New Web Feature Highlights FORT Scientist's Career in Invasive Reptiles

 

A new Web feature describes FORT zoologist Gordon Rodda's illustrious 25-year career researching the ecology and impacts of invasive snake species and developing means of control and containment. Dr. Rodda has been intimately involved in what have proven to be two of the biggest reptile-invasion problems in the U.S. and its territories: the brown treesnake on Guam, and giant constrictor snakes in south Florida. Both cases involved research to discover the extent of the invasion, then begin looking at ways to curtail spread to non-infested areas. Dr. Rodda's work revealed the importance of detectability and prevention, and applied what he and his research colleagues learned about the biology of these snakes to test control and containment methods. In Guam, it became a matter of how best to keep brown treesnakes from stowing away in cargo and inadvertently getting to other Central Pacific islands and the continental U.S. This led not only to containment and trapping methods but also training and implementing a rapid response team to help protect vulnerable islands. In Florida, the work has centered on assessing the risk and potential affects of giant constrictor establishment in Florida and devising ways to prevent the Burmese python and other large constrictors from populating the Florida Keys, where they could prey on several endangered species. Read the full story about Dr. Rodda's contributions to invasive species science at Snakes in the Wrong Places: Gordon Rodda's Career in Invasive Species Research.

 For more information contact: Gordon Rodda

See Also:

 Snakes in the Wrong Places: Gordon Rodda's Career in Invasive Species Research

 Find more news stories from:   [Florida]   [Guam]  

 Find more news stories about:   [BROWN TREE SNAKE]   [Indian or Burmese Python]  

Related Products:

Publications

  The disappearance of Guam's wildlife: new insights for herpetology, evolutionary ecology, and conservation

  Problem snake management: The Habu and the Brown Tree Snake

  The brown tree snake on Guam: How the arrival of one invasive species damaged the ecology, commerce, electrical systems and human health on Guam: A comprehensive information source

  Giant constrictors: Biological and management profiles and an establishment risk assessment for nine large species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor

  Giant constrictor snakes in Florida: A sizeable research challenge

  The brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis, a threat to Pacific islands

  Snakes in the wrong places: Gordon Rodda’s career in invasive species research