William F. Loftus Jerome Lorenz 2005 database/spreadsheet http://sofia.usgs.gov/projects/lh_param/ This project has several objectives, the foremost of which is to continue a program of aquatic study in Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) begun in 2002. Work will be performed in partnership with National Audubon Society (NAS) and the National Park Service to design and implement a spatially and temporally explicit, quantitative sampling program for aquatic animals in BICY. This program will 1) provide baseline data which may be used to track changes in hydrology as a result of CERP projects 2) document the distribution, composition, and habitat use by native and introduced aquatic animals to evaluate the effects of CERP on BICY aquatic habitats, 3) provide ecological data for use in the ATLSS fish simulation model used to plan and evaluate restoration actions during CERP (presently, inappropriate data from the Everglades are being used in the model for cells that lie in BICY). The strategy used to accomplish these goals will be to employ techniques used by the co-principal investigators in establishing monitoring programs in the Everglades (since 1977) and the mangrove zone of Florida Bay (since 1989). The goal of this project in is to inventory the freshwater fish in the Big Cypress National Preserve, and simultaneously test sampling methods and designs for a long-term aquatic biota research program for the Preserve. A major ecosystem of the South Florida area, the Big Cypress Swamp, is poorly understood in biological terms. The Department of Interior is responsible for management of most of this system, which is part of the Everglades Restoration Program (CERP). To detect changes in natural and artificial habitats resulting from CERP restoration programs, baseline data on constituent aquatic communities and their ecology are needed before and after restoration actions. Fishes and aquatic invertebrates serve as indicators of the health of these wetlands. These organisms are also important because they are major prey for many of the characteristic South Florida predatory species, especially alligators and wading birds. This project will establish a long-term, quantitative monitoring program for prey-base aquatic organisms and is intended to detect changes in aquatic-animal populations resulting from CERP hydrologic alterations. This project was previously titled Aquatic-Animal Community Dynamics in Seasonally Variable Wetlands of the Big Cypress Swamp and is a continuation of the project Inventory of Freshwater Fish Species within the Big Cypress National Preserve, with emphasis on methods testing to design a long-term aquatic-biotic sampling program 20021001 20040930 ground condition Complete None planned Big Cypress National Preserve -81.75 -80.75 26.3 25.5 none biology model habitat freshwater fishes ISO 19115 Topic Category environment biota 002 007 inlandWaters 012 Department of Commerce, 1995, Countries, Dependencies, Areas of Special Sovereignty, and Their Principal Administrative Divisions, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4, Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology United States US U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the outlying areas of the United States, and associated areas (Federal Information Processing Standard 5-2): Washington, D. C., NIST Florida FL Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas, FIPS 6-3, Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology Collier County Monroe County USGS Geographic Names Information System Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress Swamp none SW Big Cypress none animals fish multiple species Turgeon, D. D. Quinn, J. F., Jr.; Bogan, A. E.; Coan, E. V.; Hochberg, F. G.; Lyons, W. G.; Mikkelsen, P. M.; Neves, R. J.; Roper, C. F. E.; Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F. G.; Vecchione, M.; Williams, J. D. 1998 2nd book Special Publication 26 Bethesda, MD American Fisheries Society Sampling was conducted according to a stratified design based on habitat type. The majority of sites were located within 250 meters of roads or trails passable by truck to simplify access. Sites were also reached by boat, all-terrain vehicle, helicopter, and airboat when these means of transportation were available. Habitat heterogeneity made random selection of sites difficult, particularly during the dry season, as no sufficiently detailed hydrology data existed to insure