Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
33
Plant and Animal Species
The Middle St. Johns Basin supports a large and diverse number of
plant and animal species. Wetlands around the large lakes provide habitat
for nesting by wading birds and eagles. The density of active eagle
nests around Lake George is one of the highest in the state. Lake George
is 1 of 13 critical areas statewide needed to preserve the state’s bald eagle
population. The Ocala National Forest provides important habitat and
conservation lands needed by the Florida black bear. The federally listed
anadromous shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), if still present,
is now limited to the St. Johns River, but historically may have used the
Ocklawaha River for spawning before the construction of the Kirkpatrick
Dam. The collection of this fish has been rare in recent years (Hoehn,
1998). Parts of the Middle St. Johns River are salty enough to support a
blue crab fishery.
The basin contains 22 animal species and 33 plant species with either
federal or state protected status. Of these, 7 animal and 8 plant species
are federally protected. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified
10 other plant species of management concern. Tables B.3 through
B.11 in Appendix B contain species lists. Information for these tables was
obtained from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) database dated
October 2001.
A large number of endemic aquatic invertebrate species are associated
with springs in the basin. There are four siltsnail species associated with
springs in the Wekiva River planning unit (Hupalo et al., 1994). The
Silver Glen Springs crayfish (Procambarus attiguus) is found only in Silver
Glen Springs and the Blue Spring siltsnail (Cincinnatia parva) only in Blue
Spring (Deyrup and Franz, 1994).
Several freshwater and one anadromous fish species found in the basin
are rare or imperiled (Hoehn, 1998). These are fish species that are vulnerable
because of restricted range or habitat preference or whose populations
are declining and in need of management actions. The bluenose shiner
(Pteronotropis welaka), shortnose sturgeon, and blueback herring (Alosa
aestivalis) have been recorded from the St. Johns River or its large lakes.
The blackbanded sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon) has been collected from
the Wekiva River. FWC also classifies the bluenose shiner and shortnose
sturgeon as species of special concern and endangered, respectively.
The St. Johns population of bluenose shiners is disjunct from Panhandle
populations (Gilbert, 1992).
The basin contains many unique and rare botanical specimens as well.
The federally endangered beautiful pawpaw (Derringothamnus pulchellus),
scrub lupine (Lupinus westianus var. aridorum), and federally threatened
scrub buckwheat (Eriogonum longifolium var. gnaphalifolium) have been
recorded. The state endangered Chapman’s sedge (Carex chapmanii) and
state threatened giant orchid (Pteroglossaspis ecristata) are also found in
many parts of the basin.
Anadromous
Fish that return from the sea
to upstream spawning areas.
Florida Natural
Areas Inventory
Rankings
In addition to the rankings
established by state and federal
governments, the Florida
Natural Areas Inventory
(FNAI) determines the global
and state rank of a species
based on its status. Status
is based on factors such as
estimated abundance, range,
adequacy of protection,
ecological fragility (vulnerability),
and threat of extinction.
Several animal species
in the basin are not protected
species but have FNAI rankings
indicating that they are
imperiled or rare in Florida or
very local in range (rankings
of S2 and S3). These include
the Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus
woodi), Sherman’s
fox squirrel (Sciurus niger
shermani), snail bullhead
(Ameiurus brunneus), and
striped newt (Notophthalmus
perstriatus).