Abstract
The spatial and temporal dynamics of the ichthyofauna within a seasonally impounded mangrove ecosystem were studied through biweekly daylight seining. Indices for assemblage structure showed low values in winter months and high values in April and May. The species assemblages differed markedly by site and with season. Abiotic factors had an effect on the ichthyofauna; abundance was inversely related to water level, whereas species composition was weakly related to salinity. The 41 species collected were common to Florida, USA mangrove communities, with the important exception of blackchin tilapiaTilapia melanotheron. This exotic species was the second most abundant in terms of overall catch, and its presence represents a significant change from previous ichthyofaunal surveys from impounded mangrove/saltmarsh habitats. Blackchin tilapia constituted over 90% of biomass estimates in winter, when the entire ichthyofauna was concentrated in the deeper areas of the system. The impoundment of mangrove ecosystems in Florida has created an abundant network of preferred habitats for blackchin tilapia. The impact of this species on the native fauna is unclear and deserves further study.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Anderson, R. O. and R. M. Neumann. 1996. Length-weight and associated structural indices. p. 447–482.In B. R. Murphy and D. W. Willis (eds.) Fisheries Techniques, second edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Brockmeyer Jr., R. E., J. R. Rey, R. W. Virnstein, R. G. Gilmore, and L. Earnest. 1997. Rehabilitation of impounded estuarine wetlands by hydrologic reconnection to the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (USA). Wetlands Ecology and Management 4:93–109.
Carlson, D. B., P. D. O’Bryan, and J. R. Rey. 1991. A review of current salt marsh management issues in Florida. Salt Marsh Management 7:83–86.
Faunce, C. H. 1995. Population study of blackchin tilapia (Tilapia melanotheron) and associated fishes within an impounded salt marsh of east-central Florida. M.S. Thesis, Florida Institute of Technology, Melboune, FL, USA.
Gilmore, R. G. 1987. Fish, macroerustacean and avian population dynamics and cohabitation in tidally influenced impounded subtropical wetlands. p. 373–394.In W. R. Whitman and W. H. Meridith (eds.) Waterfowl and Wetlands Symposium on Waterfowl and Wetlands Management Program. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Dover, DE, USA.
Gilmore, R. G. 1995. Environmental and biogeographic factors influencing iethyofaunal diversity: Indian River Lagoon. Bulletin of Marine Science 57:153–170.
Gilmore, R. G., D. W. Cooke, and C. J. Donohoe. 1982. A comparison of the fish populations and habitat in open and closed salt marsh impoundments in east-central Florida. Northeast Gulf Science 5:25–37.
Gilmore, R. G., D. J. Peters, J. L. Fyfe, and P. D. O’Brian. 1985a. Fish, macrocrustacean and avian population dynamics in a tidally influenced impounded subtropical salt marsh. Final Report, Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, Coastal Zone Management, Gainesville, FL, USA, CZM-93.
Gilmore, R. G., P. B. Hood, R. E. Brockmeyer, and D. M. Scheidt. 1985b. Final report: salt marsh fishery management and restoration technique analysis. Florida Sea Grant, Gainesville, FL, USA. R/C-E-23.
Gilmore, R. G. and S. C. Snedaker. 1993. Mangrove forests. p. 165–198.In W. H. Murtin, S. G. Boyce, and A. C. Echternacht (eds.) Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States/Lowland Terrestrial Communities. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
Harrington, R. W. and E. S. Harrington. 1982. Effects on fishes and their forage organisms of impounding a Florida salt marsh to prevent breeding by salt marsh mosquitos. Bulletin of Marine Science 32:523–531.
Jennings, D. P. and J. D. Williams. 1992. Factors influencing the distribution of blackehin tilapia,Tilapia melanotheron (Osteichthys: Cichlidae) in the Indian River System, Florida. Notheast Gulf Science 5:25–37.
Jennings, D. P. 1991. Behavioral aspects of cold tolerance of blackchin tilapiaTilapia melanotheron (Pisces, Cichlidae) at different salinities. Environmental Biology of Fishes 31:185–195.
Kangas, P. C. and A. E. Lugo. 1990. The distribution of mangroves and saltmarsh in Florida. Tropical Ecology 31:32–39.
Lewis, R. R., R. G. Gilmore, J. D. Crewz, and W. E. Odum. 1985. Mangrove habitat and fishery resources in Florida. p. 281–336.In W. Seaman Jr. (ed.) Florida Aquatic Habitat and Fishery Resources. Florida Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Lin, J. and J. L. Beal. 1995. Effects of mangrove marsh management on fish and decapod communities. Bulletin of Marine Science 57: 193–201.
