The goal of this project was to conduct an information gap analysis on exotic invasive species in the Florida Everglades. The report is based on a comprehensive literature review that used all available databases and other tools to identify literature on exotic invasive species in different Everglades’ habitat types including, but not limited to, tree islands, ridges and sloughs, estuaries (Florida Bay), and canals in South Florida. The approach taken in conducting the literature review was to organize the literature articles on exotic species affecting the Everglades system. The initial step was to categorize these articles into flora and fauna. Fauna species were divided into the following six categories: birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. A general category was used for papers that included more than one species. This general category was further broken down into five parts: plants, fish, invertebrates, everglades ecosystems, and composite. We judged further classification was required to help determine the general location within the trophic system, predator/prey relationships, and to better represent certain important characteristics.
Implemented by Dr. Boukerrou and his students, The Exotic Invasive Species and Tree Island Support Services Project was funded by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). We are grateful for the opportunity the SFWMD has provided in support of this information gap analysis on exotic invasive species research in the Everglades.