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Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries (FCE LTER), Everglades National Park, South Florida, USA, December 2010 to July 2013


At a Glance


Authors: Jennifer Rehage
Time period: 2010-12-17 to 2013-07-01
Package id: knb-lter-fce.1199.3
Dataset id: LT_TDCS_Rehage_003

How to cite:
Rehage, J.. 2022. Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries (FCE LTER), Everglades National Park, South Florida, USA, December 2010 to July 2013. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/cf25fb8c2996ab74bbc98aa36704a762. Dataset accessed 2024-12-04.

Geographic Coverage


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Detailed Metadata


  • Dataset Abstract
    We measured the trophic transfer of secondary consumer biomass from the Everglades marshes to the oligohaline reaches of the Shark River by sampling the diets of four common large bodied piscivorous fishes occurring at the marsh-estuary oligohaline ecotone. The four species sampled were Florida bass (Micropterus floridanus), bowfin (Amia calva), common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), and red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). We sampled diets via pulsed gastric lavage, a relatively non-lethal and effective sampling technique used to measure trophic interactions. We quantified trophic transfer of marsh biomass to the estuary when a focal piscivore consumed a prey species that was likely a migrant from adjacent marshes. A more detailed description of these methods can be found in citation #28. In the presented data, we combined estimates of relative abundance of piscivores from standardized electrofishing techniques (# of piscivores/ 100 meters of sampled shoreline) with biomass of marsh species consumed in the estuary to calculate the biomass (g) transferred to the estuary per 100 meters of shoreline. These values serve as our index of how much biomass is being exported off of the marsh to the estuary through consumer mediated habitat linkages. An important key finding from this work is that disturbance, in particular drought, can sever this biomass linkage, and conserve biomass export off of karstic wetlands to estuaries through of marsh secondary consumer trophic pathways.
  • Geographic Coverage
    Study Extent Description
    The Study Extent of this dataset includes areas near FCE Shark River Estuary, Everglades National Park, South Florida

    Bounding Coordinates
    The Study Extent of this dataset includes areas near FCE Shark River Estuary, Everglades National Park, South Florida
    N: 25.761, S: 24.913, E: -80.49, W: -81.078

  • Attributes
    • Data Table:   Data for Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries
      Attribute Name:
      Date
      Attribute Label:
      Collection date
      Attribute Definition:
      sampling date
      Storage Type:
      datetime
      Measurement Scale:
      Missing Value Code:
       

      Attribute Name:
      Latitude_DD
      Attribute Label:
      Latitude_DD
      Attribute Definition:
      Latitude
      Storage Type:
      coordinate
      Measurement Scale:
      Latitude
      Missing Value Code:
      -9999.000 (Value will never be recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      Longitude_DD
      Attribute Label:
      Longitude_DD
      Attribute Definition:
      Longitude
      Storage Type:
      coordinate
      Measurement Scale:
      Longitude
      Missing Value Code:
      -9999.000 (Value will never be recorded)

      Attribute Name:
      BIOMASS_CONSUMED_PER_100_M
      Attribute Label:
      biomass
      Attribute Definition:
      Biomass of allochthonous marsh floodplain prey consumed by common piscivores found in the estuary
      Storage Type:
      data
      Measurement Scale:
      Units: gram
      Precision: 0.01
      Number Type: real
      Missing Value Code:
      -9999.000 (Value will never be recorded)


  • Methods
    Sampling Description
    We captured snook using a boat-mounted, generator-powered electrofisher (two-anode, one cathode Smith-Root 9.0 unit) . Boat electrofishing is an effective sampling technique in freshwater habitats, including the Everglades, and has been used successfully to sample upper estuarine fish communities. We conducted three replicate electrofishing bouts (timed sampling transects) at fixed locations in each site, each 200 m apart. For each bout, we ran the boat at idle speed at a randomly-selected creek shoreline and applied power for 5 min of time, during which two netters captured all immobilized fishes. We standardize power output to 1500 Watts, given temperature and conductance conditions measured at the beginning of each bout.

    Method Step

    Description
    We sampled diets via pulsed gastric lavage, a relatively non-lethal and effective sampling technique. We followed protocols found in IACUC Protocol #12-030.

    Instrumentation
    The gastric lavage was built in the lab using a 50 Gallon per hour bilge pump andpressure fitted tubing. The nossel tubing of the lavage is 3/8 inch in diameter.

    Method Step

    Description
    We captured snook using a boat-mounted, generator-powered electrofisher (two-anode, one cathode Smith-Root 9.0 unit) . Boat electrofishing is an effective sampling technique in freshwater habitats, including the Everglades, and has been used successfully to sample upper estuarine fish communities. We conducted three replicate electrofishing bouts (timed sampling transects) at fixed locations in each site, each 200 m apart. For each bout, we ran the boat at idle speed at a randomly-selected creek shoreline and applied power for 5 min of time, during which two netters captured all immobilized fishes. We standardize power output to 1500 Watts, given temperature and conductance conditions measured at the beginning of each bout.

    Instrumentation
    21' Aluminum boat fitted with a generator and other electrofishing equipment (see citation 28)

    Method Step

    Description
    Method Citations:

    Boucek, Ross E., and Jennifer S. Rehage. “No Free Lunch: Displaced Marsh Consumers Regulate a Prey Subsidy to an Estuarine Consumer.” Oikos, vol. 122, no. 10, [Nordic Society Oikos, Wiley], 2013, pp. 1453–64, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24567377.

    Young, Joy. Spatiotemporal dynamics of spawning aggregations of common snook on the east coast of Florida. Marine Ecology Press Series, 505: 227-240.


    Quality Control
    Employees, check entered data following standard QA/QC procedures.
  • Distribution and Intellectual Rights
    Online distribution
    https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-fce/1199/3/7ffd6b65aac0a18716d75cf28403133a
    Data Submission Date:  2014-11-17

    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
    FCE, Florida Coastal Everglades LTER, ecological research, long-term monitoring, consumer dynamics, fishes, Rookery Branch, Electrofishing, Everglades National Park, catches, consumers, freshwater, estuaries, species, Consumer mediated habitat linkages, Everglades estuary, consumers, biomass, trophic transfer, Everglades marsh consumer, secondary consumer biomass, biomass transfer, FCE LTER, populations
  • Dataset Contact
    • Name: Ross Boucek 
    • Organization: Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program
    • Address: Florida International University
      University Park
      ECS 119
      Miami, FL 33199 USA
    • Phone: 305-348-0181
    • Email: rbouc003@fiu.edu

    • Position: Information Manager
    • Organization: Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program
    • Address: Florida International University
      University Park
      OE 148
      Miami, FL 33199 USA
    • Phone: 305-348-6054
    • Fax: 305-348-4096
    • Email: fcelter@fiu.edu
    • URL: http://fcelter.fiu.edu

  • Data Table and Format
    Data Table:  Data for Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries

    Entity Name:
    LT_TDCS_Rehage_003
    Entity Description:
    Data for Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries
    Object Name:
    LT_TDCS_Rehage_003.csv
    Number of Header Lines:
    1
    Attribute Orientation:
    column
    Field Delimiter:
    ,
    Number of Records:
    285