Abstract

Alterations of the deliveries of freshwater flows can have major effects on spatial processes at the coast, including those related to economically valuable recreational fisheries. For instance, freshwater flows can alter spatial patterns of recruitment, and the foraging and physiological landscape experienced by fisheries, and thus affect their productivity in a spatially explicit manner. In South Florida, recreational fisheries are a major ecosystem service provided by the Everglades ecosystem, and understanding the exact nature of the dependencies of these fish species on freshwater deliveries is key to their resilience and sustainable management. Freshwater flows have been drastically altered in the Everglades due to a legacy of hydrologic changes driven by drainage and impoundment related to agriculture and urban development, however ongoing restoration efforts aiming to restore natural flows and counteract climate change effects (sea level rise) can influence the ultimate fate of South Florida recreational fisheries. Here, we use Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) to illustrate how freshwater inflows affect multiple aspects of the life of snook, including their foraging movement, distribution, and degree of synchrony in space use across the seascape. Findings highlight the importance of understanding the nature of flow-ecology relationships for key ecosystem provider species, in order to avoid crossing thresholds in water management that may lead to ecological collapse, especially in the face of projected changes in freshwater availability with climate change. Alterations of the deliveries of freshwater flows can have major effects on spatial processes at the coast, including those related to economically valuable recreational fisheries. For instance, freshwater flows can alter spatial patterns of recruitment, and the foraging and physiological landscape experienced by fisheries, and thus affect their productivity in a spatially explicit manner. In South Florida, recreational fisheries are a major ecosystem service provided by the Everglades ecosystem, and understanding the exact nature of the dependencies of these fish species on freshwater deliveries is key to their resilience and sustainable management. Freshwater flows have been drastically altered in the Everglades due to a legacy of hydrologic changes driven by drainage and impoundment related to agriculture and urban development, however ongoing restoration efforts aiming to restore natural flows and counteract climate change effects (sea level rise) can influence the ultimate fate of South Florida recreational fisheries. Here, we use Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) to illustrate how freshwater inflows affect multiple aspects of the life of snook, including their foraging movement, distribution, and degree of synchrony in space use across the seascape. Findings highlight the importance of understanding the nature of flow-ecology relationships for key ecosystem provider species, in order to avoid crossing thresholds in water management that may lead to ecological collapse, especially in the face of projected changes in freshwater availability with climate change. Alterations of the deliveries of freshwater flows can have major effects on spatial processes at the coast, including those related to economically valuable recreational fisheries. For instance, freshwater flows can alter spatial patterns of recruitment, and the foraging and physiological landscape experienced by fisheries, and thus affect their productivity in a spatially explicit manner. In South Florida, recreational fisheries are a major ecosystem service provided by the Everglades ecosystem, and understanding the exact nature of the dependencies of these fish species on freshwater deliveries is key to their resilience and sustainable management. Freshwater flows have been drastically altered in the Everglades due to a legacy of hydrologic changes driven by drainage and impoundment related to agriculture and urban development, however ongoing restoration efforts aiming to restore natural flows and counteract climate change effects (sea level rise) can influence the ultimate fate of South Florida recreational fisheries. Here, we use Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) to illustrate how freshwater inflows affect multiple aspects of the life of snook, including their foraging movement, distribution, and degree of synchrony in space use across the seascape. Findings highlight the importance of understanding the nature of flow-ecology relationships for key ecosystem provider species, in order to avoid crossing thresholds in water management that may lead to ecological collapse, especially in the face of projected changes in freshwater availability with climate change.

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