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The once vast and interconnected Everglades wetland ecosystem in Florida underwent a 50% reduction in area in the 1900s, resulting in a highly compartmentalized and managed system where ecological restoration is ongoing. Everglade snail kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus, hereafter snail kites) are federally endangered wetland specialists with a single population in Florida, USA. Predictive models can help inform restoration and natural resource management decision‐making regarding both the quantity and timing of water delivered through the hundreds of water management structures in the Everglades. We developed a spatially explicit real‐time nest‐site selection model, KiteNest, using environmental predictors of nesting for snail kites in south Florida. The results of our modeling indicate that hydrology, percent canopy cover, and proximity to recently burned areas were the most important factors associated with nest‐site selection for snail kites. Water depths between 75 and 100 cm, water recession rates between 0 and 1.25 cm/day, percent canopy covers <20%, and areas <10 km from recently burned habitat were associated with the greatest likelihood of nest‐site selection. KiteNest is applicable to natural resource management decisions in the Everglades and may be useful independently or in conjunction with other ecological models for restoration decision support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The biogeography of terrestrial organisms across the Florida Keys archipelago is poorly understood. We used population genetics and spatioecological modeling of the Amblypygi Phrynus marginemaculatus to understand the genetic structure and metapopulation dynamics of Keys populations that are otherwise isolated by human development and ocean. Location: The Florida Keys archipelago and mainland Florida. Methods: We sequenced a 1,238 bp fragment of mtDNA for 103 individuals of P. marginemaculatus from 13 sites in the Florida Keys and South Florida, binned into four regions. We used population genetic analyses to understand the population structure of the species throughout its US range. Furthermore, we used ecological modeling with climate, habitat, and human development data to develop habitat suitability estimates for the species. Results: We found clear genetic structure between localities. The Lower Keys, in particular, support populations separate from those in other regions studied. Ecological modeling and genetic analyses showed the highest habitat suitability and genetic isolation in the Lower Keys, but urban development across the species range has resulted in the loss of most historical habitat. Main conclusions: A mainland‐metapopulation model best fits P. marginemaculatus gene flow patterns in the Florida Keys and mainland. Ocean currents likely play a role in metapopulation dynamics and gene flow for terrestrial Keys species like P. marginemaculatus, and genetic patterns also matched patterns consistent with geologic history. Suitable habitat, however, is limited and under threat of human destruction. The few remaining pockets of the most suitable habitat tend to occur in parks and protected areas. We argue that conservation efforts for this species and others in the terrestrial Florida Keys would benefit from a deeper understanding of the population genetic structure and ecology of the archipelago. We used population genetics and spatioecological modeling of the Amblypygi Phrynus marginemaculatus to understand the genetic structure and metapopulation dynamics of Keys populations that are otherwise isolated by human development and ocean. We found clear genetic structure between localities. The Lower Keys, in particular, support populations separate from those in other regions studied. Ecological modeling and genetic analyses showed the highest habitat suitability and genetic isolation in the Lower Keys, but urban development across the species range has resulted in the loss of most historical habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis and its employment corollaries have received little attention despite the fact that complications of CF represent numerous theorized barriers to optimal career outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to conduct grounded theory research that results in an understanding of the employment experiences of people with CF and ultimately a substantive grounded theory of career development applicable to individuals with this disease. METHODS: This study utilized the grounded theory method of qualitative inquiry. A purposive sample of ten young adults with CF participated in in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews. Analysis of the interview transcripts followed the constant comparative approach to coding, which identified core themes and sub-themes and culminated in a conceptual framework of variables influencing employment and career development. RESULTS: An ecologically-based grounded theory of career development was developed. Major themes that influenced employment and career development were illness appraisal, occupational compromise, persistence, and altruism. Two patterns of career development outcomes emerged - the uninterrupted and the interrupted. CONCLUSIONS: A complicated interaction of numerous ecological variables (individual characteristics, personal contextual factors, mediating factors, and the environment) collectively influenced career development. The presence of CF alone did not guarantee negative effects on career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the ramifications of difficulties related to externalizing behavior problems, the present study examined the relationships among adolescents' externalizing behavior problems, characteristics of adolescents' families, their perceived neighborhood support, and their acculturation. As part of this study, a culturally diverse sample of adolescents who were in the Sixth through Eighth Grades completed measures assessing these variables. Results suggested that variables such as maternal warmth, overall parental emotional support, and overall neighborhood support are important predictors of externalizing behavior problems. Further regression analyses revealed that, in addition to adolescents' perceived social acceptance and global self-worth, parental and neighborhood characteristics are significant predictors of adolescents' externalizing behavior problems. These findings suggested that, when identifying adolescents who are at risk for the development of externalizing behavior problems, an ecological conceptualization encompassing culture, community, and home characteristics can be helpful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Gulf of Mexico, barrier islands absorb the majority of wind and wave action from storms, which modifies their dune morphology and vegetation dynamics. Storm frequency is predicted to increase as a result of climate change, yet the effects of this change on coastal ecosystems remain poorly understood. Using estimates of plant growth in storm and nonstorm years from long-term census data describing the dynamics of dune vegetation on St. George Island, FL, we built a first-order model that predicts how dune communities will respond to a change in storm frequency. It predicts that an increasing frequency of storms will result in a change in the vegetation across the dunes. The fore- and interdune communities are predicted to become more similar to one another through the dominance of a small number of common storm-resilient species. Alternatively, the backdune community is predicted to become more distinct through an increase in rare species that represent primary succession. Finally, the model predicts that many species will not respond to an increase in the number of storms per year in the same manner in which they respond to current storm frequency. This model is beneficial both for the development of more complex approaches to predicting effects of climate change and for informing preventative management techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the coastal southeast Florida Peninsula is heavily urbanized, and many native environments have been destroyed or severely affected by urbanization. In an attempt to reconstruct potential natural environments, soil properties were used as a basis for recognizing prior landscapes. Pedological associations were adopted because they provided landscape features that were least modified by urbanization and they could be used as a unifying basis for categorization of native coastal environments. A geographic information system analysis ring was used for querying coverages for soil distribution patterns, vegetation, hydrology (drainage), topography, and geology. By simultaneously generalizing and recombining soil survey data, land use cover types, topography, and hydrology, it was possible to identify recurring patterns of soils, landforms, and vegetation. Results of this analysis produced 13 land systems with 25 subunits that included various types of lakebeds, tree islands, marshes, prairies, sloughs, sandplains, glades, marshlands, lagoons, estuaries, and beaches. The resulting map for potential natural environments in Palm Beach and Broward Counties complements conceptual ecological models for the Greater Florida Everglades Ecosystem, developed for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The Australian land systems approach, as applied in this study, provides insight into coastal environments that lie outside of ecological models for mostly protected areas inland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]