Shell lesions in turtles can be chronic and vary in severity, from superficial flaking and discoloration to deep lesions that affect bone and internal tissues. Relatively few studies have characterized shell lesions in wild, terrestrial chelonians. We captured and measured 26 Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) between 2 and 7 years of age and visually assessed the prevalence and extent of shell lesions. Shell flaking or discoloration was present in 69.2% of sampled tortoises, although none had severe lesions, and affected tortoises did not exhibit other clinical signs of disease. Larger tortoises had significantly greater numbers of affected scutes than smaller tortoises. Given ongoing population declines of Gopher Tortoises and environmental changes across their range, it is important to sample more populations and collect histopathologic, microbiologic, and molecular diagnostic data to better understand the etiology and potential effects of this enigmatic shell condition.

With the increased use of prescribed burns in recent years, it is critical to understand their impacts not only on their primary target species, but also on the entire biological community. Lichens have intricate symbioses with other organisms and provide important ecosystem services. In prairie and grassland environments, the prescribed burns may result in the extirpation of some ground-dwelling species of lichens. However, the impacts of fire schedules on the lichen recovery in Florida xeric scrublands remains unknown. The scrub ecosystem houses Florida's only federally endangered lichen, Cladonia perforata (Florida Perforate Lichen). As scrub communities are adapted to the presence of fire, prescribed burns are now a routine management practice. Lichens have a key role in early plant succession following fire, influencing the health of Florida scrub. We used a modified Feest's method to survey the effects of fire regime on ground-dwelling lichen abundance and diversity in the Lakeland Highlands Scrub, an area of scrub habitat in Polk County in Central Florida. The speed and comparable accuracy of Feest's method render it an accessible means of assessing biodiversity for land management in protected areas. We estimated percent cover of lichen and estimated species diversity using the lichen diversity value (LDV) in 4 areas of scrub and scrubby flatwoods habitat with different burn histories (unburned and 2 years, 8 years, and 10 years since last burn). According to the LDV calculations, diversity is highest in the most extreme temporal groups (no burn and 2 years since last burn), contradicting our initial prediction that lichen diversity and abundance would be greatest in the intermediately disturbed areas (2 and 8 years post-burn). These preliminary data yield beneficial information to assist future decisions made regarding methods of protecting lichens, including the potential for the implementation of collecting and removing lichen prior to a burn, and returning those lichen samples to the area after (e.g., “remove and return”).

Accurately documenting reproductive status is prerequisite for effectively monitoring wildlife population trends, population stability, and species-specific conservation objectives. Unfortunately, the accepted methods for determining reproductive status of North American bats can be subjective, and accuracy is influenced by experience of the handler. For small mammals other than bats, ultrasound can provide a reliable method for determining pregnancy. Our goal was to determine the efficacy of using ultrasound relative to abdominal palpation typically used by biologists to determine pregnancy in bats in the field. Although there are some advantages of using ultrasound in the field, this method did not outperform abdominal palpation substantively to warrant its expense.

Viviparous snakes of several species select and maintain a generally higher and less variable body temperature (T_b) during pregnancy. The leading hypothesis for this behavior is that warmer temperatures and shorter gestation times facilitate embryonic development. To test this hypothesis, we implanted reproductive and non-reproductive female Nerodia sipedon (Common Watersnake) with radio transmitters and temperature loggers to continuously record their T_b. We recorded 7440 hourly measurements of T_b from 7 reproductive and 5 non-reproductive snakes. The T_b of snakes did not differ by reproductive condition. Reproductive and non-reproductive females had similar daily movements, generally moving less than 50 m between telemetric locations. Reproductive snakes predominately used rocks out of water and forbs along the riverbank, while non-reproductive females chose rocks within the river or adjacent to the water. We propose that Common Watersnakes may possess thermal plasticity in T_b selection influenced by geographic location, which suggests that gravid individuals in warmer climates might not require precise thermoregulation to maintain a suitable T_b.

For decades, the hunting community has used solunar charts to predict activity patterns of Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer, hereafter Deer). Solunar charts claim to predict increased animal activity during daily lunar events (i.e., moonrise, moonset, moon underfoot, and moon overhead) and as the moon approaches a new or full phase, based on gravitational pull. Solunar charts are used by the general public, but research on the accuracy of these charts is limited. Our objective was to examine activity patterns, based on distance between location fixes, of male Deer in relation to the day-rating system used in solunar charts. In December–February of 2009 through 2011, we examined activity patterns of 22 GPS-collared adult male Deer at a high-fenced property in Alabama in relation to a solunar-chart rating system using a 1–4 scale (i.e., 1 being the lowest predicted activity and 4 the highest). We deemed a Deer active if the distance it travelled in the 15-minute span between location fixes was greater than our minimum-distance threshold of 51.78 m. For analysis, we used a generalized linear mixed-effects model with a binomial distribution (active or inactive) comparing Deer activity to a predicted window period and a solunar-chart rating scale. We found that during the predicted movement periods of moonrise and moonset, Deer were 0.30 and 0.37 times more likely to be active on the highest rated day versus the lowest rated day, respectively. Whereas during the predicted movement periods of moon underfoot and overhead, Deer were 3.02 and 2.83 times more likely to be active on the highest-rated day versus the lowest-rated day, respectively. Furthermore, we found a decreasing probability of activity as day rating increased during moonrise and an increasing probability of activity as day rating increased during moon overhead and moon underfoot. During moonset we observed an increased probability of activity between day rating 1 and 2 but then a decreasing probability of activity as day rating increased to 3 and 4. This study supports prior findings that solunar charts show inconsistencies in predictions of Deer activity. However, we also further documented evidence that Deer-activity patterns varied based on lunar events and phases. As a result, we cannot fully disregard the potential that Deer activity may vary during different periods of the lunar cycle. We believe these findings warrant further research examining lunar effects on activity patterns of Deer across different regions, sexes, and time of the year (i.e., breeding and non-breeding season).

