trophic states may exhibit similar diets and alligators from different lakes with different

trophic states may exhibit different diets. Delany and Abercrombie (1986) found no

significant differences in the diet of alligators among three lakes in north central Florida

that were all considered eutrophic. However, Delany et al. (1999) found that alligator

fish consumption differed among lakes with different trophic states. Fish were more

dominant in the diet of alligators from lakes with higher chlorophyll a concentrations

(Delany et al. 1999). Fish densities increase with an increase in concentrations of lake

total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll a and with decreasing Sechhi depth (i.e.,

increasing trophic state) (Bachmann et al. 1996). Therefore, alligators occupying lakes

with a higher trophic state would inhabit a lake system with the greatest fish density. In

this study, both Lakes Griffin and Apopka are hypereutrophic, algae-dominated lakes and

Lake Woodruff is a eutrophic, macrophyte-dominated lake. However, fish

overwhelmingly dominated alligator diets from Lakes Apopka and Woodruff, suggesting

that trophic state alone may not predict fish consumption by alligators.

 A few factors may have contributed to this difference in fish dominance in the diet

compared to trophic state. Lake Griffin is a hypereutrophic lake; however, the SJRWMD

removed one million pounds of gizzard shad and 25,000 pounds of gar in the spring of

2002 as part of their restoration efforts, just prior to our alligator sampling. This shad

removal altered fish populations in the lake (personal observation) and, thus, availability

to alligators. Along with this, the larger sample size for Lake Griffin alligators allowed

for a greater chance to encounter a large infrequent non-fish prey item. Lake Apopka is a

hypereutrophic lake and alligators there had a significantly larger proportion of fish in

their diet compared to the other two lakes. Lake Apopka alligators ate mostly shad, which