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| Florida Manatee |
The Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, is a subspecies of the West Indian Manatee. Manatees live in freshwater, brackish, or marine habitats in shallow rivers, bays, estuaries, and coastal waters near Florida and nearby southeastern states. They prefer a water temperature of above 68°F. Their diet consists of sea grasses and other vegetation.
The
Florida manatee is endangered, and their numbers have severely declined due to
a number of threats including boat collisions, habitat loss, and fishery
conflict. It’s estimated that there are
only about 5,000
Florida manatees in the wild. There are
conservation efforts and management plans in place to help the Florida manatee
population.
In my presentation I plan to cover the following
topics:
· Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris:
Ecology (habitat, range, behavior, diet, reproduction); Endangered Status
· Importance
of the Florida manatee in the ecosystem
· Threats
the Florida manatee faces: fishery conflict, loss of warm water habitat/climate change, boat collisions, impaired immune system due to pollution, and
red tide
· Conservation/current
research: Marine Mammal Protection Act, National Environmental Policy Act, The
Endangered Species Act; The Florida Manatee Management Plan; aerial surveys to
track manatee populations; ecotourism
A few
studies I plan to discuss:
One study tested the effects
of environmental stressors, such as red tide and exposure to cold weather,
on lymphocyte proliferation in Florida manatees. It’s suggested that multiple stressors may
have synergistic effects on immune function in manatees.
Another study focused on the impact of
climate change on Florida manatees.
Warmer oceans may be thought to have a positive impact on manatees, but
the predicted impacts of climate change are actually detrimental to
manatees. Habitat degradation and
harmful algal blooms are likely to increase with climate change, which will have negative impacts on the manatees.
Manatees also face the threat of
boat collisions. In order to implement
effective protection zones, areas that manatee and boat collisions occur must
be identified. This study
used statistical models to derive an index of risk co-occurrence between
manatees and boats to identify areas where manatee/boat collisions are likely
to occur.
Resources
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