The work we propose will be one of the first field tests of the consequences of large predator removals at biologically relevant scales. Nutrient enrichment and overfishing are two of the most common man-induced perturbations of coastal systems.
Eutrophication can produce many undesirable effects in coastal systems.
Losses of top predators in SAV dominated systems in both freshwater and marine ecosystems could indirectly lead to the decline seen associated with eutrophication. Consideration of the degree of top-down susceptibility to cascading trophic effects for both freshwater and marine ecosystems is necessary to understand the consequences of overfishing. It had also been suggested that marine communities, with many omnivorous taxa and high levels of food-web redundancy may be less susceptible than simpler freshwater communities. This three year project is designed to help develop a mechanistic understanding of the indirect effects resulting from overharvesting large predators in two different but common types of SAV-dominated aquatic ecosystems. Twenty-four enclosures within Big Lagoon, FL will be used to simulate the removal of the top predator from the system and compared with the results of an identical project carried out in Mobile Bay's Delta.