Learning Objectives From the Everglades to the Florida Keys – … · 2011. 4. 21. · 4/20/11 2 The Everglades Everglades National Park “River of Grass” = Saw grass (Cladium

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Aquatic Systems & Environmental Health

From the Everglades to the Florida Keys – Ecology in Impacted

Ecosystems Dr. Donald C. Behringer

School of Forest Resources and Conservation

& Emerging Pathogens Institute University of Florida

1.  Become familiar with some of the factors affecting aquatic ecosystem health, specifically in the Everglades and Florida Keys

2.  Learn the major marine habitats in the Florida Keys

3.  Learn some of the major taxa and their ecological roles

4.  Learn how some of these organisms are impacted and the research aimed at understanding the ecological effects

Learning Objectives

Some of the Impacts

•  Disease •  Species introductions •  Habitat restoration •  Aquaculture •  Mitigation •  Fishing •  Bycatch •  Pollution •  Offshore drilling •  Water resources and quality •  Climate change

• Overview: Everglades to Florida Keys

• Ecosystem Change

• Consequences of Everglades restoration • Effects of Recurring Cyanobacterial Blooms on

Florida Bay Hard-bottom Communities

• Hard-bottom community restoration…in progress

Outline

Geography

Courtesy of SFWMD

Everglades

Courtesy of SFWMD

Florida Bay

Florida Keys

Dry Tortugas

Big Cypress Swamp

Everglades Mangrove

Swamp Freshwater Everglades

Lake Okeechobee

Kissimmee River Watershed

Florida Bay

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The Everglades

Everglades National Park

“River of Grass” = Saw grass (Cladium jamacensis) Florida Bay

•  Transition from the Everglades to Florida Bay is an example of an ecotone.

- here freshwater vegetation (e.g., sawgrass) gradually gives way to salt-tolerant plants such as mangroves

•  Extensive shrimp and stone crab fisheries

•  Highly productive nursery habitat for spiny lobsters, crabs, and fish (e.g., snapper and grouper).

•  Northeastern Bay more estuarine; western Bay more marine - communities reflect salinity characteristics

- dramatic salinity variation within basins

Basins

Banks

Mangrove islands

Florida Bay

Western Florida Bay

The Florida Bay Habitat Mosaic Hard-bottom Seagrass meadows

Open sand/mud areas T

Florida Keys

Fossil coral reef (the Keys)

Living reef

Dry Tortugas

Looe Key Reef

Spur and Groove formation






Outline

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Lake Okeechobee

An Imperiled Ecosystem 50 km

N

Key West

Miami Everglades National Park

Florida Bay Ann

ual F

resh

wat

er F

low

(Mill

ions

m3 / y

r)

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

SouthwestCoast

SouthCoast

EastCoast

Historical Hydrology

50 km

N

Key West

Miami Everglades National Park

Florida Bay Ann

ual F

resh

wat

er F

low

(Mill

ions

m3 / y

r)

0

1

2

3

4

5

SouthwestCoast

SouthCoast

EastCoast

Present Hydrology

Some of the Environmental Issues:

Harmful algal blooms

Seagrass die-offs

Sponge die-offs

Disease

Restoration (CERP)

Cause?

Cause?

Water Quality

Everglades Restoration Plan

Redirect Water

Reduce freshwater flows into coastal rivers & canals to

restore freshwater to public land Kissimmee River

Restore water flow to former flood plain & a more

meandering river system Stormwater

Treatment Areas

Filtration marshes to reduce Nutrient load of water Entering public land

Modify Water Delivery

Increase water delivered and improve timing & distribution

of water to better mimic historic conditions

Florida Bay

Reestablish historic timing & distribution of freshwater to

restore natural estuarine system

www.evergladesplan.org

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Outline Will changes in salinity resulting from Everglades restoration alter hard-bottom communities in Florida Bay?

