Numerical modeling of everglades fish community dynamics in changing hydrology environments
by
Hussam Al-Rabai’ah
Department of Mathematics,Tafila Technical University, Tafila, Jordan

The Florida Everglades wetland is a section of the historical Everglades System, which occupies a 9,300-km2 basin in Southern Florida. The Everglades wetland is one of the flattest and most extensive wetland ecosystems in the world. Fish community of the Everglades, acting as an intermediary between the lower producer community and the higher consumers, is an important component of the food web dynamics.

Everglades hydrology pattern has seen many changes in the last few years and it has affected the ecological system praformoily. This is due mainly to the implementation of flood control projects, agriculture activities, urban developments and other manmade actions. This has resulted in a decrease in the amount of water available to the southern region of the Everglades National Park.

A mathematical model has been tested to study the effect of water level changes in the area on the fishes. The dynamic model has been validated with observed data. Model out puts includes total number of fish per square meter, starvation mortality and the total mortality fractions for fish and its relation to food availability.

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Date received: November 18, 2007