South Florida is home to the last remaining population of endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi), estimated at about 60 individuals (McBride 2000). Panther survival is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, inbreeding, insufficient numbers of large prey, and disease. Because the few remaining panthers have been so intensively studied, a fairly detailed database is available for individuals in the population. Monitoring of Florida panthers by radio telemetry began with the radio-collaring of two individuals in 1981, and has expanded to include forty-one panthers, a majority of the population. Over 50,000 telemetry locations are available over the observation period.
The PanTrack tool can be adapted to display and analyze any location coordinates over background map layers. In addition to its application to panther monitoring, it has been used to display annual field observation data for Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows and telemetry observations for American Alligators . It could also be used to display movements of simulated animals generated by spatially explicit, individual-based models.
After data has been loaded, the Landscape Map Window appears. This window remains throughout the PanTrack session, displaying a landscape map for South Florida. Telemetry observations will be displayed in this window.
The menu board then appears at the top of the monitor screen, displaying the user control panel.
Groups of related user option choices are organized into columns on the menu board. A help file describing each option is available for each column, accessed by clicking a HELP button at top of column.
Selections may be made in any order. For unmodified options, default
selections are used. After all subsetting selections have been made,
click DISPLAY button (in PROGRAM CONTROLS column) to display
observations in the landscape map window.
(Expanded description of options coming soon)
Configuration files (may be modified by users):
Variable listing files:
Telemetry observations (in UTMs):
Comiskey, E. J., L. J. Gross, D. M. Fleming, M. A. Huston, O. L. Bass, H.-K. Luh and Y. Wu. (1997) A spatially-explicit individual-based simulation model for Florida panther and white-tailed deer in the Everglades and Big Cypress landscapes. Proceedings of the Florida Panther Conference, Ft. Myers Fla., November 1994, Dennis Jordan, ed., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pp. 494-503.
McBride, R. (2000) Current Panther Distribution and Habitat Use:
A Review of Field Notes Fall 1999 - Winter 2000.
Report to Florida Panther SubTeam of MERIT,
US Fish and Wildlife Service,
South Florida Ecosystem Office,
Vero Beach, Florida. May 2, 2000.
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division [USGS-BRD], Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Univ. of Florida. http://www.wec.ufl.edu/coop/gap. Based on United States National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS) vegetation map of the state of Florida (Anderson et al. 1998, Grossman et al. 1998) http://www.consci.tnc.org/library/pubs/class/.
All files needed will be supplied on CD-ROM.
If you have questions about PanTrack or would like to
request a CD-ROM, please contact: