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The Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) is the largest grouper species in the Atlantic and exhibits high site fidelity and limited range of movement. By 1990, the goliath grouper population in US waters had declined approximately 95% relative to unfished levels, leading to a harvest ban in 1990. Since then, the south Florida population has grown but the magnitude of recovery remains unknown due to uncertainties about life history characteristics. However, despite these unknowns, the state of Florida approved a limited recreational harvest of goliath grouper. In 2021, fine-scale habitat use of three juvenile goliath grouper was investigated using acoustic telemetry and a positioning solver. All three individuals exhibited high site fidelity as well as a diel habitat use pattern, utilizing seagrass habitat during the night and mangrove habitat during the day. Fine-scale acoustic telemetry provides insight into not only habitat use, but broader habitat preferences as well. This study illustrates the need to consider deep seagrass-dominated channels lined with red mangroves when protecting juvenile goliath grouper populations within Florida Bay, especially as the population is opened to harvest.

Macrophyte foundation species provide both habitat structure and primary production, and loss of these habitats can alter species interactions and lead to changes in energy flow in food webs. Extensive seagrass meadows in Florida Bay have recently experienced a widespread loss of seagrass habitat due to a Thalassia testudinum mass mortality event in 2015 associated with prolonged hypersalinity and bottom-water anoxia. Using stable isotope analysis paired with Bayesian mixing models, we investigated the basal resource use of seven species of seagrass-associated consumers across Florida Bay in areas affected by the 2015 seagrass die-off. Three years after the die-off, basal resource use did not differ for species collected inside and outside the die-off affected areas. Instead, consumers showed seasonal patterns in basal resource use with seagrass the most important in the wet season (58%), while epiphytes were the most important in the dry season (44%). Additionally, intraspecific spatial variability in resource use was lower in the wet season compared to the dry season. We were unable to detect a legacy effect of a major disturbance on the basal resource use of the most common seagrass-associated consumers in Florida Bay.

Translational ecology defines a collaborative effort among scientists and stakeholders to rapidly translate environmental problems into action. This approach can be applied in a fisheries management context when information needed to inform regulations is unavailable, yet conservation concerns exist. Our research uses a translational ecology framework to assess the stock status and develop research priorities for the crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) in the Florida Keys, USA, a currently unregulated species. Interview data that compiled expert fishing guide knowledge were used to develop hypotheses tested using existing fisheries-dependent datasets to check for agreement among sources and assess the consistency of observed patterns. Six hypotheses were developed concerning the status and trends of the crevalle jack population in the Florida Keys, and four of these hypotheses received clear support, with agreement between guide observations and one or more of the fisheries-dependent datasets. The results of our study outline an effective translational ecology approach for recreational fisheries management designed to rapidly recognize potential management needs as identified by fishing guides, which allows for actionable science and proactive management.

BackgroundSpawning migrations are a widespread phenomenon among fishes, often occurring in response to environmental conditions prompting movement into reproductive habitats (migratory cues). However, for many species, individual fish may choose not to migrate, and research suggests that conditions preceding the spawning season (migratory primers) may influence this decision. Few studies have provided empirical descriptions of these prior conditions, partly due to a lack of long-term data allowing for robust multi-year comparisons. To investigate how primers and cues interact to shape the spawning migrations of coastal fishes, we use acoustic telemetry data from Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. A contingent of Snook migrate between rivers and coastal spawning sites, varying annually in both the proportion of the population that migrates and the timing of migration within the spawning season. However, the specific environmental factors that serve as migratory primers and cues remain unknown.MethodsWe used eight years of acoustic telemetry data (2012–2019) from 173 tagged Common Snook to investigate how primers and cues influence migratory patterns at different temporal scales. We hypothesize that (1) interannual differences in hydrologic conditions preceding the spawning season contribute to the number of individuals migrating each year, and (2) specific environmental cues trigger the timing of migrations during the spawning season. We used GLMMs to model both the annual and seasonal migratory response in relation to flow characteristics (water level, rate of change in water level), other hydrologic/abiotic conditions (temperature, salinity), fish size, and phenological cues independent of riverine conditions (photoperiod, lunar cycle).ResultsWe found that the extent of minimum marsh water level prior to migration and fish size influence the proportion of Snook migrating each year, and that high river water level and daily rates of change serve as primary cues triggering migration timing.ConclusionOur findings illustrate how spawning migrations are shaped by environmental factors acting at different temporal scales and emphasize the importance of long-term movement data in understanding these patterns. Research providing mechanistic descriptions of conditions that promote migration and reproduction can help inform management decisions aimed at conserving ecologically and economically important species.