Lorenz, J. J., C. C. McIvor, G. V. N. Powell, and P. C. Frederick, 1997. A drop net and removable walkway used to quanititatively sample fishes over wetland surfaces in the dwarf mangroves of the southern Everglades. Wetlands 17:346–359.
Ludwig, J. A. and J. F. Reynolds. 1988. Statistical Ecology: a Primer on Methods and Computing. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, USA.
Magurran, A. E. 1988. Ecological Diversity and Its Measurement. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.
O’Bryan, P. D., D. B. Carlson, and R. G. Gilmore. 1990. Salt marsh mitigation: an example of the process of balancing mosquito control, natural resource, and development interests. Florida Scientist 53:189–203.
Odum, W. E. and E. J. Heald. 1972. Trophic analysis of an estuarine mangrove community. Bulletin of Marine Science 22:671–738.
Pauly, D. 1976. The biology, fishery and potential for aquaculture ofTilapia melanotheron in a small West African lagoon. Aquaculture 7:33–49.
Provost, M. W. 1974. Mean high water mark and use of tidelands in Florida. Florida Scientist 36:50–65.
Rey, J. R. and T. Kain. 1989. A Guide to the Salt Marsh Impoundments of Florida. University of Florida, Medical Entomology Laboratory, Vero Beach, FL, USA.
Rey, J. R., J. Shaffer, and D. Tremain. 1990. Effects of re-establishing tidal connections in two impounded subtropical marshes on fishes and physical conditions. Wetlands 10:27–45.
Rey, J. R., T. Kain, and R. Stahl. 1991. Wetland impoundments of east-central Florida. Florida Scientist 54:33–40.
Rey, J. R., M. S. Peterson, T. R. Kain, F. E. Vose, and R. A. Crossman. 1990. Fish populations and physical conditions in ditched and impounded marshes in east-central Florida. Northeast Gulf Science 11:163–170.
Rey, J. R., J. Shaffer, T. Kain, and R. Crossman. 1992. Sulfide variation in the pore and surface waters of artificial salt-marsh ditches and a natural tidal creek. Estuaries 15:257–269.
Robins, C. R., R. M. Bailey, C. E. Bond, I. R. Brooker, E. A. Lachner, R. N. Lea, and W. B. Scott. 1991. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada, fifth edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD, USA. Special Publication No. 20.
Ross, S. T. 1991. Mechanisms structuring stream fish assemblages: are there lessons from introduced species? Environmental Biology of Fishes 30:359–368.
Shafland, P. L. and J. M. Pestrak. 1982. Lower lethal temperatures for fourteen non-native fishes in Florida. Environmental Biology of Fishes 7:149–156.
Shafland, P. L. 1986. A review of Florida’s effort to regulate, assess, and manage exotic fishes. Fisheries 11:20–25.
Sokal, R. R. and J. F. Rolf. 1981. Biometry: the Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research. W.H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Taylor, D. S., G. R. Poulakis, S. R. Kupschus, and C. H. Faunce. 1998. Estuarine reconnection of an impounded mangrove salt marsh in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: short-term changes in fish fauna. Mangroves and Saltmarshes 2:29–36.
Taylor, J. S., W. R. Courtenay, Jr., and J. A. McCann. 1984. Known impacts of exotic fishes in the continental United States. p. 322–373.In W. R. Courtenay, Jr. and J. R. Stauffer (eds.) Distribution, Biology, and Management of Exotic Fishes, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.
ter Braak, C. J. F. 1995. Ordination. p. 91–173In R. H. G. Jongman, C. J. F. ter Braak, and O. F. R. Van Tongeren (eds.) Data Analysis in Community and Landscape Ecology. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, USA.
Thayer, G. W., D. R. Colby, and W. F. Hettler. 1987. Utilization of the red mangrove prop root habitat by fishes in south Florida. Marine Ecology Progress Series 35:25–38.
Traxler, S. L. and B. Murphy. 1995. Experimental trophic ecology of juvenile largemouth bass,Micropterus salmoides, and blue tilapia,Oreochromis aureus. Environmental Biology of Fishes 42: 201–211.
Trewevas, E. 1983. Tilapiine Fishes of the GeneraSarotherodon, Oreochromis andDanakilia. British Museum (Natural History) Publication No. 878. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Virnstein, R. W. 1990. The large spatial and temporal biological variability of the Indian River Lagoon. Florida Scientist 53:249–256.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Faunce, C.H., Paperno, R. Tilapia-Dominated fish assemblages within an impounded mangrove ecosystem in east-central Florida. Wetlands 19, 126–138 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161741
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161741