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Person

Laura E D'acunto

Ecologist
Email: ldacunto@usgs.gov
Office Phone: 954-377-5863
ORCID: 0000-0001-6227-0143

Location
7920 NW 71St Street
Gainesville , FL 32653
US
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Ecological modeling output for the Combined Operational Plan
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative plans for restoring the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Modeling outputs were used in evaluations of alternative water control plans to be performed by the Combined Operational Plan (COP). The models used were: (1) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator in conjunction with (2) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper, (3) Florida apple snail (native) population model (EverSnail), (4) Wader Distribution Evaluation Modeling (WADEM), (5) Small-sized freshwater fish density, and (6) American alligator production probability (i.e., breeding potential). These ecological models are used to examine potential impacts on the above listed flora and fauna...
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Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative plans for restoring the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Modeling outputs were used in evaluations of alternative water control plans to be performed by the Combined Operational Plan (COP). The models used were: (1) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator in conjunction with (2) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper, (3) Florida apple snail (native) population model (EverSnail), (4) Wader Distribution Evaluation Modeling (WADEM), (5) Small-sized freshwater fish density, and (6) Alligator production probability (i.e., habitat suitability index (HSI)). These ecological models are used to examine potential impacts on the above listed flora and...
Snail Kite and Apple Snail Habitat Suitability Modeling to Support Multi-Species Management for Threatened and Endangered Species in the Florida Everglades
This project directly addresses a recovery action in FWS’s recovery plan for the snail kite (Multi-species Recovery Plan for South Florida - Everglade Snail Kite, 1999), which recommends the development of modeling that can predict the response of snail kites to changes in hydropattern anticipated for specific water management proposals (recovery action H3.1). The proposed real-time models would be a significant first step in completing this recovery action, which specifies modeling that would include “...linkage to apple snail distribution and abundance, vegetation characteristics in the landscape influencing the snail kite’s successful foraging, and linkage of all these factors to hydrology.” In addition, this...
Restoration of the Florida Everglades, a substantial wetland ecosystem within the United States, is one of the largest ongoing restoration projects in the world. Decision-makers and managers within the Everglades ecosystem rely on ecological models forecasting indicator wildlife response to changes in the management of water flows within the system. One such indicator of ecosystem health, the presence of wading bird communities on the landscape, is currently assessed using three species distribution models that assume perfect detection and report output on different scales that are challenging to compare against one another. We sought to use current advancements in species distribution modeling to improve models...
Ecological models facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decisions. JEM is a partnership among Federal and state agencies, universities, and other organizations. Ecological models (i.e., ecological planning tools) were used by the multi-agency REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) science team during the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) and Interim Goals...
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