECs), or business environmental risks (BERs) in connection with the Site.
    [Show full text]
  • Fisheries Conservation Status of Crayfish Species Paddlefish Conservation Case Study
    VOL 32 NO 8 AUGUST 2007 Fish News Legislative Update Journal Highlights FisheriesFisheries Calendar American Fisheries Society • www.fisheries.org Job Center Conservation Status of Crayfish Species Paddlefish Conservation Case Study Fisheries • VOL 32 NO 8 • AUGUST 2007 • WWW.FISHERIES.ORG 365 Northwest Marine Tcchnology, Inc. 366 Fisheries • VOL 32 NO 8 • AUGUST 2007 • WWW.FISHERIES.ORG VOL 32 NO 8 AUGUST 2007 372 AMERIFisheriescan FIshERIES SOCIETY • WWW.FIshERIES.ORG EDitOriaL / SUbsCriPtiON / CirCULatiON OffiCES 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 • Bethesda, MD 20814-2199 301/897-8616 • fax 301/897-8096 • [email protected] The American Fisheries Society (AFS), founded in 1870, is the oldest and largest professional society representing fisheries scientists. The AFS promotes scientific research and enlightened management of aquatic resources 390 for optimum use and enjoyment by the public. It also XXX encourages comprehensive education of fisheries scientists and continuing on-the-job training. AFS OFFICERS FISHERIES EDITORS Contents STAFF PRESIDENT SENIOR EDITOR SCIENCE Jennifer L. Nielsen Ghassan “Gus” N. EDITORS COLUMN: COLUMN: PRESIDENT ElECT Rassam Madeleine 368 PRESIDENT’S HOOK 398 GUEST DIRECTOR’S LINE Mary C. Fabrizio DIRECTOR OF Hall-Arber New Features for AFS Publications FIRST PUBLICATIONS Ken Ashley Thanks for an Incredible Year VICE PRESIDENT Aaron Lerner Doug Beard As part of an ongoing effort to make AFS William G. Franzin MANAGING Ken Currens Through commitment and hardwork the AFS publications more and more useful for fisheries SECOND EDITOR William E. Kelso volunteer membership has accomplished professionals, several new features have been VICE PRESIDENT Beth Beard Deirdre M. Kimball Donald C. Jackson PRODUCTION Robert T.
    [Show full text]
  • Limited Appearance Statement of Susan Woods Regarding Levy
    DOCKETED USNRC January 13, 2012 (10:15 am) OFFICE OF SECRETARY RULEMAKINGS AND ADJUDICATIONS STAFF I know you all are aware that building nuclear plants so close to the Gulf of Mexico, and on fragile coastal ecosystems, requires the utmost care in selecting sites and plans for construction. Any mistakes that result in damage to the Gulf Coast ecosystems will surely create an uproar on the scale of the BP oil spill. There are many of us here today who can comment on the science of that with more expertise than I have. My mission today is to remind all of you that you have a responsibility not only to the folks who will live within the shadow of the new nuclear plants, but also to those who cannot speak for themselves, and who are perhaps not even recognized by most of us. For this reason, I have given you copies of a paper written by Stephen J. Walsh of the US Geological Survey entitled Freshwater Macrofauna of Florida Karst Habitats. The aim of the paper is to emphasize several very important points: 1. You must understand that what affects salt water, as in the Gulf of Mexico, also affects freshwater habitats, as the water from the Gulf interacts significantly with the water of the Floridan Aquifer in the location you have chosen. 2. With the exception of those parts of Florida that have already used up freshwater resources in their area, and who have already turned to desalinization, the Floridan Aquifer is THE source of fresh water for all Floridians who live in the western half of the state.
