Effects of Egg and Hatchling Harvest on American Alligators in Florida
| Autor: | Allan R. Woodward, H.F. Percival, Kenneth G. Rice, Michael L. Jennings |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1999 |
| Předmět: |
education.field_of_study
Ecology Annual production biology Crocodylidae Alligator Population biology.organism_classification Crocodilia Population density Animal science Adult size biology.animal parasitic diseases General Earth and Planetary Sciences education Hatchling Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation General Environmental Science |
| Zdroj: | The Journal of Wildlife Management. 63:1193 |
| ISSN: | 0022-541X |
| DOI: | 10.2307/3802837 |
| Popis: | Harvest of crocodilian eggs and young for captive rearing (ranching) has been used worldwide as an option for producing crocodilian skins and meat from wild stock. The long-term effects of harvesting a certain proportion of early age class, wild American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) without repatriation is unknown. We removed an estimated 50% of annual production of alligators on Lakes Griffin and Jesup in central Florida over an 11-year period and monitored population levels via night-light counts. Densities of the total alligator population increased (P 0.117), and subadult (122-182 cm TL) alligators increased (P < 0.011) on harvest areas. The density of juveniles on the control area increased (P = 0.006), and the density of subadults showed some evidence of increasing (P = 0.088). No changes were detected in size distributions on the treatment areas. Nest production, as observed from aerial helicopter surveys, increased (P < 0.039) on Lake Woodruff NWR and Lake Jesup and showed some evidence of an increase on Lake Griffin (P = 0.098) during 1983-91. A 50% harvest rate of eggs or hatchlings did not adversely affect recruitment into the subadult or adult size classes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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