Occurrence and persistence of non-native Cichlasoma urophthalmus (family Cichlidae) in estuarine habitats of south-west Florida (USA): environmental controls and movement patterns
Aaron J. Adams A B and R. Kirby Wolfe AA Center for Fisheries Enhancement, Mote Marine Laboratory, Charlotte Harbor Field Station, PO Box 2197, Pineland, FL 33945, USA.
B Corresponding author. Email: aadams@mote.org
Marine and Freshwater Research 58(10) 921-930 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07086
Submitted: 20 April 2007 Accepted: 11 September 2007 Published: 30 October 2007
Abstract
The geographic scope of species introductions has increased dramatically in the last 200 years. One of the greatest challenges to understanding the ecological consequences of non-native species is that it has been difficult to identify the attributes that allow them to become established outside their native range. This challenge is compounded by anthropogenic habitat alteration that often enhances the establishment and expansion of non-native species. Fishes in the family Cichlidae are notoriously adaptive, and contribute more non-native species to North America than any other fish family. This is especially true in Florida (USA), where 18 cichlid species have become established. The Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) was first documented in south Florida in 1983, and is present in many freshwater and estuarine habitats. This study reports a northward range expansion by C. urophthalmus, demonstrates the connectivity between altered freshwater habitats and tidal estuarine habitats, and suggests that the estuarine populations are ephemeral and dependent upon colonisation from populations in altered freshwater habitats.
Additional keywords: estuary, Gulf of Mexico, invasive fish.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by grants from Mote Scientific Foundation and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program to AJA. We thank M. O’Connell, M. Peterson, and T. Slack for discussions and collaborations that greatly improved this research and manuscript; D. and D. Gulnac for logistical support; and M. Newton, B. Thornton, E. Wiggs, and G. Pittard for field assistance. T. Kellison and three anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript.
Adams, A. J. , Wolfe, R. K. , Pine, W. E. , and Thornton, B. L. (2006). Efficacy of PIT tags and an autonomous antenna system to study the juvenile life stage of an estuarine-dependent fish. Estuaries and Coasts 29, 311–317.
Faunce, C. H. , and Lorenz, J. J. (2000). Reproductive biology of the introduced Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus, within an estuarine mangrove habitat of southern Florida. Environmental Biology of Fishes 58, 215–225.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jepsen, N. , Koed, A. , Thorstad, E. B. , and Baras, E. (2002). Surgical implantation of telemetry transmitters in fish: how much have we learned? Hydrobiologia 483, 239–248.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
O’Connell, M. T. , Cashner, R. C. , and Fuentes, G. N. (2002). Application of a diffusion model to describe a recent invasion; observations and insights concerning early stages of expansion for the introduced Rio Grande cichlid, Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum, in southeastern Louisiana. Aquatic Invaders 13, 13–21.
Stauffer, J. R. , and Boltz, S. E. (1994). Effect of salinity on the temperature preference and tolerance of age-0 Mayan cichlids. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 123, 101–107.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Trexler, J. C. , Loftus, W. F. , Jordan, F. , Lorenz, J. , Chick, J. , and Kobza, R. M. (2000). Empirical assessment of fish introductions in a subtropical wetland: an evaluation of contrasting views. Biological Invasions 2, 265–277.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
