Cephalopods in the diet of the sowrdfish, Xiphas gladius, from the Florida Straits

An analysis was conducted on the cephalopod remains from the stomachs of 65 swordfish, Xiphias gladius, from the Florida Straits. Results indicated that cephalopods contribute a large proportion of the total ration of food items, accounting for over 90% of total weight on contents in 69% of the stomachs. Of these, ommastrphid squid of the genus Illex represented the single most important prey items. In total, 15 species of caphalopods were encountered, consisting of 13 teuthoids and 2 octopods. This previously unrecognized diversity confirmed the earlier postulated opportunistic feeding strategy of X. gladius. Cephalopod, fish, and crustacean remains are reported in terms of frequency of occurence and biomass. Analysis of the vertical distribution of cephalopod prey indicated that swordfish feeding is most concentrated in epipelagic and upper mesopelagic waters. Comparisons with feeding studies on billfishes from the western North Atlantic indicated that istiophoris may rely more heavily on finish prey than squid in contrast with the present findings for X. gladius. Also, octopods may contribute a greater proportion of the cephalopod of total ration in the istiohoris than X. gladius

Evidence for Irruptive Fluctuation in Axis Deer of Hawai‘i

Axis deer on the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Lāna‘i, and Moloka‘i simultaneously experienced one of the most dramatic population crashes on record in 2020-2021, which coincided with extended drought conditions and prompted an emergency declaration for these islands. This phenomenon has been anecdotally documented during previous drought events in 2011-2012, but never formally studied. Newspaper articles document abundant deer becoming a nuisance to agriculture and natural resources, and then experiencing high mortality during droughts. This phenomenon fits Caughley’s (1970) operational definition of eruptive (sic) fluctuation “…as an increase in numbers over at least two generations, followed by a marked decline.” We examined available deer population and rainfall records over the time period of interest. Deer may have increased rapidly during favorable years with high survival and recruitment. During moderate drought, young of the year may experience high mortality, with little recruitment to populations. During severe drought, adults may experience noticeably high mortality. When populations are suppressed by large numbers of removals, fluctuations in mortality may be modulated. Abandonment of large-scale intensive agriculture in recent decades may complicate interpretation but understanding these population processes may lead to better management strategies for axis deer in Hawai‘i

Final Report: Biological Monitoring of the John U. Lloyd Beach Renourishment: 1989

In 1987, Nova University (Contractor) with ERM South (Subcontractor) was awarded a contract to provide biological monitoring services for the John U Lloyd State Recreation Area Beach Renourishment Project. A notice to proceed for the initial biological monitoring (Phase I - Preconstruction) was issued in February, 1989. Phase I preconstruction field monitoring took place in February and March, 1989. Phase II post-construction field work took place in August and Spetember, 1989. Phase III post-construction field monitoring took place in August, 1990. Laboratory work occurred from March, 1989 to January, 1991. Renourishment dredging took place from May 16, 1989 to July 14, 1989. Approximately 603,000 cubic yards of sediment were removed and subsequently emplaced on 1.6 miles of shoreline

Final Report Biological Monitoring of the Hollywood-Hallandale Beach Renourishment

