Dataset title: Periphyton data from LTER Caribbean Karstic Region (CKR) study in Yucatan, Belize and Jamaica (FCE LTER) during 2006, 2007, 2008 Dataset ID: doi:10.6073/pasta/6f71911870cb18e274416d0bf297cdc4 Research type: Short-term Dataset Creator Name: Dr. Evelyn Gaiser Organization: Florida International University Address: 11200 S.W. 8th Street Miami, Florida 33199 USA Phone: 305-348-4096 Email: gaisere@fiu.edu URL: http://serc.fiu.edu/periphyton/ Metadata Provider Organization: Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program Address: Florida International University University Park OE 148 Miami, FL 33199 USA Phone: 305-348-6054 Email: fcelter@fiu.edu URL: http://fcelter.fiu.edu Dataset Abstract Several studies have shown that within the Florida Coastal Everglades, periphyton mat properties, (incuding biomass, nutrient and organic content, and community composition) vary predictably in response to water quality.The Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) wetland system is very similar with respect to climate, geology, hydrology and vegetation, to wetlands found in Jamaica, the Yucatan region of Mexico and parts of Belize. This study was therefore conducted to ascertain (i) the level of similarity between the periphyton diatom communities from karstic wetland sites in Belize, Mexico, Jamaica and comparable sites within the FCE, (ii) the relationship between periphyton biomass, TP levels and diatom community composition at these sites, and (iii) the feasibility of employing diatoms as indicators of water quality at these sites, using models relating diatom community composition to water quality from comparable sites within the FCE. Multiple wetland sites in Jamaica, the Yucatan region of Mexico and parts of Belize were visited between 2006 and 2008, during wet and dry seasons. At each site physico-chemical data were collected along with periphyton samples. The periphyton samples were processed in accordance with standard methods to obtain biomass, organic content and TP measures, and to identify and enumerate diatom and soft algae species. Various aspects of the diatom communities were then compared to previously compiled data on diatom communities from various parts of the FCE. SIMI analysis was used to determine the level of similarity between the systems and Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling was used to identify relationships between diatom communities and water quality. Dataset Purpose This study was conducted and the data compiled to ascertain (i) the level of similarity between the periphyton diatom communities from karstic wetland sites in Belize, Mexico, Jamaica and comparable sites within the FCE, (ii) the relationship between periphyton biomass, TP levels and diatom community composition at these sites, and (iii) the feasibility of employing diatoms as indicators of water quality at these sites, using models relating diatom community composition to water quality from comparable sites within the FCE. Geographic Coverage Study Extent Description This study was conducted within multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands displaying similar characteristics in three countries. The areas visited included the New River Lagoon in Lamanai Outpost, Indian Church, Belize, the Slip River, Black River Morass, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica and the Sian Ka'an national Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Each wetland area was visited on two occasions intended to represent wet and dry seasons. The Mexico sites were visited in December 2006 ( which is typically a dry period but experienced high rainfall during 2006 and so served as a wet season sampling session) and March 2008 (which is typically a wet period but experienced low rainfall during 2008 and so served as a dry season sampling session). The Belize sites were visited in May 2007 (which served as a dry season sampling session and November 2007 (which served as a wet season sampling session). The Jamaica sites were visited in December 2007 (which served as a dry season sampling session) and March 2008 (which served as a wet season sampling session). Bounding Coordinates Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands within the Sian Ka'an National Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico West bounding coordinate: -87.960 East bounding coordinate: -87.510 North bounding coordinate: 19.872 South bounding coordinate: 18.787 Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands within the Sian Ka'an National Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico West bounding coordinate: -87.960 East bounding coordinate: -87.510 North bounding coordinate: 19.827 South bounding coordinate: 18.787 Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands adjacent to the New River Lagoon in Lamanai Outpost, Indian Church, Belize West bounding coordinate: -88.653 East bounding coordinate: -88.633 North bounding coordinate: 17.785 South bounding coordinate: 17.735 Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands adjacent to the New River Lagoon in Lamanai Outpost, Indian Church, Belize West bounding coordinate: -88.64 East bounding coordinate: -88.63 North bounding coordinate: 17.78 South bounding coordinate: 17.62 Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands adjacent to the Slipe River, Black River Morass, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica West bounding coordinate: -77.81 East bounding coordinate: -78.78 North bounding coordinate: 18.05 