Comparison of habitat use by estuarine fish assemblages in the Acadian and Virginian zoogeographic provinces

Comparison of the relative abundance of fish species from different life-history groups and their temporal patterns of estuarine habitat use from two estuaries north and south of Cape Cod indicates that the Cape acts as a zoogeographic boundary. Between April 1988 and December 1989, monthly seine and trawl samples were collected from nearshore, shallow-water marsh, and beach and deeper open-water habitats in Wells Harbor, Maine, and Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Forty-eight species and 80,341 individuals were collected from Waquoit Bay compared to 24 species and 22,561 individuals from Wells Harbor. Waquoit Bay had proportionally fewer resident species and more marine, nursery, and occasional species than Wells Harbor. Annual density and biomass values were greater across all habitats in Waquoit Bay, with the summer values from the marsh habitat an order of magnitude higher than comparable summer data from the Wells habitats. We suggest that marsh and beach habitats provide a nursery area for young-of-the-year fishes, while deeper, open-water habitats serve as a corridor for fishes moving to nearshore habitats or serve as a refuge during low tide.     

Water quality and phytoplankton as indicators of hurricane impacts on a large estuarine ecosystem

Three sequential hurricanes in the fall of 1999 provided the impetus for assessing multi-annual effects on water quality and phytoplankton dynamics in southwestern Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Two and a half years of post-hurricane data were examined for short- and long-term impacts from the storms and >100 year flooding. Salinity decreased dramatically and did not recover until May 2000. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were briefly elevated during the flooding, but later returned to background levels. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations declined through the whole study period, but did not appear to peak as was observed in the Neuse River estuary, a key tributary of the Sound. Light attenuation was highest in the fall to spring following the storms and was best correlated with chlorophylla concentrations. Phytoplankton biomass (chla) increased and remained elevated until late spring 2000 when concentrations returned to pre-storm levels and then cycled seasonally. Phytoplankton community composition varied throughout the study, reflecting the complex interaction between physiological optimal and combinations of salinity, residence time, nutrient availability, and possibly grazing activity. Floodwater advection or dilution from upstream maxima may have controlled the spatial heterogeneity in total and group-specific biomass. The storms produced areas of shortterm hypoxia, but hypoxic events continued during the following two summers, correlating strongly with water column stratification. Nitrogen loading to the southwestern sound was inferred from network analysis of previous nitrogen cycling studies in the Neuse River estuary. Based on these analyses, nutrient cycling and removal in the sub-estuaries would be decreased under high flow conditions, confirming observations from other estuaries. The inferred nitrogen load from the flood was 2–3 times the normal loading to the Sound; this estimate was supported by the substantial algal bloom. After 8-mos, the salinity and chla data indicated the Sound had returned to pre-hurricane conditions, yet phytoplankton community compositional changes continued through the multi-year study period. This is an example of long-term aspects of estuarine recovery that should be considered in the context of a predicted 10–40 yr period of elevated tropical storm activity in the western Atlantic Basin.     

Effects of low dissolved oxygen events on the macrobenthos of the lower Chesapeake Bay

The effects of low dissolved oxygen or hypoxia (<2 mg l^?1) on macrobenthic infaunal community structure and composition in the lower Chesapeake Bay and its major tributaries, the Rappahannock, York, and James rivers are reported. Macrobenthic communities at hypoxia-affected stations were characterized by lower species diversity, lower biomass, a lower proportion of deep-dwelling biomass (deeper than 5 cm in the sediment), and changes in community composition. Higher dominance in density and biomass of opportunistic species (e.g., euryhaline annelids) and lower dominance of equilibrium species (e.g., long-lived bivalves and maldanid polychaetes) were observed at hypoxia-affected stations. Hypoxia-affected macrobenthic communities were found in the polyhaline deep western channel of the bay mainstem north of the Rappahannock River and in the mesohaline region of the lower Rappahannock River. No hypoxic effects on the infaunal macrobenthos were found in the York River, James River, or other deep-water channels of the lower Chesapeake Bay.     