Objectives

Focus on “ecologically prominent” animals: • Structure-forming: sponges and octocorals

• Abundant & economically important:

spiny lobster

Treatments: Salinity: 15, 25, 35, 45 psu Season: winter & summer Response: survival & healing

1) Sponges - 5 species

2) Octocorals - 2 species

Sponge - Octocoral Experiment Design

Perc

ent S

urvi

val

0

20

40

60

80

100

15 ppt 25 ppt 30 ppt 35 ppt

No Survivalafter 4 weeks

Perc

ent S

urvi

val

0

20

40

60

80

100 Finger SpongeGolf Ball SpongeLoggerhead SpongeSheepswool SpongeVase Sponge

n = 4 sponges / treatment

15 ppt 25 ppt 30 ppt 35 ppt

No Survivalafter 1 week



Summer Winter

Sponge Survival fnc Salinity Laboratory Experiments

Salinity Salinity

Summer Winter

Octocoral Survival fnc Salinity Laboratory Experiments

n = 8 per treatment

15 20 4535

NoneSurvived

25

NoneSurvived

NoneSurvived NA

Salinity (psu)

Angular Sea WhipPurple Sea Plume

n = 6 - 16 per treatment

15 20 453525

NoneSurvived

Salinity (psu)

20

40

60

80

100

0

Perc

ent S

urvi

val

Lobster Salinity Tolerance Experiments

(2) Movement Experiment

Treatment: Salinity: 15, 25, 35, 45 psu Covariates: size & temperature Response: # “movement events”

(1)   Survival – Growth Experiment

Treatments: Salinity: 15, 25, 35, 45 psu

Season: winter & summer Size class: < 10 mm, 25 – 35 mm, & 45 –65 mm CL Response: survival & growth

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Perc

ent S

urvi

val

0

20

40

60

80

100

Small (< 10 mm CL)Medium (25 - 35 mm CL)Large (45 - 65 mm CL)

15 25 35 45Salinity (psu)

Lobster Survival fnc Salinity

Summer = Winter (1)   Survival – Growth Experiment

Treatments: Salinity: 15, 25, 35, 45 psu

Season: winter & summer Size class: < 10 mm, 25 – 35 mm, & 45 –65 mm CL Response: survival & growth

Lobster Salinity Tolerance Experiments

(2) Movement Experiment

Treatment: Salinity: 15, 25, 35, 45 psu Covariates: size & temperature Response: # “movement events”

den Top View

Event Recorder

Water Reservoir

2 m

Lobster Movement in Response to Salinity Change Experimental Raceway Design

Event Recorder

Event Recorder

Water Reservoir

2 m

den

Example Data Set Raceway Trials

Experiment Duration (Hrs)

0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90 96 102108114120

# Ev

ents

/ H

r

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

# Ev

ents

/ H

r

0246810121416182022242628303234 35 ppt

15 ppt35 ppt

35 ppt35ppt Control

15ppt Treatment

Lobster Movement fnc Salinity

Mea

n N

o. M

ovem

ent E

vent

s / 1

2 hr

s

0

10

20

30

40

50

35 psu ("control")15 psu 25 psu 45 psu

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Treatment Means; lines smoothedn = 9 per treatment

•  Two dominant octocorals are intolerant of salinity change, especially during winter.

•  Five sponge species tested are intolerant of salinity change during summer: some species tolerate moderate changes at winter temperatures.

•  Small juvenile lobsters are intolerant of salinity change; survival of larger juveniles is only affected at very low salinities.

•  Large juvenile lobsters increase their movement in response to changing salinity, but those dynamics change with salinity and over time.

Summary

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Outline • Dominated by a non-toxic,

cyanobacterium: Synechococcus spp.

• Sparked by nutrient pulse

(various sources & ratios)

• Bloom persistence related to efficient

recycling

The Offending Party

Photo credit: Cindy Heil

Photo credits: Florida Sportsman

Hard-bottom Monitoring: 2002 - 2007 Sites • 132 sites in 2002; 32 -40 sites in 2003-2007

Methods • surveyed annually in June/July • 4 permanent 2 x 25m transects/site • 16 permanent 1m2 quadrats/site

Measurements • Abundance of 55 taxa (24 spp. sponge) • Size structure selected sponges and octocorals

2002 - 2007 2002 Only

Florida

N

10 km

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Pre-bloom & Post-bloom Surveys 2007 -2008

N

10 km

Survey locations

•  18 sites chosen from the central region of our hard-bottom monitoring program survey sites •  Hard-bottom surveys: July 2007 and Oct 2007

Florida

2007 Bloom Impacts on Sponges

N

10 km

Severe Impacts - 22 of 24 sponge species killed

Survey locations

Documents

Learning Objectives From the Everglades to the Florida Keys – … · 2011. 4. 21. · 4/20/11 2 The Everglades Everglades National Park “River of Grass” = Saw grass (Cladium