Wetterer, James K.

Peters’s rock agama, Agama picticauda, is a West African lizard first observed in South Florida in 1975. It has since spread through much of the state and into southernmost Georgia. To better understand the potential spread of this invasive species in the southeastern US, I used Maxent species distribution models with native and non-native occurrences for A. picticauda with current and future bioclimatic variables. The models suggest that by 2100, the species could spread through all of Florida, much of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and southern parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Virginia.

The Abacoa Gopher Tortoise Preserve is a 60-ha section of the Abacoa Greenway (designated RangeⅠ) consisting of scrubby pine flatwood habitat. For this thesis, I used the iNaturalist app as a tool to identify and create a comprehensive list of all plant species in Range Ⅰ. I organized this information by IUCN conservation status to distinguish between invasive, native, and endemic species. I compare this list to similar floral surveys done in this preserve to obtain a view of how the composition of the preserve is changing over time. I used the initial conservation targets for the Abacoa Greenway to determine whether the standards for percent penetration of invasive/exotic species and fire treatment were being upheld and how this may have influenced the floral composition. Lastly, I discuss the species found within the preserve that contain known nutritional or medicinal properties that could be valuable for human use.

Florida is home to 13 species of bats, all of which are insectivorous. As humans immigrated into areas that were previously natural, bats have had to adjust their habits to live alongside us. Bats in Florida are commonly seen foraging for insects attracted to artificial lights. For my thesis, I set up ultrasonic recording equipment at highway rest areas under large streetlights in Martin and Palm Beach County to see how frequently different bat species visited each area. I identified a total of 1598 calls, including 159 calls of rare or endangered species. I found most frequently recorded species at both sites was the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), a very common species in South Florida. My other findings suggest that the known rarity and range of some species should be reconsidered. The importance of streetlights to the survival of insectivorous bats certainly deserves additional attention.

Lichens are commonly used as bioindicators of air pollution. For my thesis, I tested the utility of two easily identified lichen species as bioindicators. Parmotrema perforatum is considered to be pollution intolerant, while Parmotrema subrigidium is considered to be somewhat pollution tolerant. I surveyed P. perforatum and P. subrigidum growing on the trunks of southern live oak trees (Quercus virginiana) at two sites on the John D. MacArthur campus of Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Florida that differed in exposure to road traffic. One site on the interior of campus (AOS1) was distant from any road, while the other site (AOS2) was along a busy road. I identified lichen samples from using keys and chemical spot tests. I found AOS1 had a higher density of P. perforatum, and whereas AOS2 had a higher density of P. subrigidum, confirming the utility of these two lichens as bioindicators of pollution.

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is known for its impacts on Florida wildlife; hatchlings of ground-nesting herpetofauna are particularly vulnerable. This study examined factors correlated with fire ant infestation of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) nests. We were particularly interested in determining whether having floating nests afforded any protection from these ants. We surveyed ants on 24 alligator nests at Orange Lake located in Alachua County, Florida, using tuna baits left for ~2h. We found S. invicta was the most commonly observed species at nests, present at 12 of the 24 nests. There was no significant difference in the proportion of nests with S. invicta present for floating nests (8 of 14) versus land-based nests (4 of 10). This may have been influenced by the limited sample size of the study, something which future studies should aim to address.

The Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus) is an endangered species found only in southern Florida. There is little ecological information known for this species, making conservation work difficult in protecting it. What we do know, however, is that they are large, insectivorous, high-flying mammals that can travel over vast distances in a single night. With these characteristics it made me wonder if E. floridanus would find baseball stadiums an acceptable hunting ground. They have wide-open spaces, the bright stadium lights attract insects, and the field lights themselves are hundreds of feet high. To test if this is true, I set up ultrasonic recording equipment at Roger Dean Stadium (and two other baseball fields with differing environmental factors) to see if there is a difference in activity between nights when the lights are on or off. With this information about E. floridanus feeding habits, current conservation practices could be improved upon.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and its related derivatives are chemicals produced by Cannabis sativa plants (hemp and marijuana). One form of CBD has been approved in the U.S. for use as a drug to treat some types of epilepsy syndromes that often do not respond to other antiseizure medicines. In recent years, many different forms of CBD have been promoted as treatments for a wide variety of other health problems, but evidence for their effectiveness is limited. For my thesis, I examine what forms of CBD are currently being sold, how are they are administered, in what dosages, and for what purpose. I then examine what research has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of the different products and their therapeutic uses.

Autosomal recessive deafness-9 (DFNB9), caused by mutations in the otoferlin gene (OTOF), is the most common form of hereditary deafness, accounting for 2-8% of all cases. Here, I review recent research on using dual adeno associated virus (AAV) mediated gene therapy to treat DFNB9 in a mouse model system. Dual AAV gene therapy repairs these mutations by injecting pairs of AAV vectors carrying separate fragments of Otoferlin DNA into the round window membrane to the affected cochlea. When these AAV vectors recombine, they produce the expression of the full-length gene and restores hearing. Dual AAV gene therapy provides a biologically regenerative treatment that is faster and less invasive than the cochlear implant currently used to treat DFNB9. This breakthrough will reshape the treatment of genetic diseases.

The burrowing four o’clock or beach peanut, Okenia hypogaea (Nyctaginaceae), is a vine found on beaches of southeast Florida, Mexico, and Central America. This species was described from Mexico in 1830 and discovered in Florida near Miami in 1903. Since then, O. hypogaea has been considered a rare native species in Florida. For my thesis, I proposed to test the hypothesis that O. hypogaea is exotic to Florida by comparing the genetic diversity of populations in Florida with populations in Mexico. The first gene I examined was identical across all populations tested in Mexico and Florida. I am currently working on examining a more variable gene.

Solenopsis invicta, a fire ant originally from South America, has become an important exotic pest in the southeastern US. Solenopsis invicta is well known for its powerful sting and are known to attack native wildlife, such as hatchling sea turtles. I examined the suitability of S. invicta as prey for a native antlion, Myrmeleon crudelis, in South Florida. I compared the growth and survival over 12 week period of 16 ant lions fed S. invicta and 16 fed a native pyramid ant, Dorymyrmex bureni. I found antlions fed S. invicta had significantly lower growth and survival than antlions fed D. bureni. Thus, S. invicta does not appear to be suitable prey for M. crudelis, and may have a negative impact on M. crudelis in areas where it invades.