The effects of eelgrass habitat loss on estuarine fish communities of southern New England

We studied the late June–August fish community in extant and former eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) habitats in 15 estuaries of Buzzards Bay, and in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, U.S. Our objective was to quantify the effects of eelgrass habitat loss on fish abundance, biomass, species composition and richness, life-history characteristics, and habitat use by examining the response of the fish community to eelgrass loss in Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays over an 11-yr period (1988–1999) and in 14 other embayments of Buzzards Bay during 1993, 1996, and 1998. Sampling sites were located in present-day or historical eelgrass beds and were classified according to eelgrass habitat complexity (zero complexity: no eelgrass; low complexity: <100 eelgrass shoots or <100 g wet weight m⁻²; high complexity: ≥100 shoots and ≥100 g wet weight m⁻²). Habitats that had lost eelgrass included a variety of substratum types, from bare mud bottom to dense accumulations of red, brown, and green macroalgae (up to 7,065 g wet weight m⁻²). Contemporaneous sampling of fish (by otter trawl) and vegetated habitat (by divers) was conducted at each site. Overall, fish abundance, biomass, species richness, dominance, and life history diversity decreased significantly along the gradient of decreasing eelgrass habitat complexity. Loss of eelgrass was accompanied by significant declines in these measures of fish community integrity. Ten of the 13 most common species collected from 1988–1996 in Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays showed maximum abundance and biomass in sites with high eelgrass habitat complexity. All but two common species declined in abundance and biomass with the complete loss of eelgrass.     

The pattern and influence of low dissolved oxygen in the Patuxent River,a seasonally hypoxic estuary

Increased nutrient loadings have resulted in low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in bottom waters of the Patuxent River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay. We synthesize existing and newly collected data to examine spatial and temporal variation in bottom DO, the prevalence of hypoxia-induced mortality of fishes, the tolerance of Patuxent River biota to low DO, and the influence of bottom DO on the vertical distributions and spatial overlap of larval fish and fish eggs with their gelatinous predators and zooplankton prey. We use this information, as well as output from watershed-quality and water-quality models, to configure a spatially-explicit individual-based model to predict how changing land use within the Patuxent watershed may affect survival of early life stages of summer breeding fishes through its effect on DO. Bottom waters in much of the mesohaline Patuxent River are below 50% DO saturation during summer. The system is characterized by high spatial and temporal variation in DO concentrations, and the current severity and extent of hypoxia are sufficient to alter distributions of organisms and trophic interactions in the river. Gelatinous zooplankton are among the most tolerant species of hypoxia, while several of the ecologically and economically important finfish are among the most sensitive. This variation in DO tolerances may make the Patuxent River, and similar estuaries, particularly susceptible to hypoxia-induced alterations in food web dynamics. Model simulations consistently predict high mortality of planktonic bay anchovy eggs (Anchoa mitchilli) under current DO, and increasing survival of fish eggs with increasing DO. Changes in land use that reduce nutrient loadings may either increase or decrease predation mortality of larval fish depending on the baseline DO conditions at any point in space and time. A precautionary approach towards fisheries and ecosystem management would recommend reducing nutrients to levels at which low oxygen effects on estuarine habitat are reduced and, where possible, eliminated.     

