Progress report, 1 July 1975--30 June 1976

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7361436

Seagrass communities are a major feature of shallow marine areas throughout the world. The marine spermatophyte, Thalassia testudinum Konig, is the dominant seagrass in southeast Florida and the Florida Gulf coast. The trophic interaction between the fishes and the macrobenthic and cryptic fauna found in the area was examined. Based on digestive tract analysis, the principal interaction between the primary consumers of the study area and the higher trophic level predators was via the polychaetes and peracaridean crustaceans. The mollusks which contributed significantly to the benthic biomass were not a preferred food for the animals frequenting the study site. The maximum biomass in any benthic and cryptic samples was 3.35 g dry/m/sup 2/. The majority of the fishes captured were foragers over a wide area. The main residents were the syngnathids and the goldspotted killifish, Floridichthys carpio. It was felt that the predator population was limited by the small stock of polychaetes and peracaridean crustaceans which had a maximum biomass in any one sample equivalent to 1.40 g dry/m/sup 2/.

• Research Organization: Miami Univ., Fla. (USA). Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
• OSTI ID: 7361436
• Report Number(s): ORO-3801-8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
ANNELIDS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
BIOMASS
COASTAL REGIONS
COMMUNITIES
CRUSTACEANS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
FISHES
FLORIDA
FOOD CHAINS
GRASS
INVERTEBRATES
MOLLUSCS
NORTH AMERICA
NUTRITION
PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SEA BED
SEAS
SOUTHEAST REGION
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES