Explanation of Indicator
Historically there have been periods of global cooling and warming. One characteristic of changing environmental conditions is a change in species composition within a community in a specific locality. As certain species in a community fail to thrive, or leave the area, all of the other species that depend on it are impacted as well. The entire ecosystem can be thrown off balance. Species that are transient may be impacted by a shift in marine ecosystems as well. Transient species may include migratory birds.
In the northern Gulf of Mexico and specifically along the panhandle of Florida’s coast, marine species of tropical origins occur on a year-round basis on rock bottoms at approximately 20 or more meters of depth. They include coral reef-associated fish species such as beaugregories (Eupomacentrus variablis); French angel fish (Pomacanthus paru); sergeant majors (Abudefduf saxatilis); grey angel fish (Pomacanthus arcuatus); several species of butterfly fish (Chaetodon spp.) and blue head wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum).
Every summer tropical reef species of juvenile fish and invertebrates colonize the rock jetties at the mouth of St. Andrew Bay (part of St. Andrew Bay State Park) in Panama City, Florida and the jetties at Destin, Florida. They grow and persist there until about November. At that time the shallow and inshore waters become too cold for their continued survival and they migrate to the warmer waters of south Florida.
Routine monitoring of dates of first and last appearance, numbers of individuals, and which species are present would be useful to determine if some species persist for an increasingly longer number of days per year or eventually become year round residents rather than seasonal residents. This could be a biological indicator of warming winter water temperature and of possible climatic warming.
Data Characteristics
SOURCE
There is currently no source of data for this information.
ACQUISITION
Not applicable.
COLLECTION
Not applicable.
Recommendations
Biological assessments of near shore fish communities should be conducted during winter and summer months at several locations ranging from Pensacola to southern Florida. Data on fish could easily be collected at little cost by state park personnel at St. Andrew Bay State Park or the work could be contracted to the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea, Florida or other interested parties. Data should be collected consistently over time as to accurately assess changes in community composition and document possible species displacement.