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Abstract
Seagrass habitats in South Florida are exceptionally valuable. They play an
important ecological role in the coastal environment by stabilizing sediment, providing
habitat for other species and supporting a whole food web. The availability of light and
nutrients in aquatic ecosystems are the driving factors behind seagrass distribution.
Water quality has been known to influence the abundance, distribution and composition
of seagrass beds. South Florida has extensive diverse coastal communities. Throughout
its human development dramatic changes have occurred in its natural ecosystems. In
South Florida, many examples of seagrass habitat loss are documented, with a variety of
contributing factors. The present research investigates the spatial and temporal patterns
in benthic vegetation of the North Biscayne Bay marine basin, located just south of the
heavily urbanized Port of Miami. The area has been altered significantly through
dredging projects to widen and deepen the channels around the port facilities in order to
accommodate larger vessels. This study focuses primarily on environmental and physical
conditions that are likely to alter the distribution of seagrass. The availability of light and
nutrients in aquatic ecosystems are the driving factors behind seagrass distribution and
therefore one may expect seagrass degradation if any drastic changes occurred in these
parameters.
Project data used were collected from the South Florida Fish and Invertebrate
Assessment Network project (FIAN), an element of the greater Everglades Restoration
Program. Additional Environmental and physical data were obtained from the South
Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the National Ocean and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). The FIAN Port of Miami (POM) study location is dominated
by three species of seagrass: Thalassia testudinum, Syringodium filiforme, and Halodule
wrightii. Analysis has shown that over the seven-year period, 2005 - 2011 the state of the
seagrass has been fairly stable with minor perturbances (p > 0.05). There are some
seasonal fluctuations evident in seagrass cover-densities, but minimal change was
observed between the spring and fall (p > 0.05). Syringodium is the dominant species,
followed by Thalassia and Halodule within the POM. Environmental and physical
conditions from FIAN (salinity, temperature, sediment depth, turbidity, etc.) varied
between years and seasons; however, most measurements remained in the ideal range for
seagrass growth. Water depth, sediment depth, and turbidity were significant predictors
of seagrass occurrence in the POM; however, water depth was the only major predictor of
seagrass cover-density. The available environmental and physical data from the SFWMD
showed minimal changes in the environmental and physical measurements across
available sample years and are in the ideal range for seagrass. Turbidity has improved
since the completion of the port construction and major weather disturbances (hurricanes)
in 2005. Minimal changes were detected during the seven year study period (2005-2011)
within the seagrass habitat of the heavily urbanized region of POM.
Keywords: FIAN, SFWMD, NOAA, Deep Dredge, Panama Canal, environmental,
physical, natural, anthropogenic
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Table of Contents
i. Approval Page.................................................................................................................. ii
ii. Acknowledgements........................................................................................................iii
iii. Abstract......................................................................................................................... iv
iv. Table of Contents........................................................................................................... v
v. List of Figures............................................................................................................... vii
vi. List of Tables.............................................................................................................. viii
vii. List of Appendices....................................................................................................... ix
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Seagrass Natural History........................................................................................... 2
1.1.2 Environmental Constraints for Seagrasses......................................................... 2
1.1.3 Natural Impacts to Seagrasses ........................................................................... 5
1.1.4 Anthropogenic Impacts to Seagrasses ............................................................... 5
1.1.5 Ecological Role and Economic Importance of Seagrasses................................ 6
1.2 South Florida Seagrass Species ................................................................................ 8
1.2.1 Thalassia testudinum ....................................................................................... 10
1.2.2 Syringodium filiforme ...................................................................................... 11
1.2.3 Halodule wrightii............................................................................................. 11
1.2.4 Halophila species............................................................................................. 12
1.2.5 Ruppia.............................................................................................................. 12
1.3 Algae: Benthic and Epiphytic ................................................................................. 13
1.4 Study Site: Port of Miami, North Biscayne Bay, FL.............................................. 14
1.4.1 Physical Environment ...................................................................................... 14
1.4.2 Miami Port Economic Importance to South Florida........................................ 19
1.4.3 Port Expansion: 2012 Deep Dredge Project .................................................... 19
1.5 Study Objectives & Hypotheses ............................................................................. 20
2.0 Materials and Methods................................................................................................ 23
2.1 FIAN Data............................................................................................................... 23
2.1.1 Seagrass Community Vegetation Sampling…………………………………..24
2.1.2 Environmental and Physical Measurements.................................................... 25
2.2 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................... 29
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3.0 Results......................................................................................................................... 31
3.1 FIAN Seagrass Community Measurements............................................................ 31
3.2 Environmental and Physical Conditions in Port of Miami, 2005-2011.................. 42
3.2.1 Comparison of Environmental and Physical Measurements between FIAN and
Other Monitoring Networks...................................................................................... 52
3.3 FIAN Seagrass Community Relations with the Environmental and Physical
Measurements............................................................................................................... 58
3.3.1 Relationships between Seagrass Presence and the Environmental and Physical
Conditions................................................................................................................. 58
3.3.2 Relationships between Seagrass Species Densities and Environmental and
Physical Conditions .................................................................................................. 60
3.3.3 Relationships between Average Seagrass Canopy Height and Environmental
and Physical Conditions…………………………………………………………….65
4.0 Discussion................................................................................................................... 67
4.1 Habitat Patterns of Benthic Vegetation................................................................... 67
4.2 Environmental and Physical Measurements........................................................... 69
4.3 Relationships between Seagrass and the Environmental and Physical
Measurements............................................................................................................... 71
4.4 Environmental, Physical, Weather and Anthropogenic Changes Related to Seagrass
Variations...................................................................................................................... 74
4.4.1 Algae and Nutrient Changes Related to Seagrass Variations.......................... 78
4.5 Future Threats to Seagrass Habitats........................................................................ 80
5.0 Conclusions……………………..……………………………………………………81
6.0 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................... 85