

@mastersthesis {7163,
	title = {Distribution and abundance, community structure, and trophic ecology of sharks and teleost fishes in the {Florida} {Big} {Bend}},
	year = {2014},
	note = {1559566},
	school = {The Florida State University},
	type = {phdM.{S}.},
	address = {Ann Arbor},
	abstract = {Community structure and trophic ecology of sharks and large teleost fishes in seagrass beds of the Florida Big Bend were investigated using fishery-independent longline and gillnet surveys and stable isotope analyses. The Big Bend is inhabited by at least 14 species of elasmobranch and 56 species of teleost fishes during the summer. Assemblages of these fauna are spatially variable, and five species dominate. Community structure was analyzed using a combination of cluster analysis, indicator species analysis, and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). These analyses suggested community composition of fishes in the Big Bend is correlated with water clarity, salinity, and depth. Patterns of inshore and offshore species assemblages were common throughout the Big Bend. There were two distinct faunal zones: one in the central Big Bend characterized by high relative abundance of blacktip sharks ( Carcharhinus limbatus ) in turbid water with moderate salinity, and a second in the southern Big Bend characterized by high relative abundance of blacknose sharks ( Carcharhinus acronotus ) in water of high clarity and salinity. High catch rates of young-of-the-year and juvenile blacktip and blacknose sharks in these areas suggest the central and southern Big Bend may act as nursery habitat for these two species, respectively. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses were used to infer relative trophic structure of these taxa and the potential for regional variation in trophic patterns. Stable isotope analyses suggest this system is trophically diverse, with considerable isotopic overlap across many taxa. These fishes appear to be supported through multiple channels of primary production potentially dominated by epiphytic microalgae and/or macroalgae. Isotopic ontogenetic were not evident in dominant taxa, with exception to weak relationships of stable isotopes and length in two species of marine catfishes. Comparisons of regional stable isotope values of the dominant species suggest the southern Big Bend is isotopically distinct in terms of the balance of primary production and trophic structure. The results of this study suggest an ecological gradient in the Big Bend, culminating in a distinct southern faunal zone; and based on the results of this work I hypothesize patterns of community composition and trophic structure in the Florida Big Bend are related to varying levels of river influence across the habitat.},
	keywords = {0329:Ecology, Biological sciences, Ecology},
	url = {http://search.proquest.com/docview/1560289789?accountid=14270},
	author = {Peterson, Cheston Thomas}
}