that randomly selected sites would be inundated. In those cases, sites were haphazardly selected to insure the presence of standing surface water. The diversity of habitat types in Big Cypress presents considerable challenges to the development of a comprehensive sampling regime, as the effectiveness of any given methodology varies between habitats. To compensate for this, numerous techniques were employed during this study. A variety of fish traps have been used extensively, as well as electrofishing gear, gill nets, cast nets, dip nets, and angling. The location of each sampling site was recorded as universal transverse mercator (UTM) coordinates using a Garmin Etrex Vista GPS. Project personnel collected and curated representative vouchers for all captured species whenever practical. Specimens too large to effectively preserve have been documented photographically using a digital camera. Vouchers have been collected independently for each habitat type sampled. Additionally, to ensure complete spatial coverage of the preserve, vouchers of each species have been collected from the north, central, and southern regions of Big Cypress. Information regarding each voucher was entered into the project Access database, and each was assigned a unique identifier to link with related sampling information. Voucher collection is an ongoing process and will continue for the duration of the study. Upon completion of this project, vouchers will be transferred to an NPS-identified repository. For each sample, all specimens were identified to species, and total catch per species recorded. Total lengths.were measured for the first 20 randomly selected individuals of each species to obtain a representative size distribution. Water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were measured for each site when possible, however, instrumentation problems precluded this for much of the year. Project personnel borrowed a Hydrolab 4a minisonde and datalogger from the BICY hydrology department to resolve these problems. For electrofishing expeditions, water conductivity was determined using a YSI-33 conductivity meter. Specimens were identified to species Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Superclass Osteichthyes Class Actinopterygii Subclass Neopterygii Infraclass Teleostei Superorder Acanthopterygii Order Atheriniformes Family Atherinopsidae Subfamily Menidiinae Genus Labidesthes Species Labidesthes sicculus brook silverside crayon d'argent Genus Menidia Species Menidia beryllina inland silverside tidewater silverside Order Beloniformes Suborder Belonoidei Superfamily Scomberesocoidea Family Belonidae Genus Strongylura Species Strongylura marina Atlantic needlefish silver gar Species Strongylura notata agujón de aletas rojas redfin needlefish Species Strongylura timucu longjaw timucu timucú Order Cyprinodontiformes Suborder Cyprinodontoidei Family Cyprinodontidae Subfamily Cyprinodontinae Tribe Cyprinodontini Genus Cyprinodon Species Cyprinodon variegatus pipón sheepshead minnow sheepshead pupfish Genus Floridichthys Species Floridichthys carpio goldspotted killifish ocellated killifish Genus Jordanella Species Jordanella floridae American flagfish flagfish Family Fundulidae Genus Adinia Species Adinia xenica diamond killifish Genus Fundulus Species Fundulus chrysotus golden topminnow Species Fundulus confluentus marsh killifish Species Fundulus grandis Gulf killifish Species Fundulus seminolis Seminole killifish Species Fundulus similis longnose killifish Genus Lucania Species Lucania goodei blue-fintop minnow bluefin killifish Species Lucania parva rainwater killifish Family Poeciliidae Subfamily Poeciliinae Genus Belonesox Species Belonesox belizanus pike killifish piketop minnow Genus Gambusia Species Gambusia holbrooki mosquitofish eastern mosquitofish Genus Heterandria Species Heterandria formosa dwarf livebearer least killifish Genus Poecilia Species Poecilia latipinna sailfin molly Order Mugiliformes Family Mugilidae Genus Mugil Species Mugil cephalus black mullet gray mullet lisa striped mullet Order Perciformes Suborder Elassomatoidei Family Elassomatidae Genus Elassoma Species Elassoma evergladei everglades pygmy sunfish Suborder Gobioidei Family Gobiidae Genus Bathygobius Species Bathygobius soporator frillfin goby gobio mapo Genus Lophogobius Species Lophogobius cyprinoides crested goby gobio encrestado Genus Microgobius Species Microgobius gulosus clown goby Suborder Labroidei Family Cichlidae Genus