These patches often are fragmented due to development and habitat succession (Eaton, Hughes, Hines, & Nichols, 2014; Schmidt, McCleery, Lopez, Silvy, & Schmidt, 2010). Habitat use across multiple scales suggests resilience to rising seas for endangered island endemic compared to sympatric invasive species. Our results indicate that this approach has helped to reduce the number of individual cats at sites colonized by rabbits since our initial surveys. Family. Therefore, we calculated the change in cat detections (camera trap captures) between the first sampling year and the final sampling year (e.g., negative numbers = relative reduction in cat detections and positive numbers = relative gain in cat detections). Why are Marsh rabbits endangered? A positive relative change in cats detected at each site (e.g., more individuals in 2015 relative to previous survey years) was negatively related to marsh rabbit patch colonization (β = −1.09 ± 0.60SE). ), Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geospatial Data. We characterized camera sites based on covariates that we identified a priori as potentially important for marsh rabbit and free‐ranging cat distribution and dynamics on Big Pine Key. We used camera trapping data to examine factors associated with marsh rabbit occupancy and to determine how habitat and predator–prey dynamics changed during a period of exotic predator removal. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted predator removal in marsh rabbit habitats over the course of our surveys. Fish and Wildlife Service has actively managed exotic predators by removing them from the system. These areas flood during the rainy season and might have further value as refugia from potential predators that do not cross open water. They are nocturnal and solitary, but individuals may be seen gathered together in areas that have plenty of resources. Finally, we used the most supported colonization covariate set to model extinction (ε) parameters. Dynamic occupancy models estimate occupancy in the initial sampling period (ψ), colonization (γ), extinction (ε), and detection (p) parameters and when used with a co‐occurrence model, they can also estimate conditional probabilities for one species when a second species is present/absent (Bailey, Reid, Forsman, & Nichols, 2009). The Lower Keys marsh rabbit is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. Furthermore, this dainty creature also holds yet another distinction. Current management strategies that eliminate old roads and allow mosquito ditches to fill with sediment will help restore these habitats and their hydrology, both of which will reduce saltwater retention following storm surges. They are never found far from water. Bolded models make up the 95% confidence set (∑ω > 0.95). To Cite This Page: Glenn, C. R. 2006. The subspecies Sylvilagus palustris hefneri is endangered We also included patch and habitat effects on colonization (γ) rates to compare with previous studies (Eaton et al., 2014). Marsh rabbit occupancy was strongly related to habitat features including freshwater marshes and patch size. Its range includes southeast Virginia, southern Georgia, eastern Alabama, the Florida peninsula, and the islands along the coast of Florida. Endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri). The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea level rise, development, and habitat succession. Free‐ranging cat site extinction was positively (β = 2.04 ± 0.67SE) related to the time since the primary survey period (e.g., 2 years from 2013 vs. 1 year since 2014—Table S4). The Challenge: The Lower Keys marsh rabbit ( Sylvilagus palustris hefneri - LKMR) and the Key Largo woodrat ( Neotoma floridana smalli - KLWR) are two examples of endangered endemics of the Florida Keys that prove difficult to survey. These relatively short sampling periods are comparable to previous occupancy studies applied to camera trap data of small mammals and mesopredators (e.g., Jones et al., 2016a). Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. The Future: Additional sampling techniques including hair and scat collection for potential genetic and stable isotope analyses. The subspecies Sylvilagus palustris hefneri is endangered and its range is limited to the lower Florida Keys. Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris) Description. All research was approved under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit #2013‐008 and North Carolina State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) #13‐003‐O. Those who discovered it chose, for reasons of their own, to name the dainty wonder of Nature in honor of Hugh Hefner. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990). The subspecies was listed as federally endangered in 1990, its populations threatened as a result of habitat loss and degradation, as well as mortality from vehicles and free-roaming cats. Our camera sampling effort resulted in 2,562 trapdays across 84 sites between January 2013 and May 2015. We followed a similar approach for modeling the occupancy of free‐ranging cats, but did not model colonization because the parameter of most interest was extinction due to predator removal. marsh rabbit) is a federally endangered lago-morph (Federal Register 1990) endemic to the Lower Keys of Florida. Its range includes southeast Virginia, southern Georgia, eastern Alabama, the Florida peninsula, and the islands along the coast of Florida. The U.S. FWS's Threatened & Endangered Species System track information about listed species in the United States U.S.FWS Species profile about