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Over 150 species of aquatic birds use the marine and freshwater ecosystems of Florida. Some reside in Florida year-round while migratory birds utilize the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways to winter in Florida or travel through the state to wintering areas further south. Anthropogenic changes to the environment are having an increasing impact on aquatic species and this is especially apparent in Florida. Direct and indirect effects of humans on bird populations include exploitation, physical hazards, habitat loss, alteration, fragmentation, exotic species, pollution and environmental contaminants, artificial feeding, resource depletion, artificial contact among wildlife, exotic, and/or domestic species, and climate change. The impact of these stressors can range from direct mortality to additive or synergistic effects on reproduction and fitness. Significant avian emerging disease threats in Florida include avian botulism, avian vacuolar myelinopathy, and eustrongylidosis. |