The thesis Mounted on a Pedestal, chronicles the life of Bertha Honoré Palmer. The focus of her story are the years after 1910, when she traveled to Sarasota, Florida and heralded the flight to the southernmost state, leading the pack in the purchase and development of land in the Sarasota/ Tampa Bay area. The totality of her years prior to that time serve as a prelude to her accomplishments and the vicissitudes of her life in the sleepy little fishing village she found. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1849, she was provided with a privileged, comfortable childhood and a sheltered academic education at the most prestigious schools for young ladies of the day. She excelled academically and won high praise for her exemplary demeanor. She was beautiful, intelligent, musically gifted, a competent linguist and writer, an astute businesswoman, a paragon of graciousness, and politically savvy. She married business mogul, Potter Palmer, when she was twenty-one and he forty-four. Bertha Palmer was a pacesetter of haute couture; the society pages of the newspapers were filled with detailed descriptions of her gowns, her jewels and her lavish parties. Her Chicago homes were architectural masterpieces and she furnished them with treasures from renowned artisans. In 1900, she was appointed by President William McKinley as the only woman on the national commission to represent the United States at the Paris Exposition. Mrs. Palmer's most prominent position was as president of the Board of Lady Managers at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. She had close personal relations with the elite of American Society and European royalty. Following the death of her husband Potter, in 1902, Mrs. Palmer combined her life of splendor, advocacy, and mobility while pursuing every opportunity to increase the value of her holdings, principally with real estate investments. She had been bequeathed an estate worth eight million dollars. Before her death, she would more than double her net worth. She would invest in thousands of acres of land, build more homes and amass a fortune in possessions.

Wherever wildlife share space with boaters, collisions are a potential source of mortality. Establishing protection and speed zones are the primary actions taken to mitigate collision risk. However, creation of protection zones may be a point of contention with stakeholders as new zones can have significant socioeconomic impacts. The Florida Manatee is a prime example of a species whose abundance and viability are constrained by this balance between the needs of humans and wildlife on a shared landscape. The goal of this work is to help further understand the risk to manatees by quantifying the probability of lethal collisions. I hypothesized that higher boat speeds increase the probability of lethal injury to manatee during a collision and aimed to characterize the relationship between vessel speed and the probability of lethal injury to manatee. I used a logistic regression model implemented with a Bayesian approach and fitted to citizen reported collision data as a feasible method for examining the influence of vessel speed in contributing to lethal injury to a manatee when struck. I also present a method for dealing with uncertainty in data used to report collisions. To conduct this analysis, I used citizen reported collision data. These data are typically collected opportunistically, suffer from low sample sizes, and have uncertainty in reported vessel speeds. Uncertainty associated with speed values in reported collision events was assessed by performing a multiple imputation to replace qualitative vessel speed – in other words, “missing data” – with quantitative values. This procedure involves fitting log-normal distributions to radar data that contained precise vessel speeds along with a physical description like ‘planing’, ‘plowing’, or ‘idle’. For each imputation of the data, a quantitative value was selected randomly from that distribution and used in place of its initial corresponding speed category. I evaluated issues related to quasi-separation and model fit using simulated data sets to explore the importance of sample size and evaluated the effect of key sources of error. The prediction that greater strike speed increases the probability of lethal injury was supported by the data that I analyze

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-10-07T12:17:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Menezes de OLiveira e Silva.pdf: 2769081 bytes, checksum: 5ae5c4e290918a32d8d803b90b703b22 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-07T12:17:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Menezes de OLiveira e Silva.pdf: 2769081 bytes, checksum: 5ae5c4e290918a32d8d803b90b703b22 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-05-21 / Hematology and serum biochemistry are crucial to differential diagnose of several diseases and to aquatic mammals’ sanity monitoring. The establishment of hematologic and serum chemistry reference values make possible to identify possible clinical routine abnormalities and quickly define therapeutic procedures. The present study aimed to define the reference values for five hematologic parameters (erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC and leukocytes) and 18 serum chemistry parameters (alanina aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, total proteins and its fractions, phosphate, chloride, calcium and uric acid) were determined for nine Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) calves (four males and four females, rescued from strandings occurred in Northeast brazilian coast, and one male born in captivity), held under the same handling procedures. After physical restrain, the samples were collected from brachial vascular bundle. Hematologic analyses were made in an automatic counter and serum chemistry analyses were determined with reagents, being limited to a semiautomatic process, using only samples not icteric, haemolytic or lipemic. Each individual development and the nutritional management were followed during all study period. All the hematologic data were submitted to descriptive statistics and differences between different age groups and sex were determined using an unpaired Student’s t-test (p<0.05). Weight, total measurement and milk consumption were submitted to ² to verify the existence ofdifferences between the orphaned calves and the one born in captivity. There wasn’t any difference between sexes or between the age groups (from zero to two-years-old and from two to three-years-old). The differences between the captive-born calf and the orphaned calves’s were statistically significant. Age and management, specially the related to diet, interfere significantly in serum chemistry analysis. Hematologic and serum chemistry reference values may contribute to the conservation and definition of management protocols for Antillean manatees held in captivity at CMA/ICMBio. / A hematologia e bioquímica sérica desempenham um papel crucial no diagnóstico diferencial de enfermidades e no monitoramento da sanidade de mamíferos aquáticos. O estabelecimento de valores referenciais hematológicos e bioquímico-séricos possibilita a identificação da presença de anormalidades na rotina clínica desses indivíduos e a adoção de medidas terapêuticas em tempo hábil. Objetivou-se no presente trabalho definir valores referenciais para cinco parâmetros hematológicos (hemácias, hemoglobina, hematócrito, volume corpuscular médio - VCM, hemoglobina corpuscular média - HCM, concentração de hemoglobina corpuscular média - CHCM e leucócitos) e 18 parâmetros bioquímico-séricos (aspartato aminotransferase, alanina aminotransferase, uréia, creatinina, glicose, triglicérides, colesterol, proteínas totais e suas frações, fosfato, cloreto, cálcio e ácido úrico) encontram-se aqui descritos. Foram analisados nove filhotes cativos de peixe-boi marinho (Trichechus manatus manatus) (quatro machos e quatro fêmeas órfãos, resgatados de encalhes na costa do Nordeste do Brasil e um macho nascido em cativeiro), mantidos sob a mesma rotina de manejo e alimentação. Após contenção física, a coleta foi feita através de punção do plexo venoso braquial, localizado na nadadeira peitoral. As análises hematológicas foram realizadas em contador automático e as análises bioquímicas limitaram-se a um processo semiautomático a partir de soros sangüíneos, livres de hemólise, lipemia e icterícia, utilizando kits reagentes. O desenvolvimento ponderal dos indivíduos e manejo nutricional foi acompanhado durante os dois anos de estudo. Os dados hematológicos e bioquímico-séricos foram submetidos a analise estatística descritiva e ao teste t de “Student” para amostras independentes (p<0,05) para verificar a existência de diferença entre animais de diferentes faixas etárias e sexo. Os valores de peso, comprimento total e consumo de leite foram submetidos ao teste qui-quadrado para verificar a existência de diferenças significativas entre o ganho de peso e medidas dos filhotes órfãos e nascido em cativeiro. Dentro dos subgrupos etários (zero a dois anos e dois a três anos) não houve diferença estatística significativa entre os sexos. A diferença entre o ganho de peso do filhote nascido em cativeiro e o dos filhotes órfãos foi estatisticamente significativa (p<0,05). A idade e o manejo, principalmente o alimentar, interferiram significativamente nas análises bioquímico-séricas. Os perfis hematológicos e bioquímico-séricos podem fornecer subsídios para a elaboração de medidas de conservação e manejo de peixes-bois marinhos mantidos em cativeiro no CMA/ICMBio.

The feeding behavior of an animal is based on adaptations to the environment and the animal’s body condition. The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an example of a marine mammal that may alter its feeding pattern based on diel and tidal cycles. The increased presence of boats during the day could potentially cause manatees to alter their feeding rates, or the time spent feeding per hour, over the diel cycle. Tide levels may cause manatees to be restricted from areas of preferred vegetation. In addition, the differential reproductive investment between males and females may cause differential time dedicated to feeding between the sexes. This study analyzed sound recordings (lasting up to 24 hr) from manatees tagged in southwest Florida with a digital acoustic recording tag (DTAG) between April and September. Distinctive chewing sounds were indicative of feeding activity. Variation in time spent feeding was analyzed in relation to time of day, sex, female reproductive status, and water level as affected by tides. Manatees dedicated 26% of the time (6 hours) to feeding, on average. During the first year of the study, manatees spent 39% of the time feeding (9 hours), on average, over the course of a 24-hour period; during the second year they spent 15% (2 hours) over the course of a 13-hour daytime period. Adult females fed significantly more, on average, than adult males. Females in late-term pregnancy appeared to spend more time foraging than other non-lactating females, but the sample size was too small to be definitive. Manatee time spent feeding was not correlated with time of day. Increases in feeding activity occurred at mid to high tide levels. This may indicate that manatees had greater access to preferred food sources at this time. An understanding of when manatees 5 are most likely to be feeding and which environmental factors influence this activity may suggest ways to reduce impacts on the endangered population.

The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an endangered species that migrates to warm water refuges such as natural springs or power plant effluents during the winter months to escape cold water. The Florida Power and Light (FPL) discharge canal in Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale, FL., is utilized as a refuge by overwintering manatees. Construction of a new bridge over the FPL effluent canal had a potential effect on manatee usage of the canal. Discharge is often 10-15° C warmer in the winter season than the surrounding waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. Previous data, including age class and cow/calf abundance from pre-bridge winters (2004-2009), were compared with data from winter 2010, during bridge construction and winter 2011, postbridge construction. No manatees were present at the survey sites during winter until surface water temperatures fell below 22° C. Although monthly mean surface water temperatures were not statistically different between 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011 (21.9±0.4° C, 21.8±1.8° C and 21.4±0.6° C respectively), manatee abundance did vary. 2008-2009 had higher monthly mean numbers of manatees per survey from December through March (29.7, 27.3, 48.1, 2 respectively) than 2009-2010 (0, 30, 10.7, 5 respectively) and 2010-2011 (18.7, 6.7, 0.1, 0 respectively). A Poisson distribution analysis showed a significant difference in adult manatee counts among the study years (α < 0.05). No significant differences were found for juveniles and calves. While I cannot decisively state that bridge construction reduced the number of overwintering adult manatees during 2010, there appears to be the potential for an effect.

The diurnal movements of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in warmwater refugia are poorly understood and these may prove critical in accurately estimating populations of these animals. Previous studies indicate that manatee populations in such refuges in Tampa Bay, FL, peak mid-day and decline towards evening when the animals leave to forage. This trend suggests that variation in the timing of aerial manatee population surveys may hamper accurate estimation of the true population size. Aerial survey counts are known to underestimate population size, yet the extent of the underestimation may be greater than expected. In this study data were collected over three seasons from land-based surveys monitoring the presence of manatees in the effluent canal from the Florida Power and Light electricity generating facility in Port Everglades, FL between 15 November and 31 March. My findings indicated there was no significant difference in the number of manatees observed during the seasons studied despite a significant difference in ambient water temperatures. There was a significant correlation in the number of manatees an observer can expect to see based on time of day with the trend indicating there are higher numbers of observable manatees in the morning compared to later in the day. This suggests that early morning aerial counts will more accurately reflect true manatee presence in the Port Everglades power plant. Photographs of individual manatees yielded a total of 58 animals with unique scaring patterns.

