Mercury concentrations in American alligators in South Carolina, 2010-2017

Publication Date

2019-12-05

Start Date

2010

End Date

2017

Lawson, A.J., and Jodice, P.G.R., 2019, Mercury concentrations in American alligators in South Carolina, 2010-2017: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P98XHBCY.

Type: Related Primary Publication Type: File Access

This research addresses uncertainties in conservation decision making for American alligators in South Carolina, and describes general patterns in their spatial and behavioral ecology. A limited working knowledge of alligator demography, behavior, as well as confounding between drivers of abundance and detection has historically precluded the ability of managers to predict the outcome of harvest decisions in American alligators. Specifically, the project provides baseline demographic parameter, detection, and abundance estimates, which were used in a series of simulations to evaluate population-level effects of differing harvest and monitoring strategies, and can easily be extended to other study systems. Similarly, the general patterns in spatial and behavioral ecology documented by the project contribute to a broader understanding of alligator biology across their range, and how said behaviors can interact with monitoring programs intended to inform management decisions.

• Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units