A New Sighting Network Adds to 20 Years of Historical Data on Fringe West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) Populations in Alabama Waters

Pabody, Claire M.; Carmichael, Ruth H.; Rice, Lauren; Ross, Monica

doi:10.18785/goms.2701.06

Cited by 16 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is no exception to this pattern, and the northern GOM has seen an increasing number of tropical species become established among its native warm-temperate fauna. For example, manatees Triche chus manatorum and green turtles Chelonia mydas are now much more frequently observed along the northern GOM coast than in the past (Fertl et al 2005, Pabody et al 2009, Avens et al 2012, warm-water coral species not seen previously in the northern GOM, such as Acropora palmata, have established themselves (Precht & Aronson 2006), formerly rare black mangroves Avicennia germinans have become established in several different locations (Comeaux et al 2012), and a variety of tropical fishes have become common in the northern GOM at all stages of their life cycles (Fodrie et al 2010, Fodrie & Heck 2011. The impact of these tropical species on northern GOM ecosystems is mostly uninvestigated (but see Gericke et al 2014), although it could be profound, primarily because temperate species are restricted from expanding their ranges northward by the adjacent North American land mass.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Heck¹,

Fodrie²,

Madsen³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Temperatures are rising in most temperate and polar environments, and a welldocumented effect of this change is a poleward range shift by a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic species. In the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), an increasing number of tropical species have recently become established among the extant warm-temperate fauna. These include a diversity of tropical fishes, manatees, green turtles, warm-water corals, and black mangroves. The impact of these species may be profound, primarily because temperate species are restricted from shifting northward by the North American land mass. Thus, as tropical species expand northward in the GOM, they must interact with the extant species and potentially compete for essential resources or become prey for each other. Here we focus on tropical immigrants capable of transforming the vast and highly productive seagrass systems of the northern GOM, emphasizing herbivorous parrotfishes and comparing their impact with endemic seagrass-resident fishes. Increased numbers of these herbivores (plus green turtles and manatees) would likely shift detritus-based food webs in seagrass meadows to webs dominated by direct consumption of seagrasses. We provide estimates of some expected consumption rates and effects of these tropically associated seagrass herbivores and predict that the consequences of the increased tropicalization of northern GOM seagrass meadows will be: substantially reduced standing crops and structural complexity of seagrass meadows; increased energy flux through grazing food webs; and a greatly reduced nursery role that will result in much smaller adult populations of those finfish and shellfish species that rely on seagrasses as nurseries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Heck¹,

Fodrie²,

Madsen³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…On the northern GOM coast west of peninsular FL, reported manatee sightings were once sporadic but have increased in recent years, especially during warm months (Powell & Rathbun, 1984;Fertl et al, 2005;Pabody et al, 2009). Wintertime manatee sighting reports there are less common, and sightings made from Dec-Feb often culminate in death of the animal from starvation or cold stress (Fertl et al, 2005;Hieb et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wintertime manatee sighting reports there are less common, and sightings made from Dec-Feb often culminate in death of the animal from starvation or cold stress (Fertl et al, 2005;Hieb et al, 2016). The sighting reports have been valuable to establish manatee presence in numerous localities throughout the region (Pabody et al, 2009;Hieb et al, 2016). Causes for the increase in sightings are not entirely clear (Fertl et al, 2005), but it does suggest that the northern GOM is becoming a regular seasonal destination for manatees, and raises broad questions about current spatio-temporal patterns of manatee use in this region and the potential value of the area to the species in the future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our objectives were to quantify patterns of broad-scale movement distance and timing, repeatedly occupied places, and functional movement strategies of manatees occurring in the northern GOM. To do that, we tracked the movements of 13 manatees targeted in Mobile Bay AL, an estuary on the northern GOM west of FL where manatee sighting and stranding reports date to 1912 and have increased in recent years (Fertl et al, 2005;Pabody et al, 2009). Data from this study will clarify and improve current understanding of sources, movement patterns, and locations of potentially important habitat for manatees in the northern GOM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Aven

Carmichael

Hieb

et al. 2016

Preprint

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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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“…Even though fishing is still important in these regions, water-related tourism, nature-based tourism, birding and real estate are among the emerging important economic activities in the Gulf Coast economy that are gradually replacing the manufacturing industry as important sources of economic growth ( Table 1). The contribution of the working waterfronts has been evolving along with the changing economy and sustainability framework [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of the Coastal Economy: The Role of Working Waterfronts in the Alabama Gulf Coast

2015

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This article describes the evolution of the coastal economy in Alabama and examines the driving forces of the sustainable economy in a historical context. The input-output model was applied to assess the direct and secondary effects of output and employment in the coastal region. Results suggest that state industries are heavily dependent on waterfront-related activities in this area, which have fueled much of their rapid development in the past few decades. Tourism, ship building and repairing and transportation are the three dominating sources contributing to the coastal economy. There are a few general problems of working waterfronts in the coastal Alabama area, but there are also some unique problems (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon oil spill). Policies for future sustainable development are proposed.

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A New Sighting Network Adds to 20 Years of Historical Data on Fringe West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) Populations in Alabama Waters

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

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

The Evolution of the Coastal Economy: The Role of Working Waterfronts in the Alabama Gulf Coast

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