Plant City Professor Authors New Snake ID Guide

As weather warms up, Floridians become more active outdoors — and so do snakes. Encountering one can be nerve-racking for people who aren’t snake-savvy, because the state is home to six venomous species along with dozens of harmless ones.

A new field guide can provide some peace of mind by making it easy to identify snakes based on their appearance. Developed by Steve Johnson, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Plant City campus, it’s geared toward users with no prior experience.

“The guides that are already out there are for people who are a little more astute biologically,” said Johnson. “We saw a need for an ID deck aimed at the lay person, who might spot a snake and have no idea what species it is.”

The 138-page, ring-bound guide contains at least one color photo of each species, a map showing its range and text including a description, preferred habitat, size, diet and scientific name. Florida’s six venomous snakes get special attention, including detailed information on their appearance, as well as tips on how to avoid them and what to do in a snakebite emergency.

The guide is divided into five sections, based on a snake’s overall coloration — whether it has diamonds, bands, blotches, stripes or solid color. Some species appear more than once because they have color variations or change appearance as they mature.

An example is the black racer, one of the state’s most common snakes, Johnson said. Adults are solid-colored, glossy black on top with a lighter belly. But juveniles are blotched, and are often mistaken for venomous pygmy rattlesnakes.

“We hope the snakes benefit from this deck, as well,” he said. “We figure if people can recognize nonvenomous species, they’re more likely to leave them be.”

Besides depicting native snakes, the guide covers animals often mistaken for snakes, such as glass lizards. It also includes the most significant invasive snake species in Florida, such as the Burmese python, and gives instructions on reporting them.

Printed on heavy, water-resistant card stock, it’s rugged enough to carry anywhere and is available for $18 from www.ifasbooks.com or at 800-226-1764. For more information, visit http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/dealing_with_snakes.shtml.

Gut Reactions Boost Renewable Fuels

The same destructive power that allows termites to cause more than $1 billion in damage each year is helping researchers turn inedible plant material into renewable energy.

Biofuels made from crops like corn or sugar require significant inputs of petroleum to grow and harvest, but cellulosic ethanol could replace half of the nation’s gasoline if production were cost effective, according to the US Department of Energy.

To harness a termite’s ability to churn wood into fuel, University of Florida dissected and analyzed gene sequences of more than 2,500 worker termite guts, identifying more than 6,500 genes involved in the process.

“Termites are very unique creatures, and this research helps give the most complete picture of how their systems collaborate to very efficiently break down really tough biological
compounds to release fermentable sugars,” said UF entomologist Mike Scharf, who leads the research.

The team has identified nearly 200 associated enzymes that help break down the problematic plant compound lignocellulose. This compound is the most costly barrier to wide-scale production of cellulosic ethanol because it must be broken down by intense heat or caustic chemicals. Termites, however, are able to almost completely break down lignocellulose through simple digestion.

The next step is transferring genes into other insects, such as caterpillars, to produce the enzymes on an industrial scale.

Litter Hotline Targets Trash

Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful has launched a countywide anti-litter program that asks residents to step up to the plate and help educate litter bugs.

“If you’ve ever felt frustrated when someone flicked their cigarette butt out the window — but thought you couldn’t do anything about it — then this program is for you,” said Christine Commerce, executive director.

Residents can report people who litter from cars by calling 1-877-Y-LITTER (1-877-954-8837) with the following information:

• Vehicle’s license plate number
• Time and location of the incident
• Make and color of vehicle
• Brief description of what caller saw.

KHCB can identify the vehicle owner through tag registration and will mail them a letter advising them that someone in their car was seen littering, reminding them that littering is illegal and that a similar incident may result in fines if witnessed by a law enforcement officer.

Depending on the offense reported, a car litter bag, pocket ashtray or flyer with information about the covered load law and where to get a tarp will be included with the letter.

NASA Releases New Photos

NASA has released a stunning series of new images compiled from satellite-based composite photos that are the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date. Using a collection of observations, scientists and visualizers stitched together months of data on land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless mosaic of every square kilometer of our planet.

Much of the information in the image came from a single remote-sensing device flying 700 km above the Earth onboard the Terra satellite to provide an integrated tool for observing a variety of terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric features of the Earth. The images are online at www.visibleearth.nasa.gov, then click on Blue Marble.

Forests Could Store Tons of Greenhouse Gasses

The first phase of a groundbreaking national assessment estimates that U.S. forests and soils could remove an additional three to seven billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) if some agricultural lands were planted in trees. That’s equivalent to two-to-four years of the US current CO2 emissions.

U.S. Geological Survey scientists also found that 73 billion metric tons of carbon are stored in soils with an additional 17 billion metric tons in forests. The nation’s forests and soils currently absorb about 30% of our fossil fuel emissions per year.

“The tools the USGS are developing—and the technologies behind those tools—will be of great use to communities around the world that are making management decisions on carbon storage,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “The USGS is conducting a national assessment of biologic carbon sequestration, as well as an assessment of ecosystem carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes, which will help determine how we can reduce atmospheric CO2 levels while preserving other ecological functions.”

To determine how much more carbon could be stored in forests and soils, USGS scientists analyzed maps that represent historical vegetation cover before human alterations, as well as maps of vegetation that might occur if there were no natural disturbances, such as fires, pests and drought. These maps were compared to maps of current vegetation and carbon storage.

For more information, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/ofr/2009/1283.