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evaluation of methodology, dispersal and habitat usage of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) from a supplemental stocking on Lake Okeechobee, Florida
Title
An evaluation of methodology, dispersal and habitat usage of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) from a supplemental stocking on Lake Okeechobee, Florida.
Creator
Jordan, Alyssa., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fishery was at an all time low on Lake Okeechobee when experimental supplemental stockings were done to try and enhance local bass populations. Largemouth bass had never been stocked on a large lake like Lake Okeechobee. The objectives were to develop a methodology, study dispersal, and compare stocked versus wild bass habitat choices. The methodology underwent considerable changes between studies. Bass dispersed to the edges by the second sampling...
Show moreThe largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fishery was at an all time low on Lake Okeechobee when experimental supplemental stockings were done to try and enhance local bass populations. Largemouth bass had never been stocked on a large lake like Lake Okeechobee. The objectives were to develop a methodology, study dispersal, and compare stocked versus wild bass habitat choices. The methodology underwent considerable changes between studies. Bass dispersed to the edges by the second sampling period, so a larger sampling area may be needed. Water depth and pH were found to be significantly different between wild and stocked bass. Hatchery bass are naèive about predators, which may have resulted in stocked bass not moving to shallower areas like wild bass. The pH was weakly correlated with depth, so differences may be partially due to the fact that as depth increases, pH may also increase.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3342199
Subject Headings
Largemouth bass, Habitat, Largemouth bass, Ecology, Freshwater ecology, Fishery management, Ecology
Format
Document (PDF)
INFLUENCE OF HYDROLOGICAL VARIATION ON WADING BIRD DIETS AND REPRODUCTION IN A LACUSTRINE WETLAND
Title
INFLUENCE OF HYDROLOGICAL VARIATION ON WADING BIRD DIETS AND REPRODUCTION IN A LACUSTRINE WETLAND.
Creator
Essian, David A., Gawlik, Dale E., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Wetlandscape topography creates spatial variation in hydroperiod, which in turn creates spatial variation in biotic communities. Such spatiotemporal variation occurs on a large scale in some of the most productive wetlands in the world, including those of south Florida, U.S.A. Wading birds (Pelicaniformes and Ciconiiformes) are iconic, top-level consumers of such ecosystems. Infrequent drying is necessary to maintain the primary nest substrate (Salix caroliniana), and prey availability is...
Show moreWetlandscape topography creates spatial variation in hydroperiod, which in turn creates spatial variation in biotic communities. Such spatiotemporal variation occurs on a large scale in some of the most productive wetlands in the world, including those of south Florida, U.S.A. Wading birds (Pelicaniformes and Ciconiiformes) are iconic, top-level consumers of such ecosystems. Infrequent drying is necessary to maintain the primary nest substrate (Salix caroliniana), and prey availability is regulated by production of prey biomass in the wet season and the subsequent concentration of prey biomass into shallow pools during the dry season. The goal of this dissertation was to explicitly model wading bird nest abundance and survival as functions of water-level fluctuations, which were spatially nested (i.e., the effects of water-level fluctuations that occurred over a large scale were measured separately from the effects of water-level fluctuations that occurred over a small scale). In Chapter 2, I modeled colony-specific effects of wetlandscape water level fluctuations on wading bird nest abundance. Modeling the response at the colony level allowed the inclusion of important parameters that cannot be measured at the wetlandscape scale. For instance, each colony had its own optimal range of lake stage, which depended on local topography. I used the models to predict cumulative nest abundance under six hydrologic scenarios that were based on potential water management actions at Lake Okeechobee. I found that increasing water levels at the lake would marginally benefit the Great Egret but would substantially reduce long-term Snowy Egret and White Ibis populations. In Chapter 3, I modelled spatiotemporal distributions of fish biomass density in Lake Okeechobee’s littoral zone as a function of hierarchically nested hydrological variables. These models were consistent with the dynamic landscape connectivity model previously described in the literature. I modified the models to predict a binomial response which could then be linked to wading bird foraging threshold. The model predictions were used to estimate the number of available patch days during the breeding season, which was highly correlated with the number of nests for the great egret (Ardea alba), the snowy egret (Egretta thula), and the white ibis (Eudocimus albus). In Chapter 4, I used spatial statistics to better understand how interannual variability in resource wave patterns in the littoral zone influenced wading bird nest abundance. I found that more birds nested in years when the drying edge of the marsh moved further across the landscape. Great egret nest survival increased also, but small heron nest survival decreased. This decrease was likely because small herons continued to nest late into the season in years with longer waves, and, as with most bird species, nests that are initiated later in the season. In Chapter 5, I compiled conventional nestling diet data from 5 wading bird species sampled in 4 wetland types from 2010 to 2020 (not every wetland type was sampled in every year). This chapter provides a comprehensive, broad description of wading bird diets in south Florida, and quantifies interspecies, spatial, and interannual variation in nestling diets. By using a model-based approach to quantify the relative biomass of prey species and prey traits in nestling diets, I provide the first diet analysis that is fully reproducible across the large sympatric range of the wading bird species in the study (great egret, snowy egret, tricolored heron [Egretta tricolor], little blue heron [Egretta caerulea], and wood stork [Mycteria americana]).
