National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Inventory of Marine and Estuarine Benthic Macroinvertebrates for Nine Southeast Coast Network Parks Natural Resource Report NPS/SECN/NRR—2009/121 ON THE COVER Common benthic macroinvertebrates in the Southeast: (clockwise from top left) Aglaophamus spp. , Hemigraspus sanguineous, Renilla reniformes, Littorina irrorata. Photographs by: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Southeast Regional Taxonomy Center, Jacksonville Shell Club, University of Georgia Marine Extension Service. Inventory of Marine and Estuarine Benthic Macroinvertebrates for Nine Southeast Coast Network Parks Natural Resource Report NPS/SECN/NRR—2009/121 Sabrina N. Hymel, MS Biocraft Writing and Research Services 101 Cedarhurst Ave. Charleston, SC 29407 April 2009 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. This report is available from the Southeast Coast Network and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM). Please cite this publication as: Hymel, S. N. 2009. Inventory of marine and estuarine benthic macroinvertebrates for nine Southeast Coast Network parks. Natural Resource Report NPS/SECN/NRR—2009/121. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 910/100147, July 2009 ii Contents Page List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. xi Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................ xiii Commonly-Used Abbreviations ................................................................................................... xv Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... xvii Objectives ....................................................................................................................... xvii Rationale ......................................................................................................................... xvii Methods........................................................................................................................... xvii Results ............................................................................................................................ xviii North Carolina Parks ...................................................................................................... xviii South Carolina Parks...................................................................................................... xviii Georgia Parks ................................................................................................................. xviii Florida Parks .................................................................................................................... xix Invasive Species of Concern ............................................................................................ xix Discussion ........................................................................................................................ xix Recommendations ............................................................................................................. xx Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Inventory of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Southeast Coast Network ....................... 1 Benthic Macroinvertebrate Inventory Project Goals .......................................................... 1 Why study Benthic Macroinvertebrates? ............................................................................ 1 Uses of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Data ............................................................................ 2 Previous BMI Studies in the Southeast Coast Network Geographic Region ..................... 3 iii Environmental Monitoring And Assessment and Lower St. Johns River .......................... 3 State, Academic, and Private Studies ................................................................................. 4 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 7 Selection of BMI Data ........................................................................................................ 7 Benthic Macroinvertebrate Data Obtained from the National Benthic Inventory .............. 7 Data from Literature and State Monitoring Programs ........................................................ 8 Types of Information Collected ........................................................................................ 10 Geographic Information .................................................................................................... 10 Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') .............................................................................. 10 Maps and Species Lists ..................................................................................................... 11 Specimen Vouchers .......................................................................................................... 11 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Cape Hatteras National Seashore ...................................................................................... 13 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Abundance Data ......................................... 13 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Other Data Sources .................................................... 13 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Voucher Records ........................................................ 13 Cape Lookout National Seashore ...................................................................................... 14 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Abundance Data ......................................... 14 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Other Data Sources .................................................... 15 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Voucher Records ........................................................ 15 Canaveral National Seashore ............................................................................................ 16 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Abundance Data ......................................... 16 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Other Data Sources .................................................... 17 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Voucher Records ........................................................ 17 Cumberland Island National Seashore .............................................................................. 17 iv Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Abundance Data ......................................... 17 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Other Data Sources .................................................... 17 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Voucher Records ........................................................ 17 Fort Frederica National Monument .................................................................................. 18 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Abundance Data ......................................... 18 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Other Data Sources .................................................... 19 Taxa Identified or Predicted from Voucher Records ........................................................ 20 Fort Matanzas National Monument .................................................................................. 20 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment