Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Integrative Biology
Major Professor
Deby L. Cassill, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Heather Judkins, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Michael Shamblott, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Ryan Schloesser, Ph.D.
Keywords
Environmental DNA, estuary restoration, fish diversity, Tampa Bay estuary, game fish, fish nurseries
Abstract
Coastal estuarine systems associated with the Tampa Bay region along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, US, are critical to the region’s fishing industry, which contributes significantly to Florida’s economy. Restoring estuaries along the Gulf Coast of Florida is an investment in Florida’s environmental health and economic stability. Estuaries serve as nurseries for many marine species, including commercially important organisms like finfish. Restoring these areas can enhance fish stocks and, by extension, boost the economic returns from commercial and recreational fishing. In this study, differences in fish species richness were compared among a seven-month period in 2022, seine nets (once in June and August) and eDNA (once monthly), to determine fish species richness in Robinson Preserve, a restored estuary. Fish species richness varied across six sites with higher fish species richness at higher salinity sites. Fish species richness was higher during the wet months of June through August than the dry months of November and December. Fish of a longer length and less mass tended to shed more eDNA than those of a shorter length and heavier mass. As a method for monitoring fish species richness in shallow benthic estuarian systems, eDNA was equally as effective as seine nets, but was far less costly. Utilizing eDNA alongside other traditional sampling methods, such as seine nets, will likely result in observing the highest species richness from sampling. In summary, by assessing the effectiveness of restoring Gulf Coast estuaries using eDNA as a time and cost-effective method, we safeguard the future of Florida’s coastal estuaries and the numerous benefits they provide.
Scholar Commons Citation
Seigel, Alex, "Assessing Fish Species Richness Using eDNA and Seine Nets in a Restored Estuary in Tampa Bay, Florida, US" (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10678
