Posthurricane Recovery of Riverine Fauna Reflected in the Diet of an Apex Predator

摘要: Hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm on the Safford–Simpson scale, passed over Peace River, Florida, and its watershed 13 August 2004 causing widespread hypoxia. An electrofishing study investigating abundance of euryhaline Centropomus undecimalis (common snook) began in freshwater portions River 3 months after (November 2004) included diet sampling. Samples were taken seasonally up to 2006. Changes prey assemblages C. determined through multivariate analyses (e.g., nonmetric multidimensional scaling) used as proxy estimate recovery riverine fauna. The initial posthurricane dominated by species well adapted low dissolved oxygen, namely Gambusia holbrooki Hoplosternum littorale. A significant long-term serial change assemblage structure occurred G. H. littorale decreased other river fauna such Procambarus spp. ictalurid catfish increased. Assemblages presumed recovering 1 year hurricane landfall, period that is an order magnitude longer than those reported for estuarine fish assemblages. approach using stomachs sampling tools detected changes at level armored littorale) cryptic invertebrate spp.) went unnoticed standard methods. Although was useful detecting assemblage-level changes, metrics—such health, sex ratio, relative abundance, juvenile year-class strength fishes invertebrates collected traditional fishing methods—are needed fully evaluate effects hurricane. Nonetheless, this demonstrates studies can supplement fishery gear create more comprehensive strategy aquatic