Baldwin, John D.

Past sightings of red-tailed (Cercopithecus ascanius) x blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) hybrids in Uganda indicates the potential for hybridization between C. Ascanius and C. mitis individuals. Apart from Gombe Stream National Park, there is no of evidence suggestive of C. ascanius x C. mitis monkey hybridization at investigated East African locations. Phylogenetic analysis was examined using Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data of twelve C. mitis stuhlmanni samples (from two populations) in Kibale National Park (KNP), Uganda to test for any evidence of hybridization. Strict mono- phylogeny among two new C. mitis haplotypes were detected. Genetic diversity measurements support neither interspecific or intraspecific hybridization among C. mitis individuals from populations within Kibale National Park. To intensify the implications of this study further examination should include an increase in sample size(s), mtDNA comparison of C. mitis subspecies from additional populations at East African locations, and assessment of nuclear and genomic DNA.

The migratory behavior of North Atlantic leatherback turtles (Dermochelys
coriacea) has been documented in the Wider Caribbean, but the migratory movements of
leatherbacks nesting in South Florida are relatively understudied. Our knowledge of their
migrations is currently limited to ten nesting females tracked from the east coast of
Florida that either moved north to the Northern Atlantic or east to the coast of Western
Africa. These results bring to light the need for further investigation and larger sample
sizes to identify and determine the relative importance of the different foraging areas for
the leatherbacks nesting in South Florida. Here, I analyzed stable carbon (δ13C) and stable
nitrogen (δ15N) values in whole blood and skin of leatherbacks nesting in South Florida
between 2014 and 2017 to estimate the putative foraging origins of these nesters prior to
coming to South Florida to nest. This study provides some of the first stable isotope
inferences and insights into the variable pre-nesting foraging habitat locations of
Florida’s leatherback population.

Disturbance events occur outside the normal disturbance regime of a system and
can cause changes in behavior of some organisms. The 2010 cold event is an example of
a disturbance event that influenced the behavior of Common Snook (Centropomus
undecimalis). Common snook are euryhaline sportfish native to Florida, Texas, and the
Caribbean. Florida is the northern most part of their distribution, based on the 15o C
winter isotherm. They move between offshore areas during spawning season and
freshwater coastal rivers during non-spawning season. With the use of previously
collected acoustic telemetry and biological data this project identifies the impact on
population dynamics and movement near the time of the event. The goal is to understand
fine scale movements and physiological conditions under normal and abnormal
conditions to further inform management of the species.

The wahoo, Acanthocyhium solandri, is a pelagic marine fish which inhabits tropical,
subtropical, and warm temperate waters worldwide. Despite being highly mobile and
economically important over most of their range, there is little scientific data
concerning population structure, movement patterns, or environmental preferences of
wahoo. In this study I investigate wahoo genetic population structure and
phytogeography on a global scale, and deploy pop-up satellite archival tags (PSA T's)
in the western Atlantic Ocean to determine movement patterns and environmental
preferences of wahoo.
Wahoo population genetic structure was examined across their entire global range
with intron six of lactate dehydrogenase-A (ldhA6, 10 locations, N = 213) and
mtDNA cytochrome h (Cyth, 13 locations, N = 322). Results show extensive sharing ofhaplotypes and no significant structure between all locations (mtDNA ~ST <
0.0001, P = 0.634; nuclear FsT = 0.0125, P = 0.1 06). Overall nuclear heterozygosity
(H = 0.714) and mtDNA haplotype diversity (h = 0.918) are both high, while overall
mtDNA nucleotide diversity (n = 0.006) and nuclear nucleotide diversity (n = 0.004)
are uniformly low. Coalescence indicates an effective female population size CNeF) at
- 816,000, and a population bottleneck - 690,000 years ago.
Movement patterns and environmental preferences were investigated by
deploying PSA T's onto four individual wahoo in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Tagging success rate (75%) validates the deployment protocol developed for this
project. Results indicate that wahoo in the western Atlantic ocean spend the greatest
portion of their time between 0 and 20 meters of depth, and between temperatures of
20oC and 26°C. More time was spent near the deeper extremes of their range during
the nocturnal period, and daily visits to the surface were observed. Wahoo were
observed traveling north in Fall and Winter, contrary to previous notions concerning
the migratory movements of this species.
The genetic results indicate a worldwide stock for wahoo, which reinforces the
mandate for international cooperation on fisheries issues. The PSA T results
demonstrate the value of the acquired data to the investigation of important life
history parameters in pelagic species. The information generated from this project
will benefit fisheries managers, marine biologists, evolutionary biologists, and both
commercial and recreational fishing interests.

This study investigated variations m body condition of brown hoplos
(Hoplosternum littorale) refuging in ponds in the Big Cypress region of southern Florida.
During the dry season environmental parameters fluctuated, water depth and dissolved
oxygen decreased, while temperature and conductivity increased. Standard lengths and
wet weights of 675 juvenile brown hoplos were measured from seven populations. Body
condition was compared between populations and through time (early vs. late dry season)
using length-weight relationship and Fulton's condition factor. The only significant
spatia-temporal variations in body condition occurred in the deepest refuges. One
population demonstrated an unexpected positive change in body condition, while another
(a deep culvert pond) showed negative changes in body condition over time. Smaller fish
(≤S65mmSL) found in these deep-water refuges demonstrated the most change in body
condition. Almost all populations exhibited isometric growth but the culvert pond
population had variable regression slopes (slopes ≠ 3 for both samples).

Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) consists of 261.8 km2 in the Gulf of Mexico and provides protection to marine species facing a multitude of threats. Among the many species that utilize DRTO is the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). I examined seven years of capture-recapture data to determine how the body condition (using Fulton’s equation, K = M/L3) and growth rate for juvenile green turtles vary within, and among size classes in DRTO, and how those rates compare to similar populations in other locations. Body conditions ranged from 0.77 to 1.71 (mean 1.3 SD ± 0.16). Growth rates ranged from 2.5 to 9.9cm/yr (mean 5.5 cm/yr SD ± 1.25), which is a high growth rate for green turtles. Establishing growth rates and body condition for a specific population can provide insight into life history and health of that population, as well as important data
for comparison to populations in other areas.

The population of Bald Eagles in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park has
declined over the past few decades. It is hypothesized that changes in prey availabilities
from alterations to ecosystem conditions have contributed to this decline. Our goals were
to document diet and explore how prey availabilities may affect the Bald Eagle. For the
2009 and 2010 breeding seasons we collected prey remains from nest sites and video
monitored provisioning of prey. Prey remains consisted of 33 species and were
compositionally different than prey remains collected prior to ecological changes,
suggesting changes in prey availabilities. Also, provisioning rates were significantly
lower than Bald Eagles in other North American regions and declined throughout the
breeding season. Our results suggest that prey availabilities has affected the food habits
of breeding Bald Eagles in Florida Bay, which may be contributing to their decline.

This investigation compared statistical parameters for the blood serum chemistries
of free ranging Osprey nestlings from Florida Bay and an Osprey population from Lake
Istokpoga, in Central Florida (Chapter 1). Florida Bay Ospreys showed higher mean rank
values for alanine aminotransferase (H=6.79, P=.009), alkaline phosphatase (H=6.48,
P=.011), and sodium (H=5.7, P=.017), and Central Florida had higher mean rank values
potassium (H=13.19, P=.000) and carbon dioxide (H=6.23, P=.013). Serum chemistries
values were also compared between free-ranging Bald Eagle and Osprey nestling in
Florida Bay estuary in southern Florida (Chapter 2). There were significant differences
between serum values of Bald Eagle and Osprey nestlings. Bald Eagle serum values were
higher for total protein (H=17.833, P=.00002), Albumin (H=7.449, P=.006), Aspartate
aminotransferase (H=113.153, P =.0001), and Calcium (H=7.148, P = 008). Osprey serum values were higher for alanine aminotransferase (H=11.824, P = 0.0005), alkaline phosphatase (H=105.5, P =.0001), creatine kinase (H=13.465, P = 0.0002), carbon dioxide (H=4.443, P = 0.035) and cholinesterase (H=99.3, P=.0001). Sixteen nestling Bald Eagles were fitted with satellite platform transmitter terminal (PTT) or VHF radio transmitter package for a duration of six years (Chapter 3)= to identify their movement and dispersal. One of the 15 eagles migrated to North Carolina, whereas the other 14 (93%) confined their movements to Florida. Tracking duration per individual ranged from 82 to 1,531 days. We estimated first-year survival as 52% and 67% for the period from 1.5 to 3 years. Diamondback Terrapins (Chapter 4) were evaluated by an integrated assessment of physical, chemical, and physiological parameters. Extreme site fidelity of the turtles to mangrove habitat was evident along with a strong female biased sex ratio. There was a significant difference in the total number of individuals collected at the two sites (P =. 01) despite the total size and shorelines of the two sites being very nearly the same. Total recapture rate was 70% for combined population (TLK = 80% and CKW = 48%). We provide blood serum values and microbial cultures as baselines from these turtles in the wild.

Dietary resource use for diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapins) in
subtropical mangrove habitats in south Florida creeks and islands was examined to
elucidate long-term individual foraging strategies. Fecal analysis revealed seven
categories of food items with gastropods, crabs, and bivalves being the most dominant
food items respectively. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed differences in
habitat, but not terrapin size class. Stable isotope analysis confirmed the findings,
identifying habitat and site differences in δ13C and δ15N values for both terrapins and
their prey. Bi-plots of terrapin and potential prey δ 13C and δ 15N values revealed potential
dietary sources previously undetermined by fecal analysis. Comparisons of scute and
blood isotope data revealed significant differences in δ13C indicating potential shifts in
either food resources and/or habitat use through the time period recorded in the scute
tissue. These tissue comparisons represent a powerful tool for estimating long term
foraging strategies for a key estuarine species.

The hard clam aquaculture industry has largely been limited to the cultivation of the species Mercenaria mercenaria. Two Florida native species of clam, Noetia ponderosa and Anadara ovalis, commonly known as "Ark clams" are being studied for their viability as potential aquaculture species. Early development of the blood ark, Anadara ovalis (Bruguiere, 1789), and the ponderous ark, Noetia ponderosa (Say, 1822) was analyzed with an emphasis on the processes of meiotic maturation and early embryogenesis through gastrulation, using light and fluorescence microscopy. Both A. ovalis and N. ponderosa oocytes were released at the metaphase I stage of meiosis and shared similar schedules of early development through initial veliger stage. Differences in the timing of development between species were negligible. In addition, the behavior and developmental timeline of the ark clams was very similar to that of Mercenaria mercenaria , which also reaches the D-shaped veliger stage in less than 24 hours.