South bounding coordinate: 18.03 Geographic description: Physico-chemical data and Periphyton mat samples were collected from multiple calcareous, shallow, short-hydroperiod, Eleocharis-dominated wetlands adjacent to the Slipe River, Black River Morass, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica West bounding coordinate: -77.81 East bounding coordinate: -78.78 North bounding coordinate: 18.05 South bounding coordinate: 18.03 Temporal Coverage Start Date: 2006-12-09 End Date: 2008-03-28 Data Table Entity Name: ST_PP_Lahee_002 Entity Description: Periphyton data from LTER Caribbean Karstic Region (CKR) study in Yucatan, Belize and Jamaica (FCE) during 2006, 2007, 2008 Object Name: ST_PP_Lahee_002.csv Data Format Number of Header Lines: 1 Attribute Orientation: column Field Delimiter: , Number of Records: Attributes Attribute Name: Region Attribute Label: Region Attribute Definition: Project Descriptor Storage Type: text Measurement Scale: B= BELIZE Y= YUCATAN,MEXICO J= JAMAICA Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: Site_ID Attribute Label: Site_ID Attribute Definition: Collection Site ID Number Storage Type: ordinal Measurement Scale: PETN= Peten North PETS= Peten South MARN= Marisma North Side MAH= Mahahual DAHS= Dahlbergia South Side LOSS= Los Lerios DC= Dawson's Creek NC= Nico's Creek EL= Eddie's Lagoon NRL= New River Lagoon BC= Bomb Crater CC= Crab Catcher LM= Limonal SL= Slipe River DIGI= Digicel Tower Marsh Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: Replicate Attribute Label: Replicate Attribute Definition: 1 to 7 replicate samples were collected from each site Storage Type: ordinal Measurement Scale: 1 to 7 replicate samples were collected from each site Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: Date Attribute Label: Sample date Attribute Definition: Sampling Collection Date Storage Type: datetime Measurement Scale: Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: TOTBIO Attribute Label: Total biovolume Attribute Definition: Periphyton + Utricularia purpurea / foliosa or other submerged macrophyte forming basis for the mat, along with epiphytic algae forming sweaters on plants + benthic periphyton; if no periphyton present, floc from bottom or green algae growing on plants collected Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: millimeter Precision: 1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: BIOV Attribute Label: Periphyton biovolume Attribute Definition: Periphyton only biovolume, with no macrophytes Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: millimeter Precision: 1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: MATTYP Attribute Label: Mat type Attribute Definition: Type of mat at sample site Storage Type: nominal Measurement Scale: 1= Calcareous, 2 Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: SOLTYP Attribute Label: Soil type Attribute Definition: Type of soil at sample site Storage Type: nominal Measurement Scale: 1= Rock, 2 Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: TP Attribute Label: Total Phosphorus Attribute Definition: Total Phosphorus level in mat sample Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: microgramsPerGram Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: DRY Attribute Label: Dry weight Attribute Definition: Dry weight of mat sample Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: gramsPerSquareMeter Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: AFDM Attribute Label: Ash Free Dry Mass Attribute Definition: Organic content of mat (Dry Weight - Ash Weight) Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: gramsPerSquareMeter Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: ORG Attribute Label: Organic content Attribute Definition: Organic content as a proportion of DW (AFDW/DW) Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: percent Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: CHLA Attribute Label: Chlorophyll Attribute Definition: Chlorophyll content of mat Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: microgramsPerSquareMeter Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Attribute Name: CHLCON Attribute Label: Chlorophyll concentration Attribute Definition: Chlorophyll concentration Storage Type: data Measurement Scale: Units: microgramsPerGram Precision: 0.1 Number Type: real Missing Value Code: -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded) Methods Sampling Description Eleocharis wetland areas were located within the region of interest and before sampling was conducted, water chemistry measurements, including pH, conductivity, salinity and temperature, were taken. At each Eleocharis wetland site, seven 1m2 areas were sampled using 1m2 throw traps. At each plot, a photograph was taken to record the surface view of the quadrat and the cover of periphyton on dominant substrates estimated. Periphyton was then cleared from plot, placed onto a seine net and sorted to remove animals, plants and marl. Periphyton only samples were then measured using perforated 2000 ml graduated cylinder which excluded water, and the periphyton biovolume was recorded. Submersed plants were then measured in the graduated cylinder to produce a total biovolume (Periphyton plus submersed plant) biovolume. A subsample of 120 ml (volume of urine cup) of periphyton only material was removed and placed in a sterile sample bag and placed in a cooler with ice for transport to the lab. When no observable periphyton mat was present, flocculent detritus was sampled non-quantitatively