Invasive feral swine damage to globally imperiled steephead ravine habitats and influences from changes in population control effort, climate, and land use

Abstract

"Invasive feral swine damage to globally imperiled steephead ravine habitats and influences from changes in population control effort, climate, and land use" (2019).

Evaluation of speculated reproductive habitat for Somatochlora calverti (Corduliidae), a rare and range-restricted dragonfly

“…Specifically, these localized patches of deciduous forest embedded within the broader sandhill landscape could be in reference to the presence of steephead ravines, one of the speculated local habitat requirements cited by the reviewed sources for the development of S. calverti. Steephead ravines are a classification of seepage stream that occur primarily throughout the northwestern panhandle of Florida east to southwest Georgia (Engeman et al, 2019;Means, 2011). These geologically unique ravines are the result of rainwater percolating through sandy, upland soils and becoming blocked by an impermeable layer of clays (Engeman et al, 2019;FNAI, 2010).…”

“…Steephead ravines are a classification of seepage stream that occur primarily throughout the northwestern panhandle of Florida east to southwest Georgia (Engeman et al, 2019;Means, 2011). These geologically unique ravines are the result of rainwater percolating through sandy, upland soils and becoming blocked by an impermeable layer of clays (Engeman et al, 2019;FNAI, 2010). Once blocked, lateral groundwater sapping causes the emergence of seeps and springs to erode the area into a steep, amphitheater-shaped ravine that erodes headward, lengthening the stream channel in the opposite direction of flow (Engeman et al, 2019;FNAI, 2010;Higgins, 1984;Means, 1991).…”

“…These geologically unique ravines are the result of rainwater percolating through sandy, upland soils and becoming blocked by an impermeable layer of clays (Engeman et al, 2019;FNAI, 2010). Once blocked, lateral groundwater sapping causes the emergence of seeps and springs to erode the area into a steep, amphitheater-shaped ravine that erodes headward, lengthening the stream channel in the opposite direction of flow (Engeman et al, 2019;FNAI, 2010;Higgins, 1984;Means, 1991). The consequence is a microclimate of generally greater humidity and cooler/constant conditions that support a diversity of organisms, including the unique slope forest community (mixed forest with deciduous and evergreen species more typical of the Appalachians) that may otherwise be incapable of persisting on the landscape (Blaustein, 2008;Kwit et al, 1998;Means, 2011).…”

“…Steephead ravines have also suffered from impoundment, which decimates the unique microhabitats and the lotic systems that these ravines feed (FNAI, 2010). Finally, rooting damage by invasive feral swine is detrimental for erosional integrity in steephead ravines, particularly during drought conditions, which concentrate the swine at steepheads for the perpetual water supply they yield (Engeman et al, 2019). These anthropogenic activities may negatively affect odonate diversity (Vilenica et al, 2020) and may be exacerbating and contributing to rarity in Somatochlora and other species that use seepage streams.…”

An estimate of the marginal annual economic contribution of wild-pig hunting in Texas

“…Its presence and continued proliferation are of considerable economic concern (Shwiff et al 2017(Shwiff et al , 2020Didero et al 2023), because they cause extensive damage to US agriculture (Bankovich et al 2016;Carlisle et al 2021;McKee et al 2023McKee et al , 2024, negatively affect natural resources and the environment (e.g. Barrios-Garcia and Ballari 2012;Engeman et al 2019), and present disease risks to domestic livestock and humans (Brown et al 2021;Orr et al 2022). However, some stakeholder groups find social and economic value in wild pigs.…”