One Click Away: Finding Data on Floridas Endangered Species Just Got Easier
Davie, FL. -- A new online tool will make data on
several of Floridas threatened and endangered
speciesincluding the Florida panther, American
crocodile, and Key deermore readily accessible
to resource managers and planners.
The tool, a searchable database known as
"Threatened and Endangered Vertebrates in
Florida," was developed by a team of researchers
from the University of Florida, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service.
It allows scientists and conservation managers to
query an online database housing key scientific
facts about the biology and ecology of 26 species
of federally-listed threatened and endangered
terrestrial vertebrates in Florida. The database
query tool can be accessed <http://www.jem.gov/Data>online.
We were gathering data for a project to assess
how species respond to climate variables when we
realized how valuable it would be to other
scientists and managers if we could develop a
tool to make the data more accessible," explained
research ecologist Stephanie Romañach, PhD, who
works for the USGS
<http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/>Southeast Ecological Science Center.
By querying the database, users will be able
access species-specific information that can be
used to guide research projects, develop
ecological models, conduct species vulnerability
assessments, and inform conservation action
plans. The database includes almost 10,000 lines
of data grouped into 10 major categories based on
important biological traits, including
reproduction, migration, and dispersal, as well
as species relationships to climate variables
such as temperature, precipitation, salinity, and
responses to extreme weather.
"It is an incredibly useful tool for anyone
wanting to learn more about some of the Florida's
wildlife," said Larry Williams, South Florida
Ecological Service Field Supervisor with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. "This enhanced
research capacity will undoubtedly contribute
greatly towards all of our efforts to protect and
preserve the natural wonders of Florida for future generations."
The database was implemented by the Advanced
Applications Group at the USGS
<http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/about/capabilities/electro.htm>National
Wetlands Research Center, and has been made
available to the public by Joint Ecosystem
Modeling (JEM), a partnership among federal and
state agencies, universities, and other
organizations. JEM activities include the
monitoring and management of wildlife
populations, understanding species responses to
ecosystem restoration, and developing
decision-support tools for restoration decision-making.
"Science excellence and collaborative
partnerships are two pillars of our wildlife
conservation culture," said Williams "This
database enhances our ability to share and gather
science from a wider spectrum of partners to the
benefit of the imperiled species we're recovering across Florida."
The research team who developed the database
links science to management by developing tools
that support restoration and management
decisions, species conservation, and climate
change issues. Their approach includes the
application of species distribution models to
forecast the effects of land use, habitat
alteration, and climate change on at-risk
species, the use of life-history assessments to
understand trait-mediated species responses to
climate change and disturbance, incorporating
climate sensitivities into species habitat and
population models, and the assessment of species
vulnerability to sea-level rise.
For more information about the JEM teams
projects, visit the JEM
<http://www.jem.gov/>website or the University of
Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences CrocDocs <http://crocdoc.ifas.ufl.edu/>website.
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