Use of Shallow Lagoon Habitats by Nekton of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

We compared nekton use of prominent habitat types within a lagoonal system of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (GoM). These habitat types were defined by combinations of structure (cover type) and location (distance from shore) as: Spartina edge (≤1 m from shore), Spartina (3 m from shore); Juncus edge (≤1 m from shore); seagrass located 3, 5, and 20 m from shore; and shallow non-vegetated bottom at various distances from shore. Although seagrass and Spartina edge sites differed little in environmental characteristics, the density and biomass of most abundant taxa, including pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum), were higher in seagrass. Most species within seagrass and Spartina did not differ in abundance or biomass with distance from shore. Our study revealed a shift in peak habitat use in the northeastern GoM to seagrass beds from the pattern observed to the west where nekton is concentrated within shoreline emergent vegetation.