Astronotus Species Astronotus ocellatus oscar Genus Cichlasoma Species Cichlasoma bimaculatum black acara twospotted cichlid Species Cichlasoma urophthalma Species Chiclasoma managuensis Genus Oreochromis Species Oreochromis aureus blue tilapia Genus Tilapia Species Tilapia mariae spotted tilapia Suborder Percoidei Family Carangidae Genus Caranx Species Caranx hippos crevalle jack jiguagua Family Centrarchidae Genus Lepomis Species Lepomis macrochirus bluegill crapet arlequin Species Lepomis marginatus dollar sunfish Species Lepomis microlophus redear sunfish Species Lepomis punctatus spotted sunfish Species Lepomis gulosus warmouth Genus Micropterus Species Micropterus salmoides achigan à grande bouche largemouth bass Genus Pomoxis Species Pomoxis nigromaculatus black crappie marigane noire Family Centropomidae Subfamily Centropominae Genus Centropomus Species Centropomus undecimalis common snook róbalo común snook Family Echeneidae Genus Echeneis Species Echeneis naucrates guaicán sharksucker Family Gerreidae Genus Eucinostomus Species Eucinostomus harengulus mojarra plateada spotfin mojarra Species Eucinostomus gula mojarra de ley silver jenny Genus Eugerres Species Eugerres plumieri patao rayado striped mojarra Family Lutjanidae Subfamily Lutjaninae Genus Lutjanus Species Lutjanus griseus caballerete gray snapper grey snapper Family Percidae Genus Etheostoma Species Etheostoma fusiforme swamp darter Family Sciaenidae Genus Sciaenops Species Sciaenops ocellatus red drum Family Sparidae Genus Archosargus Species Archosargus probatocephalus sheepshead Genus Lagodon Species Lagodon rhomboides chopa espina pinfish Order Pleuronectiformes Suborder Pleuronectoidei Family Achiridae Genus Achirus Species Achirus lineatus acedía rayada lined sole Genus Trinectes Species Trinectes maculatus hogchoker Order Synbranchiformes Suborder Synbranchoidei Family Synbranchidae Genus Monopterus Species Monopterus albus rice eel swamp eel white ricefield eel Superorder Clupeomorpha Order Clupeiformes Suborder Clupeoidei Family Engraulidae Subfamily Engraulinae Genus Anchoa Species Anchoa mitchilli anchoa de caleta bay anchovy Superorder Elopomorpha Order Anguilliformes Suborder Anguilloidei Family Anguillidae Genus Anguilla Species Anguilla rostrata American eel anguila anguila americana anguille d'Amérique Order Elopiformes Family Elopidae Genus Elops Species Elops saurus banano ladyfish machete del Atlántico Family Megalopidae Genus Megalops Species Megalops atlanticus sábalo tarpon Superorder Ostariophysi Order Cypriniformes Superfamily Cobitoidea Family Catostomidae Subfamily Catostominae Tribe Moxostomatini Genus Erimyzon Species Erimyzon sucetta lake chubsucker Superfamily Cyprinoidea Family Cyprinidae Genus Notemigonus Species Notemigonus crysoleucas golden shiner méné jaune Genus Notropis Species Notropis maculatus taillight shiner Species Notropis petersoni coastal shiner Order Siluriformes Family Ariidae Genus Arius Species Ariopsis felis bagre boca chica hardhead catfish Family Callichthyidae Subfamily Callichthyinae Genus Hoplosternum Species Hoplosternum littorale brown hoplo Family Clariidae Genus Clarias Species Clarias batrachus clarias catfish walking catfish Family Ictaluridae Genus Ameiurus Species Ameiurus natalis bagre torito amarillo barbotte jaune yellow bullhead Species Ameiurus nebulosus barbotte brune brown bullhead Genus Ictalurus Species Ictalurus punctatus bagre de canal barbue de rivière channel catfish graceful catfish Genus Noturus Species Noturus gyrinus chat-fou brun tadpole madtom Superorder Protacanthopterygii Order Esociformes Family Esocidae Genus Esox Species Esox americanus brochet d'Amérique (vermiculé) grass pickerel redfin or grass pickerel redfin pickerel Species Esox niger brochet maillé chain pickerel Order Amiiformes Family Amiidae Genus Amia Species Amia calva bowfin poisson-castor Order Semionotiformes Family Lepisosteidae Genus Lepisosteus Species Lepisosteus platyrhincus Florida gar none none William F. Loftus U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336