The effects of introduced water hyacinth on habitat structure,invertebrate assemblages,and fish diets

The South American floating aquatic plant water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has a history of worldwide invasions, including a 1904 introduction into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. The native pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) occupies similar habitats in the Delta and is extensively used by resident invertebrates and fish. We sought to discover if an invader would be functionally equivalent to the native plant, by asking whether the encroadhing hyacinth modified the invertebrate assemblage structure and fish-invertebrate food web relative to pennywort. We sampled epiphytic, epibenthic, and benthic invertebrates, and plant canopy insects in patches of hyacinth and pennywort, and analyzed fish diets at three sites in the Delta during 1998. We also measured habitat structure (leaf density, root biomass, and surface area). In 1999, following control and absence of hyacinth, we again measured epiphytic invertebrates in pennywort. We found differences between hyacinth and pennywort in structure, associated invertebrates, and fish diets. Most measurements inferred functional non-equivalency between hyacinth and pennywort, although some functional equivalency and natural variation existed. Leaf and insect densities were significantly higher in pennywort and there were also significant differences in insect assemblage compositions. Hyacinth roots in the water column had significantly more surface area. Densities of epibenthic and benthic aquatic invertebrates were typically greater in pennywort and taxonomic compositions of aquatic invertebrate assemblages showed significant differences. Amphipods and isopods living epiphytically in the root masses were particularly abundant, including several newly discovered introduced species: the amphipodCrangonyx floridanus and the isopodsCaecidotea racovitai andAsellus hilgendorfii. The native amphipodHyalella azteca was more abundant in pennywort and heavily preyed upon by fish, while the non-indigenousC. floridanus was more abundant in hyacinth and not prevalent in fish diets. The introduction of hyacinth to the Delta has caused significant ecological alterations in the surrounding community, due to hyacinth being functionally different from native patches of pennywort.     

Landslide hazard and cascading effects following the extreme rainfall event on Madeira Island (February 2010)

Heavy rainfall on February 20, 2010, triggered numerous shallow rapid landslides across Madeira Island, a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic. Two days after the extreme rainfall event, a field campaign was started which involved describing and mapping a variety of landslide types and the related losses at 120 different locations throughout the Island. Most of the failures started as debris slides or avalanches at high elevations and transformed into debris flows which rushed downslope into populated coastal areas. Over half of the mapped landslides were located in the central and southern area of the island. A further 1,257 landslide locations were revealed in these areas using remote sensing data which were then assembled in a spatial database. Due to anthropogenic influences caused by urban development and population expansion, the event demonstrated the increased vulnerability of the island??s infrastructure. In order to mitigate future losses, it is important to quantify the typical preparatory factors which contribute to rainfall-induced landslides. This increases our understanding of the hazards and associated risks. The analysis shows that based on their spatial frequency, distribution and in the context of the drainage system, three main factors contribute to the triggering of the landslides due to the heavy rainfall event in February 2010: the characteristic soil type, the land cover and the slope gradient. It can now be recognized that the distribution of landslides is highly dependent on the temporal and spatial distribution of these factors. Furthermore, the anthropogenic impact on the extent of the hazard becomes obvious due to poor settlement planning and drainage system modification.     

The effects of variable bulk composition on the melting systematics of fertile peridotitic assemblages

Experiments were conducted at 1 GPa on four starting materials to investigate the effects of variable mineral proportions on the melting systematics of compositionally fertile peridotitic assemblages. Starting materials were constructed by recombining Kilbourne Hole xenolith mineral separates by weight into four mixtures with mineral proportions olivine (Ol): orthopyroxene (Opx): clinopyroxene (Cpx): spinel (Sp) of 0.50:0.07:0.40:0.03 (FER-B), 0.50:0.46:0.01:0.03 (FER-C), 0.50:0.30:0.10:0.10 (FER-D), and 0.50:0.235:0.235: 0.03 (FER-E). Experiments were performed on a 1.27-cm (0.5 in.) piston-cylinder apparatus over the temperature interval 1270–1390 °C, using a variation of the diamond aggregate melt extraction technique employing vitreous carbon spheres in place of diamonds as the melt extraction layer. The solidus temperatures are similar for all the starting materials, with an average value of 1250 °C. In FER-D and -E, the near-solidus melting reaction for a lherzolite assemblage was determined to be of the form Cpx + Opx + Sp → melt + Ol. A subsequent reaction of the form Opx + Sp → melt + Ol was determined for FER-D after the exhaustion of Cpx. Over the entire temperature interval investigated for FER-B and -C, reactions were determined to be of the form Cpx + Sp → melt + Ol and Opx + Sp → melt + Ol, respectively. Melt percent (F) vs temperature (T) curves are concave up for all starting materials, demonstrating that isobaric melt productivity increases with progressive batch melting. At any given melt fraction, (dF/dT)_P increases with increasing amount of Cpx in the starting material, indicating that the modal proportion of Cpx is one of the primary controls on isobaric melt productivity of upwelling peridotite. The concave up melt productivity functions for peridotitic assemblages determined in this study suggest that assuming linear or concave down melt productivity functions for modeling mantle melting may not be appropriate. Received: 2 August 1999 / Accepted: 7 June 2000     