    [Show full text]
  • Procambarus Clarkii (Girard, 1852)
    Identification of Invasive Alien Species using DNA barcodes Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Royal Museum for Central Africa Rue Vautier 29, Leuvensesteenweg 13, 1000 Brussels , Belgium 3080 Tervuren, Belgium +32 (0)2 627 41 23 +32 (0)2 769 58 54 General introduction to this factsheet The Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern (BopCo) aims at developing an expertise forum to facilitate the identification of biological samples of policy concern in Belgium and Europe. The project represents part of the Belgian federal contribution to the European Research Infrastructure Consortium LifeWatch. Non-native species which are being introduced into Europe, whether by accident or deliberately, can be of policy concern since some of them can reproduce and disperse rapidly in a new territory, establish viable populations and even outcompete native species. As a consequence of their presence, natural and managed ecosystems can be disrupted, crops and livestock affected, and vector-borne diseases or parasites might be introduced, impacting human health and socio-economic activities. Non-native species causing such adverse effects are called Invasive Alien Species (IAS). In order to protect native biodiversity and ecosystems, and to mitigate the potential impact on human health and socio-economic activities, the issue of IAS is tackled in Europe by EU Regulation 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and Council. The IAS Regulation provides for a set of measures to be taken across all member states. The list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern is regularly updated. In order to implement the proposed actions, however, methods for accurate species identification are required when suspicious biological material is encountered.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Outlook for Florida's Threatened, Endangered, and At
    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Conservation Outlook For Florida’s Threatened, Endangered, and At-risk Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Outlook for Florida Ecological Services Offices 1339 20th Street Florida’s Threatened, Endangered, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559 September 2015 and At-risk Species A snail kite prepares to eat an apple snail. These raptors use their curved beaks to pull their primary prey, apple snails, from their shells. Photo: © Kevan and Linda Sunderland The Mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Conservation Outlook For Florida’s Threatened, Endangered, and At-risk Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Outlook for Florida Ecological Services Offices 1339 20th Street Florida’s Threatened, Endangered, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559 September 2015 and At-risk Species A snail kite prepares to eat an apple snail. These raptors use their curved beaks to pull their primary prey, apple snails, from their shells. Photo: © Kevan and Linda Sunderland The Mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Contents State Supervisor’s Foreword State Supervisor’s Foreword....................... 3 Introduction ..................................... 5 Threats to Conservation in Florida ................ 8 Florida’s beauty and mild climate are enjoyed by 19 million residents—a number growing rapidly as 1,000 Recently Extinct Species .........................
    [Show full text]
  • Closing the Gaps in Florida's Wildlife Habitat
    CLOSING THE GAPS IN FLORIDA’S WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION SYSTEM Recommendations to meet minimum conservation goals for declining wildlife species and rare plant and animal communities. James Cox, Randy Kautz, Maureen MacLaughlin, and Terry Gilbert Office of Environmental Services Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 620 South Meridian Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600 1994 CLOSING THE GAPS IN FLORIDA’S WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION SYSTEM Recommendations to meet minimum conservation goals for declining wildlife species and rare plant and animal communities. James Cox, Randy Kautz, Maureen MacLaughlin, and Terry Gilbert Office of Environmental Services Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 620 South Meridian Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600 1994 CLOSING THE GAPS IN FLORIDA’S WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION SYSTEM i FOREWORD will diminish greatly. Just as we now blame past generations for the extinction of the passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, When Spanish anchors first dropped into Florida waters and ivory-billed woodpecker, future Floridians will ultimately nearly 500 years ago, Florida was essentially one large nature hold our generation responsible for the manner in which preserve that also supported a population of about 1,000,000 we conserve the species and natural resources that we inherit- native Americans. Wildlife at this time roamed freely across ed. Perhaps the greatest insult we could ever bear would be 35 million acres in search of food, shelter, and water, while to document the problems that threaten some of Florida’s individual human settlements covered less area than most rarest plants and animals, propose solutions to these modern-day parking lots (and certainly occurred with less problems, and then fail to act with proper speed and resolve.
    [Show full text]
  • IDB 1-06 Report Draft
    i Database on the Status, Distribution, and Biology of Florida‘s Rare Invertebrates A Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative Project Final Report TRACKING INFORMATION Project Number 05034 Project Title Database on the Status, Distribution, and Biology of Florida‘s Rare Invertebrates Project Director Dale R. Jackson, Ph.D., Senior Research Zoologist Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) Project Biologist David T. Almquist, Invertebrate Zoologist, FNAI Project Assistants Dean Jue, Florida State University Glenn Woodsum, Data Manager, FNAI Aubrey Davis, Field Zoologist, FNAI Sally Jue, Conservation Lands Biologist, FNAI Takesha Henderson, Assistant Invertebrate Zoologist, FWC Dates Covered 1 July 2005– 30 May 2008 Date Submitted 30 May 2008 i ABSTRACT The goal of this multi-year project was to expand and enhance informational databases that the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) maintains to describe and track invertebrates of conservation concern in the state. Data contained in these databases are directly available to state agencies, with summary data available to the public via the Internet (both through FNAI‘s web site and NatureServe Explorer). Since project inception, FNAI instigated tracking of more than 200 taxa, nearly doubling its prior list of tracked taxa developed during more than 2 decades of previous work. Newly tracked taxa represented the following groups (and numbers): snails (12), spiders (2), amphipods (1), crayfish (2), springtails (2), mayflies (1), dragonflies and damselflies (5), grasshoppers (14), stoneflies (11), beetles (56), scorpionflies (1), caddisflies (24), butterflies and moths (71), bees (1), and velvet ants (3). Most of these taxa are endemic to Florida or the Southeast. We collated and entered information pertaining to rarity and endangerment for all of the new taxa as well as most of the 279 previously tracked taxa.
