243 Pythons are Seed Pipelines

243 Pythons are Seed Pipelines

From Herpetological Highlights by Herpetological Highlights

March 10, 2026 · 25 min · Episode 243

About this episode

This episode discusses the impact of invasive pythons and tegus on seed dispersal and ecosystem health in the Everglades.

Invasive species are well known to damage ecosystems by directly eating other animals and disrupting the food chain. But their impacts can go much deeper, as a new study about seed dispersal by pythons and tegus in the Everglades has shown - they may be contributing to the destruction of rare and unusual habitats. Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com Main Paper References: Figueroa A, Davis KR, Harman MEA, Bartoszek IA, Easterling IC, Yackel Adams AA, Romagosa CM. 2025. Double agents: invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae) as potential seed dispersers in South Florida. Journal of Zoology:jzo.70082. DOI: 10.1111/jzo.70082. Other Mentioned Papers/Studies: Harman MEA, Fuller NR, Baiser B, Blackburn JK, Li X, Currylow AF, Yackel Adams AA, Falk BG, Romagosa CM. 2025. Dietary breadth and ecological plasticity facilitate invasion potential in a large omnivorous lizard. Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science 3:1635085. DOI: 10.3389/famrs.2025.1635085. Sapkota, A., Karki…

Topics covered

  • invasive species
  • seed dispersal
  • ecosystems
  • habitat destruction

Keywords

  • Burmese pythons
  • Argentine black and white tegus
  • Everglades
  • habitat destruction

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Patreon, Merch

Places: Everglades, South Florida, Nepal, Berkeley, CA, USA

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