Metadata

• Name: Mr. Adam Rosenblatt 
• Position: Graduate Student
• Organization: Florida International University, BBC, MSB 334
• Address: 3000 NE 151 St
  North Miami, FL 33181 USA
• Phone: 305-919-4263
• Fax: 305-919-4030
• Email: arose007@fiu.edu
• URL: http://adam.rosenblatt.googlepages.com/home

American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) are top predators in the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE), but their movement patterns and role in the ecosystem are largely unknown. Proposed restoration and management efforts in the Everglades are likely to influence both alligator movements and the spatiotemporal patterns of their effects on ecosystem and community dynamics, making studies of the factors influencing alligator movements important at this time. In October 2007, we initiated a study of alligators in the Shark River Slough of Everglades National Park using two tracking techniques that have yet to be used on crocodilians: GPS tracking and passive acoustic telemetry. GPS units attached to two alligators have provided 120 positions over a two month period while acoustic transmitters attached to 12 alligators have been detected 34,000 times on an array of 8 monitoring stations within the river system. GPS positions are more accurate than acoustic monitoring and can provide data over the entire range an alligator might move, but acoustic transmitters provide more temporally detailed information on movements within a monitoring array and over a longer duration (potentially years rather than months). Our preliminary results show that alligators may remain in localized areas for weeks at a time, but make long-distance moves from the mouth of the river system to the marsh-mangrove ecotone and likely into the marsh. In general, most alligators moved upstream as freshwater inputs decreased, but some individuals remained near the river mouth even when salinities were high. Ultimately, by characterizing alligator movements in relation to spatiotemporal variation in environmental factors we will be able to predict how alligator distributions and populations will respond to planned increases in freshwater flow. Furthermore, movement data combined with dietary and stable isotopic studies may shed light on the possible role of alligators in the redistribution of nutrients throughout the Shark River system.

All Sites

Start Date:   2007-10-05
End Date:   2008-08-09

• Data Table:   Water Temperature measured at Shark River, Everglades National Park (FCE)
  Attribute Name:

  SITENAME

  Attribute Label:

  sitename

  Attribute Definition:

  Name of Sampling site

  Storage Type:

  text

  Measurement Scale:

  Name of Sampling site

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  SITEALIAS

  Attribute Label:

  sitealias

  Attribute Definition:

  Alias of Collection Site

  Storage Type:

  text

  Measurement Scale:

  Alias of Collection Site

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Date

  Attribute Label:

  datetime

  Attribute Definition:

  Collection Date and Time

  Storage Type:

  datetime

  Measurement Scale:

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Time

  Attribute Label:

  Time

  Attribute Definition:

  Collection Time

  Storage Type:

  data

  Measurement Scale:

  Collection Time

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Water_Temperature

  Attribute Label:

  Temperature

  Attribute Definition:

  Water Temperature

  Storage Type:

  data

  Measurement Scale:

  Units: celsius
  

  Precision: 0.001
  Number Type: real

  Missing Value Code:

  -9999.000 (Value will never be recorded )