Over the last 20 years, innovations have led to the development of exciting new technologies and novel applications of established technologies, collectively increasing the scale, scope, and quality of research possible in tidal marsh systems. Thus, ecological research on marshes is being revolutionized, in the same way as ecological research more generally, by the availability of new tools and analytical techniques. This perspective highlights current and potential applications of novel research technologies for marsh ecology. These are summarized under several themes: (1.) imagery — sophisticated imaging sensors mounted on satellites, drones, and underwater vehicles; (2.) animal tracking — acoustic telemetry, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and satellite tracking, and (3.) biotracers — investigation of energy pathways and food web structure using chemical tracers such as compound-specific stable isotopes, isotope addition experiments, contaminant analysis, and eDNA. While the adoption of these technological advances has greatly enhanced our ability to examine contemporary questions in tidal marsh ecology, these applications also create significant challenges with the accessibility, processing, and synthesis of the large amounts of data generated. Implementation of open science practices has allowed for greater access to data. Newly available machine learning algorithms have been widely applied to resolve the challenge of detecting patterns in massive environmental datasets. The potential integration on digital platforms of multiple, large data streams measuring physical and biological components of tidal marsh ecosystems is an opportunity to advance science support for management responses needed in a rapidly changing coastal landscape.

Marine fish movement plays a critical role in ecosystem functioning and is increasingly studied with acoustic telemetry. Traditionally, this research has focused on single species and small spatial scales. However, integrated tracking networks, such as the Integrated Tracking of Aquatic Animals in the Gulf of Mexico (iTAG) network, are building the capacity to monitor multiple species over larger spatial scales. We conducted a synthesis of passive acoustic monitoring data for 29 species (889 transmitters), ranging from large top predators to small consumers, monitored along the west coast of Florida, USA, over 3 yr (2016-2018). Space use was highly variable, with some groups using all monitored areas and others using only the area where they were tagged. The most extensive space use was found for Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus and bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas. Individual detection patterns clustered into 4 groups, ranging from occasionally detected long-distance movers to frequently detected juvenile or adult residents. Synchronized, alongshore, long-distance movements were found for Atlantic tarpon, cobia Rachycentron canadum, and several elasmobranch species. These movements were predominantly northbound in spring and southbound in fall. Detections of top predators were highest in summer, except for nearshore Tampa Bay where the most detections occurred in fall, coinciding with large red drum Sciaenops ocellatus spawning aggregations. We discuss the future of collaborative telemetry research, including current limitations and potential solutions to maximize its impact for understanding movement ecology, conducting ecosystem monitoring, and supporting fisheries management.

Tropical and subtropical coastal flats are shallow regions of the marine environment at the intersection of land and sea. These regions provide myriad ecological goods and services, including recreational fisheries focused on flats-inhabiting fishes such as bonefish, tarpon, and permit. The cascading effects of climate change have the potential to negatively impact coastal flats around the globe and to reduce their ecological and economic value. In this paper, we consider how the combined effects of climate change, including extremes in temperature and precipitation regimes, sea level rise, and changes in nutrient dynamics, are causing rapid and potentially permanent changes to the structure and function of tropical and subtropical flats ecosystems. We then apply the available science on recreationally targeted fishes to reveal how these changes can cascade through layers of biological organization-from individuals, to populations, to communities-and ultimately impact the coastal systems that depend on them. We identify critical gaps in knowledge related to the extent and severity of these effects, and how such gaps influence the effectiveness of conservation, management, policy, and grassroots stewardship efforts.

Atlantic Bonefish (The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10641-022-01306-9.

Habitat selection by organisms can be driven by a number of factors, including the availability of resources. In particular, nutrient enrichment can alter the quality of landscapes, and thus the availability of resources, with implications for consumer movement and habitat use. In coastal ecosystems, eutrophication can affect the production and distribution of resources, and thus the behaviors and space use of consumers. In this study, we coupled acoustic telemetry methods and stable isotope analyses (SIA) to examine the effects of nutrient enrichment on the movement, habitat use, and resource use of Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis), a valuable recreational fishery, across two neighboring estuarine lake systems of varying trophic state (eutrophic vs. mesotrophic), located in Florida Bay (Florida, USA). Snook had more inter-zone movement events in the mesotrophic system, suggesting higher mobility. More specifically, increased inter-zone movement events were observed in the upstream and middle zones of the mesotrophic system where salinity and submerged aquatic vegetation was lower, and Chlorophyll ɑ levels were higher. We also observed longer movement event durations in the eutrophic system, suggesting higher residency and a trend for event durations to vary across zones. Based on δ15N, δ13C and δ34S analyses, we determined that although Snook had similar trophic levels across systems, eutrophic Snook relied on a greater diversity of basal sources relative to mesotrophic Snook. When relating movement to trophic metrics, we found the relationship to be zone-dependent, with higher trophic level Snook showing more movements into the middle and downstream zones, but less movements into the upstream zones. These findings highlight the value of cross-site comparisons that pair movement and trophic measurements to improve our understanding of how animals select habitats under varying environmental conditions and production regimes.

Extreme climate events such as hurricanes can influence the movement and distribution of fish and other aquatic vertebrates. However, our understanding of the scale of movement responses and how they vary across taxa and ecosystems remains incomplete. In this study, we used acoustic telemetry data to investigate the movement patterns of common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in the Florida Coastal Everglades during Hurricane Irma, which made landfall on the southwest Florida coast as a Category 3 storm on 10 September 2017 after passing in close proximity to our study site. We hypothesized that the hurricane resulted in shifts in distribution and that these movements may have been driven by environmental cues stemming from changes in barometric pressure associated with hurricane conditions, fluctuations in water levels (stage) characterizing altered riverine conditions, or a combination of both hurricane and riverine drivers. The data revealed large-scale movements of common snook in the time period surrounding hurricane passage, with 73% of fish detected moving from the upper river into downriver habitats, and some individuals potentially exiting the river. Furthermore, regression model selection indicated that these movements were correlated to both hurricane and riverine conditions, showing increased common snook movement at higher river stage and lower barometric pressure, and stage explaining a larger proportion of model deviance. Animal movement has widespread and diverse ecological implications, and by better understanding the factors that drive movement, we may anticipate how future extreme climate events could affect fish populations in impact-prone regions.

Predicting the responses of animals to environmental changes is a fundamental goal of ecology and is necessary for conservation and management of species. While most studies focus on relatively gradual changes, extreme events may have lasting impacts on populations. Animals respond to major disturbances such as hurricanes by seeking shelter, migrating, or they may fail to respond appropriately. We assessed the effects of Hurricane Irma in 2017 on the behavior and survival of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) within a nursery of the Florida coastal Everglades using long-term acoustic telemetry monitoring. Most of our tagged sharks (n = 14) attempted to leave the shallow waters of the Shark River Estuary before the hurricane strike, but individuals varied in the timing and success of their movements. Eight bull sharks left within hours or days before the hurricane, but three left more than a week in advance. Nine of 11 bull sharks (~ 82%) eventually returned to the array within weeks or months of the storm. Six of these returning individuals were detected in a different coastal array in nearshore waters ca. 80 km away from the mouth of the estuary during their absence. The remaining three bull sharks moved downstream relatively late (after the hurricane) and may have died. We used binomial generalized linear mixed models to estimate the probability of presence within the array as a function of several environmental variables. Departure from the array was predicted by declining barometric pressure, increasing rate of change in pressure, and potentially fluctuations in river stage. Juvenile bull sharks may weigh multiple environmental cues, perceived predation risk, their own physical size, and shifting prey resources when making decisions during and after hurricanes.

The widespread use of electronic tags allows us to ask new questions regarding how and why animal movements vary across ecosystems. Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a tropical estuarine sportfish that have been well studied throughout the state of Florida, including multiple acoustic telemetry studies. Here, we ask; do the spawning behaviors of Common Snook vary across two Florida coastal rivers that differ considerably along a gradient of anthropogenic change? We tracked Common Snook migrations toward and away from spawning sites using acoustic telemetry in the Shark River (U.S.), and compared those migrations with results from a previously published Common Snook tracking study in the Caloosahatchee River. We found that the proportions of fish that did not migrate out of rivers during the spawning season and presumably skip spawned were similar between the two systems. However, in the Shark River, there was more year-to-year variability in this behavior, likely tied to freshwater flow and floodplain inundation. Second, we found that the length of time individuals spent outside of rivers during the spawning season (i.e. proxy for time spent spawning) was less in the Shark River than in the Caloosahatchee. Last, the proportion of Snook at emigrated and did not return in the Shark River was higher than in the Caloosahatchee. These latter finding could reflect higher straying rates or higher mortality at spawning grounds. Future work should evaluate whether these spatial differences in river migrations are meaningful enough to affect management. This study illustrates that cross-site comparisons can improve confidence in our understanding of life history metrics while also highlighting differences between sites that are worth exploring to gain a better understanding of a species plasticity in adapting to their environment.

Tidal marshes are a key component of coastal seascape mosaics that support a suite of socially and economically valuable ecosystem services, including recreational opportunities (e.g., fishing, birdwatching), habitat for fisheries species, improved water quality, and shoreline protection. The capacity for tidal marshes to support these services is, however, threatened by increasingly widespread human impacts that reduce the extent and condition of tidal marshes across multiple spatial scales and that vary substantially through time. Climate change causes species redistribution at continental scales, changes in weather patterns (e.g., rainfall), and a worsening of the effect of coastal squeeze through sea level rise. Simultaneously, the effects of urbanization such as habitat loss, eutrophication, fishing, and the spread of invasive species interact with each other, and with climate change, to fundamentally change the structure and functioning of tidal marshes and their food webs. These changes affect tidal marshes at local scales through changes in plant community composition, complexity, and condition and at regional scales through changes in habitat extent, configuration, and connectivity. However, research into the full effects of these multi-scaled, interactive stressors on ecosystem service provision in tidal marshes is in its infancy and is somewhat geographically restricted. This hinders our capacity to quickly and effectively curb loss and degradation of both tidal marshes and the services they deliver with targeted management actions. We highlight ten priority research questions seeking to quantify the consequences and scales of human impacts on tidal marshes that should be answered to improve management and restoration plans.

Coastal ecosystems are at great risk from climate change and sea level rise, potentially resulting in loss of habitat and economic costs to society. This study aimed to investigate whether ...

Energetic resources and habitat distribution are inherently linked. Energetic resource availability is a major driver of the distribution of consumers, but estimating how much specific habitats contribute to the energetic resource needs of a consumer can be problematic. We present a new approach that combines remote sensing information and stable isotope ecology to produce maps of energetic resources (E-scapes). E-scapes project species-specific resource use information onto the landscape to classify areas based on energetic importance. Using our E-scapes, we investigated the relationship between energetic resource distribution and white shrimp distribution and how the scale used to generate the E-scape mediated this relationship. E-scapes successfully predicted the size, abundance, biomass, and total energy of a consumer in salt marsh habitats in coastal Louisiana, USA at scales relevant to the movement of the consumer. Our E-scape maps can be used alone or in combination with existing models to improve habitat management and restoration practices and have potential to be used to test fundamental movement theory.

Energy and habitat distribution are inherently linked. Energy is a major driver of the distribution of consumers, but estimating how much specific habitats contribute to the energetic needs of a consumer can be problematic. We present a new approach that combines remote sensing information and stable isotope ecology to produce maps of energetic resources (E-scapes). E-scapes project species specific resource use information onto the landscape to classify areas based on energetic importance and successfully predict the biomass and energy density of a consumer in salt marsh habitats in coastal Louisiana, USA. Our E-scape maps can be used alone or in combination with existing models to improve habitat management and restoration practices and have potential to be used to test fundamental movement theory.

The recreational, catch and release fishery for fishes that inhabit shallow-water, coastal marine habitats in tropical and sub-tropical regions (called the flats fishery) is economically valuable and increasingly perceived as a sustainable ecotourism pursuit. However, knowledge of many aspects of target species (such as bonefish, tarpon and permit) ecology is incomplete, and fishery- and non-fishery-related threats to the fish and habitats are numerous and often poorly understood. The International Bonefish and Tarpon Symposium is convened every three years to share new knowledge and to chart directions for future research, with a focus on research that informs conservation and management. Most of the articles in this Special Issue focus on the flats fishery in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and western North Atlantic ocean, but the findings presented here provide guidance for similar work in other regions. Conservation and management of flats fisheries present a challenge because the fisheries are typically data poor; they occur in locations that lack resources and there are scant data on the target species and their habitats. Since earlier symposia, much has been accomplished to fill knowledge gaps and contribute actionable knowledge to conservation. Studies are being replicated across a wider geographic range, and connectivity is being studied at local and regional scales. Citizen science and local ecological knowledge have contributed to a better understanding of historical trends and ongoing processes. In some instances, data have been applied to proactive habitat protections, as in the Bahamas, and to habitat restoration, as in Florida. In other instances, though much data have been gathered, additional information is needed before a comprehensive conservation strategy is possible, as in the Florida Keys. As the articles contained in this Special Issue demonstrate, a mixed-methods approach that uses complementary sources of information to construct a broad understanding of the flats fishery is necessary to guide research and inform conservation and management.

Identifying the relative importance of various nursery areas is critical for understanding the ecological roles of diverse juvenile habitats, as well as for the sustainable management of fisheries and coastal resources. Recent field collections suggest that a portion of the bonefish (Albula vulpes) population in South Florida may be using nearshore estuarine habitats as nurseries. Nearshore marine habitats are traditionally considered nursery habitat for bonefish. However, the prevalence of their reliance on lower salinity areas is not known. To address this, we used otolith microchemistry using laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry to examine variation in Strontium (Sr), a marker for salinity, and determine the connectivity between estuarine and marine habitats across the life of bonefish. Sr profiles from otoliths obtained in locations within South Florida (SFL, N = 40) and Southwest Cuba (SCB, N = 10) were compared using a juvenile-migration index (JMI), and change point models to assess the generality of a shift in salinity and thus habitats across life histories. Adult stages of bonefish otoliths collected in SFL and SCB locations showed Sr concentrations connected to marine, high-salinity environments. The JMI showed that a vast majority of individuals (68.4% and 70% in South Florida and Cuba, respectively) moved from low- to high-salinity environments between juvenile and adult stages. The change point models showed that these shifts to high salinity environments occurred suddenly (in 85% of those showing a low to high salinity change), and early in life (after 2 years in South Florida and after 4 years in Cuba) suggesting an ontogenetic habitat change. This study provided evidence that bonefish use low-salinity estuarine environments as juvenile habitats, perhaps more commonly than marine habitats. The reliance on low-salinity environments suggests the potential vulnerability of bonefish nearshore nursery habitats to disturbances associated with coastal freshwater discharges.

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) can be a valuable approach to fill in knowledge gaps in data-limited systems. Recent research has aimed to make LEK more quantitative-a key step to better integration of LEK into fisheries science and management. Here, we used LEK to a) quantify changes in bonefishing quality over time in South Florida as perceived by members of the flats fishery, and b) demonstrate the applicability of a life history calendar approach to LEK quantitative data collection. In an online survey, we asked anglers and guides to quantitatively evaluate changes in the quality of bonefishing, as a function of bonefish number and size, over the past 40 years in Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys. Results showed a perceived 56% decrease in bonefish number, and a 45% decline in bonefish size since 1975. Respondents reported a decline in bonefish numbers that preceded the decline in size, with numbers starting to decline over 1985–1995, and size by 2005. In terms of the pattern of decline, bonefish number showed a heterogeneous pattern, with a slower rate of decline in 1985–2005 and an accelerated rate over 2005–2010, whereas the size decline was homogenous over 2000–2015. Overall, the study provides additional resolution, spatial coverage, and support to the pattern of bonefish population decline in the region, illustrating the utility of quantitative approaches to LEK data collection, and highlighting the value of integrating multiple knowledge sources to fully characterize ecological patterns.

Plasticity in life-history traits and behaviors allows organisms to track spatial environmental variation, such as that resulting from a latitudinal gradient. In estuaries, hydrological patterns can vary greatly with latitude, causing variable habitat use patterns across a species’ range. For Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) a large euryhaline fish, seasonal movements between the open estuary and freshwater reaches of rivers have been documented. We hypothesized that the timing of river use by Snook would be driven primarily by the magnitude of freshwater inflow, except at the northern limit of its range where lethal water temperatures may be a stronger influence. Data from electrofishing studies (2012–2016) conducted in rivers associated with four estuaries along a latitudinal gradient in western Florida were compared for seasonal differences in Snook abundance using negative binomial regression. In rivers of southwestern Florida (those in Everglades and Charlotte Harbor), Snook abundances increased three-fold during the time of year when surface waters inundating floodplains recede and force prey into the main stems of rivers. These hydrologically driven processes, and surges in Snook abundance, occurred during spring in the Everglades and fall in rivers of Charlotte Harbor. In Tampa Bay rivers, which have less freshwater inflow than the rivers farther south, Snook abundance differed little between seasons. In spring-fed rivers north of Tampa Bay, Snook abundances in fall and winter were twice those of spring and summer; stable water temperatures were thought to provide thermal refuge at the northernmost range of Snook. This work illustrates how the timing of habitat use by a species, and the underlying reasons, can differ greatly among sites. It also demonstrates the value of cross-site comparisons in providing for a more complete understanding of how a species uses available habitats across its range.

Spatial data are key to fishery management; however, most often the spatial distribution of marine populations and fishing dynamics are poorly documented, especially for recreational fish species. The combination of fisheries-dependent data (FDD) obtained from logbooks, and local ecological knowledge (LEK) gathered from key stakeholders could be a powerful approach to inform data gaps in data-limited fisheries. In this study, we used both FDD from guides’ catch reports and LEK using an online survey and key-informant interviews to reconstruct the spatial changes in bonefish (Albula vulpes) catch and fishing effort throughout South Florida over the past 35–40 years, and better understand the extent and spatial patterns of the bonefish decline described in previous studies. Although anglers perceived a decline of bonefish numbers across all fishing areas (26 to 53% drop across Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys, and Florida Bay), the start of the bonefish decline in Florida Bay resulted in the highest drop in bonefish number (53%); thus, indicating both regional and localized decline events affecting bonefish abundance. Within Florida Bay, LEK and FDD concurred with an initial drop in bonefish at Inner Bay, followed by a greater magnitude of decline at Outer Bay. Metrics of effort derived from the survey and interviews depicted a shrinkage and aggregation in the spatial distribution of fishing and a shift of fishing activities toward the Lower Keys. In sum, the spatiotemporal patterns of catch and effort obtained from LEK and FDD allowed us to understand where, when and how this data-limited species declined in South Florida.

Bonefish (Albula vulpes) support a world-renowned fishery in South Florida, USA. However, fishing guides and anglers have been reporting significant declines in bonefish angling quality over that past three decades. In the absence of any long-term bonefish stock and ecosystem assessments, the cause of this decline in the fishery is unclear. Here we summarize our current knowledge of bonefish ecology in Florida and discuss potential causes of fishery decline. Reductions and alterations in freshwater flows from the Everglades have caused major changes in bonefish habitat, including acute (anoxic conditions) and chronic (changes in benthic flora and fauna) effects in Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. Various pollutants from agricultural and urban runoff may also be impacting bonefish population(s) directly and/or indirectly throughout their range. Efforts to locate juvenile A. vulpes in Florida have been largely unsuccessful to date, suggesting abundances may be low, and/or juveniles have unknown habitat requirements in Florida. Further, bonefish larvae may be sourced from adult individuals outside of Florida in areas such as Cuba or Mexico, in which case bonefish conservation in other regions is highly relevant to the Florida population. Extreme weather events may have also contributed to the decline; an extreme cold spell in 2010 caused significant bonefish mortality and coincided with documented declines in the fishery. The fishery may also be impacting the population. We outline research needs and potential approaches to better understand the causes of the bonefish decline in Florida and restore populations of this ecologically and socioeconomically important species.

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is a valuable way to capture environmental and/or resource changes when there is an absence of biological data, such as in the case of ‘data-limited’ catch- and-release recreational fisheries. A powerful technique in LEK is the use of key informant interviews that selectively focus the most knowledgeable experts, and queries them about experiences, perspectives and beliefs. Here, we used LEK from key informants to obtain an in-depth understanding of angler and guide perspectives on the timing, placement and causes of bonefish decline, and effects on the fishery. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with the most-experienced anglers and fishing guides in South Florida (average 42 years of experience). Most respondents described a decline in the fishery that occurred over the 1990s (40% of respondents) and late 2000s (35%), with climate and water quality listed as top causes. Declines in number were larger than the declines in size, with Islamorada being one of the most impacted areas, and Biscayne Bay least impacted. Informants described declines in clientele targeting bonefish, shifts to other fisheries, and to locations outside South Florida. Responses emphasize the contribution of social science research methods, especially incorporating the cumulative knowledge of key stakeholders, to the understanding of ecological systems and their fisheries.

Understanding the nature of migratory behaviors within animal populations is critical to develop and refine conservation and management plans. However, tracking migratory marine animals across life stages and over multiple years is inherently difficult to achieve, especially for highly migratory species. In this paper, we explore the use of acoustic telemetry to characterize the spatial ecology of Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), elucidate the ecology of this poorly studied species, and ultimately inform conservation and management. Using the data from twenty-two acoustically tagged Atlantic tarpon, we found a diversity of tarpon migratory patterns, including spatial and temporal overlap for some individuals. We also reveal fine scale movements within specific ecosystems, as well as a range of distributions and connectivity across coastal waters of the southeastern United States of America. For tarpon with tracking durations greater than one month (n = 13), we found heterogeneous space use and migratory connectivity with some tarpon remaining close to their capture location while others migrated hundreds of kilometers. In addition, we were able to identify a northern and southern limit for one migratory tarpon that had detections spanning over 365 days. We share analyses on Atlantic tarpon data, including model-driven approaches and network analysis, to investigate movement strategies and space use, which may be pertinent to other studies involving highly migratory species. The project was a collaborative effort involving several acoustic telemetry networks which enabled the monitoring of broad- and fine-scale movements for extended periods of time that would normally be difficult to achieve with other monitoring techniques. Although challenges exist with applying acoustic telemetry to monitor highly migratory species, we also discuss its value in enabling researchers to assess movements and space use beyond the focal species, such as cross-ecosystem comparisons and multi-species interactions.

South Florida's water infrastructure and ecosystems are under pressure from socio-economic growth. Understanding the region's water resources management tradeoffs is essential for developing effective adaptation strategies to cope with emerging challenges such as climate change and sea level rise, which are expected to affect many other regions in the future. We describe a network-based hydro-economic optimization model of the system to investigate the tradeoffs, incorporating the economic value of water in urban and agricultural sectors and economic damages due to urban flooding while also accounting for water supply to sustain fragile ecosystems such as the Everglades and coastal estuaries. Results illustrate that maintaining high reliability of urban water supply under scenarios of reduced water availability (i.e., drier climate conditions) may trigger economic losses to the Everglades Agricultural Area, which will likely become more vulnerable as competition over scarce water resources increases. More pronounced economic losses are expected in urban and agricultural areas when flows to the Everglades are prioritized. Flow targets for coastal estuaries are occasionally exceeded under optimal flow allocations to various demand nodes, indicating that additional storage may be needed to maintain the environmental integrity of the estuarine ecosystems. Wetter climate conditions, on the other hand, generally lead to increased flows throughout the system with positive effects on meeting water demands, although flood mitigation efforts will necessitate additional releases to the estuaries. Strengths and limitations of the hydro-economic model are discussed.

Global climate forecasts predict changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events (ECEs). The capacity for specific habitat patches within a landscape to modulate stressors from extreme climate events, and animal distribution throughout habitat matrices during events, could influence the degree of population level effects following the passage of ECEs. Here, we ask (i) does the intensity of stressors of an ECE vary across a landscape? And (ii) Do habitat use patterns of a mobile species influence their vulnerability to ECEs? Specifically, we measured how extreme cold spells might interact with temporal variability in habitat use to affect populations of a tropical, estuarine-dependent large-bodied fish Common Snook, within Everglades National Park estuaries (FL US). We examined temperature variation across the estuary during cold disturbances with different degrees of severity, including an extreme cold spell. Second, we quantified Snook distribution patterns when the passage of ECEs is most likely to occur from 2012 to 2016 using passive acoustic tracking. Our results revealed spatial heterogeneity in the intensity of temperature declines during cold disturbances, with some habitats being consistently 3-5°C colder than others. Surprisingly, Snook distributions during periods of greatest risk to experience an extreme cold event varied among years. During the winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 a greater proportion of Snook occurred in the colder habitats, while the winters of 2012-2013 and 2015-2016 featured more Snook observed in the warmest habitats. This study shows that Snook habitat use patterns could influence vulnerability to extreme cold events, however, whether Snook habitat use increases or decreases their vulnerability to disturbance depends on the year, creating temporally dynamic vulnerability. Faunal global change research should address the spatially explicit nature of extreme climate events and animal habitat use patterns to identify potential mechanisms that may influence population effects following these disturbances.

Salt marsh ecosystems and the seascapes in which they are embedded serve as critical habitats for species harvested by fisheries (1), which provide food and economic security for hundreds of millions of people (2). Historical marsh losses coupled with increasing pressures from coastal development and climate change place these intertidal ecosystems and surrounding uplands under growing threat (3). Preventing further losses of salt marshes and associated fisheries production will require greater public awareness and difficult choices in coastal policy and management, underpinned by greater understanding of marsh function.

Background Hurricanes can have catastrophic effects on coastal ecosystems. To minimize negative impacts of storms, animals may seek shelter in place, move to a nearby refuge, or evacuate long-distances. Crocodilians can be important predators in estuarine habitats, but little is known about how they respond to extreme weather events. We investigated the movement behaviors of eight acoustically tracked American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) before, during, and after Hurricane Irma in 2017 within the Shark River Estuary of Everglades National Park, USA. Using tracking data, we compared their movements and habitat use before and after the hurricane to similar timeframes in other years without major storms. Results We observed considerable variation in movement tactics and responses to the hurricane. Of eight animals that we tracked, two showed no changes in movement or habitat use throughout the study. Two animals ceased upstream excursions that they were regularly making before the hurricane with one of these animals reducing the distance ranged across the river system. Another animal moved upstream from the lower river to the mid-estuary immediately after the hurricane despite having not done this in the 60 days prior. Two other animals moved from the marsh and mangrove forest habitats to river channels several days after the hurricane. One animal shifted to commuting downstream from its upstream habitat shortly before the storm and continued this behavior for the rest of the 2017 and 2018 wet seasons. Conclusions We found considerable variability in behavioral responses to the hurricane, ranging from no discernable changes in movements to one animal exhibiting a complete shift in movement tactics not observed by any animal in the long-term tracking of this population. Our research provides insight into alligator movement behavior and ecology in the context of a major hurricane disturbance.

Within oligotrophic ecosystems, resource limitations coupled with interspecific variation in morphology, physiology, and life history traits may lead to niche partitioning among species. How generalist predators partition resources and their mechanisms, however, remain unclear across many ecosystems. We quantified niche partitioning among upper trophic level coastal and estuarine species: American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), and Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in the Shark River Estuary of the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA using acoustic telemetry, stable isotope analysis, and visual surveys, combined with published diet and life history demographic information. Spatial and isotopic niche overlap occurred among most species, with variability in partitioning among interspecific interactions. However, seasonal variability in habitat use, movements patterns, and trophic interactions may promote coexistence within this resource-limited estuary. Beyond guild-level niche partitioning, predators within the Shark River Estuary also exhibit partitioning within species through individual specializations and divergent phenotypes, which may lead to intraspecific variability in niche overlap with other predators. Niche differentiation expressed across multiple organizational levels (i.e., populations and communities) coupled with behavioral plasticity among predators in oligotrophic ecosystems may promote high species diversity despite resource limitations, which may be important when species respond to natural and human-driven environmental change.

Disturbances that alter cross-habitat food web linkages can lead to whole-scale changes to aquatic systems. In coastal rivers of the Everglades (Florida, U.S.A.), increases in rainfall inundate adjacent floodplains, providing habitat for floodplain fish and macroinvertebrate species. In the dry season, rainfall decreases and floodplains dry, forcing floodplain prey into these river systems. These prey provide a prey subsidy for an estuarine predator, the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis). In 2011, severe drought impacted the region, likely affecting this prey subsidy. In this study, we ask (i) did the 2011 drought affect the magnitude and composition of floodplain prey subsidies to the common snook? and (ii) if species composition changed, were there energetic differences between the pre- and post-disturbance prey species? Results showed that 1 year after the drought, subsidies to the common snook decreased by 75%. On top of that decrease in overall flux, diet composition of the common snook switched from floodplain fishes to drought-tolerant floodplain macroinvertebrates. Lastly, energetic analyses showed that these postdrought macroinvertebrate prey subsidies had 43% less calories than floodplain fishes. Our findings illustrate the importance of considering not only the biomass that transfers from one food web to the next, but also how the species composition of the subsidy may affect incorporation into recipient food webs.

