scholarly journals West Indian Manatees Use Partial Migration to Expand Their Geographic Range Into the Northern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl S. Cloyed ◽  
Elizabeth E. Hieb ◽  
Kayla DaCosta ◽  
Monica Ross ◽  
Ruth H. Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
West Indian ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Partial Migration ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Primary Habitat

Partial migration provides a mechanism for species to shift their geographic ranges into new, environmentally favorable regions but has been poorly studied as a means to alleviate effects of climate change. Populations at the edge of their geographic range are ideal to investigate how migratory behaviors may enable range expansion as adjacent areas become more climatically favorable. We determined the contribution of partial migration to the range expansion of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) using GPS data from tagged individuals that migrated between the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) and primary habitat in peninsular Florida. Most of these manatees migrated to the nGoM annually and exhibited high site fidelity among years. Many individuals spent cumulatively more time in the nGoM than in peninsular Florida, indicating the nGoM is a regular part of their geographic range, and they returned to peninsular Florida to meet temperature-related physiological needs for survival. Autumn migrations most frequently terminated at Crystal River, Florida, and manatees that commenced migration late in the season stopped less frequently and had more directed movements. Spring migrations most frequently terminated at Mobile Bay, Alabama, and several manatees quickly and directly migrated from Florida to nGoM stopover sites. Migrations ranged from 10 to 133 days in length, and variation in duration was primarily driven by use of stopover sites and directedness of travel. These data confirm partial migration as an important component of manatee migratory behavior that has already enabled range shifts for manatees on the U.S.A. Gulf of Mexico coast and has potential to facilitate future responses to climate change. As the most common type of migration across the animal kingdom, partial migration may provide a global mechanism for a diverse variety of species to resist the range limiting effects of climate change.

scholarly journals Climate change impacts on pest ecology and risks to pasture resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Mansfield ◽  
Colin Ferguson ◽  
Philippa Gerard ◽  
David Hodges ◽  
John Kean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Levels ◽  
Farm System ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

It is well understood that damage by insect pests can have serious consequences for pasture resilience. However, the impacts of climate change on pastoral systems, the responses of insect pests, and implications for pest impact mitigation are unclear. This paper reviews pest responses to climate change, including direct impacts such as temperature and carbon dioxide levels, geographic range expansion, sleeper pests, and outbreaks resulting from disturbance such as drought and farm system changes. The paper concludes with a plea for transdisciplinary research into pasture resilience under climate change that has insect pests as an integral component – not as an afterthought.

Northern range expansion of the American talon crab, Euchirograpsus americanus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Decapoda, Grapsoidea, Plagusiidae), to the Bay of Fundy, Canada

Crustaceana ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent M. Wilson ◽  
Gerhard W. Pohle
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Recent Collection

The recent collection (2009) of an American talon crab, Euchirograpsus americanus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, in the Bay of Fundy, Canada has expanded the known distribution of this enigmatic plagusiid crab species typically found in subtropical and tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Carolinas. Although historical records are limited, they document a northward range expansion of the species with occurrences off North Carolina in 1962, Delaware in 1979, and further to New Jersey in 1981, which would discount these northerly records as independent, accidental introductions. The present exclusive record of the talon crab in Canadian waters is also from the shallowest (6.3 m) and coldest waters (8.3°C) that the species has thus far been documented in. The literature, until now, indicated an affinity for sandy or rocky bottom between 31 and 510 m depth at temperatures of 11-24°C. While establishment of the species in the region remains uncertain, the present record is perhaps indicative of large-scale processes, such as climate change, that are altering species distributions.

Predicted Effects of Climate Change on Northern Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia

2017 ◽  
pp. 173-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Lehrter ◽  
Dong S. Ko ◽  
Lisa L. Lowe ◽  
Bradley Penta
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Northern Gulf Of Mexico

scholarly journals West Indian manatee movements reveal novel occupancy and distribution patterns in the northern Gulf of Mexico

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Aven ◽  
Ruth H. Carmichael ◽  
Elizabeth E Hieb ◽  
Monica Ross
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
West Indian ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Movement Model ◽  
Functional Movement ◽  
Northern Gulf Of Mexico

Since the 1980s, West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) have been reported more frequently along the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coast in areas that were recently considered to be outside the species' normal areas of occupancy. The ecological importance of the northern GOM region to manatees is currently unclear, but knowledge of the spatial ecology, population linkages, and habitat associations of individuals occupying the fringes of their known range is vital to bring context and improve understanding of demographic trends and potential threats to the species, rangewide. We tracked regional-scale movements of 13 manatees documented in Mobile Bay, AL using satellite telemetry and mark-recapture methods. We determined movement and occupancy patterns including origins, seasonal dispersal and site fidelity, and functional movement modes of those individuals during the tracking period. Focal manatees moved along the GOM coast between Tampa Bay, FL and Lake Pontchartrain, LA, and consistently returned to discrete locations in both the northern GOM and within the species' core range in peninsular FL. Functional movement model fits confirmed that most relatively long-range seasonal movements were migratory in nature, suggesting that consistently occupied migratory endpoints contain relatively important seasonal habitat for manatees and diminishing the possibility that tracked manatees were nomads or transient within the study area. These results provide evidence of shifting seasonal manatee distribution in the US, and highlight repeatedly used locations that may increase in importance to the species if manatee abundance in the northern GOM increases.

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