Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

Summer 7-29-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

August 2026

Department

Biological Sciences

College Granting Degree

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Department Granting Degree

Biological Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Michael W. McCoy

Abstract

Benthic infaunal communities are widely-used indicators for assessing estuarine health, especially in systems that experience frequent disturbances and hydrological fluctuations. However, using benthic infauna to predict ecosystem responses to future disturbances remains a challenge. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), spanning 40% of Florida's east coast, is a prime example of a complex estuary that has experienced decades of hydrological alterations leading to reduced water quality, sediment composition, and biodiversity. To assess benthic bivalve community dynamics in response to disturbances, an emerging Empirical Dynamic Modeling (EDM) approach was applied to a large test dataset comprising 17 years of benthic bivalve abundances collected from four sites across the IRL and neighboring St. Lucie Estuary. With EDM, the inferred community dynamics directly from bivalve abundances at each sampling period allowed for quantification of community stability and taxa sensitivity to shifts in abundances detailing response to future disturbance.

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