<p>Manatees (Mammalia: Sirenia), along with the closely related dugongs, are the only herbivorous marine mammals. Manatees consume a wide variety of vascular plants and algae in both marine and freshwater habitats. However, little is known about what characteristics influence diet and food selectivity, especially in freshwater habitats, which represent a large portion of the available habitat for the endangered Antillean manatee, <italic>Trichechus manatus manatus</italic>, in Central and South America. Understanding foraging ecology is an important element of effective conservation strategies.</p><p>This dissertation investigated various aspects of the foraging ecology of the Antillean manatee in a freshwater habitat, specifically: 1) how plant availability (i.e. species richness, diversity, and abundance) varied seasonally with changes in water depths, 2) manatee food selectivity from a representative set of plant species from that freshwater habitat, and 3) the relationship of plant nutritive compounds and availability with manatee food selectivity. In addition, this dissertation describes the multiple uses of sonar technology for studying manatees and habitat characteristics in freshwater.</p><p>Plant availability to manatees was evaluated by conducting monthly plant surveys from July 2010-July 2011 in four contact lakes in the wetlands of Tabasco, Mexico. Manatee food selectivity was examined by conducting food selection experiments on a wild adult manatee during the low water season with 54 plant species representing 25+ genera. The nutritive components (i.e. crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose (HC), and ash) and plant availability values for selected and non-selected plants species were evaluated to determine their relationship with manatee food selectivity. The applicability of using side-scan sonar for manatee research was tested in various freshwater and estuarine habitats in Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and the wetlands of Tabasco, Mexico between 2006-2011.</p><p>The major findings of this dissertation are as follows. Plant species richness, diversity, and abundance were greatest during the rising water season (July-August) and lowest during the low water season (March-June). No plants were available in April-June, which represented the majority of the low water season. The wild manatee</p><p>selected 27 (11+ genera) of the 54 species examined during the feeding experiments. Of the plant characteristics tested (i.e. nutritive components and plant availability), only digestible fiber (HC) was significantly related to manatee food selection, with manatees</p><p>selecting plants with higher HC content. Four unique applications were identified for the use of side-scan sonar to facilitate manatee research in freshwater habitats: 1) confirmation of visual sightings and determination of group size, 2) determination of mother-calf pairs, 3) habitat characterization, and 4) assisting manatee captures.</p><p>Results from this study reveal that manatees living in the freshwater wetlands of Tabasco, Mexico have to cope with a highly seasonal availability of plants and that while manatees consume plants from a wide variety of genera, they are highly selective. Unlike other herbivorous mammals, manatee food selectivity was not influenced by CP, NDF, or ADF, but rather by digestible fiber. A unique suit of anatomical and physiological characteristics suggests that manatees may be fiber digestion specialists. Both seasonal plant availability and the manatee's large dietary breadth must be considered when developing 1) conservation strategies for wild manatees in freshwater habitats and 2) protocols for captive rehabilitation of orphaned and stranded manatees that will be reintroduced into the wild.</p> / Dissertation

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:54:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao-Giovana Regina Zaniolo.pdf: 23602560 bytes, checksum: 5e5aefc6a3d68f1973e1774136f44827 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-08-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The environmental subjects related to the conservation and protection of the nature plows one of the great world challenges, because they affect the survival of the life about the earth and the relationships between social groups and societies, mainly in the tropical region that possess of the vast diversity of vegetable and animals species, like Amazonian. The appropriation of the resources natural, a lot of times disrespecting social and environmental costs, it can drive the super exploration certain species. From the colonization to the current days, the Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis has been hunted for commercial exploitation and subsistence people, that revealing the social and economic importance of the species for the development of the area, through the local cultural influence and of historical facts of the economy that determined the exploration intensity. This aquatic mammal, endemic of the Amazon area, it happens exclusively in fresh water, and set calm, with vegetation abundance alimentary base of this non ruminant herbivore. Besides the commercial exploitation and other factors the species have been classified by the IUCN as vulnerable . In spite of the protection strategies to the species, as creation of protected areas and prohibitive laws of exploration, the consumption