Effect of estuarine flow on ocean circulation using a coupled coastal-bay estuarine model: an application to the 1999 Orissa cyclone

A coupled coastal-bay estuarine numerical model is described and applied to investigate the combination of wind-estuarine driven circulation off the Orissa coast. The model is based on coupling of a 2-dimensional estuarine model with a 3-dimensional coastal-bay model. The models are linked through the elevation at the interface. Using the coupled model, the numerical experiments are carried out to elicit the dynamical linking between the estuarine outflow and the coastal ocean to simulate the ensuing adjoining coastal circulation. During the southwest monsoon, it is noticed that the estuarine discharge from the northern head-bay river system and the river systems that join the Bay of Bengal along the Orissa coast would sufficiently modify the coastal circulation along the coast. Numerical experiments are also carried for the model simulation of surges generated by the 1999 Orissa cyclone. It is shown that the estuarine system would influence significantly on surge development and associated inundation through the rivers.     

Effects of the 2004 hurricanes on the fish assemblages in two proximate southwest Florida estuaries: Change in the context of interannual variability

We examined interannual differences in fish assemblage structure in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, Florida, from 1996 to 2005 to reveal the extent of hurricane-induced changes in relation to multiannual variability for five different assemblages in each estuary: small-bodied fishes (<generally 80-mm standard length) along river shorelines, in river channels, along bay shorelines, and on the bay shelf (<1.5-m water depth); and large-bodied fishes (>generally 100-mm standard length) along bay shorelines. Fish assemblages tended to differ, between estuaries, as did interannual variability in assemblage structure. In the lower portions of tributary rivers to Tampa Bay, the small-bodied shoreline fish assemblage during August 2004 to July 2005, i.e., during and after the multiple hurricanes, was different from assemblages of August to July in previous years. This may have been a result of physical displacement of fish or suboptimal salinities caused by increased freshwater inflow. The small-bodied shoreline fish assemblage in Charlotte Harbor also differed between prehurricane and hurricane periods, possibly because damage to vegetated shorelines affected fish survival through a decrease in feeding and refuge habitats. In the remaining habitats, fish assemblage structure from August 2004 to July 2005 were within the range of variability exhibited over the 9-yr study period. There were several unusual fish assemblages that appeared to be attributable to drought conditions (1996, 1999–2000), suggesting that other major environmental perturbations may be as important as hurricanes in influencing assemblage structure. We conclude that although the 2004 hurricane season affected some of the fish assemblages of Tampa Bay and charlotte Harbor, these assemblages generally appeared quite resilient to natural environmental perturbations from a decadal perspective.     

