Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit , University of Florida
Abstract
This study investigated the status of fish communities
in 12 naturally acid Florida lakes. The small, shallow
lakes were located in the Ocala National Forest, the Trail
Ridge, and panhandle Florida; regions where lakes have low
acid neutralizing capacities and are considered sensitive to
further acidification from anthropogenic sources.
Fifteen species from seven families were captured
during mark-recapture sampling. Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
was the only cosmopolitan species in the study. Bluegill
(Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus
salmoides), collected from 11 and 10 lakes, respectively,
were also widely distributed species. Total fish abundance
and biomass were not related to lake pH or total alkalinity.
(Document has 202 pages
