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Stomach contents and stable isotopes from the aquatic food web in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, 2018-2019


At a Glance


(Zip file containing 5 files)

Authors: Peter Flood, Bradley Strickland, Joel Trexler
Time period: 2018-01-01 to 2019-12-31
Package id: knb-lter-fce.1259.1

How to cite:
Flood, P., B. Strickland, J. Trexler. 2025. Stomach contents and stable isotopes from the aquatic food web in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, 2018-2019. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/306f6b68dd46ae201f628b0a240d1673. Dataset accessed 2025-01-18.

Geographic Coverage
This data set contains the following files.

FCE1259_species_codes_key
Key to six letter species codes for taxa
Attribute table details     Download

FCE1259_size_class_code_key
Key to abbreviations per taxon that are used for size/ontogenetic class columns in some data files.
Attribute table details     Download

FCE1259_isotope_merge_all
Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and associated covariates
Attribute table details     Download

FCE1259_dpe_stomach_contents_raw_data
Counts and volumes (mL) of stomach contents from fishes collected from Everglades National Park in wet season 2018 and dry season 2019
Attribute table details     Download

FCE1259_pre-invasion_individual_trophic_positions
Pre-invasion trophic positions calculated from stomach contents where each row represents an individual fish. Associated raw data for this file are in FCE1263 (https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-fce&identifier=1263). Those data are featured in Flood et al. 2023 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00265. We have archived this formatted file used in analyses for this project for convenience and reproducibility. R code for creating this data file is available on Peter Flood's GitHub: https://github.com/pjflood/diet_and_pond_enrichment
Attribute table details     Download



View detailed metadata as:   HTML    Text    XML


Detailed Metadata


  • Dataset Abstract
    Stable isotope samples were collected among habitats and between seasons at multiple sites in both Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough of Everglades National Park to represent as much of the aquatic food web as possible. Stomach contents were also recorded for many of the collected vertebrate samples. Sampling occurred between October 2018 and April 2019. These data are a follow up study to the FCE1263 data package (https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-fce&identifier=1263) following the invasion of several fishes, most notably the African Jewelfish (Rubricatochromis letourneuxi), although there are some differences in habitats sampled and overall spatial coverage. R code for analyses associated with these data are available at https://github.com/pjflood/diet_and_pond_enrichment. Data collection is complete.
  • Geographic Coverage
    Bounding Coordinates
    AHMDB
    N: 25.32298757, S: 25.32298757, E: -80.64061707, W: -80.64061707

    AH2
    N: 25.33566355, S: 25.33566355, E: -80.62850632, W: -80.62850632

    AH3
    N: 25.29966428, S: 25.29966428, E: -80.66084188, W: -80.66084188

    AH5
    N: 25.26749111, S: 25.26749111, E: -80.68250223, W: -80.68250223

    AH9
    N: 25.35749112, S: 25.35749112, E: -80.60116797, W: -80.60116797

    AH11
    N: 25.52399379, S: 25.52399379, E: -80.8000053, W: -80.8000053

    AH13
    N: 25.49682767, S: 25.49682767, E: -80.82633873, W: -80.82633873

    CPB
    N: 25.63516028, S: 25.63516028, E: -80.74400553, W: -80.74400553

    LJB
    N: 25.63016576, S: 25.63016576, E: -80.71900363, W: -80.71900363

    WG16
    N: 25.4831582, S: 25.4831582, E: -80.83650644, W: -80.83650644

  • Attributes
    • Data Table:   Key to six letter species codes for taxa
      Attribute Name:
      Species_abbreviation
      Attribute Label:
      Species_abbreviation
      Attribute Definition:
      Six letter code that represents the taxonomic group for that sample. Usually the first three letters of the species followed by the first three letters of the genus. For groups at a higher taxonomic level than species, it is the first six letters of that group (e.g., Coleoptera = COLEOA)
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Scientific_name
      Attribute Label:
      Scientific_name
      Attribute Definition:
      Genus and species for that individual, or higher order taxonomic group if not identified to species
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No scientific name associated with that group)

      Attribute Name:
      Common_name
      Attribute Label:
      Common_name
      Attribute Definition:
      Common name for that taxon
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No accepted common name associated with that group)


    • Data Table:   Key to abbreviations per taxon that are used for size/ontogenetic class columns in some data files.
      Attribute Name:
      Scientific_Name
      Attribute Label:
      Scientific_Name
      Attribute Definition:
      Scientific name for that taxon, usually genus and species but is occasionally a higher order taxonomic group.
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Common_Name
      Attribute Label:
      Common_Name
      Attribute Definition:
      Common name for that taxon
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No accepted common name associated with that group)

      Attribute Name:
      Abbr
      Attribute Label:
      Abbr
      Attribute Definition:
      Abbreviation that gets used for that taxon in other data files. In other data files this abbreviation is followed by a number that represents the size class based on length of the animal
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (This taxon was not assigned to size classes. Size classes only used for vertebrate taxa.)