The effects of multiple stressors on the balance between autotrophic and heterotrophic processes in an estuarine system

Responses of autotrophic and heterotrophic processes to nutrients and trace elements were examined in a series of experimental estuarine food webs of increasing trophic complexity using twenty 1-m³ mesocosms. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and trace elements (a mix of arsenic, copper, cadmium) were added alone and in combination during four experimental runs spanning from spring 1997 to spring 1998. Diel changes in dissolved oxygen were used to examine whole system gross primary production (WS-GPP), respiration (WS-RESP), and net ecosystem metabolism (NEM). Nutrient and trace element additions had the greatest effect on WS-GPP, WS-RESP, and NEM; trophic complexity did not significantly affect any of these parameters (p>0.3). Effects of trophic complexity were detected in nutrient tanks where bivalves significantly (p=0.03) reduced WS-GPP. Nutrient additions significantly enhanced WS-GPP and to a lesser extent WS-RESP during most mesocosm runs. The system shifted from net heterotrophy (−17.2±1.8 mmol C m⁻³ d⁻¹) in the controls to net autotrophy (29.1±7.6 mmol C m⁻³ d⁻¹) in the nutrient tanks. The addition of trace elements alone did not affect WS-GPP and WS-RESP to the same extent as nutrients, and their effects were more variable. Additions of trace elements alone consistently made the system more net heterotrophic (−24.9±1.4 mmol C m⁻³ d⁻¹) than the controls. When trace elements were added in combination with nutrients, the nutrient-enriched system became less autotrophic (1.6±3.1 mmol C m⁻³ d⁻¹). The effects of trace elements on NEM occurred primarily through reductions in WS-GPP rather than increases in WS-RESP. Our results suggest that autotrophic and heterotrophic processes respond differently to these stressors.     

Relative effects of physical and biological processes on nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics in a shallow estuary after a storm event

The effects of advection, dispersion, and biological processes on nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics after a storm event in December 2002 are investigated in an estuary located on the northern New South Wales coast, Australia. Salinity observations for 16 d after the storm are used to estimate hydrodynamic transports for a one-dimensional box model. A biological model with nitrogen limited phytoplankton growth, mussel grazing, and a phytoplankton mortality term is forced by the calculated transports. The model captured important aspects of the temporal and spatial dynamics of the bloom. A quantitative analysis of hydrodynamic and biological processes shows that increased phytoplankton biomass due to elevated nitrogen loads after the storm was not primarily regulated by advection or dispersion in spite of an increase in river flow from <1 to 928×10³ m³ d⁻¹. Of the dissolved nitrogen that entered the surface layer of the estuary in the 16 d following the storm event, the model estimated that 28% was lost through exchange with the ocean or bottom layers, while 15% was removed by the grazing of just one mussel species,Xenostrobus securis, on phytoplankton, and 50% was lost through other biological phytoplankton loss processes.X. securis grazing remained an important loss process even when the estimated biological parameters in the model were varied by factors of ± 2. The intertidal mangrove pneumatophore habitat ofX. securis allows filtering of the upper water column from the lateral boundaries when the water column is vertically stratified, exerting top-down control on phytoplankton biomass.     

A note on the effects of an individual large rainfall event on saline Lake Alchichica, Mexico

The present study reports on perturbations of the water column by large rainfall at Lake Alchichica, a saline lake in Central Mexico. Alchichica is located in the “Llanos de San Juan,” a high-altitude plateau with a minimum elevation of 2,300 m above sea level. The climate is arid with annual precipitation less than 400 mm and annual evaporation of 500–600 mm. A single day large rainfall event delivered 1,810,000 m³ of water to the basin, raising the lake’s water level by about 1 m. Temperature and salinity profiles showed an atypical temperature inversion up to 1°C in the upper layer accompanied by salinity decrease up to 0.5 g l⁻¹. Transparency and pH were slightly altered, but dissolved oxygen, nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations were not changed. In spite of the heavy rainfall and associated wind, the effects of the event were limited to the upper half of the epilimnion. After 2 days, the lake water level returned to its original level. The rapid leakage of the runoff minimized any long-term effects of the large rainfall.     

