from their food have reduced incidental drinking. This could explain how the mangrove 
snake can survive in estuaries without a salt gland, whereas the sympatric terrapin 
possesses a sizable lachrymal salt gland. We hypothesize that the following represent 
major transitional stages in the gradual evolution of marine snakes and turtles from 
freshwater ancestors: (1) utilization of behavioral osmoregulation to avoid salinities 
that cannot be directly tolerated; (2) a reduction in net salt uptake and water loss and 
in incidental drinking of seawater while feeding; (3) the first appearance of 
rudimentary salt-excreting glands; (4) hypertrophy of salt glands as dictated by rates 
of salt uptake, in concert with the development of a specialized external morphology 
suited for a pelagic life. 
1976 - 1982 
Frohring, P. C., and J. A. Kushlan (1986) Nesting status and colony site variability of 
laughing gulls in southern Florida. Fla. Field Naturalist. 14(1): 1 -28. 
Laughing gulls (Larus atricilla) used twenty-six nesting sites in Florida Bay, from 1976 
through 1982, breeding from mid-April to August. Colony site use and nesting numbers 
were highly variable, and nesting success appeared to be poor. Fewer than half of the 
known nesting sites were used in any year. Limiting factors included flooding and food 
availability. We hypothesize that the southern Florida nesting population may be of 
relatively recent origin resulting from repeated colonization by birds from further 
north. It appears to be supported primarily by the availability of sanitary landfills and 
agricultural fields, and so may be affected as these types of land uses are scaled back 
in southern Florida. 
1976 - 1982 
Kushlan, J. A., and P. C. Frohring (1985) Decreases in the brown pelican population in 
southern Florida. Colonial Waterbirds . 8(2):83-95. 
Since 1970, the population of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in Florida has 
been thought to be stable. However, one local population, in extreme southern Florida, 
experienced a 40% decrease from 1977 through 1981. An evaluation of the precision 
of the long-term statewide aerial pelican survey showed that even the complete loss of 
this local population would not be statistically recognizable on a statewide basis. We 
also found that censuses conducted in other than the month of peak nesting have a 40- 
60% error. We hypothesize that a decrease in food availability in Florida Bay 
precipitated this decrease in pelican numbers. The status of brown pelican populations 
has been evaluated on geopolitical rather than biological boundaries. The conservation of 
sensitive species requires consideration of local population trends, especially those 
that may represent special genetic stocks. This study was based on monthly aerial 
censuses conducted from 1976 to 1982. 
1977 0 
Lidz, B. H., and P. R. Rose (1989) Diagnostic foraminiferal assemblages of Florida Bay and 
adjacent shallow waters: a comparison. Symp. on Florida Bay: A Subtropical Lagoon. 
Miami, FL. June, 1987. Bull. Mar. Sci. . 44(1):399-418. 
[PAPER BASED ON WORK PUBLISHED IN 1977.] This paper describes foraminiferal data 
that distinguish Florida Bay from the nearby open-circulation platform margin and 
shows general trends in a foraminiferal population across a platform. Results of this 
study of benthic foraminifera in the Bay indicated that: the bay is a specialized 
restricted platform interior environment; its fauna was divisible into three subfaunas: 
nearshore, mudbank, and 'lake'; substrate, currents, wave intensity, and wave 
direction affected local distribution but do not alter regional patterns; and faunal 
assemblages rather than individual species of foraminifera were diagnostic 
environmental indicators as many species range over several faunal zones. Samples 
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