Meeting Abstract
Estuarine habitats are dynamic environments in which the rapidly changing fresh and saltwater compositions lead to changes in faunal composition. This study investigates the changes in plankton and fish abundance at the confluence of the Skidaway and Wilmington rivers in Savannah, Georgia over the tidal cycle. Fish trawls and plankton tows were conducted at three stations during both flood and ebb tide on three different days in June and July 2015. The hypothesis that plankton would respond to tidal changes differently than fish was supported by the data collected. Plankton abundance differed between flood and ebb tides, while fish abundance did not. This study supports the idea that plankton behave similarly to passive particles moving with the tides, while fish, who are stronger swimmers, can remain in the area despite the tidal velocities. These data will be useful for future studies aimed at predicting predator behavior.