Preliminary investigation of the effects of purse seine size on estimates of density and species richness of estuarine fishes

Small purse seines are well suited to sampling open water habitats in estuaries, yet little is known about how variation in their design affects estimates of density and species richness of estuarine fishes. We tested whether purse seine size (length and depth) affected estimates of density or species richness of fishes in San Dieguito Lagoon, southern California, U.S.A. Twenty-one species were captured, with the open water speciesAtherinops affinis dominating the catch. The larger net (36.4 m long × 3.6 m deep) produced higher estimates of density than the smaller net (18.2 m long × 2.4 m deep). The average number of species captured per sample was lower for the smaller net than the larger net, but species accumulation curves for the small and large nets were similar, indicating that the difference in the number of species per sample was primarily caused by the larger area sampled by the larger purse seine. Sampling with the larger purse seine was more time efficient than the smaller seine. We found small purse seines to be useful tools for sampling fishes in open water habitats in a small estuary, but we recommend that care be taken in selecting the size of a purse seine.     

A note on the effects of abnormally low temperature on the Carolina marsh clam

Populations of the Carolina Marsh Clam,Polymesoda caroliniana, suffered high mortality in southeastern North Carolina during the winters of 1983–84 and 1984–85. Adult populations in brackish marshes in the Cape Fear estuary suffered 33% mortality in 1983 and 38% in 1985. Some data suggest that more flooded areas suffered less mortality. A laboratory experiment found that some clams died after only 4 h exposure to 0 to ?1°C. LT₅₀ occurred after only 6.3 h and no individuals survived 24 h exposure. Cold intolerance is suggested as the primary limiting factor in its northern distribution.     

Indirect environmental effects of dikes on estuarine tidal channels: Thinking outside of the dike for habitat restoration and monitoring

While the most obvious effects of dike construction and marsh conversion are those affecting the converted land (direct or intended effects), less immediately apparent effects also occur seaward of dikes (indirect or unintended effects). I analyzed historical photos of the Skagit River delta marshes (Washingto, U.S.) and compared changes in estuarine marsh and tidal channel surface area from 1956–2000 in the Wiley slough area of the South fork Skagit delta, and from 1937–2000 in the North Fork delta. Dike construction in the late 1950s caused the loss of 80 ha of estuarine marsh and 6.7 ha of tidal channel landward of the Wiley Slough dikes. A greater amount of tidal channel surface area, 9.6 ha, was lost seaward of the dikes. Similar losses were observed for two smaller North Fork tidal channel systems. Tidal channels far from dikes did not show comparable changes in channel surface areas. These results are consistent with hydraulic geometry theory, which predicts that diking reduces tidal flushing in the undiked channel remnants and this results in sedimentation. Dikes may have significant seaward effects on plants and animals associated with tidal channel habitat. Another likely indirect dike effect is decreased sinuosity in a distributary channel of the South Fork Skagit River adjacent to and downstream of the Wiley Slough dikes, compared to distributary channels upstream or distant from the dikes. Loss of floodplain area to diking and marsh conversion prevents flood energy dissipation over the marsh surface. The distributary channal has responded to greater flood energy by increasing mean channel width and decreasing sinuosity. Restoration of diked areas should consider historic habitat loss swaward of dikes, as well as possible benefits to these areas from dike breaching or removal. Habitat restoration by breaching or removal of dikes should be monitored in areas directly affected by dikes, areas indirectly affected, and distinct reference areas.     

The ecological effects of structural flood mitigation works on fish habitats and fish communities in the lower Clarence River system of South-Eastern Australia

