Abstract
Addition of canals and levees to wetlands is common in hydrological management. Permanently flooded canals provide fishes with refuge from desiccation and corridors for long-distance movement, but also may present high risk of predation. Levees create barriers to movement. We evaluated the effect of canals and levees on the movement of fish in seasonally fluctuating marshes in Everglades National Park between 2003 and 2016. We used directional traps to quantify activity and directional movement of seven species of fishes moving through marshes near canals and levees, and farther into the wetland. Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) were ubiquitous, were active at all sites throughout the year, and moved towards canals consistent with their use as refuge habitat. Sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) and bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) were also likely to swim towards canals as water levels dropped in the dry season. Flagfish (Jordanella floridae), golden topminnows (Fundulus chrysotus), and marsh killifish (F. confluentus) used wetlands associated with anthropogenic structures but showed no directional bias with respect to canals and these species did not appear to use them as a drought refuge. Non-native African Jewelfish (Hemichromis letourneauxi) displayed directed movement related to canals, but were most active at sites distant from canals. This study provides evidence for interspecific differences among seven fishes in how they move through a marsh near different anthropogenic structures and in different seasons of the hydrologic year. Modification of wetland landscapes with structures has implications for species sorting and metacommunity dynamics filtered by species-specific behavioral traits. Monitoring efforts like this support understanding how important members of the community, like small fishes, respond to environmental and anthropogenic factors that are subject to management decisions.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. We will submit data to the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) and provide a DOI once the paper is accepted.
Code availability
Statistical code is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Jeff Kline for his assistance and support throughout this project and Bill Loftus for introducing the use of drift fences to study Everglades fishes and help in designing the portable drift fence necessary to accommodate the spatial coverage of this project possible. Two anonymous reviewers provided valuable feedback and recommendations for improving an earlier draft.
Funding
Funding for this work was provided by the US Department of Interior’s Critical Ecosystem Study Initiative (CESI) through cooperative agreement H5000060104, Task No. P11AT10022, between ENP and Florida International University.
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All authors devised and contributed to writing the paper. Hoch analyzed data, interpreted results, composed, and edited the manuscript. Sokol wrote the code, analyzed data, and wrote an initial draft of the paper. Trexler conceived and managed the project, acquired funding, and participated in data analysis. All authors read/approved the final draft.
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Animal care and use followed human, ethical guidelines according to the Guide to use of Fish in Research (American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology).
Collections were made under Everglades National Park permit EVER-2010-SCI-0058 and Florida State permit S-11–04. This research was conducted in accordance with FIU IACUC (Protocol number 06–015). Specimens and data are housed at Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus (3000 NE 151st St, North Miami, FL 33181).
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Hoch, J.M., Sokol, E.R., Bush, M.R. et al. Anthropogenic structures influence small-fish movement in wetlands. Environ Biol Fish 105, 1933–1952 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01268-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01268-y