CESI Monitoring Project 99-3

Long-term Monitoring >> Current Page

 

Fish and Invertebrate Communities of Short Hydroperiod
Wetlands in the Rocky Glades.
Charles A. Acosta

 

Crayfish are Ubiquitous Residents of Everglades Marshes

National Park Service Photo

 

Crayfish are largely regarded as important players in the Everglades food web, serving as both predator and prey. Thus, the relative health and stability of populations can be a strong indicator of overall ecosystem health. Understanding how crayfish respond to various environmental factors in the Everglades can shed new light on how entire communities might respond to proposed restoration projects.

This CESI-funded investigation examines patterns of growth, survival, dispersal and productivity of crayfish, and how these patterns are governed by hydrology. This study reveals, through both field and laboratory experiments, that populations thrive in long-hydroperiod environments. Model simulations further suggest that populations in the Rocky Glades could increase by an order of magnitude if restored to pre-drainage conditions.

 

 

FOR DOWNLOAD

 

Final Report
(PDF, 60 KB)

 

 

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Acosta C. A. & S. A. Perry. 2002. Spatially-explicit population response of crayfish Procambarus alleni to potential shifts invegetation distribution in the marl marshes of Everglades National Park, USA. Hydrobiologia 477: 221-230.

Acosta, C. A. and S. A. Perry. 2002. Spatio-temporal variation in secondary productivity indicates environmental stress in the marl prairie wetlands of Everglades National Park. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 17: 641-650.

Acosta C. A. and S. A. Perry. 2001. Impact of hydropattern disturbance on crayfish population dynamics in the seasonal wetlands of Everglades National Park. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 11:45-57.

Acosta, C. A. and S. A. Perry. 2000. Differential growth of crayfish Procambarus alleni in relation to hydrological conditions in marl prairie wetlands of Everglades National Park, USA. Aquatic Ecology 34:389-395.

Acosta C. A. and S. A. Perry. 2000. Effective sampling area: A quantitative method for sampling crayfish populations in freshwater marshes. Crustaceana 73:425-431.

 

 

Contact Charles Acosta

 

Contact the principal investigator directly with questions about this study.

 

Fishes, Invertebrates, Communities, Short-hydroperiod, Wetlands, Rocky Glades, Crayfish, Population Dynamics, Dispersal, CESI, Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative, Everglades, National Park, Charles Acosta