A four-year study was undertaken to survey Broward County, Florida (southeast Florida) coral communities and infaunal marine biota in relation to possible effects from the Hollywood- Hallandale Beach renourishment project. Beach restoration involves dredging sand from offshore deposits and placing it on eroded beaches, activities which may cause sedimentation and turbidity. Coral reefs were assessed using transect and quadrat surveys at a total of 15 stations, unevenly distributed between dredging impact (n=9) and control (n=6) areas to characterize and quantify populations of sponges, gorgonians, scleractinian corals, as well as other less well represented groups. In addition, the infauna of sand areas were analyzed using 150 core samples collected from both control and dredging impact areas. The first study was conducted in 1990, one year prior to construction of the beach in 1991. Other surveys were conducted immediately after construction in 1991, and then in 1992 and in 1994. The issue of the response of coral reefs and coral reef organisms to sedimentation and turbidity is complicated. These ecosystems have adapted over long time periods to be able to deal with certain low levels of natural sedimentation and turbidity. However, excessive or chronic sedimentation causes documented adverse effects. These can include mortality, as well as changes in growth, coverage, density, and community composition. The difficulty is that all of these parameters, while linked, change at different rates and in other ways which are largely unqualified for individual species, let alone the broad combinations of species and growth forms which ultimately create ecosystems. Consequently, predicting (and assessing) the effects of a particular event or events (e.g., a beach renourishment project) can be particularly difficult when effects are less than catastrophic (e.g., complete mortality). The most consistent result obtained by this study is that a long term decline, indicated by many key taxonomic groups and indices has occurred in the study areas. Statistical analyses using repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) often show a time effect for both control and dredging treatments. Declines in both control and dredging stations are especially obvious when 1990 Pre-construction parameters are compared with those of 1994 (although there may be unexplained fluctuations in between these times). Percent cover by scleractinian corals, as well as their mean density and coverage diversity are all lower (often significantly) in 1994 than they were in 1990. Coral coverage at dredging sites dropped continuously and lost 20% of its Pre-construction value. However, the largest percent decline among gorgonians occurred between the 1992 and 1994 surveys in which dredge stations populations decreased by 28.5% and control populations declined by 27.8%. An overall decrease in the mean number of sponges and scleractinian corals also occurred in the study areas, similarly not limited to dredge stations, but encompassing control stations as well. Differences among treatment means were not statistically significant and consequently insufficient to indicate dredging effects. In some cases, however, effects of dredging were noted, especially for the gorgonian populations. The number of gorgonian corals declined 15.8% at the dredging sites between 1991 and 1992, while remaining constant at control sites. Most of these gorgonian losses occurred on nearshore stations just offshore of the restored beach where many colonies were found partially or completely dead and covered with a layer of silt. At the same time, however, the mean number of individual sponges and scleractinians increased at both control and dredging sites in the same period. While the data do not demonstrate the absence of potential environmental impacts as a result of dredging and filling, the overall pattern is not consistent with a simple, single impact explanation. Storm events must also be factored into the pattern. During the study period, two major storms affected the area. Hurricane Andrew in August of 1992 occurred just a few weeks before the 1992 survey. The otherwise unnamed Storm of the Century took place in 1993, a year when no biological assessment was undertaken. In qualitative surveys following the storms, we specifically noted damage to the reef communities. Invertebrate populations were scoured from their points of attachment to the substrate and piled into crevices and depressions on the reef. Our data from the current study show that numbers of sponges, which had increased at both dredge and control sites in 1991, declined substantially after the storm, recovering slightly or leveling off in 1994. Gorgonian populations declined twice at dredging sites, in 1991 and again between 1992 and 1994. The first decline had no parallel on control sites, but the second decline was mirrored by a population decrease at control stations. Stony coral colonies increased or remained the same at dredge sites during the first three surveys, then similarly decreased between 1992 and 1994. Mean coral density and coverage diversity followed the same pattern. Inshore and offshore core sites supported different macroinfaunal assemblages during this, project. Pre-construction faunal composition as reflected by most common organisms was generally similar at control and treatment sites both inshore and offshore, although one control (R90) and one treatment site (Till) differed considerably from the other inshore sites. With these two exceptions, macrofaunal abundances and species richness values increased at all inshore sites immediately post-dredging. By contrast, organism abundances, richness and diversity indices declined substantially at both offshore sites over the same period (1990-1991). In 1992, all inshore sites (except Till) recorded greater macrofaunal abundances than in the Preconstruction survey, although two control and three treatment stations declined from 1991 peaks. Similarly, species richness values continued to increase or at least remained higher than Preconstruction levels at six sites (again excepting R90 and Till). In 1994, organism abundances had declined to below Pre-construction levels at all sites with the exception of two inshore treatment stations (R106, R116) that had developed a different macrofaunal assemblage accompanied by peaks in nematode and harpacticoid numbers. Species richness declined at least slightly from 1991 or 1992 peaks at all inshore sites (except R106), but remained higher than before renourishment with two exceptions: richness at stations R90 and Till declined roughly continuously through all four surveys so that, in 1994, these two sites supported assemblages similar to those at most of the other inshore sites (T88, R92, R94, R120). Diversity indices showed no recognizable trend relative to control versus treatment over the course of the four surveys. Of the dominant inshore organisms, the polychaetes, Dispio uncinata, Paraonis fulgens, Scolelepis texana, Spio pettiboneae and Armandia agilis, generally increased in numbers from 1990 through 1992 and almost uniformly declined in 1994, with much greater declines at the four treatment sites. S. texana disappeared from all treatment sites, while Prionospio multibranchiata appeared at all control sites. S. pettiboneae disappeared from all eight inshore sites. The inshore amphipods, Metharpinia floridana and Haustoriussp., remained abundant or increased in numbers at control sites. At treatment sites, both exhibited at least some immediately Post- construction increases and then declined, with the former species disappearing in 1994. The bivalve, Tivela floridana, also exhibited 1991 peaks at several stations, but, in contrast with the amphipods, declined at all sites in 1992 and rebounded at three control and three treatment sites in 1994. At the offshore sites, Prionospio cristata generally remained the most abundant polychaete although it decreased in numbers at both stations in 1994. Both P. cristata and another polychaete, Chone cf. americana, occurred in greater abundance in the borrow area than at the control site in all three Post-construction surveys. However, of the three common nonpolychaete taxa, the bryozoan, Cupuladria sp., increased at the control site and decreased at the borrow area over the four surveys; the tanaidacean, Cirratodactylus floridensis, and the isopod, Xenanthura brevitelson, declined at the control site, though they remained in moderate numbers there, while both declined or disappeared at the borrow area after dredging. The results of this assessment has indicated few major detrimental effects from the beach renourishment project. This would suggest that future renourishment projects could be expected to result in only minor impacts, if responsible construction practices were followed. However, it is also important to recognize the limitations of this study and possible confounding effects. These include small sample size (numbers of monitoring sites) within the dredging and control areas, confounding effects of reef community zonation with depth (e.g., First, Second, and Third Reefs), confounding effects of short-term disturbances (e.g., Hurricane Andrew) or long-term change (e.g., global warming, chronic pollution from other sources), and finally high natural, variability of reef communities, which decrease the ability of statistical tests to detect differences, regardless of the replication