and the commercialization of products and by-products are still effective in Amazonian. Thus, some subjects can be lifted up as: importance of the species for the population, local exploitation pressure, hunted strategies, sazonalidade and purpose, and attitudes of conservation of the species for the fishermen. The present study had as main objective to characterize the local knowledge on the Amazonian manatee for the fishermen inhabitants in the New Airão. In this case study, the methodological looked for to understand the processes of interaction of the human populations with the natural resources, based in the theoretical presuppositions of the ethnoecology. Through interviews semi - structured, direct observations; photographic registrations, maps and calendars of social recognition of the fishermen, the collected data were analyzed through cognition tables, in which the information mentioned in the interviews were compared with the information of the scientific literature. Many of these data of the knowledge of the fishermen were validated, giving credit the ethnoecology as cultural product, could subsidize and to complement the academic scientific knowledge. The fishermen have knowledge about the biology and ecology of the Amazonian manatee, describing alimentary habits, reproductive behavior, breathing behavior, and space and temporary notion of use of habitats for the species. The fishing strategies used by the fishermen are traditional, from the technique to the use of handmade equipments, with little introduction of instruments and modern equipments, the amount of fishermen, ally to the behavior of the species, they are factors that favor the survival of the Amazonian manatee population in the area of New Airão. The knowledge acquired by the fishermen integrated into the academic scientific knowledge can subsidize in the formulation of strategies of conservation of the species taking into account the environmental regional aspects of influence in the traditional ecological knowledge and in the patrimonial handling techniques of these fishermen. / As questões ambientais relacionadas à conservação e proteção da natureza são um dos grandes desafios mundiais, pois afetam a sobrevivência da vida sobre a terra e as relações entre grupos sociais e sociedades, principalmente nas regiões tropicais detentoras de uma vasta diversidade de espécies vegetais e animais, como a Amazônia. A apropriação dos recursos naturais, muitas vezes desconsiderando custos sociais e ambientais, pode conduzir a super exploração de determinadas espécies. Desde a colonização até os dias atuais, a história da pesca do peixe-boi amazônico Trichechus inunguis passou por diversas fases, revelando a importância social e econômica da espécie para o desenvolvimento da região, através da influência cultural local e de fatos históricos da economia que determinaram a intensidade de exploração. Este mamífero aquático, endêmico da região Amazônica, ocorre exclusivamente em águas doces, e ambientes calmos, com abundância de vegetação, base alimentar deste herbívoro não ruminante. Além da exploração comercial, outros fatores conduziram a espécie à vulnerabilidade de extinção. Apesar das estratégias de proteção à espécie, como criação de áreas protegidas e leis proibitivas de captura, o consumo e a comercialização de produtos e subprodutos ainda são vigentes na Amazônia. Assim, algumas questões podem ser levantadas como: importância da espécie para a população, local em que ocorre maior pressão de pesca, estratégias de pesca, sazonalidade e finalidade, e atitudes de conservação da espécie pelos pescadores. O presente estudo teve como objetivo principal caracterizar o conhecimento local (etnoconhecimento) sobre o peixe-boi Amazônico pelos pescadores moradores no Município Amazonense de Novo Airão. Neste estudo de caso, a abordagem metodológica buscou entender os processos de interação das populações humanas com os recursos naturais, embasado nos pressupostos teóricos da etnociência. Através de entrevistas semi- estruturadas, observações diretas; registros fotográficos, mapas e calendários de reconhecimento social dos pescadores, os dados coletados foram analisados através de tabelas de cognição, nas quais as informações citadas nas entrevistas foram comparadas com as informações da literatura científica. Muitos destes dados do conhecimento dos pescadores foram validados, dando crédito a etnociência como produto cultural, podendo subsidiar e complementar o conhecimento científico acadêmico. Os pescadores entrevistados detêm um vasto conhecimento sobre a biologia e ecologia do peixe-boi Amazônico, descrevendo hábitos alimentares, comportamento reprodutivo, comportamento respiratório, e noção espacial e temporal de uso de habitats pela espécie. As estratégias de pesca utilizadas pelos pescadores são tradicionais, desde a técnica ao uso de apetrechos artesanais, com pouca introdução de instrumentos e equipamentos modernos, a quantidade de pescadores de peixe-boi, aliado ao comportamento da espécie, são fatores que favorecem a sobrevivência da população de peixes-boi na região de Novo Airão. Estes conhecimentos adquiridos pelos pescadores integrados ao conhecimento científico acadêmico podem subsidiar na formulação de estratégias de conservação da espécie, levando em conta os aspectos regionais ambientais de influência no conhecimento tradicional e nas técnicas de manejo patrimoniais destes pescadores.

Substantial hunting pressure and habitat destruction caused by oil extraction has critically endangered the Amazonian manatee in Ecuador. The current population status is unknown because an effective method to observe them in the wild has yet to be developed. This study explored whether the Amazonian manatee persists or has been extirpated in the eastern Ecuadorian Amazon utilizing side-scan sonar to increase odds of detection. Spatial differences in probability of detection were quantified if manatees were observed. The level of chemical contamination was determined and compared spatially and temporally against historical data. Data were collected using opportunistic transect surveys and grab sampling of surface water in Yasuni National Park, Lagartococha, and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. Surveys confirmed that the manatee population is extant. Manatees were encountered more often in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve than in Lagartococha and Yasuni. Side-scan sonar detected more manatees than previously reported in 1996-1999. Side-scan sonar is a viable method for detection of manatees in the Ecuadorian Amazon system and resulted in greater detection as a function of effort. All future population studies should incorporate side-scan sonar. Lead, arsenic, mercury, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], and volatile organic compounds [VOCs] were not detected in the waters of the study region. High total petroleum hydrocarbon [TPH] levels were measured in 7 samples from Yasuni National Park. The concentrations of TPH were higher in Yasuni National Park than in Lagartococha and Cuyabeno. TPHs were detected only in the study region with a recent oil spill; there was no evidence that TPHs were higher near oil production wells and pipelines. The concentrations of TPH were significantly different than those measured in 1998 (z =3.01710, p=0.0026). A dedicated study should be performed to develop a protocol for monitoring persistent oil contaminants in the Ecuadorian Amazon and determine their sink.

The threatened Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) migrates seasonally to warm-water refugia throughout the state of Florida due to metabolic requirements from low thermal conductance. Broward County’s two power plant refugia, Port Everglades (PEP) and Lauderdale (LPP), are known heavily-utilized aggregation sites for the Atlantic sub-population. Broward County collected relative abundance counts via aerial surveys from 2004–2013 siting 31,418 manatees during 169 surveys within 18 defined waterway zones. Counts during manatee wintering seasons were significantly different from January 2005-March 2008 and November 2008-March 2013, likely related to flight path and frequency standardization. Mean percentage of adults (90.12%) to calves (9.88%) demonstrates a higher usage by cow-calf pairs than other aggregation sites. Counts of manatees traveling south to Miami-Dade County comprised only 0.83% of all aerial counts, contrary to the theory of the extensive usage of Biscayne Bay foraging grounds. The LPP zone had 57.21% of all manatees with Port Everglades Inlet zone accounting for 23.88% and the South Fork New River zone with 5.95%. This study provided a baseline for pre-construction distributions prior to Port Everglades plant reenergization. With PEP construction now finished and LPP planned for reenergization in the next 10 years, monitoring data studies be compared to these baseline data to better assess the impact of the disruption of Broward County’s main refugia sources.