Population Structure and Spatial Delineation of Consumer Communities in the Everglades National Park

Principal Investigators: William F. Loftus and Joel Trexler Project Personnel: Tom McElroy and Tim Collins Proposal and Project Summaries Bibliography Publications

Summary

Project objectives are to identify population structure of selected aquatic species in the Everglades and to estimate migration rate from genetic data on gene flow for incorporation in the ATLSS model.

In modeling the dynamics of aquatic animal populations in southern Florida wetlands, the dispersal distances, rates of movements, and timing of movement are important but poorly understood. The small size of the wetland animals precludes the use of standard marking techniques for studying movement, and the large, open system of these wetlands makes recapturing marked animals improbable. Genetic markers, used to determine population structure, offer an indirect way of assessing the degree of movement and mixing in these populations, and the landscape-level patterns of animal movement. In a series of studies in this multi-year project, our objectives are to identify population structure of selected aquatic species in the Everglades and to estimate migration rate from genetic data on gene flow for incorporation in the ATLSS model. Data from studies on whether levee and canal systems act as barriers to dispersal of aquatic animals in the Everglades are applicable to the Restudy. We are also using genetic techniques to learn if populations of introduced Asian Swamp Eels have the same source of origin, thereby establishing whether new collection locations represent dispersal events or new introductions. Results have management implications for restoration, modeling, and control of introduced species.

Proposal

• 2001

Project Summaries

• 2001
• 2002

Publications