Homestead FL 33034 USA 305 242-7835 305 242-7836 bill_loftus@usgs.gov Personnel from The National Audubon Society are collaborators in this project. Data are available as MS Access database and as MS Excel spreadsheet Loftus, William F. 2000 report Florida Scientist v. 63, n.1 Orlando, FL Florida Academy of Sciences Lorenz, J. J. McIvor, C. C.; Powell , G. V. N.; Frederick, P. C. 1997 report Wetlands v. 17, n. 3 McLean, VA Society of Wetlands Scientists Duever, M. J. Carlson, J. E.; Meeder, J. F.; Duever, L. C.; Gunderson, L. H.; Riopelle, L. A.; Alexander, T. R.; Myers, R. F.; Spangler, D. P. 1979 report Naples, FL Center for Wetlands, UF-Gainesville and National Audabon Society Loftus, W. F. Eklund, A. M. 1994 book chapter Delray Beach, FL St. Lucie Press Chapter 19 in Everglades: the system and its restoration S. Davis and J. C. Ogden, editors Trexler, J. C. Loftus, W. F. 2001 report Miami, FL Florida International University Final report to Evergaldes National Park under FIU Cooperative Agreement CA5280-8-9003 Trexler, J. C. Loftus, W. F.; Jordan, F.; Chick, J. H.; Kandl, K. L.; McElroy, T. C.; Bass, Jr., O. L. 2001 book chapter Boca Raton, FL CRC Press in The Everglades, Florida Bay, and coral reefs of the Florida Keys: an ecosystem sourcebook J. W. Porter and K. G. Porter, editors not applicable not available Field A variety of fish traps were used extensively as well as electrofishing gear, gill nets, cast nets, dip nets, and angling. Duever et al (1979) identified 10 broadly defined habitat types within BICY based on dominant vegetation type; five of these habitats are considered freshwater: cypress forests, mixed swamp forests, mixed pine and cypress prairies, herbaceous prairies, and deep water sloughs and ponds. A sixth habitat (coastal marshes) is predominantly freshwater but is periodically inundated with marine waters. Although not considered by Duever et al. (1979), canals are also a significant part of the BICY landscape and can be considered as a separate freshwater habitat type. All seven habitats will be sampled in relation to habitat abundance with BICY. Sampling effort will be two-tiered. The first tier will include sites readily accessible via roadways or levees. These sites will be subjected to repeated sampling on a seasonal or quarterly basis, depending on hydrologic variability. The second tier will include more remote areas that cannot be accessed by automobile. These sites will be sampled less frequently. Selection of these sites will be determined based on the abundance of the given habitat type and possibility of access. Sampling of these areas will be done using BICY’s helicopter and swamp buggy, and we plan to purchase an all-terrain vehicles, and use USGS airboats. NAS will provide a 4-wheel drive truck for the study. Special effort will be made to sample short hydroperiod wetlands during periods of flooding and to sample sub-habitats with conditions that make them unique or rare within BICY. Fieldwork will consist of a minimum of 9 field weeks or 45 field days. Traditional fisheries collection techniques will be used throughout BICY to assess the composition of the freshwater ichthyofauna. Examples of collection techniques to be used are passive fish traps (e.g. minnow traps), pull seines, experimental gill nets, throw traps, cast nets, block nets, angling, visual surveys, electrofishing, and rotenone application (within enclosures or in small isolated water bodies). A combination of several of these techniques will used at each sampling location so as to reduce gear bias thereby promoting a more accurate census of the fish community. The habitat type and on-site conditions will determine which techniques will be used. Attention will be paid to sampling effort such that quantitative abundances of species can be made (i.e., catch per unit effort or catch per unit area). This is a particularly important part of the gear-testing phase of the first project year that will allow us to select the most appropriate gear for the long-term sampling study in FY04. Application of the proposed techniques is dependent upon BICY issuing the appropriate permits for such activities. To collect data on aquatic animal community composition and dynamics in the Big Cypress Swamp, we will use the sampling protocol established in the cooperative program for the Everglades, to the extent possible to allow comparability of data. Linkages between the data collection in the Big Cypress Swamp and adjacent regions should produce system-wide tracking of aquatic animal communities, and will utilize the different habitat conditions in the regional compartments to assess animal responses. Naturally, the habitat differences in the Big Cypress Swamp will require the use and testing of different methods. To examine seasonal habitat use by the aquatic animals, we intend to include a gradient from shallow marsh/swamp habitats to deeper pool/strand