Spatial Analysis of Mark Recapture Data from an Endemic Seahorse Population from the Bahamas (Hippocampus erectus) Provides Critical Management Insights for Park Development
Date
2020-05-12
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Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, The University of Tampa
Abstract
We utilized both mark-recapture and facial recognition techniques to follow a saltwater lake population of lined seahorses (Hippocampus erectus). Sampling occurred between August 2018 and October 2019, using elastomer tags and facial patterns analyzed with the Interactive Individual Identification (I3S) program to confirm that facial markings work to identify individuals in a 25x25 meter grid established in the north and south ends of the lake. Closed population estimation techniques were used to determine that the southern population (0.065 seahorses m-2) was significantly smaller than the north (0.14 seahorses m-2) when measured directly, with estimations based on mark recapture 341% higher in the south and 825% higher in the northern populations. Additionally, ArcGis was used to assess differences in the spatial distribution, abundance and movement of the seahorses between the two populations. Northern differences exist in where males, females and juveniles are found, but in the South distribution did not vary by sex. At both locations, juveniles favor the shallowest part of the grid. The Southern population was mapped in more detail, illustrating the greater the disturbance by researchers, the further seahorses moved. Careful management planning will need to balance seahorse population demographics and human use of the ecosystem.
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Keywords
Environmental Science, Undergraduate Research, Hippocampus erectus, Seahorses