Ian Bartoszek

Conservancy of Southwest Florida · Environmental Science

Understanding the spatial ecology of an invasive species is critical for designing effective control programs. Determining and quantifying home range estimates and habitat associations can streamline targeted removal efforts for wide‐ranging, cryptic animals. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is a large‐bodied constrictor snake with an establi...

Background Dispersal behavior is a critical component of invasive species dynamics, impacting both spatial spread and population density. In South Florida, Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are an invasive species that disrupt ecosystems and have the potential to expand their range northward. Control of python populations is limited by a lack of...

Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to southeastern Asia, however, there is an established invasive population inhabiting much of southern Florida throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Pythons have severely impacted native species and ecosystems in Florida and represent one of the most intractable invasive-species manageme...

In this natural note we report on the furthest marine observations of Burmese pythons to date.

In this natural history note we report an observation on the largest prey to predator size ratio recorded for the Burmese python to date.

Knowing the size of prey that predators can consume facilitates understanding and predicting their ecological impact. Burmese Pythons (Python bivittatus) are apex predators that are larger than all but a few snake species, and their prey, which are swallowed whole, cannot exceed the size of their maximal gape. However, prey sizes smaller than maxim...

Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is an invasive snake that has significantly affected ecosystems in southern Florida, United States. Aside from direct predation and competition, invasive species can also introduce nonnative pathogens that can adversely affect native species. The subfamily Serpentovirinae (order Nidovirales) is composed of positiv...

Synopsis Snakes are a phylogenetically diverse (> 3500 species) clade of gape-limited predators that consume diverse prey and have considerable ontogenetic and interspecific variation in size, but empirical data on maximal gape are very limited. To test how overall size predicts gape, we quantified the scaling relationships between maximal gape, ov...

It is important to evaluate the role of captivity as a potential stressor. An understanding of stress responses to capture and transition to captivity may inform the limitations of laboratory studies on wild animals, aid in understanding the consequences of introducing animals into captive environments, and help predict which species may be success...

Python bivittatus is established in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in southern Florida, USA. Documented predators on pythons in Florida include Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator; Snow et al. 2006. Herpetol. Rev. 37:81–81), Drymarchon couperi (Gulf Coast Indigo Snake; Andreadis et al. 2018. Herpetol. Rev. 49:341–342), Lynx rufus (Bobc...

Identifying which environmental and genetic factors affect growth pattern phenotypes can help biologists predict how organisms distribute finite energy resources in response to varying environmental conditions and physiological states. This information may be useful for monitoring and managing populations of cryptic, endangered, and invasive specie...

*Please note, the correct journal is the Journal of Herpetology.* Reproductive strategies are an essential component of invasion ecology that influence invasion success and rates of population growth. Burmese Pythons (Python bivittatus) are large constrictor snakes that were introduced to the Greater Everglades Ecosystem of southern Florida, USA,...

Hylid treefrogs are dependent on the aquatic environment and may provide indications of stress and disturbance in wetland habitats. Human activities over the past century have altered the natural water flow in the Big Cypress region in southwestern Florida. These anthropogenic disturbances prompted the designation of conservation areas over much of...

In this natural history note we report on observations of Burmese pythons with atypical patterns from a portion of the invaded range in southwestern Florida.

In this natural history note we report on a predation event of a native rat by a non-native carpet python.

The size and sex of each of the Burmese pythons swabbed in this study for the SFD-causing (snake fungal disease) Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola pathogen is given along with the real time PCR swab result.

In this natural history note we report the first observation of interspecific amplexus between Anaxyrus terrestris and Rhinella marina.

We determined mercury (Hg) concentrations in various tissues of Burmese pythons (Python bivitattus; n = 227) caught in southwest Florida from 2012–2018 as part of a program to control this invasive species. Mercury ranged as high as 4.86 mg/kg in liver tissue from a snake that was 4.7 m long but overall averaged 0.12 ± 0.19 mg/kg in tail tips (n =...

In this natural history note we report a hatchling Apalone ferox (Florida softshell turtle) in the diet of Rhinella marina (cane toad) in Florida.

In this natural history note we report on the largest male Burmese python documented to date and from the invaded range.

Furthest marine incursion of a Burmese python ever recorded.

In this natural history note we report on seven adults Burmese pythons found in a Gopher tortoise burrow during the breeding season in southwestern Florida.

In this natural history note we report the predation of a neonate Burmese python in its invaded range by a gulf coast indigo snake.

Baseline surveys for ants were conducted in hydrologically disturbed and undisturbed preserves in the western Everglades in Collier County, Florida, by using baited vials and sweep nets. The 50 sampling sites were selected based on 1) major plant communities and 2) whether or not the site was located in an area that is expected to be affected by th...

A fundamental goal of wetland restoration is to reinstate pre-disturbance hydrological conditions to degraded landscapes, facilitating recolonization by native species and the production of resilient, functional ecosystems. To evaluate restoration success, baseline conditions need to be determined and a reference target needs to be established that...