species listing status, federal register publications, recovery, critical habitat, conservation planning, petitions, and life history Increased development in the area further impacts the rabbits’ chance of survival because it not only blocks the rabbits from moving inland, it also blocks the necessary vegetation from “migrating” inland as well. These were all considered habitat covariates in dynamic occupancy models. Population estimates range between 100 and 300 rabbits in the Lower Florida Keys. Each camera site had two opposing camera traps (Reconyx PC800 or PC850, RECONYX, Inc., Holmen WI, USA) set to provide multiple high‐quality photographs so that we could identify a high proportion of photographed animals. Who wouldn't like to see a few more cottontail rabbits hopping around Scarborough Marsh? Our results suggest that while rabbits can colonize and persist at sites where cats occur, it is the number of individual cats at a site that more strongly influences rabbit occupancy and colonization. Additionally, two of the four top‐supported models contained φ = 1 as a fixed parameter. Learn more. The subspecies is considered by IUCN to be critically endangered and is federally listed as endangered. Cat movement typically overlapped several survey locations and marsh rabbit home ranges (e.g., 3.96 ha ±0.65SE—Forys & Humphrey, 1996). Most notably, mosquito ditches were carved into the limestone substrate of Big Pine Key to manage water levels and reduce marshes and standing water. We identified the habitat type at each camera sampling point as either one of three categorical cover groups: (1) freshwater marshes, (2) coastal marshes, including buttonwood transition zones and scrub mangrove, or (3) upland habitat, including pine and hammock habitats. We considered the variation in behavioral response model the best … Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) – classified as an endangered species. The top free‐ranging cat model included a year relationship with extinction. Therefore, the results that suggest cat occurrence was strongly associated with human development but not influenced by any other covariates confirms this species is highly adaptable in developed island environments (Medina et al., 2011). Biome . Specifically, we hypothesized that habitat characteristics, such as freshwater marsh and patch size, would relate positively to marsh rabbit occupancy, but that rabbit occurrence would be negatively related to factors associated with anthropogenic development. A recent global analysis of biodiversity loss concluded that exotic mammalian predators are the most detrimental to rare and endangered species, particularly on islands (Doherty, Glen, Nimmo, Ritchie, & Dickman, 2016). the endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) across its geographic distribution under scenarios of current conditions, low (0.3-m), medium (0.6- Top models separated cats based on movements and activity patterns and represent feral, semi-feral, and indoor/outdoor house cats. Enter your email address below and we will send you your username, If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to retrieve your username, Camera trap image of a Lower Keys marsh rabbit (, Camera trap locations, habitat, and anthropogenic areas from occupancy surveys of Lower Keys marsh rabbits (. Brackish and freshwater marshes, edges of lakes and mangroves and other wet areas. Also, marsh rabbits have been reported to breed year-round in other states. This rabbit was historically found from Big Pine Key to Key West and was common, but now is found primarily … We then used dynamic co‐occurrence models to further examine predator–prey relationships by including conditional probabilities of occupancy and species interaction factors (MacKenzie et al., 2004). Additionally, dynamic co‐occurrence models suggested cats and marsh rabbits co‐occur less frequently than expected under random conditions, but the 95% confidence interval included 1 (e.g., random expectation). The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, hereafter: marsh rabbit—Figure 1), a distinct population segment of the mainland marsh rabbit endemic to the Lower Florida Keys, is one such protected subspecies (Lazell, 1984; Tursi, Hughes, & Hoffman, 2013). Rabbit site extinction and colonization were not strongly conditional on cat presence, but corresponded with a negative association. We used dynamic occupancy models to determine factors associated with marsh rabbit occurrence, colonization, extinction, and the co‐occurrence of marsh rabbits and cats during a period of predator removal. Florida marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris paludicola) – smaller rabbit confined to the peninsular regions of Florida. They are found in brackish and fresh water marshes, in flooded agricultural areas, and in swamps. You figure that out! We also calculated the relative differences in the number of individual cats detected at each site because cats were easily distinguishable based on pelage (Cove et al., 2018). The probability of marsh rabbit extinction from individual sites was not strongly explained by any examined covariates (Table 1). Historically, the marsh rabbit inhabited most of the Lower Florida Keys, but rapid development since the 1970s has resulted in a decline of the marsh rabbit population and its long-term viability (Forys and Humphrey 1999a). These rabbits like low elevation areas with swamps, marshes, and lake borders. Number of times cited according to CrossRef: Harnessing knowledge of animal behavior to improve habitat restoration outcomes. Their diet also consists of blackberry, greenbrier, and other woody and semi-woody plants. However, as domestic cats move relatively long distances and we could identify individual cats moving between sites, we considered cat occupancy to more appropriately represent their site use. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit is a small rabbit that is native to the southernmost islands of the Florida Keys. Rabbit occurrence was positively related to freshwater habitat and patch size, but was negatively related to the number of individual cats detected at each site. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea‐level rise, development, and habitat succession. The top‐supported free‐ranging cat detection model with the global occupancy parameterization suggested that free‐ranging cat detection probability was negatively related to camera locations on human trails (β = −0.63 ± 0.16SE), negatively related to camera locations in marsh rabbit habitat (β = −0.54 ± 0.15SE), and negatively related to the primary survey period occurring in 2013 (β = −1.04 ± 0.17SE), so we included those covariates in all further free‐ranging cat occupancy models. McCleery and Jason A. Schmidt, a former graduate student of McCleery’s when he worked at Texas A&M University, began looking at the Lower Keys marsh rabbit because it was a federally endangered species known only to live in an isolated part of the Florida Keys. Cat occurrence was negatively associated with increasing distance from human developments. We then modeled co‐occurrence of cats and rabbits over the two primary survey periods to examine interactions and further understand drivers of species extinction and colonization. Woodrats are considered generalists in habitat and diet, yet a steady decline in natural stick nests and capture rates over the past... Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge(Public domain. Marsh Rabbits here in South Florida are found in undeveloped areas of native habitat and in small nooks and crannies of neighborhoods and parks where water and thick vegetative cover are present. Nevertheless, our results indicate that reductions in the number of individual cats are an effective management practice that promotes marsh rabbit colonization of vacant habitats. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. Exotic predators such as free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) pose an additional threat to these endangered small mammals. Forys (1995) concluded that cats were important marsh rabbit predators based on mortalities of radio‐tagged individuals, but Schmidt et al. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit Facts" (Online) - Licensed article from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. The global model was most supported to predict initial occupancy, but only the distance from development (β = −1.48 ± 0.60SE) was significant with a 95% confidence interval that excluded 0 (Table S4). Develop new models to account for predators that cannot be uniquely identified and models to account for spatially clusteredsample. Prior to management, cat densities on Big Pine Key were high (>4 cats/km2) and the home ranges of individual cats varied according to their ownership status (Cove et al., 2018). They are unevenly scattered in Lower Florida Keys. Habitat: The marsh rabbit is found throughout Florida. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. Appendices. These surveys resulted in 160 trapdays with marsh rabbit detections, with 58 trapdays (mean = 0.69 detections per site ±1.23SD) with detections across sites surveyed in 2013–2014 and 102 trapdays (mean = 1.20 detections per site ±2.00SD) with detections at sites surveyed in 2015. (2011b) conducted similar pellet‐based surveys and concluded that salt‐tolerant habitats such as mangroves and transition zones were beneficial to marsh rabbits after Hurricane Wilma. Additionally, we compared 15 a priori dynamic models of cat site use of camera trap sites following the same framework, excluding any covariates on colonization, and including a year effect based on the first year the site was sampled (e.g., 2013 vs. 2014) because it was supported in the initial candidate comparison (Table S2). The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea-level rise, development, and habitat succession. It's estimated that less than 300 of the rabbits remain today. A 300‐m grid was established to delineate 9‐ha camera sampling units on the refuge and adjacent public (state and county) lands. As the name implies, the marsh rabbit is found only in undisturbed marsh. General. Cats can swim (Abbott, 2000), but we suspect they would not be inclined to cross water barriers unless resources (e.g., human‐provisioned food) were limited. Management strategies have focused on habitat restoration and exotic predator control. ), tegus (Salvator merianae), and feral and free‐ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) are now established throughout south Florida and are potential threats to endangered endemic species such as the marsh rabbit in the Keys (Cove, Gardner, Simons, Kays, & O'Connell, 2018; Dorcas et al., 2012; Engeman, Jacobson, Avery, & Meshaka, 2011). The constant model for initial rabbit occupancy, colonization, extinction, and detection was more supported than including a year effect (ΔAIC = 3.98), so we did not include any covariates to distinguish 2013 from 2014 primary survey periods in further marsh rabbit models. Furthermore, it has been suggested that marsh rabbits are one of the first mammal species affected by the synergistic effects of human development and rising seas (Schmidt, McCleery, Seavey, Cameron Devitt, & Schmidt, 2012). The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (hereafter, marsh rabbit) is a federally endangered lago- morph (Federal Register 1990) endemic to the Lower Keys of Florida. Little is known about the timing of their breeding activity in Virginia. Dark colored, small eared, small tailed marsh rabbit. Marsh rabbits are approximately 40 cm (16 in) long and weigh 1-2 kilograms (2-5 lbs). This species has a brown dorsal (back); gray belly, small ears, and a grayish-brown tail (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001). We observed cat site extinction events at three times as many sites as cat colonization events, and site extinction was related to the longer 2‐year trapping period between survey years (e.g., sites first surveyed in 2013). The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. Schmidt, Paige McGee. Exotic predators such as free-ranging domestic cats pose an additional threat to these endangered small mammals. It is one of four species of rabbits in the genus Sylvilagus that are native to the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. The Lower Keys rabbit is the smallest of three subspecies of marsh rabbits. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea‐level rise, development, and habitat succession. However, unlike the cottontail, the marsh rabbit has a brown tail and is an excellent swimmer. Concurrent with expanding anthropogenic development, exotic predators such as large constrictor snakes (e.g., Python and Boa spp. As I told u earlier, Low-key rabbits are the most endangered subspecies of this rabbit, which is due to the fragmentation of its habitat. Shrubland habitat along the Eastern Trail recently has been expanded for the endangered New England cottontail rabbit. Indeed, global analyses have suggested that exotic mammal eradications on islands can have strong conservation results for endangered and endemic species, but only three species of mammals have been documented to recover after exotic mammal eradications (Jones et al., 2016b). Because the first primary survey periods occurred over two seasons, we compared a year‐specific model to a constant model to determine whether we needed to account for variation between 2013 and 2014 sampling in subsequent models. There is a subspecies, Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), which is found in south Florida. Cats were removed and new cats recruited at sites throughout the course of our study. The model with free‐ranging cat site extinction varying within a 500‐m buffer of cat trapping areas (−) also received some support, but the relationship disagreed with our a priori hypotheses and was not significant. Human settlements are common throughout Big Pine Key and we suspected that development would affect the distribution of both species, so we measured the linear distance of all camera sites to the nearest residential development. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma was measured as a Category 4 storm when it passed through the center of the LKMR range causing significant damage to human infrastructure and natural habitats. Additional sampling with camera traps on other islands could further help clarify the role of predator–prey dynamics affecting the distribution of marsh rabbits throughout the Lower Keys. Refuge habitat comprises mostly upland habitats of pine (Pinus elliottii) rocklands and tropical hardwood hammocks (e.g., pigeon plum [Coccoloba diversifolia], poisonwood [Metopium toxiferum], and gumbo‐limbo [Bursera simaruba]), whereas lowland habitats, which are more characteristically marsh rabbit habitat, comprise mangroves (e.g., red [Rhizophora mangle], black [Avicennia germinans], and white [Laguncularia racemose]), buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) transition zones, and fresh (Cladium spp.) Distribution; Notes; Marsh Rabbit Distribution . School of Environmental and Forest Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, U.S. Geological Survey, NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA. The U.S. FWS's Threatened & Endangered Species System track information about listed species in the United States. Pages 71-75 in S.R. It's small with short, dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly. Additionally, we modeled occupancy and detection of rabbits as conditional on cat occurrence and detection at the same sites. By Paige McGee Schmidt. ABSTRACT We conducted the most intensive estimate of the endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) metapopulation to date using pellet surveys and capture–recapture methodology. One of these is the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit. Bobcats feed on small prey and are fantastic hunters. Although the marsh rabbit is widespread all across the southern part of the U.S., the so-called Hefner’s rabbit is endangered and inhabits higher positioned areas with salt marshes or freshwater marshes, most of them are positioned in the area of Florida Keys. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (LKMR, Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), a subspecies of marsh rabbit endemic to the Lower Keys, Florida, is threatened with extinction due to … These varying results reveal that cat abundance is a better predictor of marsh rabbit occurrence than cat presence alone. Cat eradication on Big Pine Key is not likely possible because many cats on the island are owned or associated with human developments and because cat eradication is difficult (Nogales et al., 2004). The U.S. This town ain't big enough for both of us…or is it? ... Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), a subspecies of marsh rabbit endemic to the Lower Keys, Florida, is threatened with extinction due to extensive coastal development of salt marsh habitats. Exotic predators such as free‐ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) pose an additional threat to these endangered small mammals. A recently published integrated pest management plan (USFWS, 2013) described protection strategies for endangered species, including the removal of exotic predators, on refuge lands. These findings indicate that continued predator management would likely benefit endangered small mammals as they recolonize restored habitats. Our dynamic occupancy models for free‐ranging cats and co‐occurrence models suggest that cats occupy a greater range of habitat types on Big Pine Key than marsh rabbits. However, we suggest that the subsampling of those sites and including additional sites from a survey in 2014 reduced any bias toward free‐ranging cats for the dynamic occupancy modeling approach from the resurvey in 2015. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea‐level rise, development, and habitat succession. Free‐ranging domestic cats (feral, colony, and indoor/outdoor house cats) are abundant in the Florida Keys because cats are subsidized by humans and have prodigious reproductive potential (Cove et al., 2018). Select from premium Marsh Rabbit of the highest quality. In particular, sites surveyed in 2013 suggested co‐detection to be less than randomly expected (δ < 1), whereas sites surveyed in 2014 suggested co‐detection to be greater than randomly expected (δ > 1). In addition to habitat covariates, marsh rabbit occupancy was related to indicators of predator presence and abundance. We selected these sites because they occurred in suitable marsh rabbit habitat (n = 59) or occurred in representative remaining habitat (n = 25) in sampling gaps across the island. Humphrey, editor. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmen - tation from sea-level rise, development, and habitat succession. By Paige McGee Schmidt. We also measured habitat patch size and noted whether patches and a 100‐m surrounding buffer were considered marsh rabbit habitat or other habitats (Figure 2). We included several cat removal covariates to account for changes across sites between years compared to the constant colonization model. The climate is subtropical with mean temperature of 24.63°C ± 4.20SD during the transition between the dry and rainy seasons. We used the single‐species models to inform habitat covariates that we included in the co‐occurrence models, to avoid over parameterizing the latter. Females can produce 6 litters a year of up to 4 babies. The marsh rabbit oc-cupies the transitional saltmarsh (also called the transition zone), which is a grassy, nearly tree-less ecosystem that generally occurs from 1 to 3 m above sea level. We also buffered all sites where cats were trapped in 2014 and 2015 by 500 m and considered any camera sites that fell within those buffers as trapped sites, which we included as a binary covariate in our analyses. We provide evidence that cat groups within a population move different distances, exhibit different activity patterns, and that individuals consume wildlife at different rates - all of which have implications for managing this invasive predator. Remote cameras and other noninvasive techniques have recently become popular in surveys to better detect elusive and rare mammals. We livetrapped 83 rabbits, evaluated 5 closed population models, and selected the model that best represented the data. Furthermore, this dainty creature also holds yet another distinction. Threats to the Lower Keys marsh rabbit include habitat loss and fragmentation, predation by cats, and road mortality caused by automobiles; critical habitat was not designated. We sampled 112 camera trap sites from 16 January 2013 through 4 April 2013 using an adaptive sampling approach in which initial camera data were used to inform subsequent sampling to increase the number of detections of both target species (i.e., Cove et al., 2018). [11] In southern Florida, they commonly occupy sandy islands and mangrove swamps. Below are publications associated with this project. Additionally, sites were representative of the available habitat and distributed throughout the island, so these point samples represent the true proportion of area occupied by cats (Efford & Dawson, 2012). The top model suggested that the number of individual cats detected at sites had a strong negative relationship with initial rabbit occupancy, supporting the hypothesis that free‐ranging domestic cats play some role in the distribution of endangered marsh rabbits on Big Pine Key. Lower Keys marsh rabbit) is endemic to the Lower Florida Keys. There was support for a primary survey year effect for initial domestic cat occupancy, colonization, extinction, and detection, over the constant model (ΔAIC = 91.53), so we included a binary covariate to distinguish 2013 from 2014 primary survey periods in further free‐ranging cat models. The Challenge: The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri - LKMR) and the Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli - KLWR) are two examples of endangered endemics of the Florida Keys that prove difficult to survey. We sampled sites in the late dry and early transition into the rainy season, so most of the freshwater marshes were accessible. 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