Latest news with #MelissaMiller
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers sound alarm after recording sudden drop in species used to help fight diseases: 'That is really, really dangerous'
One Florida lizard species has been distracting mosquitoes away from humans and bearing the brunt of their bites. However, that lizard's population is dwindling, leaving increasing mosquito populations to feed on other animals and people instead. As WLRN and The Miami Herald jointly reported, brown anole lizards have been declining in numbers due to reptile collectors releasing their unwanted pets in the wild — primarily, the outlet said, the larger Peter's rock agamas were out-competing the brown anoles for food, dwindling the local population. In the past, brown anoles were prime targets for local mosquitoes. The report noted that an agama "hides in cracks and crevices as soon as the sun begins to set," generally making it less susceptible to mosquito bites than brown anole lizards. Researchers studied whether fewer brown anoles means more birds will get bitten by mosquitoes. Birds are dangerous hosts because of their propensity to spread mosquito-borne diseases. To test their theory about mosquitoes' shifting behaviors, the researchers captured and studied mosquitoes and studied the DNA to identify forensic evidence of what they were biting when they had anoles in their area and when the researchers had caught many anoles and subtracted them from the area. The hypothesis was that when there are not many anoles in the area, the rates of bird bites rise. This WLRN and Miami Herald report came in the middle of these efforts, so it's a "to be continued" for now. But when the results are available, they hope to better understand how humans' introduction of non-native species damages ecosystems and has unintended consequences that risk human health. A University of Florida invasion ecologist, Melissa Miller, said, "Brown anoles seem like such a small component of the ecosystem, but even removing that can have impacts that are felt much higher up the food chain, all the way to humans." This research is significant because of the disease risks mosquitoes carry and because mosquito activity is becoming more common in places like Florida. Our planet's steady overheating is creating ideal conditions for mosquitoes to thrive and multiply. With this population boost comes the increased spread of vector-borne illnesses that cause people to become very sick and even die. Mosquitoes are evolving and adapting to rising global temperatures, making diseases like dengue, malaria, and Zika more common in places they've never existed. It is expected that within the next 25 years, mosquito season in the U.S. will last two months longer than it does now. Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites? Absolutely Only when I'm camping or hiking Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "That is really, really dangerous, because toward the end of the transmission period, that is when most of these mosquitoes are infected," said Miami-Dade's Mosquito Control's division chief, Dr. John-Paul Mutebi. "They keep on picking up the pathogens as the season goes." Studies like this one contribute to our greater comprehension of how healthy ecosystems work and the impacts of eliminating any species. Fortunately, research teams are working to find solutions. For example, one group found that disease threats can be curbed by restricting mosquitoes' preferred plant food sources. Other scientists have been working to disable mosquitoes' ability to spread diseases through gene editing and DNA modification. As an individual, you can help prevent mosquito-spread diseases by limiting your impact on the environment. Never release invasive species into the wild because the widespread ecosystem impacts could be devastating. You can also protect yourself from mosquitoes by paying attention to public health alerts, limiting outdoor activity during prime mosquito times, and eliminating standing water sources in your yard. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Python 'hot spot' identified in Palm Beach County by University of Florida study
Palm Beach County's wild southern reaches of spikey cattail marsh are harboring a hot spot for the state's most abhorred invasive species. University of Florida researchers looking to unlock the perfect equation for successfully hunting Burmese pythons studied the time, day, weather and hunting grounds of state contractors working to reduce the spread of the voracious constrictor. While many hunters were found to catch an abundance of pythons in specific condensed areas along the edges of Everglades National Park, and south of Biscayne National Park, there were two locations that stood out as spots where a limited number of hunters were racking up lots of pythons. One area was along the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County. The other was in Palm Beach County's stormwater treatment area 3-4, which is about 24 miles south of Belle Glade and adjacent to the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area. If a few hunters are catching a lot of pythons in the stormwater treatment area, then increasing the number of hunters there should yield even more results, researchers reason. 'That's definitely an area where we need to get more folks out there because it offers a high probability of being successful,' said Melissa Miller, an invasion ecologist with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. 'It used to be, a decade ago, you wouldn't find many pythons in that area.' Stormwater treatment areas are manmade marshes whose plants remove phosphorus and other chemicals from water before it makes its way south through the Everglades. More: Grand prize winner of 2024 Florida Python Challenge announced The UF study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports last month, analyzed two year's worth of data collected during 16,000 hours of hunting. Hunter movements are tracked by GPS. That information was then correlated with weather conditions based on the South Florida Water Management District's meteorological monitoring stations. In addition to identifying python hot spots, the study found the optimal time to hunt pythons was between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. during the May to October wet season. The month of August had the highest number of catches. Using aquatic vehicles such as airboats enhances hunting efficiency, the study noted. And while nighttime hunts are generally more successful, that's not true during cold snaps when the average daily temperature is 50 degrees or lower. On chilly days, pythons will often slink out of the underbrush to sun themselves on levees or roads. Alexander Romer, a quantitative biologist who worked on the study, said what researchers found removes some of the guesswork from python hunting. 'We took everyone's data and based on that we can say these are the best conditions to catch a snake,' Romer said. More: Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge goes on offense to fight invasive Burmese python spread The Burmese python invasion started with releases — intentional or not — of captive snakes, which likely gained a foothold in Everglades National Park by the mid-1980s, according to the 2021 Florida Python Control plan. By 2000, multiple generations of pythons were living in the park, which is noted in a more than 100-page U.S. Geological Survey report from 2023 that summarized decades of python research. The report also notes that pythons have moved progressively north, including into areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee. Outside of the recent study, Romer said he looked at the demographics of pythons captured in Palm Beach County's hot spot and found them to be larger snakes. 'They are adults, and that kind of suggests that it's an area you are having dispersal into,' he said. 'Those animals are moving there, but it's unclear how much reproduction is going on.' In Palm Beach County, 69 pythons have been captured since 2006, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, or EDDMapS. In addition, four have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported. The water management district has focused some of its efforts south of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge west of Boynton Beach, hoping to keep the pythons out of the only intact remnant of the northern Everglades. Hunters generally earn an hourly rate of $13. But incentive pay of $30 an hour is offered in the refuge as an effort to bring more hunters into an area where they are less likely to find a plethora of snakes. Stormwater treatment areas pay $18 an hour. There are no reliable estimates of python abundance in Florida, the 2023 report says. It also noted that "eradication of the entire population across the landscape is not possible with any existing tools." 'You can't give up though. There is too much at stake,' Miller said. 'Maybe the tools we have right now are not going to eradicate pythons, but in keeping going and trying and exploring new methods, one day I hope there will be a tool that will help.' To report an invasive species to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, call 1-888-483-4681, or 1-888-Ive-Got1. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@ Help support our local journalism; subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County has a python hot spot found by the University of Florida
