PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 16: Invasive Species.
Wednesday, August 6 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Non-indigenous fishes in restored and natural wetlands in the Everglades Big Cypress Swamp.
Dunker, Krissy*,1, Volin, John1, Loftus, William2, 1 Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL2 U.S.G.S. Center for Water and Restoration Studies, Miami, FL
ABSTRACT- Over the last century, wetland systems in South Florida have been dramatically altered by the construction of canals and levees and the conversion of natural wetlands. The impact of these changes on native fish populations and invasion by non-indigenous fish populations is poorly understood. This is particularly true for the Big Cypress Swamp, which has been studied less intensively than other portions of the Greater Everglades ecosystem. This study conducted within the Big Cypress Swamp employed a variety of sampling techniques to examine fish assemblages within a newly restored wetland and adjacent canals as well as in relatively intact natural wetlands. Sampling was done during both the wet and dry seasons at sites located across a range of habitat types in the restored and natural wetlands. These included cypress domes and strands, wet prairies, and deepwater refugia. Initial data showed that canals, which provide water for the restored wetland, have the highest richness of both native and non-native fish species as compared to restored or natural wetland sites. Overall native species diversity was significantly higher in natural wetlands than in the restored wetlands, but there was no significant difference in non-native diversity. This study provides baseline data for fish communities in the Big Cypress region. In addition, we have documented the presence of two new non-native fish species in the Big Cypress Swamp, Hoplosternum littorale and Belonesox belizanus.
Key words: wetland restoration, invasive fish, Everglades