    • Data Table:   Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and associated covariates
      Attribute Name:
      ID
      Attribute Label:
      ID
      Attribute Definition:
      Unique identifier for individual samples (e.g., an individual fish)
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Species
      Attribute Label:
      Species
      Attribute Definition:
      Six letter code that represents the taxonomic group for that sample. Usually the first three letters of the species followed by the first three letters of the genus. For groups at a higher taxonomic level than species, it is the first six letters of that group (e.g., Coleoptera = COLEOA)
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No species recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      size_class
      Attribute Label:
      size_class
      Attribute Definition:
      Size class based on length that is in the form of capitalized first letter of the genus, period, first three letters of the species, numeric representation of size class with 1 being the smallest
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Only vertebrate samples were assigned to size classes)

      Attribute Name:
      Percent_C
      Attribute Label:
      Percent_C
      Attribute Definition:
      Percent carbon from stable isotope analysis
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: percent
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No carbon peak was recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Percent_N
      Attribute Label:
      Percent_N
      Attribute Definition:
      Percent nitrogen from stable isotope analysis
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: percent
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No nitrogen peak was recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      d13C
      Attribute Label:
      d13C
      Attribute Definition:
      Ratio between the two carbon stable isotopes - 12C and 13C - relative to a lab standard
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: permil
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No carbon peak was recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      d15N
      Attribute Label:
      d15N
      Attribute Definition:
      Ratio between the two nitrogen stable isotopes - 14N and 15N - relative to a lab standard
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: permil
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No nitrogen peak was recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Season
      Attribute Label:
      Season
      Attribute Definition:
      Season, either wet or dry, in which the sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      Dry= Sample collected in March or April
      Wet= Samples collected from October through December
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Season not recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Site
      Attribute Label:
      Site
      Attribute Definition:
      Site at which the sample was collected, correspond to sites from long-term monitoring
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Site was not recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Habitat
      Attribute Label:
      Habitat
      Attribute Definition:
      Habitat in which the sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      Edge= Interface between the outside of the dense ring of vegetation surrounding alligator ponds (near pond) and the marsh
      Mangrove= Sample was collected in mangrove dominated habitat
      Marsh= Spikerush (Eleocharis spp) dominated marsh
      NP= Dense ring of vegetation that surrounds alligator ponds, np - near pond
      Pond= Alligator-engineered pond
      Sawgrass= Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) dominated marsh
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No habitat recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Slough
      Attribute Label:
      Slough
      Attribute Definition:
      Slough in which the sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      SRS= Shark River Slough
      TSL= Taylor Slough
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No slough recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Sample_Type
      Attribute Label:
      Sample_Type
      Attribute Definition:
      Broad grouping for samples based on their type
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      cray= crayfish (Procambarus)
      invert= invertebrate
      om= organic matter - basal resources
      vert= vertebrate
      zooplankton= benthic zooplankton collected via inverted funnel traps as organisms migrated from the benthos into the water column
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No sample type recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Month
      Attribute Label:
      Month
      Attribute Definition:
      Numeric representation of month with 1 being January and 12 being December
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: number
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (no month was entered for that sample)

      Attribute Name:
      Day
      Attribute Label:
      Day
      Attribute Definition:
      Day of the month sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: number
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No day was recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Year
      Attribute Label:
      Year
      Attribute Definition:
      Year the sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      dateTime
      Measurement Scale:
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No year recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Throw
      Attribute Label:
      Throw
      Attribute Definition:
      For sample collected via throw trap, the ordinal number of the throw in which the sample was collected
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      1= Throw 1
      2= Throw 2
      3= Throw 3
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Sample was not collected via throw trap)

      Attribute Name:
      Length
      Attribute Label:
      Length
      Attribute Definition:
      Standard length for fishes, carapace length for crayfish, snout-vent length for herpetofauna
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: millimeter
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No length recorded, specimen may have been damaged)

      Attribute Name:
      Wet_Weight
      Attribute Label:
      Wet_Weight
      Attribute Definition:
      Wet weight of that individual
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: gram
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No wet weight recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Sex
      Attribute Label:
      Sex
      Attribute Definition:
      Sex of that individual
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      1= male
      2= female
      3= juvenile
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Sex not recorded for all species, typically only for poecilids)

      Attribute Name:
      Stomach_Kept
      Attribute Label:
      Stomach_Kept
      Attribute Definition:
      Whether or not the stomach was retained from that individual
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      N= No, stomach was discarded
      Y= Yes, stomach was preserved
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (Stomach contents not quantified for that individual. Stomach contents were only vertebrates and not for all vertebrate samples.)

