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Freshwater Flow and Ecological Relationships in Biscayne Bay 4-42
placing favorable salinities out of reach of animals that require bottom or
shoreline habitat not found in the new location..."[see Appendix C].
The general life history of seven species found in Biscayne Bay are shown in
Appendix C. These include the snook (Figure C-1), tarpon (C-2), redfish (C-3),
spotted seatrout (C-4), gray snapper (C-5), pink shrimp (C-6) and spiny lobster
(C-7). The figures are arrange roughly in order of true estuarine and low salinity
dependency, with the snook, tarpon and redfish typical examples where
spawning occurs in higher salinities, and the larvae seek lower salinity
oligohaline habitat where they metamorphose into early juveniles and later leave
these natal areas for higher salinity waters. This life cycle differs from that of the
seatrout, shrimp and gray snapper where inshore movements of spawned larvae
occur, but more often into muddy bottoms or shoreline vegetation with slightly
higher salinities (mesohaline for redfish), or mangroves/seagrass meadows with
mesohaline to polyhaline ranges of salinities (for gray snapper and shrimp).
Finally, the spiny lobster exhibits use on inshore waters and macroalgae and
sponge habitats as nursery areas with polyhaline to euhaline ranges of salinities
and can be negatively impacted by too large of an input of freshwater to these
areas.
The potential indicator species have been selected in part due to salinity
tolerances. Tables 3a and 3b list common plants and animals found in Biscayne
Bay, and their salinity preferences, both for juvenile and adult, if known. Habitat
preference is also noted if known. As shown in the table, the vast majority of
species have very broad tolerances for salinities as would be expected for species
found under estuarine conditions. It is important to note that these are data
typically reported for "salinity at time of capture" and not the optimum salinities
for minimum physiological stress, or maximum productivity. For most of these
species such detailed information is not available, limiting the usefulness of
simple presence or absence of any species as an indicator for use in establishing
and monitoring MFLs.
Table 3a
Salinity and Habitat Requirements for Potential Vegetative Indicator Species
Species Salinity
(ppt)
Substrate/habitat Comments
Avicennia germinans
Black mangrove
0-90 Soft mud or sand Emergent woody species; long-lived; can excrete excess
salt
Cladium jamaicense
Sawgrass
0-5 Soft mud or sand Herbaceous emergent; typically inhabits fw areas; is
outcompeted in areas of high nutrients
Conocarpus erecta
Buttonwood
0-50 Firm sand or muck Emergent woody species; typically found at slightly
higher elevations than red, black or white mangroves
Distichlis spicata
Saltgrass
0-80 Firm sand or muck Herbaceous emergent; quite tolerant of varying salinity
regimes
Eleocharis cellulosa
Spikerush
0-1 Firm sand or muck Herbaceous emergent; within project area only in
upstream (freshwater) areas
Halophila decipiens
Paddle grass
20-40 Soft sand Diminutive, submerged, herbaceous species; may be
found in mixed beds with other seagrasses
Halophila englemanii
Stargrass
20-40 Soft sand Submerged, herbaceous species; relatively uncommon;
may be with other seagrasses
Halophila johnsonii
Johnson's seagrass
15-43 Soft sand or mud Diminutive, submerged, herbaceous species; threat-ened
species; distribution only north of Virginia Key
Halodule wrightii
Shoal grass
6-40 Soft sand or mud Submerged, herbaceous species; relatively abun-dant,
may be found mixed with other seagrasses
Juncus roemerianus
Black needlerush
0-35 Soft sand or mud Emergent herbaceous species; within project area, found
west of shoreline
Laguncularia racemosa
White mangrove
0-50 Soft sand or mud Emergent woody species; typically found at elevations
higher than red and black mangroves
Rhizophora mangle
Red mangrove
0-55 Soft sand or mud Emergent woody species; typically found at elevations
lower than black and white mangroves
Ruppia maritima
Wigeon grass
0-390
0-40
Soft sand or mud Submerged, herbaceous species; relatively rare in
project area; only known in shallows near Black Pt.
Spartina spartinae
Cordgrass
0-35 Soft sand or mud Emergent herbaceous species; within project area, found
west of shoreline
Syringodium filiforme
Manatee grass
5-45 Soft sand or mud Submerged, herbaceous species; fairly common in
project area; best bed is in Northern sub-region
Thalassia testudinum
Turtle grass
11-70 Soft sand or mud Submerged, herbaceous species; fairly common