from the benthos and/or epiphytic fils were scraped from any macrophytes present. In the laboratory, each periphyton sample (in its sample bag) was weighed and a wet weight plus bag value recorded. The sample was then transferred to clean beaker, homogenized in a few ml distilled water (enough to fully moisten). The total volume of the homogenized sample was then measured in a graduated cylinder and this volume recorded as the Total Volume. The dried sample bag was then weighed and a bag weight recorded. From the homogenized Total volume, a 50 ml subsample was poured into a pre-weighed aluminum pan, dried in an oven for 24 hours and later removed and weighed to produce a Periphyton dry mass (DW). This sample was then placed in a muffle furnace for 3 hours and again weighed to produce an ash weight (AW). A 50 ml subsample was removed, placed in a labeled 120 ml cup and placed in an oven until dry. The dried contents were then ground and analyzed for nutrients (total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total carbon). A 1 ml subsample was removed and placed in a microvial for soft algae analysis. A 10 ml subsample was removed, put in vial and frozen until oxidized and analyzed for diatom analysis. A 1 ml subsample was removed and filtered through a GFF filter which was then analyzed for chlorophyll a. Method Step Description Instrumentation Portable pH/Conductivity/Temperature meter, Waterproof digital camera, Portable GPS, Periphyton methods: Biohomogenizer Hand held blender, Fume hood, Hot plate, oven, muffle furnace Gilmanfluorometer, Spectrophotometer, Carbon and Nitrogen analyzer (TC/TN, Perkin Elmer 2400 CHNSO) Distribution Online distribution: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-fce/1160/5/31d0f145dcb62cdce4c742d0590618ed Intellectual Rights These data are classified as 'Type II' whereby original FCE LTER experimental data collected by individual FCE researchers to be released to restricted audiences according to terms specified by the owners of the data. Type II data are considered to be exceptional and should be rare in occurrence. The justification for exceptions must be well documented and approved by the lead PI and Site Data Manager. Some examples of Type II data restrictions may include: locations of rare or endangered species, data that are covered under prior licensing or copyright (e.g., SPOT satellite data), or covered by the Human Subjects Act, Student Dissertation data and those data related to the FCE LTER Program but not funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under LTER grants #DEB-9910514, and # DBI-0620409. Researchers that make use of Type II Data may be subject to additional restrictions to protect any applicable commercial or confidentiality interests. All publications based on this dataset must cite the data Contributor, the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program and that this material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DEB-1237517, #DBI-0620409, and #DEB-9910514. Additionally, two copies of the manuscript must be submitted to the Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program Office, LTER Program Manager, Florida International University, Southeast Environmental Research Center, OE 148, University Park, Miami, Florida 33199. For a complete description of the FCE LTER Data Access Policy and Data User Agreement, please go to FCE Data Management Policy at http://fcelter.fiu.edu/data/DataMgmt.pdf and LTER Network Data Access Policy at http://fcelter.fiu.edu/data/core/data_user_agreement/distribution_policy.html. Dataset Keywords primary production periphyton biomass total phosphorus water quality diatoms species abundance communities pH water FCE Florida Coastal Everglades LTER ecological research long-term monitoring organic content Belize Jamaica Yucatan Karstic wetlands Data Submission Date: 2009-09-02 Maintenance This is a short-term primary production dataset and subsequent data wil be appended. This dataset replaces all previous versions of ST_PP_Lahee_002 original. There is, at this time, no ongoing data collection for this project. Species information may periodically updated, and data files may be updated if the investigators think additional variables may be of use or if additional sampling sites are identified in the future. The FCE program is discontinuing its practice of versioning data as of March 2013. Dataset Contact Name: Evelyn Gaiser Organization: Southeast Environmental Research Center Address: Florida International University University Park Miami, FL 33199 USA Phone: 305-348-4096 Email: gaisere@fiu.edu URL: http://serc.fiu.edu/periphyton/ 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 Dataset Submission Date 2009-09-02 Data Submission Notes This file contains diatom species counts for each of the sample sites. Diatom counts of at least 500 cells were done for each site, the species abundances were relativised to total count and are represented here as the percent abundance. Information Management Notes This is a short-term primary production dataset and subsequent data wil be appended. This dataset replaces all previous versions of ST_PP_Lahee_002 original. There is, at this time, no ongoing data collection for this project. Species information may periodically updated, and data files may be updated if the investigators think additional variables may be of use or if additional sampling sites are identified in the future. The FCE program is discontinuing its practice of versioning data as of March 2013.