In this Florida study, Steinman et al. used a recently established, replicated cattle ranch to investigate the effects of cattle grazing and pasture land use on invertebrate communities in seasonal freshwater wetlands. Cattle stocking density had few significant effects on water-column nutrient concentration or invertebrate community structure. Water-column nutrient concentrations were significantly greater in the wetlands on improved pastures compared to semi-native pastures. Invertebrate richness and diversity were greater in wetlands on semi-native pastures than on improved pastures, despite lower nutrient concentrations in the former. Cattle stocking treatment had little impact on invertebrate community structure in these systems, relative to prior pasture land use. Vegetation type did influence invertebrate communities and explained some of the differences between pasture types. The presence of ostracods, copepods, and Culicidae larvae helped discriminate the improved, maidencane wetlands from both the improved, Juncus/Polygonum wetlands and the semi-native, maidencane wetlands. The improved maidencane wetlands had higher nutrient concentrations than the other wetlands, suggesting ostracods and Culicidae larvae may be useful indicators of eutrophic, subtropical wetlands.
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