Metapopulation structure emerges from the dispersal of individuals among spatially distinct patches across a low-quality matrix. While dispersing agents are typically modeled as functionally identical with limited, linear and non-directional dispersal, field studies argue for the incorporation of intraspecific trait variation, such as behavioral, into the modeling of dispersal. Individual personality is of growing interest as a trait that affects dispersal metrics yet remains understudied at large, field-relevant spatial scales. Here, we used an individual-based model to investigate the influence of sociability, a personality-type known to be linked to density-dependent dispersal decisions, on a metapopulation at the individual, local and regional scales. As personality dependent dispersal is temporally dependent, we also examined how emergent properties of the metapopulation varied across two dispersal scenarios: long and short dispersal windows. Overall, our results support the growing evidence that individual personalities can significantly structure metapopulations in both space and time, through negative relationships between sociability and dispersal distance and positive relationships between sociability and patch density. However, we also demonstrate the effects of personality are limited by environmental factors. At the larger spatial scales of our model, patch density as a function of distance from source, and proportion of the landscape occupied were more strongly influenced by the dispersal window than by the personality. Using these results, we derive hypotheses to be examined in future empirical research. As the climate continues to shift, and dispersal models are updated to reflect ever changing conditions, these results suggest individual personality types and the personality type by environment interaction should be considered to accurately reflect dispersal and manage valuable metasystems.

Interdisciplinary research is increasingly called upon to find solutions to complex sustainability problems, yet co-creating usable knowledge can be challenging. This article offers broad lessons for conducting interdisciplinary science from the South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project (SFWSC), a 5-year project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal was to develop a holistic decision-making framework to improve understanding of the complex natural–social system of South Florida water allocation and its threats from climate change, including sea level rise, using a water resources optimization model as an integration mechanism. The SFWSC project faced several challenges, including uncertainty with tasks, high task interdependence, and ensuring communication among geographically dispersed members. Our hypothesis was that adaptive techniques would help overcome these challenges and maintain scientific rigor as research evolved. By systematically evaluating the interdisciplinary management approach throughout the project, we learned that integration can be supported by a three-pronged approach: (1) Build a well-defined team and leadership structure for collaboration across geographic distance and disciplines, ensuring adequate coordination funding, encouraging cross-pollination, and allowing team structure to adapt; (2) intentionally design a process and structure for facilitating collaboration, creating mechanisms for routine analysis, and incorporating collaboration tools that foster communication; and (3) support integration within the scientific framework, by using a shared research output, and encouraging team members to adapt when facing unanticipated constraints. These lessons contribute to the international body of knowledge on interdisciplinary research and can assist teams attempting to develop sustainable solutions in complex natural–social systems.

Although fish invasions have implications for conservation and resource management, research on public attitudes toward nonnative fishes is lacking. We surveyed boat and canal bank recreational anglers in the Everglades to assess their awareness, preferences, and perspectives of native versus nonnative fishes. Our findings showed that 79% of anglers were aware of the presence of nonnative fishes, and overall awareness was positively affected by the frequency of fishing, and years of angler experience at study sites. Frequency of fishing had a stronger effect on canal bank anglers. Boat anglers had higher awareness of nonnatives, higher familiarity with “nonnative” terminology, and expressed greater preferences for native fish. Most anglers favored native species (72% preference), and targeted native fishes, particularly Florida Largemouth Bass (66%). Overall, findings show that despite the prevalence of nonnative species, anglers favored native fishes and supported native fish conservation.

Many estuarine species are euryhaline, tolerating a broad range of salinity conditions, such that data on their salinity tolerances can provide little information about a species' distribution and abundance. This is particularly true for nonnative species, known to be tolerant of a broad range of conditions. Instead, data on a species' abiotic or habitat preferences may improve prediction of a nonnative species' potential range, if introduced or if undergoing range expansion. At minimum, information about abiotic preferences may be telling of areas where the probability of nonnative occurrence or density may be higher, and if present, of areas that confer higher fitness. In this study, the salinity preference of the nonnative African jewelfish ( Hemichromis letourneuxi ), a recent and rapidly-expanding invader in the Florida Everglades, was quantified in laboratory trials. Despite the broad salinity tolerance of African jewelfish (up to 50), trials show a strong preference for freshwater conditions. When presented with a salinity gradient, over 50% of observations in timed videotaped trials were collected in the lowest salinity chamber (0.3), suggesting an affinity for low salinity, which was unaffected by the sex or body condition of study fish. Fish clearly avoided mid and full salinity conditions. Findings suggest that their distribution may be considerably more limited, and that the species may have higher invasion success in oligohaline habitats, than predicted based on their salinity tolerance. Results have important implications for nonnative species niche modeling, and argue for better integration of behavior along with physiological responses when examining species distributions in dynamic environments.