Charles W Gunnels IV

Wildlife in coastal zones is often affected by anthropogenic and environmental factors that intensify at the interface of land and water. Seabirds are particularly susceptible to disturbances when they breed in large, dense colonies, such as direct harm from extreme weather and interference, or exposure of eggs and chicks to predators due to indirect human activities. All these factors potentially impact the Black Skimmer (
Rynchops niger
), a seabird that is considered vulnerable in much of its range across the Americas. This study quantified disturbances affecting two skimmer colonies within a Critical Wildlife Area in southwest Florida, a coastal area of rapidly growing human population. Skimmers experienced a wide array of disturbances that caused a total of 195 flushing events, at a rate of almost 2 per hour throughout the 3-month study period. Natural and anthropogenic disturbances were occurring simultaneously and at roughly similar frequencies at the two colonies. Weather and unexplained disturbances caused a higher portion of skimmers to flush at one colony, and weather led to longer flushing events at the other colony. Flushing responses were stronger on weekends at the second colony. Notably, breeding skimmers faced considerable disturbance despite existing within a monitored protected area. Given the overlap of disturbance types across the breeding season, this study demonstrates the need for measures to protect skimmers from anthropogenic and environmental stressors, including further study of how these factors impact reproductive success of colonies. It illustrates the challenges faced by waterbirds around the globe, amid growth in coastal human communities during this era of rapid environmental change.

Although higher education aims to provide holistic learning and career preparation, there is growing skepticism about its value, with segments of the public scrutinizing concerns about tuition, student loan debt, and job prospects. Between 2015 and 2020, Florida Gulf Coast University implemented a quality enhancement plan (FGCUScholars) that worked to integrate undergraduate research throughout the curriculum to enhance career-ready transferable skills in response to institutional assessments and employer feedback. Results from annual assessments indicated that research participants demonstrated higher skill levels relative to students who completed alternative capstones. Furthermore, continual exposure to research skills throughout the four-year curriculum and emphasis on information literacy led to higher skill levels. This study highlights some positive impacts of undergraduate research on transferable skills, emphasizing their relevance across disciplines.

This article is a critical look at the current taxonomic placement of the different species that make up Hominidae (the great ape family) to determine if any biases might be occurring in how humans are described relative to the other great apes and how taxonomic placements are understood across different disciplines. A systematic literature review was conducted to quantify the placement of the human node on the phylogenetic trees that were observed. The qualitative data includes a literature review of the philosophical/religious and linguistic perspectives and noting when the colloquial and scientific terms were used and in what context. Three taxonomic placements were presented in this thesis: the currently accepted Hominidae family, 2) the separated Hominidae-Pongidea families, and 3) an updated taxonomic placement that result from the findings in this research. The data from the quantitative and qualitative analyses were observed and the use of language were used to determine that there is a bias when researchers illustrate the taxonomic relationship of humans and other great apes. The main findings were humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas all belong to genus Homo, and failure to group all these organisms in a single genus produces a bias within the research and leads to paraphyletic groupings where humans are perceived as separate from other great apes. This bias reinforces institutional pithecophobia in Western society that perpetuate the belief that humans are separate from other apes.

Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) is a federally listed or state threatened species throughout its range due to significant declines in its populations, largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Many Gopher Tortoises reside on private lands in humanimpacted and urbanized areas, yet the value of these populations to the conservation of the species is unclear. We conducted a radio-telemetry study on a population of Gopher Tortoises in a residential neighborhood in Cape Coral, FL, to determine if they could be benefitting from their location within an urban environment (i.e., whether or not they are "urbanophiles"). Some findings suggested that these tortoises could exist in an urban environment. There were no confirmed mortalities among the 10 tortoises in the year-long study, though 1 male dispersed from the area and later disappeared after 6 months. The mean annual home ranges (100% MCP) were 1.19 ha ( min-max: 0.39- 2.71 ha) for females (n = 5) and 1.13 ha (min- max: 0.51-1.72 ha) for males (n = 4), which are comparable to home-range sizes in natural habitats. However, other findings suggested that this urban landscape limited the animals. Gopher Tortoises rarely crossed roads ( 5% of all movements) and avoided lots with houses and associated human structures, in favor of undeveloped lots. Efforts to sustain these animals in urban environments can start implementing management strategies that integrate greenspaces within urban landscapes as an additional approach to protect this threatened species. This study suggests that adult Gopher Tortoises are adaptable and tolerant to high levles of urbanization and human disturbance, yet the degree to which tortoises can persist over time in these landscapes needs further exploration.

Undergraduate research (UR) experiences benefit students by improving their professional skills, disciplinary knowledge, and readiness for life post-graduation. For example, students engaged in faculty-mentored research are better able to analyze data and solve problems (Cooper et al., 2019) and show increased retention and graduation rates (Daniels et al., 2016, 2019; Estrada et al., 2018). However, it is the more privileged students who most often engage in these experiences. These students often have higher self-efficacy and the financial resources to participate in these activities. Meanwhile, students from historically-excluded populations (such as Black, Hispanic, and first-generation students) often do not have the confidence to navigate social and academic cultural practices (Corrigan, 2003; Bhattacharyya & Chan, 2021) or may not be aware of the advantages of engaging in research (Bangera & Brownell, 2014). Furthermore, UR experiences are often out of reach for those with financial need or other non-negotiable responsibilities that prevent them from undertaking such activities (Davidson, 2018).