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Date Issued
2022
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013908
Subject Headings
Wading birds, Wetland ecology, Okeechobee, Lake (Fla.), Lacustrine ecology, Lake ecology--Florida.
Format
Document (PDF)
Diet and Nesting Habitat of Wading Birds in a Shallow, Eutrophic Lake
Title
Diet and Nesting Habitat of Wading Birds in a Shallow, Eutrophic Lake.
Creator
May, Jenna C., Gawlik, Dale E., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Avian reproductive success varies depending on environmental conditions, degree of predation, location, and food availability. I examined food availability and nesting habitat of wading birds in South Florida. Evaluating prey availability and prey used by two small heron species demonstrated the ability for small herons to maintain consistent diets through fluctuating environmental conditions, within and across different wetland types. Small herons may be able to cope with environmental...
Show moreAvian reproductive success varies depending on environmental conditions, degree of predation, location, and food availability. I examined food availability and nesting habitat of wading birds in South Florida. Evaluating prey availability and prey used by two small heron species demonstrated the ability for small herons to maintain consistent diets through fluctuating environmental conditions, within and across different wetland types. Small herons may be able to cope with environmental changes by altering foraging locations and strategies. Regarding nesting habitat, man-made sites may provide habitat comparable to natural sites, at least in the short-term. The nest’s position can influence its susceptibility to increased temperatures and predators, particularly for. Climatic conditions such as rainfall can also impact nesting success by altering foraging conditions and fish behavior. Understanding the effects of hydrologic regimes on biota can have practical applications since ecosystems around the world share similar problems with competing demands for resources, and there is a concern for how use can affect the quality of the resource.
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Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013087
Subject Headings
Wading birds., Herons--Ecology., Okeechobee, Lake (Fla.)
Format
Document (PDF)
REPRODUCTIVE RESPONSES OF THREE HERON SPECIES TO VARIABLE FORAGING CONDITIONS AND NESTING ISLAND TYPE IN A MANAGED LAKE ECOSYSTEM
Title
REPRODUCTIVE RESPONSES OF THREE HERON SPECIES TO VARIABLE FORAGING CONDITIONS AND NESTING ISLAND TYPE IN A MANAGED LAKE ECOSYSTEM.
Creator
Evans, Jacquelyn D., Gawlik, Dale E., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
The relationship between water-level fluctuations and wading bird nest numbers and nesting location is well documented, yet species-specific reproductive responses of wading birds to environmental drivers and nesting habitat type is poorly understood. Here, I compared the reproductive responses of two ecologically similar species, Snowy Egret and Tricolored Heron, to foraging conditions influenced by water management and examined the effect of nestling island type on the reproductive success...
Show moreThe relationship between water-level fluctuations and wading bird nest numbers and nesting location is well documented, yet species-specific reproductive responses of wading birds to environmental drivers and nesting habitat type is poorly understood. Here, I compared the reproductive responses of two ecologically similar species, Snowy Egret and Tricolored Heron, to foraging conditions influenced by water management and examined the effect of nestling island type on the reproductive success of three wading bird species. Reproductive responses to foraging conditions were broadly similar between Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons, however this study revealed specific-specific differences that could lead to different population dynamics in response to management over the long-term. I also found that these two species had lower productivity at spoil islands than marsh colonies, whereas Great Egret productivity did not vary by colony type. This study demonstrates the importance of establishing species-species relationships between productivity and environmental conditions
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Date Issued
2020
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013550
Subject Headings
Herons--Ecology, Reproduction, Nesting behavior, Okeechobee, Lake (Fla), Species
Format
Document (PDF)
Software development for ecological data systems
Title
Software development for ecological data systems.
Creator
Lostal, Sergio L., Florida Atlantic University, Larrondo-Petrie, Maria M., Solomon, Martin K., College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Abstract/Description
Software development for ecological data systems is concentrated in the description, modeling, and standardization of large amounts of ecological data. Ecological data assembled in many formats is very difficult to reuse. This thesis develops a database model that supports the storage of heterogeneous data in standardized formats. Ecological data standardization is solved with the specification of a structure conversion system. Because input formats cannot be predicted, a scientific data...
Show moreSoftware development for ecological data systems is concentrated in the description, modeling, and standardization of large amounts of ecological data. Ecological data assembled in many formats is very difficult to reuse. This thesis develops a database model that supports the storage of heterogeneous data in standardized formats. Ecological data standardization is solved with the specification of a structure conversion system. Because input formats cannot be predicted, a scientific data description language was created to control the execution of the conversion system. System analysis is based on interviews with South Florida Water Management District scientists conducting ecosystem research, and ecological data collected at Lake Okeechobee, Florida, during a five-year study. Object-oriented and structural methods were used for analysis. Development is complemented with an introduction to user interfaces.
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Date Issued
1996
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15344
Subject Headings
Ecology--Data processing, Information storage and retrieval systems--Ecology, Okeechobee, Lake (Fla)
Format
Document (PDF)