habitats at each sampling location. We anticipate sampling five times per year in February (winter), April (dry season), July (summer), October (wet season), and December (transition between wet and dry). This schedule uses the successful elements from the Everglades program-sampling regime to this study to reduce the amount of method development. In shallow habitats, the throw trap and minnow-trap arrays will be used to collect fishes and invertebrates. In deep strands, we plan to use a boat-mounted electrofisher to sample larger species. Specimens will be preserved and returned to the laboratory for identification and enumeration. The specimens will be saved as vouchers and for processing for life-history data. Large-bodied species will mainly be field-processed and returned alive, except for voucher and life-history samples. Correlative hydrological data will be gathered as discontinuous data from local staff gauges, and as continuous daily data from recording stations. Ancillary habitat data on vegetation cover and local water depths will be taken. During the dry season, it will be necessary to reach sample sites by hiring or borrowing a swamp buggy and/or helicopter, and by purchasing ATV’s. In wet periods, a USGS airboat and van will be used for transport. The pilot study must address questions at two scales: at the local scale of sampling plots in evaluating the best methods for collecting animals. The second level is at the landscape scale, to determine the sampling design. Because the habitats in the Swamp include forested wetlands, there will be an element of sampling method testing in that habitat. The literature contains methodologies developed for other forested wetlands in the southeast US, but these must be evaluated under local conditions. The large size of the Swamp and its diversity of habitats will make stratification of sampling effort necessary to adequately describe the functional responses of the fishes to environmental conditions, especially hydrology and stochastic disturbances. The pilot data will be evaluated with the help of the FCSC statistician before settling on a final design for the project. The project should cover the major habitat types in the ecosystem, but the actual number of sites will depend on the effort needed to sampling them and the resources available. 2004 Work planned for FY 2004 includes: Specific sampling locations will be selected based on consultations with BICY hydrology staff and will be identified in the FY03 annual report (due September 30). Accessibility, and potential accuracy and precision of sampling gear, will be taken into account when selecting study sites. In general, locations for monitoring will be selected based on the potential to gather data for CERP projects that will affect hydrology. We anticipate that the most conspicuous effects will occur along the boarders of the Preserve. In particular, the decompartmentalization of WCA3 Project will alter freshwater flows along the eastern and southern peripheries. The proximal impact of the project will be along the eastern boundary of the Preserve, but the effects will also be transmitted downstream to the ecotonal areas between the freshwater and estuarine areas of the Preserve. Those regions will receive the most sampling attention. However, the western and northern boundaries may also be affected by CERP projects. In particular, the western Preserve may be affected by restoration efforts in the Southern Golden Glades Estates region and the Preserve. Although these effects may not be as pronounced as the eastern and southern areas, there is a possibility for hydrologic changes. Furthermore, it is important to have reference sites as part of a longterm sampling program. Low-impact areas of the Preserve will serve as control sites within our natural experiment so that the magnitude of changes in the high-impact areas may be measured using a BACI design (Before-After-Control-Impact comparisons). Sampling locations in the interior and along the western periphery should be ideal candidates for low-impact sampling sites. Similar suites of aquatic habitats within these sectors will be routinely sampled. Our preliminary results suggest that cypress sloughs, freshwater prairies and marshes, and ecotonal swamps and marshes may be ideal for monitoring sites. Sampling within these habitat types will be stratified between ephemeral wetlands and deep-water, dry season refugia for aquatic organisms. For example, alligator holes or ditches adjacent to wetlands will be routinely sampled to quantify the seasonal movements of fishes along a depth gradient. The concentration of prey species into these refugia is particularly important to understanding wading-bird foraging patterns within the Big Cypress region. The habitat being sampled will determine the sampling protocols. We will use the sampling protocol established in the cooperative program for the Everglades, to the extent possible to allow comparability of data (Trexler et al. 2002). This will allow for linkages between the data collection in the Big Cypress Swamp to adjacent regions within the Greater Everglades. The goal would be to produce a system-wide tracking of aquatic animal communities, and will utilize the different habitat conditions in the regional compartments to assess animal responses. However, it must be recognized that habitats within the Preserve are more diverse than in the Everglades and will require that other methods be used in unique habitats. The findings of the first-year pilot study allow us to suggest the following sampling designs for target habitats. However, until monitoring sites are established it must be recognized that our approach must be somewhat plastic so as to adapt to unforeseen inherent idiosyncrasies associated with any sampling site. In shallow marsh habitats, the throw trap and drift-fence/minnow-trap arrays (Loftus et al. 2002) used in EVER will be used to collect fishes and invertebrates. In forested areas, complex root and stem systems preclude the use of throw traps, so a modified drop trap method will be substituted for throw trapping, however, the drift-fence arrays will still be useful in these areas. In deep strands, alligator holes, and ditches, we plan to use a boat-mounted electrofisher to sample larger species (Nelson and Loftus 1996). Specimens will be preserved and returned to the laboratory for identification and enumeration. The specimens will be saved as vouchers and for processing for life-history data. Large-bodied species will mainly be field-processed and returned alive, except for voucher and life-history samples. Correlative hydrological data will be gathered as discontinuous data from local staff gauges, and as continuous daily data from recording stations. Ancillary habitat data on vegetation cover and local water depths will be taken. We will purchase data-logging water-quality units to record seasonal physico-chemical characteristics of the habitats, such as dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and temperature. During the dry season, it will be necessary to reach sample sites by hiring or borrowing a swamp buggy and/or helicopter, or by ATV’s. In wet periods, the USGS airboat and a van will be used for transport. We anticipate sampling five times per year in February (winter), April (dry season), July (summer), October (wet season), and December (transition between wet and dry). This schedule uses the successful elements from the Everglades program-sampling regime to this study to reduce the amount of method development. The number of monitoring sites established will be ambitious and will cover all suitable habitat types along the Preserve periphery as described above. However, the actual number of sites will depend on the effort needed to sampling them and the resources available. The collection effort should be supported for a minimum of three years to sample across a range of climatic conditions. 2004 William F. Loftus U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336

Homestead FL 33034 USA 305 242-7835 305 242-7836 bill_loftus@usgs.gov Big Cypress National Preserve Heather S.Henkel U.S. Geological Survey mailing address

600 Fourth St. South

St. Petersburg FL 33701 USA 727 803-8747 ext 3028 727 803-2030 hhenkel@usgs.gov freshwater fish data from Big CypressNnational Preserve No warrantees are implied or explicit for the data Access 1997 1.52 http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy Log onto the SOFIA website at http://sofia.usgs.gov Excel 2000 0.023 http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy Log onto the SOFIA website at http://sofia.usgs.gov none 20070205 Heather Henkel U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

600 Fourth Street South

St. Petersburg FL 33701 USA 727 803-8747 ext 3028 727 803-2030 sofia-metadata@usgs.gov Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Part 1: Biological Data Profile FGDC-STD-001.1-1999