    [Show full text]
  • Ochlockonee River Brings to the Lake
    Sylvester Doerun • Doerun Pitcher Plant Bog Natural Area L Camilla o s t C L r i e t e t k l Joeseph W. Jones e O Ecological Research Center Center c h Br Moultrie l i at Ichauway o d g c e k C L o it n r t e e l e e e k C R r i e v e e Pelham • k r E a st B ra Sp nch en ce M i W ll est C Bra r n ee c k h Ochlocknee Big Creek • B a rn Old Confederate Bridge e t t s C r e e THOMASVILLE k T Bainbridge i r Lapham-Patterson House State Historic Site e Whigham • d Cairo C Greenwood Plantation T r ur e key C ek re Thomasville Rose Garden ek k e e r C s u o l Pebble Hill Plantation u p a t t A ER ek re IV Birdsong Nature Center S C p R L W L GEORGIA m I i a E l l w Tall Timbers H a S E c o D N Research Center o E c R h O ee FLORIDA K Q Cre u ek C in cy O Lake Iamonia C L re e H k C k e O Upper Ochlockonee Canoe Trail re C Quincy e n Carr Lake ca ri ur H r Lake Jackson e v i R e Lake Talquin l t t i State Forest Alfred B. McClay Gardens State Park B L ear Creek and Park Lake Jackson Mounds Archeological State Park Ocklowaha Creek TALLAHASSEE reek C ia Lake Talquin g o l Fort Braden Trail e T • Hosford Sopc hopp y R iv Wakulla Springs State Park The Florida Trail er Crawfordville St Marks • Lower Ochlockonee Canoe Trail St Marks National APALACHICOLA Wildlife Refuge NATIONAL FOREST Sopchoppy St Marks NWR • Panacea Mashes Island APALACHEE Ochlockonee Point BAY Ochlockonee Ochlockonee Bay r River State Park ve Ri Bald Point ed TATE’S HELL ok State Park ro C STATE FOREST Dog Island behind the dam that creates Lake Talquin, a sign says you have crossed the “Ochlocoknee.” In Georgia, you can turn right on GA 188 in the town of “Ochlocknee” and ride out a mile or so to view the Little “Ochlockonee” River.
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution and Evolution of Florida's Troglobitic Crayfishes .1
    .1 DISTRIBUTION AND EVOLUTION OF FLORIDA'S TROGLOBITIC CRAYFISHES RICHARD FRANZ AND DAVID S. LEE' ABSTRACT: The current knowledge of Florida's troglobitic crayfish fauna is discussed, inter- pretations of distributional and ecological patterns are reviewed, and an explanation of their evolutionary history is attempted. These crayfishes are restricted to certain geological formations that have light to nonexis- tent elastic overburdens. Areas with moderate to heavy accumulations over the carbonate rocks lack these crustaceans. The Crystal River Formation, a group of highly soluble Eocene limestones, is the most important geological element influencing the distribution of most Florida cave-dwelling crayfishes. Members of the Procambarus lucifugus complex (with the possible exception of an undescribed species from Lake County), Procambarus pallidus, Troglocambarus maclanei, and Cambarus cry ptodytes, are apparently confined to this for- mation. The remaining species are confined to other limestones (Procambarus acherontis and Procambarus species from Lake County in the Hawthorne Formation, Procambarus milleri in the Miami Oolite, Procambarus horsti and Procambarus orcinus in the St. Marks Forma- tion). Field observations suggest that available sources of food energy dictate which species groups inhabit particular cave systems. Species complexes that are most restricted to en- vironments which provide large accumulations of organic detritus become ecologically and geographically isolated from other populations and exhibit increased speciation. For example, members of the Procambarus lucifugus complex seem to have demanding energy budgets and occur only in localized karst areas exhibiting mature features and high energy input. Dependency on constant energy supplies provided by large sinkhole entrances and/or bat roosts probably limits their dispersal ability.
    [Show full text]