Pyrus calleryana (Callery Pear) is a non-native tree listed as invasive in 17 US states. Despite Callery Pear's early and prolific flowering and widespread distribution, as well as the crucial role of pollinators in the reproduction and spread of invasive flora, little research exists examining the pollinator community that uses Callery Pear. We collected and identified pollinators from mature, wild Callery Pear trees in upstate South Carolina using sweep nets and white, blue, and yellow bowl traps. We identified 876 insects representing 18 families from 4 orders (Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera). The most common genera identified were Toxomerus, Andrena, Apis, Osmia, and Lasioglossum. Our results list the pollinator community visiting Callery Pear flowers and suggest future research to investigate the implications for strategies to manage invasive plants.

Capturing animals using traps is a foundational method for conducting wildlife surveys and monitoring programs. Projects like these often focus on aquatic or semi-aquatic fauna, such as many species of reptiles and amphibians, to determine biodiversity composition and estimate trends in population status. Detectability of certain species can be improved using a variety of trap and bait combinations, but less is understood about the effects of light and light wavelength (color) on such trapping efforts. From 2011 to 2019, we compared the effectiveness of food-baited and glow stick-baited traps, and the effectiveness of different colored glow sticks as bait in 2 separate but similar studies in southern Mississippi. In the first study, in which we compared cat food-baited traps and traps baited with yellow glow sticks to unbaited controls traps, we found that turtles (z = 3.490, P = 0.0005), insects (z = 4.311, P < 0.0001), crayfish (z = 5.856, P < 0.0001), and fish (z = 0.998, P = 0.0027) were captured significantly more often (after applying a Bonferroni-corrected α-level) in traps baited with commercial canned cat food, but not in traps baited with glow sticks, when compared to unbaited controls, whereas snakes, frogs, tadpoles, and salamanders did not show a significant difference between either traps baited with cat food or glowsticks and unbaited controls. In the second study, in which we compared success of traps baited with 3 different glow-stick colors (green, red, and yellow) to unbaited controls, we found no significant differences between glow-stick color and unbaited controls. In both studies, we found strong relationships between taxa captured and both trap size (small and large aquatic funnel traps) and site (A, B, and C). This study informs sampling design for a variety of aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa when carrying out surveys and monitoring programs.

Sus scrofa L. (Wild Pig) are invasive, found throughout much of the US, and annually cause $1.5–2.2 billion in damage to natural and agricultural resources. Understanding habitat selection by Wild Pigs may inform control efforts by allowing managers to target their removal in frequently used habitats. Therefore, we used GPS tracking collars to study resource selection by Wild Pigs within their home ranges in an agro-forested landscape in southwestern Georgia, USA, during 2021–2023. Both sexes showed a greater probability of selecting areas near forested wetlands/riparian zones during both seasons, making this the most consistently selected landcover type. During the growing season (May–October), female Wild Pigs also showed a greater probability of selecting areas near unpaved roads but a lower probability of selecting areas near upland forests; during the dormant season (November–April), they showed a greater probability of selecting areas near upland forests and paved roads but a lower probability of selecting areas near unpaved roads, cropland, and buildings. In addition to forested wetlands/riparian zones, males showed a greater probability of selecting areas near cropland and buildings during the growing season; during the dormant season, they showed a greater probability of selecting areas near buildings and unpaved roads. Males showed a lower probability of selecting areas near paved roads during both seasons. During the growing season when Wild Pig damage to crops can be severe, Wild Pigs used cropland most often in the morning crepuscular hours. In an agro-forested landscape, efforts to remove Wild Pigs should prioritize forested wetlands and riparian zones year-round, while also targeting croplands specifically during the growing season. Removal of Wild Pigs from croplands may be male biased because males, but not females, selected crops during the growing season. Efforts to control Wild Pigs during the growing season may also reinforce fear of humans, resulting in decreased selection by Wild Pigs and subsequent declines in crop damage.

Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) is a burrowing chelonian endemic to the southeastern US and classified as state threatened in Florida. Gopher Tortoises are ecosystem engineers and keystone species. Gopher Tortoise populations in southeastern Florida are poorly studied, and by extension, the information on the vertebrate species associated with their burrows has been understudied. Furthermore, not much is known about how these communities differ among sites with varying environmental characteristics. We deployed 24 motion-triggered cameras at active adult Gopher Tortoise burrows for 18 months at 4 study locations encompassing 3 land-use cover types across 3 southeastern Florida sites. Excluding Gopher Tortoises, at least 44 vertebrates were observed at Gopher Tortoise burrows, 42 of which were identified to species-level. The presence of vertebrate species associated with Gopher Tortoise burrows varied among all study locations. This research provides a baseline study of the vertebrate species associated with Gopher Tortoise burrows in these locations in southeastern Florida, and ultimately provides comparative data for future research.

I conducted occupancy-modeling surveys of Streptopelia decaocto (Eurasian Collared-Dove) in 2023–2024 at 82 historical sites (i.e., where they had previously been documented to occur since 2004) in the northern Pee Dee region of North Carolina and South Carolina. I detected Eurasian Collared-Doves at 36 sites (22 urban, 14 rural), all but 2 of which had been previously occupied for at least 2 years. All occupied sites (hereafter, called used sites) were located within or near 12 towns, and the 14 rural sites were closer to the center of nearby towns compared to a random sample of rural sites. Land in use for cereal grains (especially Zea mays [Corn]) has increased over 2 decades with a widespread presence of 12 grain elevators and feed mills that handle these grains, indicative of the importance of overlap between small urban landscapes and nearby agricultural areas in rural landscapes. Model-averaged mean estimates of use from single-season static occupancy models of the final 5-model 90% confidence set were 50.5% for both landscapes combined, 54.4% for urban sites and 35.4% for rural sites. The median estimate of the number of Eurasian Collared-Doves per survey was 50, with a high count of 117 during the first winter survey. The highest breeding densities reached 3.5–4.5 pairs/site (6.7–18.4 pairs/40 ha) at 7 urban and rural sites. Use rates and the number of Eurasian Collared-Doves documented during the occupancy-modeling surveys were high in comparison to 2 national surveys (Christmas bird count, breeding bird survey) and 2 regional surveys (spring bird count, NC bird atlas), strongly suggesting these latter surveys have severely under-sampled urban landscapes and rural areas located close to towns in the northern Pee Dee region of the Carolinas. Declining population trends since 1998 on most Christmas bird counts in the coastal plain of South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina, despite an increase over 2 decades in land used for developed (urban) habitat, suggest this large geographic area is likely to produce a declining number of Eurasian Collared-Doves that may disperse to the northern Pee Dee region. Thus, the importance of leap-frog dispersal and range expansion to replenish the Eurasian Collared-Dove population and help maintain site persistence in the northern Pee Dee region of the Carolinas remains uncertain.

The rampant spread of the invasive Monopterus albus/javanensis (Asian Swamp Eel) across South Florida is a serious concern for the trophic objectives of restoration efforts in the Everglades. Its invasion has been associated with population collapses of several common macro-invertebrate and small fish species in the Everglades, yet we know little about its interactions with native prey or predators. Several species of wading birds have been documented preying on Asian Swamp Eels in Florida and Georgia; however, these reports remain scarce. Here, we present multiple observations of predation on Asian Swamp Eels in Everglades National Park, including photographic evidence of predation by 2 previously unreported species.

Documenting unusual items in the diet of Ursus americanus (American Black Bear) is challenging due to the inherent difficulties in detecting rare items in scat samples and the elusive nature of these animals in their natural habitats. In the summers of 2018 and 2019, we used camera video collars placed on 15 Black Bears and recorded instances of osteophagia (chewing or consumption of bones), kleptoparasitism (consumption from food acquired by other species), and cannibalism (consumption of conspecifics). Across the 15 Black Bears, we documented 29 osteophagia events, 9 kleptoparasitism (from felid and rodent caches) events, and 3 cannibalistic events. These rare occurrences accounted for only a small proportion (0.0061) of the total feeding events, but documentation was made possible using novel biologging methods, such as camera collars, to provide new insight into foraging ecology.

We observed a sea-star mortality event with gross signs diagnostic of sea star wasting disease (SSWD) on 6–7 July 2024 at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. The event affected Luidia senegalensis (Nine-Armed Sea Star), which displayed gross pathological signs associated with SSWD: lesions, limb curling, and body fragmentation. While limb autotomy is relatively common in Luidia spp., its co-occurrence with necrotic lesions, deflation, and rapid disintegration meets the typical morphological criteria for SSWD. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of SSWD in Nine-Armed Sea Star and the first in Florida. Environmental stressors, such as elevated sea-surface temperatures (+1.1°C anomaly), low tides, and stormwater runoff, may have contributed to the event. Nine-Armed Sea Stars play a critical role in sediment turnover and benthic trophic dynamics, and population declines could disrupt these processes. This outbreak expands the known host and geographic range of SSWD and underscores the importance of population health monitoring in subtropical marine invertebrates.