Preconstruction Report: Biological Monitoring of the Hollywood-Hallandale Beach Renourishment: 1991

In 1990, Nova University (Contractor) with Coral Reef Associates and ERM South (Subcontractors) was awarded a contract to provide biological monitoring services for the Hollywood Hallandale Beach Renourishment Project. A notice to proceed for the initial biological monitoring (Preconstruction) was issued in August, 1990. Preconstruction field monitoring took place in October, 1990. Laboratory work was begun at the start of 1991 following the analysis of samples from the previous John U. Lloyd beach renourishment monitoring. Renourishment dredging is tentatively scheduled to take place starting in April or May, 1991. Sediment is scheduled to be removed and subsequently placed on the shoreline

Feral Goats and Sheep

Sheep and goats are among the earliest animals domesticated by mankind (Zeder 2009). Both goats and sheep may have made better candidates for domestication than other animals like deer because they follow a single dominant leader, the herdsman (Geist 1971). They now have a nearly ubiquitous worldwide distribution, and they are among the most abundant of all commensal animals. However, they have also become some of the most widespread invasive feral mammals, particularly on the 100 or more islands throughout the world where they have been introduced, causing severe damage to island ecosystems, in some cases for hundreds of years (Rudge 1984; Chynoweth 2013). Problems caused by feral goats and sheep are a subset of the larger problem of domestic livestock and natural systems. Feral goats are perhaps more widespread than feral sheep because goats have not been as highly modified by the process of domestication (Francis 2015). The Bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus) is the most likely ancestor of domestic goats (C. hircus) from both genetic and paleontological evidence (Pidancier et al. 2006). The domestication process started at least 10,000 years ago in highlands of western Iran, beginning with the selective harvesting of subadult males and the transition from hunting to herding of the species (Zeder and Hesse 2000). Multiple independent domestication events may have occurred or domestication may have incorporated multiple ancestral lineages (Pidancier et al. 2006). Traits selected during domestication include behavior, dairy, meat, skins, pelage color, mohair, cashmere, horns, pathogen resistance, and even intestines for catgut. Selection for reduced body size may have been related to the ability to better survive in hot and arid environments (Zeder 2009). A profound reduction in horn size occurred after humans began to control breeding, particularly in males, possibly associated with the absence of selective pressures for large horns used in mate competition (Zeder 2009)

Second Post-Construction Report: 1992 Biological Monitoring of the Hollywood-Hallandale Beach Renourishment. Draft

In 1990. Nova University (Contractor) with Coral Reef Associates and ERM South (Subcontractors) was awarded a contract to provide biological monitoring services for the Hollywood Hallandale Beach Renourishment Project. A notice to proceed for the initial biological monitoring (Pre-construction) was issued in September. 1990. Pre-construction field monitoring took place in October. 1990. Renourishment dredging began in April and ended August, 1991. Approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of sediment were removed and subsequently emplaced on 5 miles of shoreline. The first post-construction monitoring took place in October. 1991. On August 24.1992 the eye of Hurricane Andrew passed some 30 miles to the south of the project area. High winds and heavy seas affected Broward County reefs. The second post-construction monitoring began in October. 1992

Relationships between soil macroinvertebrates and nonnative feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

Abstract Nonnative feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are recognized throughout the New World as a highly significant introduced species in terms of ecosystem alteration. Similarly, nonnative soil macroinvertebrates (e.g. earthworms, ground beetles) invade and alter the structure and function of native habitats globally. However, the relationship between feral pigs and soil macroinvertebrates remains largely unknown. This study analyzed relationships between these taxa using nine sites located inside and outside of feral pig management units representing a * 25 year chronosequence of removal in tropical montane wet forests in Hawai‘i. Soil macroinvertebrates were sampled from plots categorized as: actively trampled by feral pigs, actively rooted by feral pigs, feral pigs present with no signs of recent activity, or feral pigs removed over time. In total, we found 13 families of primarily nonnative soil macroinvertebrates. Plots with active trampling correlated with lower total macroinvertebrate abundance, biomass, and family richness. Plots with active rooting were correlated with higher abundance of nonnative earthworms (Lumbricidae and Megascolicidae) and ground beetles (Carabidae). The abundance, biomass, and biodiversity of macroinvertebrates did not vary with time since feral pig removal. Collectively, these results indicate: (1) trampling by feral pigs negatively influences soil macroinvertebrates; (2) feral pigs either modify habitats while rooting thereby facilitating earthworm and ground beetle habitat use or selectively seek out target prey species of soil macroinvertebrates; and (3) removal of feral pigs has minimal impacts on soil macroinvertebrates over time. These results are important globally due to the broadly overlapping ranges of S. scrofa and nonnative macroinvertebrates