Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Biology (Integrative Biology)
Major Professor
Heather Judkins, Ph.D.
Committee Member
J. Sean Doody, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Timothy Henkel, Ph.D.
Keywords
benthic, coastal, dissimilarity, drivers, invertebrate, urban
Abstract
Understanding biodiversity trends of highly disturbed urban landscapes is essential as anthropogenic factors continue to drive global biodiversity loss. Within marine ecosystems, macrofaunal fouling communities, aggregations of epibenthic invertebrates that colonize human-made structures, represent an ecologically important subset of urban coastlines. Tampa Bay is a highly urbanized estuary in Florida, USA, and is home to the state’s largest port, Port Tampa Bay. This makes the bay a prime site for the introduction of new species, with many organisms either considered invasive or cryptogenic, their origins left unclear. Many factors may contribute to the communities that form on urban structures including seasonality, spatial distribution, material composition of the substrate, hydrodynamics, water quality, and the success of native inhabitants compared to nonnative species. The main drivers underpinning their assemblages, however, are unclear as the group remains understudied. The present study investigated the relationships between spatial distribution, season, material type, invasive species, and environmental factors and community structure to better understand the differences among macrofaunal fouling communities living on floating docks around Tampa Bay. Samples were collected by scraping collections along transects below the surface of the water, with the collected organisms being counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic unit. Water quality data and dock characteristics were collected during two sampling seasons (summer and winter). Results show a significant correlation between season and taxonomic richness as well as a significant correlation between the location of fouling communities in the bay and the dissimilarity between them. This dissimilarity is significantly positively correlated to the salinity and total dissolved solids gradients in the bay. While some nonnative species thrived and had significant impacts on the differences between bay assemblages, decreases in historically significant invasive species and the information about the importance of factors behind community composition may contribute to improved restoration and management of these important urban communities.
Scholar Commons Citation
Bell, Cassidy C., "Patterns in Biodiversity and Community Assemblage in Macrofaunal Fouling Communities on Tampa Bay Floating Docks" (2023). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10024
