The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Craig Mallison, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
ABSTRACT: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used remote sensing to map aquatic plant communities on Orange Lake, Florida from 2007 to 2016. GIS models were used to quantify available habitat for focal fish and wildlife taxa based on dominant plant communities. Trends analysis revealed changes in dominant vegetation and available habitat over a ten-year period. The most important habitat types based on abundance and habitat value were open water, submerged aquatic vegetation, and floating-leaved deep marsh. Lake-wide coverages of these communities were proportional to total available habitat for largemouth bass, black crappie, ring-necked duck, wood duck, and alligator foraging. For alligator nesting and wading bird roosting, available habitat was driven by coverage of floating marsh and shrub swamp. Project results have been incorporated into lake management plans that aim to provide habitat requirements of important fish and wildlife taxa in the Orange Creek Basin.
