Contributed by University Marketing Communications

The installation of canals, levees and water control structures have altered Florida’s wetlands, changing water levels in the Everglades and the state’s many lake systems. The man-made structures have also altered the natural habitats of various fauna. The State of Florida, along with federal agencies, is spending billions of dollars in an effort to restore Florida’s wetlands and water systems to their natural conditions. But how do we know what the natural condition is and when we’ve restored it?

The research Philip Darby, a University of West Florida Biology professor, is conducting on the Florida Apple Snail may provide some clues. Apple snails are golf-ball sized snails found primarily in peninsular Florida, with scattered populations in the panhandle, and also in Southeast Georgia. They live in spring-fed rivers, but are most commonly found in lakes, ponds and in wetlands. They are an important food source for many wetland animals, most notably the endangered snail kite, a raptor that feeds nearly exclusively on apple snails. Darby has teamed up with colleagues to study snail kite foraging ecology as well..

“Basic research on apple snails helps us understand how wetland animals respond to changes in water levels and changes in habitat,” said Darby. “The apple snail has been identified as an important ‘performance measure’ for success in the restoration and management of these wetlands.”

For the past eight years, Darby has conducted research on the snail in Central Florida lakes and has studied apple snails and their predators since 1993. Funded primarily by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than $800,000 has been awarded since 2001. Darby and his team of associates, students and volunteers estimate snail population density with throw traps and a dip net. By monitoring egg cluster production, they create statistical models that relate apple snail density and reproduction to water level, plant species and other environmental parameters.

“The overall goal of my research is to provide basic information on the ecology of apple snails and to also provide information that assists the FFWCC and the water management districts in managing wetland and lake water levels and habitat quality in support of apple snails and their predators,” said Darby.

Darby also uses his research to provide real-world experience for undergraduate students and research experience for graduate students.

“I use apple snails as examples of the research process in all my classes,” Darby said. “It adds to the classroom experience because I provide real-world experiences and examples of the challenges associated with conducting research in ecology, including challenges like stepping on alligators, encountering water moccasins, and the occasional sinking of airboats.”

For more information, contact Darby at (850) 474-2647 or e-mail pdarby@uwf.edu.