Fish Assemblage Variability in a Florida Spring

Abstract

Abstract Florida springs are generally characterized as static ecosystems with unique faunal and floral assemblages that persist under relatively stable physical and chemical conditions. We sampled the fish fauna of Volusia Blue Spring to determine whether this presumption would withstand scrutiny at a higher temporal resolution and over time. We sampled by seining or snorkeling at five stations along the 320-m run weekly or bimonthly from October 2000 to September 2004. This four-year study consisted of 1152 samples that produced approximately 164,000 observations of 30 species of fish on 72 sampling trips. Concurrent water quality samples were collected at 14 sites along the center of the run and at each of the seine sites. Virtually anoxic water discharged from the spring head, but this water accumulated oxygen as it traveled the run. Fish density and species composition also changed dramatically along the length of the run. Species that tolerate low oxygen concentrations, such as poeciliids, dominated...