The Island Apple Snail, Pomacea maculata (Perry, 1810) (Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae), is a large, aquatic gastropod native to warm-temperate and tropical South America (Conner, Pomory & Darby, 2008). The snail was introduced into Florida and Texas during the early 1990s and quickly spread throughout the southeastern USA (Byers et al., 2013). In contrast with its Florida-native congener P. paludosa, which feeds largely on periphyton and detritus, P. maculata feeds predominately on macrophytes (Sharfstein & Steinman, 2001; Horgan, Stuart & Kudavidanage, 2014). The diet of P. maculata, in conjunction with its high growth and reproductive rates, can lead to rapid changes in the structure and function of invaded ecosystems (Burks, Kyle & Trawick, 2010; Martin & Valentine, 2011; Horgan et al., 2014). Overgrazing by invasive Pomacea spp. on a variety of emergent and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species has been documented in natural lakes and wetlands (Carlsson, Bronmark & Hanson, 2004; Martin, Bayha & Valentine, 2012; Horgan et al., 2014), in engineered wetlands and waterways (Teem et al., 2013; Horgan et al., 2014; Hayes et al., 2015) and in agricultural ecosystems (Cowie, 2002; Joshi & Sebastian, 2006). This study addressed impacts of herbivory by P. maculata on the highly valued SAV Vallisneria americana.

Tropical cyclones can severely disturb shallow, continental shelf ecosystems, affecting habitat structure, diversity, and ecosystem services. This study examines the impacts of Hurricane Ian on the Southwest Florida Shelf by assessing water quality, substrate type, and epibenthic and microbial community characteristics at eight sites (3 to 20 m in depth) before and after Ian’s passage in 2022. Hurricane Ian drastically changed substrate type and biotic cover, scouring away epibenthos and/or burying hard substrates in mud and sand, especially at mid depth (10 m) sites (92–98% loss). Following Hurricane Ian, the greatest losses were observed in fleshy macroalgae (58%), calcareous green algae (100%), seagrass (100%), sessile invertebrates (77%), and stony coral communities (71%), while soft coral (17%) and sponge communities (45%) were more resistant. After Ian, turbidity, chromophoric dissolved organic matter, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus increased at most sites, while total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and silica decreased. Microbial communities changed significantly post Ian, with estuary-associated taxa expanding further offshore. The results show that the shelf ecosystem is highly susceptible to disturbances from waves, deposition and erosion, and water quality changes caused by mixing and coastal discharge. More routine monitoring of this environment is necessary to understand the long-term patterns of these disturbances, their interactions, and how they influence the resilience and recovery processes of shelf ecosystems.

Copper (Cu) is both an essential micronutrient and a pollutant, with its effects depending on its concentration, environmental context, and the species and life history stages of the organisms exposed. To advance the understanding of copper effects in the context of variation in other environmental conditions, eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) spat recruitment and adult tissue copper concentration [Cu] were monitored in conjunction with water column [Cu], salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature for a year at five sites in or near Naples Bay, Florida, an urbanized estuary with some of the highest copper pollution levels in the US. Relationships among the environmental variables were explored using principal component analysis, then the effects of key variables on oyster responses were assessed using regression models and multi-model comparison. There were significant differences among sites and dates in terms of salinity, water column and tissue [Cu], and spat recruitment. Tissue [Cu] was high, up to 2868 ppm, and was correlated with high water column [Cu] in parts of the estuary (up to 7.55 mg/L). Oyster tissue [Cu] was best predicted by a linear model incorporating both salinity and water column [Cu], and oyster spat recruitment was best modeled using a polynomial fit to salinity and a negative linear relationship with water column [Cu]. This is consistent with the hypothesis that high [Cu] in conjunction with low salinities reduces spat recruitment in this system, but alternative hypotheses cannot be excluded without further assessment. Given these findings, hydrologic restoration to stabilize salinity regimes and management actions to eliminate copper pollution sources are recommended to protect oysters and improve ecological integrity in the system.

Microbial communities play a crucial role in coastal ecosystem function, yet their seasonal and spatial dynamics in response to environmental change remain underexplored in tropical and subtropical regions. This yearlong study investigated microbial composition in water, sinking particles, and sediments along an inshore–offshore gradient influenced by the Caloosahatchee River Estuary in southwest Florida. The region has been altered by rapid coastal development and was struck by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Environmental parameters exhibited significant spatiotemporal variation, shaping microbial beta diversity in all habitats. Sediment communities showed the greatest hurricane-induced disruption but returned to pre-disturbance conditions within six months. Dominant microbial classes included Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, and Gammaproteobacteria. Biogeochemical cycling taxa displayed strong habitat specificity, such as Desulfobulbia which dominated sinking particles, Desulfobacteria which was abundant in sediments, and Nitrosomonadaceae and Nitrosopumilaceae which were key nitrifiers in water and sediments, respectively. Particle–sediment taxonomic overlap suggests resuspension processes. Several inshore microbial indicators were consistently present across microbial habitats, especially at estuarine sites, suggesting the estuary as a microbial diversity reservoir for the coastal zone. These results highlight the value of long-term microbial monitoring to understand ecosystem change and resilience in dynamic coastal environments.