Analyzing The Diversity of Fish and Crabs in The GTMNERR
Austin O’Connor & Charles Adams-Flagler College Science Department
Objective•Because of the threats that climate
change and humans have on estuaries, continuous monitoring of these ecosystems is needed.
Estuaries•Spawning sites and nurseries•Habitat for inshore, non-migratory fish•Home for juvenile, migratory fish
Biodiversity•Species richness- # of species present•Species evenness- How equal abundances
of species•A higher amount of biodiversity means a
healthier ecosystem
MethodsSites were sampled using 50 foot seine nets to determine
abundance and diversity.
Water quality was also measured for comparisons.
This included Salinity, DO, and Temp
MethodsEach Specimen was
identifiedLengths were measured and
recorded
Sampling Sites
Common Species
Cool catches
Simpsons Biodiversity Index
• Used to calculate Biodiversity of Each month for Washington Oaks State Park, GTMNERR Oyster Reef, and Fort Castillo De San Marcos
• Assisted by Microsoft Excel
Results-water quality
May June July0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Temperature
GTMNERRCastillo de San MarcosWashington Oaks GardensTe
mpe
ratu
re (C
)
May June July0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
GTMNERR
Castillo de San Marcos
Washington Oaks Gardens
DO (m
g/L)
Results-Biodiversity
May June July0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Biodiversity Index
GTMNERR
Castillo de San Marcos
Washington Oaks Gardens
Sim
pson
's Di
vers
ity In
dex
Conclusion•All sample sites were relatively high in
Biodiversity•Temperatures ranged from 20-30C0.
Dissolved oxygen ranged from 6-9 mg/L, but was primarily around 7 mg/L
•Healthy estuarine ecosystem•Future seining can contribute more data
Acknowledgements•GTMNERR•Flagler College•Dr. McGinley•Fellow Students•Dunkin Donuts
Questions?