Dataset title: Trophic transfer of Everglades marsh consumer biomass to Everglades Estuaries (FCE LTER), Everglades National Park, South Florida, USA, December 2010 to July 2013 Dataset ID: doi:10.6073/pasta/cf25fb8c2996ab74bbc98aa36704a762 Research type: Long-Term Dataset Creator Name: Dr. Jennifer Rehage Address: Florida International University University Park Miami, FL 33199 USA Phone: 305-348-0181 Email: rehagej@fiu.edu URL: http://www2.fiu.edu/~rehagej/index.html 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 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. Dataset Purpose The purpose of these data collection was to determine how disturbance, including droughts, tropical cyclones, sea-level rise, and Everglades restoration changes consumer mediated habitat linkages between Everglades karstic marshes and the oligohaline reaches of the estuary. 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 Geographic description: The Study Extent of this dataset includes areas near FCE Shark River Estuary, Everglades National Park, South Florida West bounding coordinate: -81.078 East bounding coordinate: -80.49 North bounding coordinate: 25.761 South bounding coordinate: 24.913 Temporal Coverage Start Date: 2010-12-17 End Date: 2013-07-01 Data Table 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 Data Format Number of Header Lines: 1 Attribute Orientation: column Field Delimiter: , Number of Records: Attributes 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 Online distribution: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-fce/1199/3/7ffd6b65aac0a18716d75cf28403133a Intellectual Rights Dataset 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 Data Submission Date: 2014-11-17 Maintenance This is a long-term trophic dynamics and community structure dataset and subsequent data will be appended. 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 Project permits EVER-SCI-2013-0020 Dataset Submission Date 2014-11-17 Information Management Notes This is a long-term trophic dynamics and community structure dataset and subsequent data will be appended.