The effects of flood mitigation structures on the quality of estuarine and freshwater fish habitats in the lower Clarence River system of south-eastern Australia were investigated. Surrounding land use, fringing vegetation, overall level of habitat disturbance, distance from the sea, salinity, and water temperature were examined and compared between four sites on natural tributary streams, four sites on channelized flood mitigation drains gated at their mouths, and ten paired sites (five below and five above floodgates) on flood mitigation drains in this system, from mid 1988 to late 1990. Quantitative sampling of the fish fauna at each of these sites was conducted quarterly over this 21/2-yr period. Juvenile fishes were sampled using netting enclosures together with application of the ichthyocide rotenone, while subadults and adults were sampled using multiple-panel gill nets. In general, fish habitats in the flood mitigation drains, and especially those above flood gates, had more intensive surrounding land uses, less natural native fringing vegetation and, overall, were more highly disturbed than those in the natural tributaries. Salinity at the various study sites was largely dependent on the pattern of seasonal (mainly summer and autumn) rainfall and distance upstream from the sea. Salinities usually differed only slightly between gated and ungated sites at similar distances from the sea, indicating that the floodgates were generally ineffective in preventing the penetration of saline river water into the drains immediately above them. These gates were, however, very effective in preventing the establishment of fringing mangrove vegetation in the drains above them. The main ecological effects of these flood mitigation works have thus been to generally degrade the overall quality of available fish habitat, particularly in terms of reductions in natural fringing vegetation (mangroves in the more estuarine-dominated areas and overhanging terrestrial trees in the more freshwater-dominated areas often being replaced by grassess and rushes), and to increase the intensity of surrounding land use (natural forest often being cleared and wetlands drained for cattle grazing and sugarcane growing), both of these factors contributing to increases in generalized aquatic habitat disturbance. Results from the study of the fish assemblages in these natural and man-altered habitats revealed the following general patterns. Highest fish species numbers and abundances occurred in the ungated natural tributaries and in drains downstream of floodgates. These habitats also contained the largest proportions of both commercial fish species and individuals as well as the majority of species and individuals with marine-estuarine affinities. Both total and commercial fish species numbers generally declined with decreasing salinity and increasing distance of the sampling sites from the sea. Even through saline waters from the main river system penetrated the majority of the floodgates during most of the study period, fish passage through these gates was found to be very restricted. Fish assemblages above such gates were generally dominated by primarily freshwater species, as compared with primarily saltwater (estuarine-marine) species below. The conversion of the great majority of small mangrove-fringed tributaries in the lower reaches of this river system into uniform floodgated drainage channels has thus resulted in the destruction of, and impeded fish access to, large areas of previously available estuarine fish nursery and feeding habitat. These drainage changels are now dominated by terrestrial-freshwater vegetation above where they are cut off from the main river channels by the floodgates, and the period of their construction has coincided with that of reported declines in fish catches in this river system. On the basis of the above findings, it is recommended that these floodgates be left fully open at all times except immediately prior to and during floods in the river system, thus facilitating the re-establishment of fringing mangrove vegetation along the banks of the artificial drains in the lower reaches, generally improving flushing and thus water quality in these drains, and allowing the establishment of primarily estuarine-marine fish communities, including more species of economic importance, in them.     

Influence of sequential hurricanes on nekton communities in a Southeast Florida estuary: Short-term effects in the context of historical variations in freshwater inflow

We examined nekton community-level responses to Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which made landfall 20 d apart in the St. Lucie estuary in southeastern Florida in 2004. The passage of these storms contributed to large freshwater discharges that exceeded 150 m³ s⁻¹, as well as estuary-wide reductions in salinity and near-hypoxic conditions in the North Fork of the estuary that persisted for several months. Although such environmental variations are not uncommon, seasonal patterns of community structure were disturbed throughout much of the estuary, likely in response to uncharacteristically-rapid reductions in salinity. Immediately following the hurricanes, abundances of several freshwater and oligohaline taxa (i.e., blue crabCallinectes sapidus, shadDorosoma spp., and ladyfishElops saurus) increased markedly in the inner estuary, while abundances of several other fishes (i.e., striped mulletMugil cephalus, white mulletM. curema, lookdownSelene vomer, pigfishOrthopristis chrysoptera, and pinfishLagodon rhomboides) declined. Nekton communities recovered quickly, and by spring, community structure throughout much of the estuary was indistinguishable from pre-hurricane conditions. Although nekton communities were resilient to hurricane-related disturbances, projected increases in Atlantic hurricane activity and associated freshwater discharges over the coming decades may test the resilience of estuarine communities in Florida.