Dataset title: Throw trap and electrofishing data collected during 1996–2022 from the Everglades, Florida, United States for the publication "Hydrology-mediated ecological function of a large wetland threatened by an invasive predator" Dataset ID: doi:10.6073/pasta/70379cfaa3572272bfd5e6e7d0d7840c Dataset Creator Name: Matthew Pintar Organization: Florida International University Email: matthew.pintar@gmail.com Name: Nathan Dorn Organization: Florida International University Email: ndorn@fiu.edu Name: Jeffrey Kline Organization: National Park Service Email: Jeff_Kline@nps.gov Name: Joel Trexler Organization: Florida State University Email: jtrexler@fsu.edu Metadata Provider Name: Matthew Pintar Organization: Florida International University Email: matthew.pintar@gmail.com Dataset Abstract Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus/javanensis complex) were first reported from Florida in 1997 and the Everglades in 2007; swamp eels have been established in Taylor Slough of Everglades National Park since 2014. This dataset incorporates plot-level mean densities (# of individuals per square meter) of common aquatic animals collected during 1996–2022 from 24 sites across four regions of the Everglades: Taylor Slough, Shark River Slough, Water Conservation Area 3, and the C-111 Panhandle. Prey species included are the six most common small fishes prior to swamp eel invasion of Taylor Slough (1996–2009) and the three common decapod species (two crayfish species and grass shrimp). An annual index of mean wet season electrofishing catch-per-unit-effort of swamp eels, Mayan cichlids (Mayaheros uruphthalmus), and the three other large 'top predator' fishes (Amia calva, Lepisosteus platyrhincus, Micropterus salmoides) is included for plots where electrofishing was performed from 1997-2021. Hydrologic measures used in analyses are included. Geographic Coverage Bounding Coordinates Geographic description: Dataset covers long-term monitoring sites in four regions of the Florida Everglades: Shark River Slough, Taylor Slough, Panhandle, and Water Conservation Area 3. West bounding coordinate: -80.95 East bounding coordinate: -80.45 North bounding coordinate: 26.25 South bounding coordinate: 25.22 Temporal Coverage Start Date: 1996 End Date: 2022 Data Table Entity Name: Pintar-et-al_STOTEN_swamp-eels_data Entity Description: Dataset associated with the publication: Pintar, M.R., N.J. Dorn, J.L. Kline, and J.C. Trexler. Hydrology-mediated ecological function of a large wetland threatened by an invasive predator. Science of the Total Environment. Object Name: Pintar-et-al_STOTEN_swamp-eels_data.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: one of the four regions of the Everglades for this project Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: PHD= C-111 Panhandle region SRS= Shark River Slough TSL= Taylor Slough WCA= Water Conservation Area 3 Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: SITE Attribute Label: SITE Attribute Definition: Identifier for each site within a region Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: Identifier for each site within a region Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: PLOT Attribute Label: PLOT Attribute Definition: identifier for each plot within a site Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: A= plot A B= plot B C= plot C D= plot D E= plot E Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: CUM Attribute Label: CUM Attribute Definition: Cumulative sampling period of the project Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: number Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: YEAR Attribute Label: YEAR Attribute Definition: Year of sampling Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: nominalYear Number Type: integer Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: PERIOD Attribute Label: PERIOD Attribute Definition: sampling period within a year Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: 1= February 2= April 3= July 4= October 5= December Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: THROW Attribute Label: THROW Attribute Definition: number of throw trap samples collected from each plot during that sampling period Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: number Number Type: integer Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: FUNCHR Attribute Label: FUNCHR Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Fundulus chrysotus Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: FUNCON Attribute Label: FUNCON Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Fundulus confluentus Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: GAMHOL Attribute Label: GAMHOL Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Gambusia holbrooki Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: HETFOR Attribute Label: HETFOR Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Heterandria formosa Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: JORFLO Attribute Label: JORFLO Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Jordanella floridae Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: LUCGOO Attribute Label: LUCGOO Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Lucania goodei Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: MONALB Attribute Label: MONALB Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Monopterus albus/javanensis caught in throw traps Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: PROALL Attribute Label: PROALL Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Procambarus alleni Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: PROFAL Attribute Label: PROFAL Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Procamabarus fallax Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: PROSPP Attribute Label: PROSPP Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of unidentified crayfish (Procambarus species) Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: PALPAL Attribute Label: PALPAL Attribute Definition: mean plot-level densities of Palaemonetes paludosus Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / square meter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: DEPTH_AVE_30DAY Attribute Label: DEPTH_AVE_30DAY Attribute Definition: average water depth over the previous 30 days Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: centimeter Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: DEPTH_AVE_180DAY Attribute Label: DEPTH_AVE_180DAY Attribute Definition: average water depth over the previous 180 days Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: no data Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: DSLDD Attribute Label: DSLDD Attribute Definition: days since a plot was last dry (depth < 5 cm) Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: days Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: LASTDAYDRY Attribute Label: LASTDAYDRY Attribute Definition: number of days a plot was dry the last time it dried (depth < 5 cm) Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: days Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: TRANSECT Attribute Label: TRANSECT Attribute Definition: number of 5-minute electrofishing transects performed at that plot during that water year's wet season Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: number Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no data) Attribute Name: E.AMICAL Attribute Label: E.AMICAL Attribute Definition: annual index of electrofishing CPUE of Amia calva Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / 5-minute transect Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no electrofishing data exist for this sample) Attribute Name: E.CICURO Attribute Label: E.CICURO Attribute Definition: annual index of electrofishing CPUE of Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayaheros uruphthalmus) Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / 5-minute transect Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no electrofishing data exist for this sample) Attribute Name: E.LEPPLA Attribute Label: E.LEPPLA Attribute Definition: annual index of electrofishing CPUE of Lepisosteus platyrhincus Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / 5-minute transect Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no electrofishing data exist for this sample) Attribute Name: E.MICSAL Attribute Label: E.MICSAL Attribute Definition: annual index of electrofishing CPUE of Micropterus salmoides Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / 5-minute transect Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no electrofishing data exist for this sample) Attribute Name: E.MONALB Attribute Label: E.MONALB Attribute Definition: annual index of electrofishing CPUE of Monopterus albus/javanensis Storage Type: float Measurement Scale: Units: # / 5-minute transect Number Type: real Missing Value Code: NA (no electrofishing data exist for this sample) Attribute Name: REGSITE Attribute Label: REGSITE Attribute Definition: identifier combining REGION+SITE Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: identifier combining REGION+SITE Missing Value Code: Attribute Name: SITEPLOT Attribute Label: SITEPLOT Attribute Definition: identifier combining REGSITE + PLOT Storage Type: string Measurement Scale: identifier combining REGSITE + PLOT Missing Value Code: Methods Method Step Description Detailed methods are described in the associated manuscript (Hydrology-mediated ecological function of a large wetland threatened by an invasive predator) and publications cited within. Long-term monitoring sites were established across the Everglades as part of the Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park project. From July 1996 through February 2022 fish and invertebrates were collected using 1-square meter, 2-mm mesh, throw traps following standardized protocols at three sites in Taylor Slough; sampling also occurs in Shark River Slough, Water Conservation Area 3, and the C-111 Panhandle regions. The southernmost, longest hydroperiod site (CP) in Taylor Slough consisted of three 1-ha plots, while the upstream sites (TS, MD) consisted of five plots per site with two of the five plots having shorter hydroperiods. Seven throw-trap samples were collected at each plot during each sampling period except when sites were only accessible by helicopter and five throw-trap samples were collected; our analyses here are on plot-level mean densities of small fishes and decapods. Samples were collected during five months of each year, starting after the onset of the wet season (begins in June), with wet-season samples collected in July and October, transition period samples collected in December, and dry-season samples collected in February and April. Animals were removed from throw traps following a standard protocol using bar seines and dip nets; vertebrates were euthanized using MS-222 and all animals were fixed in formalin before being transferred to ethanol and identified. From 1997–2021, the nine central/deeper plots in Taylor Slough were sampled with an airboat-mounted electrofisher for three transects of five minutes (pedal time) to assess large fishes (>8 cm standard length) providing catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) relative abundance values. Native fishes were released and non-native fishes were euthanized following each electrofishing transect. Electrofishing CPUE data were used to assess predator effects in supporting analyses. This electrofishing dataset included only nine plots in Taylor Slough because four of the thirteen plots in Taylor Slough were not sampled by electrofishing, while dry-season electrofishing sampling is limited most years because airboats cannot access sites (throw-trap sampling continues when accessed by helicopter). To partially overcome limitations of missing dry-season sampling, we created indices of annual predator CPUE caught via electrofishing by averaging the total number of fish caught across all electrofishing transects during both wet-season sampling periods (July, October). Distribution Online distribution: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-fce/1251/2/16b7e54d5ea898f4403b38a9ecdf1251 Intellectual Rights Publications citing this dataset Pintar, Matthew R., Nathan J. Dorn, Jeffrey L. Kline, and Joel C. Trexler. 2023. Hydrology-mediated ecological function of a large wetland threatened by an invasive predator. Science of The Total Environment 857: 159245. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159245 Dataset Keywords crayfish Everglades ecosystem restoration small fish swamp eels invasive species Maintenance 2022-10-10: Updated the Geographic Coverage with the correct longitudes for the bounding box Dataset Contact Name: Matthew Pintar Organization: Florida International University Email: matthew.pintar@gmail.com