SEMINAR: MBF 602 seminar- Rolando Santos Friday, April 30th, 2010 4:00pm S/A seminar room

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Linkages between mangrove fish community and adjacent seagrass habitats

in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA: A Seascape Approach

  

Abstract

 

The role of mangroves as fish habitat has been a focus of extensive research. Recent evidence has shown that this role should not be evaluated in isolation from surrounding habitats such as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities. These interconnected habitats provide sources of food and shelter for species that may reside in the mangroves but may undergo migrations and daily home-range movements into neighboring habitats. Adapting an approach commonly used in terrestrial landscape ecology, I evaluated the role of structural attributes and patch characteristics of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) adjacent to mangrove habitats as a potential factor influencing fish abundance, distribution, and diversity in western Biscayne Bay. The proposed seascape approach successfully identified: 1) two major SAV seascape structures – a continuous SAV structure and a fragmented SAV structure; and 2) significant relationships between the patch composition and configuration of the SAV community and the composition and diversity of estuarine fish species. Moreover, the different types of patch structures (continuous and fragmented) were not randomly distributed along the shoreline. Continuous SAV structures were prevalent in areas with high and stable salinity, while fragmented SAV structures were prevalent in areas influenced by freshwater discharges from canals and with low and variable salinity. This study highlights how the pulsed release of freshwater into nearshore habitats of coastal lagoons can adversely influence the macro-structure of SAV communities, resulting in significant habitat fragmentation, and how the structure of the SAV community can, in turn, influence the associated fish fauna.  

 

Rolando O. Santos

 

B.S. Environmental Science and Geography 2004, Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto de Rio Piedras

 

M.S. Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management 2010, Nova Southeastern University

 

Entered Ph.D. program in fall 2009

Advisor:

 

Diego Lirman, Ph.D.

Cary Rios 

Graduate Studies Office
University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
S/A 132
Miami, FL 33149
Locator Code: VK
P. 305.421.4920
F. 305.421.4771

http://www.rsmas.miami.edu
crios@rsmas.miami.edu 

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