Alligator Diet in Relation to Alligator Mortality onLake Griffin, FL

Rice, Amanda Nicole; Ross, J. Perran; Woodward, Allan R.; Carbonneau, Dwayne A.; Percival, H. Franklin

Alligator Diet in Relation to Alligator Mortality onLake Griffin, FL

2007

Rice, Amanda Nicole | Ross, J. Perran | Woodward, Allan R. | Carbonneau, Dwayne A. | Percival, H. Franklin

Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligators) demonstrated low hatchratesuccess and increased adult mortality on Lake Griffin, FL, between 1998 and2003. Dying Lake Griffin alligators with symptoms of poor motor coordination werereported to show specific neurological impairment and brain lesions. Similar lesionswere documented in salmonines that consumed clupeids with high thiaminase levels.Therefore, we investigated the diet of Lake Griffin alligators and compared it withalligator diets from two lakes that exhibited relatively low levels of unexplainedalligator mortality to see if consumption of Dorosoma cepedianum (gizzard shad)could be correlated with patterns of mortality. Shad in both lakes Griffin and Apopkahad high levels of thiaminase and Lake Apopka alligators were consuming greateramounts of shad relative to Lake Griffin without showing mortality rates similar toLake Griffin alligators. Therefore, a relationship between shad consumption aloneand alligator mortality is not supported.

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