Seasonal species assemblages in seagrass habitats of northeast Pamlico Sound

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Dylan Kennedy Whitt (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Large estuarine habitats support a wide variety different species that use these areas for habitat. However, species assemblages are still poorly described over large areas of estuarine habitat. The underrepresentation of species assemblages in estuarine habitats in the literature leaves room for research inquiring about how and why these assemblages are occurring. The objective of this study was to assess how estuarine habitat type and location, as well as season, influences nekton and invertebrate community diversity and composition, within Pamlico Sound. Sampling was conducted across four dates between the summer and fall of 2022 to encompass greater variations in species compositions in the Pamlico Sound. I initially hypothesized that seagrass habitats would have higher species abundance, richness, and overall diversity compared to unvegetated habitat. I also hypothesized that abundance and richness would decline with seasonality, and that seagrass areas spatially closer to ocean inlets would have a higher richness and abundance than areas further into the sound. In this study, I analyze a novel dataset collected in the northeast part of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina in the area between Oregon Inlet, Roanoke Sound, and Croatan Sound. The dataset is from a beach seine sampling survey of fish and invertebrate assemblages within seagrass habitats, and adjacent unvegetated habitats, that I collected over the course of 2022. YSI data collected from each sampling location, including temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO), was used to characterize species compositions across sampling sites. A paired t-test found statistically significant differences between vegetated seagrass habitats and unvegetated seagrass habitats in both species richness and species abundance, while an analysis of variance (ANOVA) found significant differences in richness and abundance over time in seagrass habitats. Indeed, in paired beach seine hauls, the abundance of fish and invertebrates was an order of magnitude higher over seagrass compared to the adjacent unvegetated bottom. In the months between summer and fall, there was a general decline in nekton abundance. Abundance and richness also declined as the distance from Oregon Inlet increased. Species composition consisted of five dominant species, pinfish, pigfish, silver perch, bay anchovy, and Atlantic silversides. This study will inform fisheries and management groups local to North Carolina’s coastline about changes in species assemblages and their whereabouts within the sound. This study will also serve as a baseline for further research of species assemblages within Pamlico Sound.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

Seagrass;Habitat;Abundance;Richness;Vegetation;Diversity;Assemblage;Unvegetated;Pamlico Sound;Estuary;Nursery

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