Caloosahatchee Estuary conceptual ecological model

Barnes, Tomma

doi:10.1007/bf03173126

Cited by 54 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries on opposite sides of Florida are small, sub-tropical water bodies with highly modified watersheds (Barnes, 2005;Sime, 2005). While natural variations in freshwater inflow and associated salinity changes are part of estuarine dynamics, anthropogenic modification of water delivery to afford flood protection and public safety can create unstable salinity distributions that adversely affect estuarine biota.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for two sub-tropical estuaries in south Florida, USA

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Interactions among geomorphology, circulation, and biogeochemical cycling determine estuary responses to external nutrient loading. In order to better manage watershed nutrient inputs, the goal of this study was to develop seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP) budgets for the two estuaries in south Florida, the Caloosahatchee River estuary (CRE) and the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE), from 2002 to 2008. The Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) approach was used to generate water, salt, and DIN and DIP budgets. Results suggested that internal DIN production increases with increased DIN loading to the CRE in the wet season. There were hydrodynamic effects as water column concentrations and ecosystem nutrient processing stabilized in both estuaries as flushing time increased to > 10 d. The CRE demonstrated heterotrophy (net ecosystem metabolism or NEM < 0.0) across all wet and dry season budgets. While the SLE was sensitive to DIN loading, system autotrophy (NEM > 0.0) increased significantly with external DIP loading. This included DIP consumption and a bloom of a cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa) following hurricane-induced discharge to the SLE in 2005. Additionally, while denitrification provided a microbiallymediated N loss pathway for the CRE, this potential was not evident for the SLE where N 2 fixation was favored. Disparities between total and inorganic loading ratios suggested that the role of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) should be assessed for both estuaries. Nutrient budgets indicated that net internal production or consumption of DIN and DIP fluctuated with inter-and intra-annual variations in freshwater inflow, hydrodynamic flushing, and primary production. The results of this study should be included in watershed management plans in order to maintain favorable conditions of external loading relative to internal material cycling in both dry and wet seasons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for two sub-tropical estuaries in south Florida, USA

et al. 2013

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“…The river is approximately 105 km long and drains a watershed of 356,127 ha [19,20]. The two major water sources are surface water runoff from surrounding urbanization and farmlands and freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee; the balance between these two sources changes between the dry and wet seasons.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts of Bacterioplankton Metabolic Profiles along the Salinity Gradient in a Subtropical Estuary

et al. 2013

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Understanding the biodegradation potential of river bacterioplankton communities is crucial for watershed management. We investigated the shifts in bacterioplankton metabolic profiles along the salinity gradient of the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, Florida. The carbon source utilization patterns of river bacterioplankton communities were determined by using Biolog EcoPlates. The number of utilized substrates was generally high in the upstream freshwater dominated zone and low in the downstream zone, suggesting a shift in metabolic profiles among bacterioplankton assemblages along the estuarine gradient. The prokaryotic cell numbers also decreased along the estuarine salinity gradient. Seasonal and site-specific differences were found in the numbers of utilized substrates, which were similar in summer and fall (wet season) and winter and spring (dry season). Bacterioplankton assemblages in summer and fall showed more versatile substrate utilization patterns than those of winter and spring communities. Therefore, our data suggest that microbial metabolic patterns in the subtropical estuary are likely influenced by the water discharge patterns created by dry and wet seasons along the salinity gradient.

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“…While both rivers have proven to be consistently important nurseries, each is unique. The Caloosahatchee River, where to date most smalltooth sawfish research has been conducted, has been highly altered by the creation of ex tensive canal systems, and its freshwater flow is regulated through a lock system (Barnes 2005). Management of freshwater flow down the Caloosahatchee River, which historically flowed south as sheet flow toward the Everglades (Fernald & Purdum 1998), affects abiotic variables such as salinity as well as habitat use by smalltooth sawfish , Poulakis et al 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

All nurseries are not created equal: large-scale habitat use patterns in two smalltooth sawfish nurseries

Scharer¹,

Stevens²,

Shea³

et al. 2017

Endang. Species. Res.

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Smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata use southwest Florida nurseries during at least their first 2 to 3 yr, and understanding region-specific habitat use patterns is important for effective management. Research occurred in 2 nurseries within the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system: the Caloosahatchee River, a highly human-altered nursery, and a more natural nursery, the Peace River. Between 2010 and 2013, a total of 148 juveniles ranging from 70.8 to 218.7 cm stretch total length were caught in gill nets, and 133 were acoustically tagged. The probability of encountering a sawfish during sampling was most influenced by season in both nurseries (highest during spring and summer), followed by dissolved oxygen in the Caloosahatchee River, and salinity and temperature in the Peace River. Temperature had lasting, atypical effects on movements when severe cold events occurred during the study. Outside of these disturbances, sawfish used all habitats available to them in both nurseries, but tended to reside in perennial high-use areas called nursery hotspots. Acoustic monitoring showed that juveniles gradually moved between 4 hotspots along a 20 river kilometer stretch of the Caloosahatchee River with seasonal changes in freshwater inflows or sometimes suddenly in response to large flow events. In contrast, sawfish in the Peace River remained associated with one nursery hotspot year-round. Reasons for these inter-nursery variations are attributed to differences in geomorphology and freshwater inflow regimes. This study illustrates that a full understanding of the life history of a species and the development of a conceptual model requires investigation of the species on a broad spatial scale. This consideration is important to avoid overgeneralization of habitat use patterns between nurseries.

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Caloosahatchee Estuary conceptual ecological model

Cited by 54 publications

References 35 publications

Seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for two sub-tropical estuaries in south Florida, USA

Seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for two sub-tropical estuaries in south Florida, USA

Shifts of Bacterioplankton Metabolic Profiles along the Salinity Gradient in a Subtropical Estuary

All nurseries are not created equal: large-scale habitat use patterns in two smalltooth sawfish nurseries

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