Because of these factors, it is all the more crucial for historically-excluded students to engage in research activities. These students receive greater gains than the more traditional students (Nagda et al, 1998; Lopatto 2004, 2007; Russell, Hancock, & McCullough, 2007; Jones, Barlow, & Villarejo, 2010), including increased graduation rates and the likelihood of applying to a graduate program post-graduation (Barlow and Villarejo, 2004). It is vital for higher education professionals to be attentive to equity, as systemic barriers may exclude some of the brightest scholarly minds who could benefit from personalized, faculty-mentored research (Intemann, 2009).

At Florida Gulf Coast University, the Work in Scholarly Experiences and Research (WiSER) program addresses this inequity by targeting historically-excluded students for research assistantship positions with faculty mentors from any discipline. The program utilizes both internal funds and Federal Work-Study through the Financial Aid office to compensate the student at no charge to the participating faculty’s department.

Additionally, the program employs a professional-development aspect in its curriculum. Historically-excluded students are less likely to utilize professional-development opportunities provided by university support services (Stebleton & Diamond, 2018). We seek to address this equity gap by supplementing the WiSER program with a curriculum of professional-development and community-building activities. These activities involve the development of different skills that students are rarely exposed to in their courses, such as: how to write proper CVs, resumes, and cover letters; how to write a research philosophy; how to do an elevator pitch; communicating your research to different audiences, especially outside of your discipline; and mock interviews. Additionally, these lessons and activities are designed in such a way that require full participation and collaboration between the students. Our goal is for them to work together to help each other practice their pitches, peer-review their cover letters and CVs, give each other feedback on how to improve their practice interviews. In doing so, students are not only exposed to a great diversity of perspectives (from working with people from different backgrounds and disciplines), but also develop a professional network of like-minded peers.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus) are a species of conservation concern throughout their range. Yet, despite decades of population declines, C. adamanteus has not garnered protective status. With limited information on its general life history, more research is needed to manage C. adamanteus populations effectively, particularly at the southern extent of their distribution. To fill knowledge gaps in the ecology of C. adamanteus, we radiotracked six adult female and four male C. adamanteus from December 2015 to March 2018 (1,880 relocations) on a university campus in southwest Florida. Male snakes maintained large annual home ranges (mean = 65.7 ha 100% minimum complex polygons [MCP]) that were twice that of females (mean = 26.7 ha 100% MCP). Male snakes also made longer daily movements (mean = 39.4 ± confidence interval [CI] 34.7–44.0 m/d) than did females (mean = 16.7 ± CI 15.0–18.5 m/d), although both sexes showed variation among individuals. Snakes made considerable use of habitats adjacent to human development (<5 m from roadways and/or buildings), which consisted of more upland features than surrounding areas and may have provided thermoregulation benefits. However, snakes rarely crossed trafficked roads, which appeared to create barriers to their use of the landscape. Our research provides a better understanding of the spatial limits and dispersal patterns of C. adamanteus near the southernmost extent of its geographic range and within an urbanized landscape, which may assist in the implementation of effective management strategies.

The Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) is a large, non-venomous snake endemic to the southeastern coastal plains of the U.S. that is federally listed as threatened because of habitat loss and fragmentation. To implement effective management strategies, we must better understand the life history and movement patterns of this species. Our understanding of D. couperi remains limited, however, as previous studies focused on central and northern populations. To address this knowledge gap, we used radio telemetry to study D. couperi detectability, home range size, seasonal variation, habitat preferences, and shelter use in southss est Florida. We conducted this study in Collier County, Florida, USA, an environment with comparatively stable year-round temperatures, higher hydrological variations, and expansive saline environments relative to other areas in the range of the species. These D. couperi were most active during midday hours (1000-1400) and breeding seasons (October-March). These snakes prioritized upland features dominated by Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows but would occasionally use wetland habitats including mangrove swamps. These snakes also maintained large annual home ranges (female mean = 110 ha; male range, 207-233 ha) similar to the most northern populations. Understanding the diverse behaviors of D. couperi is essential to the overall conservation of the species throughout its range. Current survey protocols, which encourage surveying snakes at sunrise and sunset during summer months, may not be appropriate for animals in southern Florida and could result in mismanagement of D. couperi if these patterns were replicated in similar locations.

This chapter explores the intersections of varied experiential learning opportunities and sustainability education as a means to advance students’ deep engagement with relevant sustainability concepts, ideas, and praxis. Through case studies of innovative experiential learning programs and curricular approaches that integrate sustainability, we highlight ways in which engaging students in learning communities grounded in a sense of place—locally, regionally, and internationally—can be especially effective in increasing their knowledge of and exposure to alternative ways of knowing and being in the world. We share examples of the meaningful learning that is possible on sustainability themes of environmental resilience and social and economic justice.