PSRP Biological Monitoring
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Biological Monitoring of Aquatic and Terrestrial Fauna for the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (2005-2007) Biological Monitoring of Aquatic and Terrestrial Fauna for the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (2005-2007) Final Report for South Florida Water Management District Contract No. PC600891 Submitted to: Janet Starnes South Florida Water Management District Fort Myers Service Center 2301 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, Florida 33901 Submitted by: Ian A. Bartoszek, Melinda J. Schuman, David S. Addison, Kathy B. Worley and Jeffrey R. Schmid Environmental Science Division, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, 1450 Merrihue Drive, Naples, FL 34102 [E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]] Submitted: December 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................... x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 1 Project Background……………...................................................................................... 1 Study Goals and Objectives............................................................................................. 3 Biological Indicators........................................................................................................ 4 Amphibians.......................................................................................................... 4 Terrestrial Invertebrates....................................................................................... 6 Aquatic Fauna...................................................................................................... 9 MATERIALS AND METHODS................................................................................................. 11 Study Area....................................................................................................................... 11 Study Sites....................................................................................................................... 13 Plant Communities.............................................................................................. 13 Hydrology........................................................................................................................ 16 Water Quality................................................................................................................... 17 Biological Monitoring...................................................................................................... 17 Anuran Sampling................................................................................................. 17 Terrestrial Invertebrate Sampling........................................................................ 18 Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling.................................................................. 19 Fish Sampling...................................................................................................... 19 ii Data Analysis................................................................................................................... 20 Water Quality....................................................................................................... 20 Faunal Communities............................................................................................ 21 RESULTS.....................................................................................................................................23 General Hydrology.......................................................................................................... 23 Water Quality................................................................................................................... 23 Anurans…………............................................................................................................ 27 Ants.................................................................................................................................. 28 Orthopterans..................................................................................................................... 31 Fishes............................................................................................................................... 33 CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................................... 37 Sampling Overview......................................................................................................... 37 General Hydrology........................................................................................................... 37 Water Quality................................................................................................................... 39 Anurans............................................................................................................................ 41 Ants.................................................................................................................................. 44 Orthopterans..................................................................................................................... 47 Fishes............................................................................................................................... 48 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................................ 53 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….…………………….60 TABLES………………………………………………………………….………………….......61 FIGURES…………………………………………………….………………………………….95 iii APPENDICES..……………………………………………………..….………………………125 APPENDIX A. Water Level Data at Restoration Sites………………………………... 125 APPENDIX B. Water Quality Physical Parameters…………………………………… 151 APPENDIX C. Site Summary…………………………………………………………. 156 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Site codes, habitat designation, associated wells and GPS coordinates at study sites.... 61 2. Surface water flooding, duration, frequency and inundation at study sites..................... 62 3. Total abundance of treefrogs collected at reference sites and saltwater marsh sites....... 63 4. Total abundance of treefrogs collected at restoration sites.............................................. 63 5. Percent composition of treefrogs collected at reference sites and saltwater marsh sites...................................................................................................................................64 6. Percent composition of treefrogs collected at restoration sites........................................ 64 7. Percent composition based on CPUE of ant species collected with baited vials at reference sites...................................................................................................................65 8. Percent composition based on CPUE of ant species collected with baited vials at restoration sites................................................................................................................ 66 9. Percent composition based on CPUE of ant species collected by sweep net at reference sites...................................................................................................................68 10. Percent composition based on CPUE of ant species collected by sweep net at restoration sites................................................................................................................ 69 11. Combined ant species presence/absence and species richness at reference sites.............72 12. Combined ant species presence/absence and species richness at restoration sites.......... 73 13. Abundance of Orthopteran OTU’s collected at reference sites....................................... 76 14. Abundance of Orthopteran OTU’s collected at restoration sites..................................... 78 15. Percent composition of Orthopteran OTU’s collected at reference sites......................... 82 16. Percent composition of Orthopteran OTU’s collected at restoration sites...................... 84 17. Values of species richness, abundance, Margalef richness index, Pielou evenness index, Shannon diversity index, and Simpson evenness index for Orthopteran (OTU's) collected at sample sites..................................................................................... 88 v Table Page 18. Total abundance of fish species collected at reference and saltwater marsh sites........... 89 19. Total abundance of fish species collected at restoration sites in PSSF............................ 90 20. Percent composition based on the total abundance of fish collected at reference and saltwater marsh sites.................................................................................. 91 21. Percent composition based on the total abundance of fish collected at restoration sites................................................................................................................ 92 22. Values of species richness, abundance, Margalef richness index, Pielou