RECOVER MAP 3.1.3.10 Development of Fish sampling protocols in Forested Wetlands in Southern Florida

Forested wetlands cover hundreds of thousands of hectares of southern Florida. The Big Cypress Swamp ecosystem covers a large area of interior southwestern Florida, and is comprised of several types of cypress habitats termed domes, strands, and dwarf cypress (Duever et al. 1986, Ewel 1990). The Big Cypress Region (BCR) is an important piece in the hydrological system of the Greater Everglades region, yet it has been poorly studied compared with the Everglades gramminoid wetlands. These forested wetlands formerly functioned as critical feeding and nesting sites for wading birds, whose populations have declined precipitously in coincidence with changes to the hydrology of the region. Anthropogenic changes have affected the natural hydrologic-variability of environmental conditions through the construction of canals and levees that can either act to drain or flood wetlands, which is hypothesized to have negatively affected the production and availability of fish prey for the birds. A major target of restoration is the reestablishment of the natural hydrological conditions in these wetlands. The BCR has been affected by all of these anthropogenic activities, yet the effects are unclear because of the lack of quantitative data. Anecdotal and some qualitative/quantitative evidence suggest that the standing stocks of aquatic animals and their population sizes have been negatively affected by altered hydrology.

Objectives:
(1) Continue to collect quantitative baseline data on fishes and macroinvertebrate communities in BCR cypress forests; (2) Conduct field-tests of both sampling gear and experimental design over an additional hydrologic year (FY08) to finalize modifications and provide proof-of-concept; (3) Begin a long-term aquatic fauna monitoring program for cypress forests (FY09) with the express intent of evaluating the impact of CERP activities on the BCR.

佛罗里达州南部分布有数十万公顷的森林湿地。大落羽杉沼泽生态系统覆盖佛罗里达州西南部内陆的大片区域，包含穹顶状、带状及矮生型三类落羽杉生境（Duever等，1986；Ewel，1990）。
大落羽杉区域（Big Cypress Region，BCR）是大埃弗格莱兹区域水文系统的重要组成部分，但相较于埃弗格莱兹的禾草湿地，其相关研究仍较为匮乏。
这些森林湿地曾是涉禽关键的觅食与筑巢场所，而涉禽种群随该区域水文条件改变出现了急剧下降。人类活动通过修建运河与防洪堤改变了湿地的自然水文动态——这类工程既可排干湿地，也可造成湿地淹没——据推测，这已对涉禽赖以生存的鱼类猎物的种群产量与可获得性产生了负面影响。该区域湿地修复的核心目标之一，便是重建自然水文条件。
大落羽杉区域同样受到上述人类活动的影响，但由于缺乏定量数据，其具体影响尚不明确。尽管传闻及部分定性/定量证据显示，水文条件改变已对水生生物现存量及其种群规模产生了负面影响，但相关结论仍缺乏足够支撑。

研究目标：
（1）持续收集大落羽杉区域落羽杉林内鱼类与大型无脊椎动物（macroinvertebrate）群落的定量基线数据；
（2）在额外一个水文年度（2008财年，FY08）内开展采样装置与实验设计的野外测试，以完成方案优化并提供概念验证；
（3）自2009财年（FY09）起启动落羽杉林水生动物长期监测项目，核心目的为评估大埃弗格莱兹综合修复计划（Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan，CERP）的相关活动对大落羽杉区域的影响。