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Modelling the role of environmental variables in determining the distribution of invasive Burmese Python in Florida

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to model the relationship between environmental variables and the spatial distribution of the Burmese Python across Florida. MaxEnt model was utilized to understand the relative preference of pythons based on environmental variables. While Burmese Python presence is most prevalent along roads and canals, our study moves beyond these human-made paths to identify other environmental variables, which determine their presence. The distribution is mostly restricted to southern Florida and probability of presence is high in areas where elevation is 0–1 feet and mean temperature range between 24 and 25 °C. The most suitable habitats were located throughout wetlands, where the soil is shallow that sits atop limestone bedrock. There was also a seasonal shift in the spatial patterns. During the dry season, the distribution was spread throughout the south of the state with several areas of clustering. While, during the wet season the distribution was clustered throughout the south of the state with areas of high probability along the southwest coast. Moreover, the probability of presence is highest during the dry season in areas identified as urban and wetlands. The results of our study fills a gap in invasive species management by providing a new and inexpensive way to monitor the distribution and spread of Burmese Pythons.

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Notes

  1. The 2013 Python Challenge was developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The goals of the challenge were to raise awareness, remove pythons, and increase the knowledge of python ecology. Sixty-eight Burmese Pythons were removed during the challenge [22].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geomatics, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

    Zella Conyers

  2. Department of Geography, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Shouraseni Sen Roy

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  1. Zella Conyers
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Correspondence to Shouraseni Sen Roy.

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All environmental data used is identified in Table 1; data was downloaded from multiple sources. Python capture points were downloaded from www.eddmaps.org, a self-reporting mapping system run by the University of Georgia Center foe Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

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Conyers, Z., Roy, S.S. Modelling the role of environmental variables in determining the distribution of invasive Burmese Python in Florida. Spat. Inf. Res. 29, 749–760 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41324-021-00394-6

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