Meeting Abstract

P3.36  Thursday, Jan. 6  Modeling the Effects of Harvesting on Firefly Population Viability BAUER, C.B.*; LEWIS, S.M.; FAUST, L.F.; REED, J.M.; Tufts University; Tufts University; Tufts University Carolyn.Bauer@tufts.edu

North American fireflies in the genus Photinus are commercially harvested to extract the enzyme luciferase, despite the availability of recombinant enzyme. No one has evaluated the potential effects of harvest on these species. Our goal was to create a population model to examine the potential effects of harvesting on Photinus population persistence. By using demographic data from Photinus, we created a male-based, stochastic simulation population model and examined the effects of various harvest rates and time horizons on population persistence. We found that simulated Photinus population sizes showed steady declines once annual male harvest rates exceeded 10%, and that populations were consistently reduced to zero individuals within 50 years when annual harvest rates reached 30%. Increasing target time horizons also resulted in reduced Photinus population persistence. Our modeling results suggest that Photinus populations might tolerate low harvest levels, although in the absence of more precise data on vital rates, the exact level is unknown. To further examine sustainability, harvest rates should be monitored and standardized surveys conducted to document firefly population changes.