2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
6/08/2017 | 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM | FROM ALGAE TO ALLIGATORS: EXAMINING FOOD WEB STRUCTURE IN FLORIDA SPRING ECOSYSTEMS | 306B
FROM ALGAE TO ALLIGATORS: EXAMINING FOOD WEB STRUCTURE IN FLORIDA SPRING ECOSYSTEMS
Many Florida spring-fed rivers have experienced shifts in vegetative community structure and declines in ecosystem health. Once dominated by rooted macrophytes, nuisance macroalgae now proliferates; this shift has been linked to alterations in food web structure and key ecosystem processes. Using stable isotope analysis (SIA) coupled with dietary analyses, we addressed the following questions regarding the role of nuisance algae in the spring food webs: What are the major pathways of energy flow and material transport in Florida spring-river ecosystems? Which consumers forage on nuisance algae and to what degree? Which predators consume algal grazers?
In Silver River, a 1st magnitude spring-run river in northcentral Florida, we performed SIA on dominant vegetation types, herbivores, and organisms occupying higher-order trophic levels. Dietary analysis was performed on multiple species of fish and turtles as well as American alligators. Using isotopic mixing model analyses, we estimated the proportional contribution of identifiable resource groups to consumers. Results suggest much of the energy and nutrients sequestered by nuisance algae in this system and likely other Florida spring-run systems circumvents the lotic food web.
- C11 Community Ecology
- C06 Large River Ecology
- C25 Food Webs
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Presenters/Authors
James Nifong
(), Kansas State University, jcnifong@ksu.edu;
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Tom Frazer
(), University of Florida, frazer@ufl.edu;
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Robert Mattson
(), St. Johns River Water Management District, RMattson@sjrwmd.com;
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