Improving Conservation of Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris): Conceptualization and Contributions Toward a Regional Warm-Water Network Management Strategy for Sustainable Winter Habitat

Several Pterygoplichthys species, members of the Neotropical catfish family Loricariidae, have been widely introduced outside their native ranges. In this paper, I present observations on the diel activity pattern of non-native Pterygoplichthys, tentatively identified as P. disjunctivus, with respect to their attachment and grazing on endangered Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris. The study was conducted in December 2009 at Volusia Blue Spring, an artesianal spring system in the St. Johns River basin, Florida (USA). Supplemented by information gathered during previous visits to the spring site, this study revealed that adult Pterygoplichthys are active throughout the diel period (day, twilight and night). However, juvenile Pterygoplichthys were largely nocturnal and only at night did they consistently join adults in attaching to manatees. The juveniles generally remain hidden during the day, probably responding to presence of diurnal predators, mainly birds. Differences in diel behaviors among different Pterygoplichthys size classes in Florida are consistent with published observations on loricariids inhabiting clearwater streams within their native ranges.

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Trichechus manatus latirostris (Manatee)

An Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes ◽

10.1007/978-1-4615-6436-2_46 ◽

1977 ◽

pp. 181-184

Author(s):

T. C. Hsu ◽

Kurt Benirschke

Keyword(s):

Trichechus Manatus ◽

Trichechus Manatus Latirostris

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Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris actively consume the sponge Chondrilla caribensis

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.8443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e8443

Author(s):

William Fitt

Keyword(s):

Direct Evidence ◽

Chemical Defenses ◽

Chicken Liver ◽

Direct Sunlight ◽

Florida Manatee ◽

Trichechus Manatus ◽

Trichechus Manatus Latirostris ◽

Variable Chemical

The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris Linnaeus 1758) actively selects and consumes the “chicken-liver” sponge Chondrilla caribensis. Manatees ate over 10% of C. caribensis on a sample dock, mostly from pylons that received no direct sunlight. Since manatees reportedly eat mostly seagrasses and algae, it was thought that the chlorophyll-a content of the symbiotic cyanobacteria in C. caribensis might be correlated to the amount eaten; however the correlation was not significant (P > 0.05). C. caribensis has variable chemical defenses and round spherasters (spicules), but these do not appear to be effective deterrents to predation by manatees. This is the first direct evidence that manatees actively seek out and consume a sponge.

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Clinicopathological prognostic indicators of survival and pathological findings in cold-stressed Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms ◽

10.3354/dao03306 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 132 (2) ◽

pp. 85-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M Martony ◽

JA Hernandez ◽

M de Wit ◽

J St Leger ◽

C Erlacher-Reid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prognostic Indicators ◽

Pathological Findings ◽

Trichechus Manatus ◽

Trichechus Manatus Latirostris

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Managing Woodland Caribou in West-Central British Columbia

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.16.4.1226 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 119 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Deborah B. Cichowski

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Management Strategy ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Planning Process ◽

Timber Harvesting ◽

Range Management ◽

Management Options ◽

Winter Habitat ◽

Specific Level ◽

Winter Range

Initial long term planning for logging on the Tweedsmuir-Entiako caribou winter range began in the early 1980s. Because little information was available on which to base winter range management, the British Columbia Fish and Wildlife Branch began studies on radio-collared caribou in 1983, and an intensive study on caribou winter habitat requirements was conducted from 1985 to 1988. Terrestrial lichens were identified as the primary winter food source for the caribou, and in 1987, caribou winter range ecosystem maps, which emphasized abundance of terrestrial lichens, were produced. The ecosystem maps and information from the caribou study, including potential direct and indirect effects of timber harvesting on the caribou population, were used to develop a management strategy for the winter range. The management strategy comprised two levels of management: a landscape level (Caribou Management Zones); and a site-specific level (caribou habitat/timber values). Timber information associated with BC Ministry of Forests forest cover maps was integrated using a Geographic Information System. Six winter range management options were proposed ranging from harvesting low value caribou habitats only throughout the winter range to total protection of the entire winter range. Impacts of those options on both the caribou population and on the timber supply were evaluated. The options were reviewed through a public planning process, the Entiako Local Resource Use Plan, and recommendations from that process were forwarded to the British Columbia Protected Areas Strategy.

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