      Attribute Name:
      Comments
      Attribute Label:
      Comments
      Attribute Definition:
      Comments related to sample processing
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No comment was recorded)


    • Data Table:   Counts and volumes (mL) of stomach contents from fishes collected from Everglades National Park in wet season 2018 and dry season 2019
      Attribute Name:
      ID
      Attribute Label:
      ID
      Attribute Definition:
      Unique identifier for individual samples (e.g., an individual fish)
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Diet_Item
      Attribute Label:
      Diet_Item
      Attribute Definition:
      Lowest possible taxonomic group for that diet item
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      - (Stomach was empty)

      Attribute Name:
      Count
      Attribute Label:
      Count
      Attribute Definition:
      Count of that prey item for that individual
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: number
      Number Type: integer
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Volume
      Attribute Label:
      Volume
      Attribute Definition:
      Volume of prey in milliliters, 0 was recorded for empty stomachs. For trace amounts we recorded 0.001.
      Storage Type:
      float
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: milliliter
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Comments
      Attribute Label:
      Comments
      Attribute Definition:
      Comments recorded during stomach dissections
      Storage Type:
      string
      Measurement Scale:
      text
      Missing Value Code:
      NA (No comment was recorded)


  • Methods
    Method Step

    Description
    We collected samples of basal resources up to piscivorous fishes and some herpetofauna to represent the aquatic food web. Flocculent detrital matter (“floc”) was collected in three different locations within each habitat and aggregated these into a single sample. Plants were collected by walking a transect across all three habitats and collected as a composite of leaves or stems from multiple individuals. We used several types of sampling to capture the aquatic consumer community: Brakke’s (1976) inverted-funnel traps, 1-m2 throw-traps, 3-mm wire-mesh minnow-traps, and omni-directional drift-fences. For analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, samples were freeze-dried, crushed, weighed into tin capsules, and sent to either the Florida International University Stable Isotope Lab or the Duke stable isotope lab (small animals from funnel traps). Stomach contents were analyzed for vertebrates.

    References:
    Brakke, D. F. (1976). Modification of the Whiteside–Williams Pattern Sampler. Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada, 33(12), 2861-2863.


    Method Step

    Description
    This method step describes provenance-based metadata as specified in the LTER EML Best Practices.

    Data Source
    Stomach contents (1977-1981) and stable isotopes (1994) from the Everglades, Florida, USA from the publication "Fishes in a seasonally pulsed wetland show spatiotemporal shifts in diet and trophic niche but not shifts in trophic position"

    Online distribution
    https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-fce/1263/3
    Contact
    Organization name: Florida Coastal Everglades LTER
    Email: pjfloodecology@gmail.com



  • Distribution and Intellectual Rights
    Online distribution
    https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-fce/1259/1/22e09d572dd98ab58ba2c118de23bdfb
    Intellectual Rights
    This information is released under the Creative Commons license - Attribution - CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) is required to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.

  • Keywords
    Stomach Contents, small fish, cyprinodontiform, FCE LTER, Everglades National Park, Florida Coastal Everglades LTER, populations, stable isotopes, fishes, populations
  • Data Table and Format
    Data Table:  Key to six letter species codes for taxa

    Entity Name:
    FCE1259_species_codes_key
    Entity Description:
    Key to six letter species codes for taxa
    Object Name:
    FCE1259_throwtrap_species_codes_key.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    263

    Data Table:  Key to abbreviations per taxon that are used for size/ontogenetic class columns in some data files.

    Entity Name:
    FCE1259_size_class_code_key
    Entity Description:
    Key to abbreviations per taxon that are used for size/ontogenetic class columns in some data files.
    Object Name:
    FCE1259_size_class_code_key.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    92

    Data Table:  Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and associated covariates

    Entity Name:
    FCE1259_isotope_merge_all
    Entity Description:
    Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and associated covariates
    Object Name:
    FCE1259_isotope_merge_all.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    4060

    Data Table:  Counts and volumes (mL) of stomach contents from fishes collected from Everglades National Park in wet season 2018 and dry season 2019

    Entity Name:
    FCE1259_dpe_stomach_contents_raw_data
    Entity Description:
    Counts and volumes (mL) of stomach contents from fishes collected from Everglades National Park in wet season 2018 and dry season 2019
    Object Name:
    FCE1259_dpe_stomach_contents_raw_data.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    3751

    Data Table:  Pre-invasion trophic positions calculated from stomach contents where each row represents an individual fish. Associated raw data for this file are in FCE1263 (https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-fce&identifier=1263). Those data are featured in Flood et al. 2023 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00265. We have archived this formatted file used in analyses for this project for convenience and reproducibility. R code for creating this data file is available on Peter Flood's GitHub: https://github.com/pjflood/diet_and_pond_enrichment

    Entity Name:
    FCE1259_pre-invasion_individual_trophic_positions
    Entity Description:
    Pre-invasion trophic positions calculated from stomach contents where each row represents an individual fish. Associated raw data for this file are in FCE1263 (https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-fce&identifier=1263). Those data are featured in Flood et al. 2023 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00265. We have archived this formatted file used in analyses for this project for convenience and reproducibility. R code for creating this data file is available on Peter Flood's GitHub: https://github.com/pjflood/diet_and_pond_enrichment
    Object Name:
    FCE1259_pre-invasion_individual_trophic_positions.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    2910