Question

animals spotted in the everglades national park
year range white-tailed deer raccoon virginia opossum marsh rabbit and eastern cottontail bobcat gray fox and red fox
1993-1999 64 265 103 36 0 5
2003-2011 24 9 5 0 4 0
animals spotted in everglades national park
lifelong ca biology ii module 4 hs-l4l biology b (2024) 26
exploration activity

1. when comparing the data, how do the native animal population numbers differ between the two date ranges?
2. what affect did the introduced burmese python have on local species?
3. ongoing efforts are being made to remove pythons from the florida everglades. once removed, what trend in population data for native species would you expect to see?
4. besides manually removing pythons, what might be additional solutions to this invasive species issue?

Explanation:

1. Compare the count of each native species across the two time ranges from the provided table. All species show a sharp drop in sightings between 1993-1999 and 2003-2011, with some species (Marsh Rabbit and Eastern Cottontail, Gray Fox and Red Fox) having zero sightings in the later period, while only bobcats show a small increase.
2. Burmese pythons are invasive apex predators in the Everglades. The drastic decline in native animal sightings correlates with their establishment, indicating they prey heavily on native species, reducing their populations.
3. With the removal of the invasive python (a major predator pressure), native species would no longer face this significant threat, allowing their populations to recover over time.
4. Additional solutions target different stages of the python's lifecycle or human-related spread: prevention stops new pythons from entering the ecosystem, targeted detection helps find hidden pythons, and public outreach reduces accidental introductions.

Answer:

1. Native animal population sightings drastically decreased between 1993-1999 and 2003-2011. Most species (White-Tailed Deer, Raccoon, Virginia Opossum, Marsh Rabbit/Eastern Cottontail, Gray Fox/Red Fox) saw massive drops, with some having zero sightings in the later range; only bobcats had a small increase.
2. The introduced Burmese python caused severe declines in local native species populations, as they are apex predators that prey heavily on these animals, leading to drastically reduced sightings of native fauna.
3. After python removal, native species populations would be expected to gradually increase and recover as the major predation pressure from the invasive pythons is eliminated.
4. Additional solutions include: implementing stricter pet trade regulations to prevent further python releases, using trained detection dogs to locate hidden pythons, and launching public education campaigns to discourage releasing non-native pets into the wild.