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Gammaridean Amphipods As Bioindicators In Subtropical Seagrass Ecosystems, Jennifer L. Sweatman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic disturbances are ubiquitous in coastal marine ecosystems. As such, more intensive monitoring efforts are necessary to conserve these valuable habitats. Bioindicators, organisms that predictably respond to changes in environmental variables, may be utilized in monitoring efforts to assess ecosystem functioning. To incorporate organisms into monitoring programs as bioindicators managers need to first understand the difference between the natural phenology of the focal organisms and their responses to different forms of anthropogenic disturbance.

To determine if gammaridean amphipods could be used as indicators of changes in environmental quality in sub-tropical seagrass ecosystems, I conducted spatial and temporal surveys of amphipod …