Changes in the Plant and Fish Communities in Enhanced Littoral Areas of Lake Kissimmee, Florida, Following a Habitat Enhancement

Abstract

ABSTRACT A 1995–96 habitat enhancement project was conducted at Lake Kissimmee, Florida, which included a major drawdown and organic sediment removal from about half of the lake's shoreline. Previous studies have compared enhanced versus control sites following habitat enhancements, but no studies have assessed how plant and fish communities change through time in enhanced habitats. We sampled plant and fish communities in two enhanced littoral areas three times each summer from 1998 to 2000. Quality fish habitat (i.e., sandy bottom, moderate coverage of aquatic macrophytes, high dissolved oxygen concentrations) was present in enhanced sites throughout this study. Irrespective of water level, plant abundance (percent area covered, PAC) and biomass increased during the study period, but mean plant biomass and abundance were < 2 kg · m−2 and < 50%, respectively, in 2000. Mean dissolved oxygen concentrations in enhanced sites generally exceeded 3 mg · L−1 in all years. Diverse fish communities also reflected quality habitat in enhanced sites. No fish variables differed between sites, but fish diversity and richness were highest during 1999 when water levels were high. Mean water depth and PAC, when significant, were positively related to fish variables (e.g., biomass, diversity). The results of this study suggest that the benefits of the 1995–96 Lake Kissimmee habitat enhancement were prolonged compared to a previous effort, which may be due, in part, to herbicide treatments.