Interactions of Salinity, Marsh Fragmentation and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Resident Nekton Assemblages of Coastal Marsh Ponds

摘要: Increases in relative sea level are fragmenting the emergent vegetation of Louisiana’s coastal marshes. Nekton abundance is likely impacted by salinity and whether replaced submerged aquatic (SAV) or open water. To assess these effects, we sampled nekton densities along a gradient (categorized as freshwater, intermediate, brackish marsh) fragmented non-fragmented areas. Total density increased strongly with SAV marsh but only weakly freshwater (F2,238 = 10.03, p < 0.0001). Freshwater intermediate marshes had higher when than non-fragmented; this relationship was reversed 8.89, 0.0002). Fragmentation, SAV, interacted to affect Gambusia affinis, Poecilia latipinna, Cyprinodon variegates, Lucania parva. Our results suggest that presence both necessary for maintaining high densities, combination being especially important