Abstract: This paper explores how the invasive Burmese python has altered Southern Florida in regards to humans as well as in an ecological sense. Before divulging into this question, the concept of an invasive species must be reviewed in order to fully understand the situation of Burmese pythons in Florida. Then, the mechanics that make southern Florida a suitable habitat for the Burmese python will be explored along with how they came to released into the wild. The most importantly, the effects of the Burmese python on ecosystems will be examined using information gathered from collected studies. The impact the python has had on humans will also be touched upon. Readers can see how humans are affected by changes in ecosystems, and the toll it takes on society. Finally, potential solutions will be discussed in order to ponder how this situation should be handled and if eradicating the python is a realistic solution.
Introduction: In the early 1980s Burmese pythons were seen within Florida’s Everglades (Nolen 2012). The Burmese python is native to Southeast Asia; thus, in Florida it became classified as an invasive species. It is thought that the pet trade and Hurricane Andrew both lead to the presence of the Burmese python in the wild (Willson and others 2011). An invasive species is one that thrives in a place in which it is not native. As in the case of the Burmese python, invasive species can be transported by humans, either intentionally or unintentionally. Invasive species are unique as their life histories, adaptations that allow an organism to survive and reproduce, allow them to be successful at colonizing other places (Sakai and others 2001).
However, invasive species can drastically affect biodiversity. Biodiversity can be thought as the variety of species living in an certain area, and high biodiversity is thought to increase the productivity of an ecosystem. Food webs and food chains depict the complicated relations existing between the species of an ecosystem, as direct feeding connections are established.Yet, the aspects of ecosystems are subject to change. The Burmese python has transformed the manner in which the ecosystem within the Everglades functions, especially the food chain. Within the food chain, the decline or increase of a species, can be felt throughout the web. In response other species may have to adapt, or will simply not thrive.
Why Florida?: The Burmese python is not the first invasive species to infiltrate Florida. Many foreign amphibians and reptiles are able to thrive in Florida as it has a subtropical climate similar to those of the species’ homeland and its isolated environments creates less interspecific competition (Engeman and others 2011). For instance, snakes are sensitive to temperature. As a reptile, the Burmese python must regulate its body temperature physiologically and in a behavioral manner. Thus, temperature plays a critical role when determining the distribution of the Burmese python (Engeman and others 2011).
Using climate models, scientists mapped ideal environments for the Burmese python.
They found that Southern Florida, the Everglades, and Southern Texas were the two places in the United States where the Burmese python would thrive due to their ideal temperatures (Engeman and others 2011). Ultimately, the Burmese python was able to thrive in Florida due to the temperate conditions. Few scientists speculate that behavior too plays a role in the python’s distribution, yet more studies are needed to confirm this (Mutascio and others 2017). Moreover studies have shown Burmese python hatchlings have a higher salinity tolerance than originally thought, allowing them to survive in even the brackish waters of the Everglades (Hart and others 2012).
Effects on Ecosystems: Evidently, the arrival of a new species will change how the ecosystem functions as it establishes itself. Many scientists agree that the Burmese python has altered feeding relations in Southern Florida. There have been drops in mammals ranging from twenty to eighty percent (Ratloff 2012). Evidently, the Burmese python is not particular about what it consumes, making it even more disruptive within the food chain. “Top down pressure”, or pressure exerted by predators, is evinced by the python as mammal populations struggle to survive in its presence (Dorcas 2012). In this instance, the upper divisions of the food web dictate the responses of the bottom organisms. In turn enhancing the progress of natural selection. Moreover, Burmese pythons are known as apex predators.
They are known to eat other predators in the food chain, such as alligators and panthers in the Everglades National Park (Dorcas 2012). Thus, Burmese pythons also ruin existing food chains by displacing top predators. It is also critical to note that the Burmese python also affects the food sources of these predators, most obviously alligators. Alligators, at any life stage, in the Everglades are known to consume mammals (Barr 1994). In fact rabbits and foxes have seemingly disappeared, in fact scientists did not see any at all (Nolen 2012). As discussed previously, the Burmese python has caused mammal populations to decline, yet no studies were found to link this connection further.
Humans and Burmese Pythons in Southern Florida: Burmese pythons are not limited to their influence to merely other organisms, but have affected the welling being of humans physically and economically. A study gathered information regarding five separate cases involving Burmese pythons attacking humans. Interestingly, the study found that in all instances the snake attacked from behind rather than the front, as would normally be done if the snake felt threatened (Reed and others 2014). Thus, in these instances the human is being seen as prey rather than a threat. Stories like these have scared individuals residing in southern Florida, especially those with young children, to the point where local organizations have gotten involved. The South Florida Water Management District enacted a program that pays people to kill Burmese pythons. These “hunters” will get paid $8.10 an hour to kill pythons, any python 4 feet or over qualifies the hunter to receive an additional $50 (Simon 2017). Surprisingly, this is not the public’s first attempt to exterminate the python. In 2013, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Service held a five week long Burmese python killing competition. During this time 68 pythons were removed, which is the largest number of pythons caught over this time span (Harvey 2015).
Conclusion: After reviewing the cited articles, it has become evident that there is still more room for research concerning the Burmese python in the Everglades, and the rest of Southern Florida. Scientists believe that the most feasible theory is that Burmese pythons established themselves before 1985 (Willson and others 2011). Moreover, it is evident that the Burmese python has strongly established itself in southern Florida. Due to its tendency to eat a variety of animals, the Burmese python has a bountiful supply of food, with little competition as it eats even alligators. Further on, the Burmese python is more equipped than originally thought to survive in Florida, especially due its salinity tolerance. There are many studies that detail the capabilities of the Burmese python to survive, yet I hold that more experiments could be done concerning the Burmese pythons’ effects on its new environment. Scientists are aware that Burmese pythons lead to a significant decrease in mammal populations. Yet, further studies need to be done to specify the effects at each trophic level, in regards to not only population size but in terms of energy as well.
Moreover, as aforementioned, agencies in Florida have offered money in exchange for killing pythons. Yet, more research must be conducted to evaluate to what extent these pythons actually harm the ecosystem. There may be positive effects that go unnoticed or that scientists have not discovered, as Marris discusses in chapters six and seven of, Rambunctious Gardens. Thus, a study conducted in the Everglades over a long span of time, should study how this induced collapse of mammals in the Everglades has affected other species, and if there are any benefits to this. Perhaps, trackers could be placed in mammals to monitor the locations at which they succumb to Burmese pythons and to keep track of existing mammal populations. Moreover, it should be further investigated why these snakes have begun to attack humans in a prey like manner, perhaps the snakes found in Florida are altering their behavior. More studies should be conducted analyzing and comparing the behavior snakes in Florida. In conclusion, studies so far paint the Burmese python as having a negative influence in Florida as it frightens the public, pushing for funds to be used for its eradication and diminishing animal populations.
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Works Cited
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