Long-term thermograph records from the upper Florida Keys; comparisons between sites

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H. Hudson ◽  
R.B. Halley ◽  
A.J. Joseph ◽  
B.H. Lidz ◽  
D. Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys

scholarly journals Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana E Williams ◽  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Allan J Bright ◽  
Caitlin M Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Partial Mortality ◽  
Host Coral ◽  
Coralliophila Abbreviata ◽  
Term Monitoring

Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. However, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few major sources of partial mortality (contrasting with threats such as bleaching, disease, or storm disturbances) that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: 1) removal from A. palmata only, 2) removal from all host coral species, or 3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 639 snails were removed from twelve 150 m2 plots. Snails were removed two additional times during a seven month “removal phase”, then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured, and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 4.3 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance. Maximum snail size decreased from 47.0 mm to 34.6 mm in the removal treatments. The effort required to remove snails from A. palmata was 30 diver minutes per 150 m2 plot, compared with 51 minutes to remove snails from all host corals. Since there was no additional benefit observed with removing snails from all host species, removals can be more efficiently focused on only A. palmata colonies, and in areas where C. abbreviata abundance is high, to effectively conserve A. palmata in targeted areas.

scholarly journals The impacts of competitive interactions on coral colonies after transplantation: a multispecies experiment from the Florida Keys, US

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 805-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Lustic ◽  
Kerry Maxwell ◽  
Erich Bartels ◽  
Brian Reckenbeil ◽  
Emily Utset ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys ◽  
Acropora Cervicornis ◽  
Multifaceted Approach ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
Palythoa Caribaeorum ◽  
Coral Abundance ◽  
Orbicella Faveolata ◽  
Chronic Stressors ◽  
Montastraea Cavernosa

Reef restoration programs in Florida, US, focused initially on Acropora, but there is now a need to include other species that have also experienced declines. An outplanting experiment using Acropora cervicornis, Montastraea cavernosa, and Orbicella faveolata was conducted to compare performance among species and evaluate the impacts of contact interactions with macroalgae and the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum. Montastraea cavernosa and O. faveolata showed high survivorship (78% and 92%, respectively) over 18 mo. However, surviving colonies had limited growth and lost tissue due to factors like predation and disease. In contrast, A. cervicornis showed exponential growth. Colonies in contact with macroalgae showed the lowest survivorship. Removing macroalgae provided no long-term benefits in growth and a slight improvement in colony survivorship. Acropora cervicornis in contact with Palythoa grew 45% less than controls. Our study showed that: (1) coral taxa with massive morphologies (40–130 cm2) can be transplanted with low colony mortality but that their slow growth is not enough to balance partial tissue mortality caused by multiple chronic stressors; (2) removal of macroalgae at the time of outplanting improves colony survivorship; (3) periodic removal of macroalgae does not enhance growth; and (4) contact with Palythoa should be avoided. The impacts of contact competition were variable among species with different colony morphologies, with A. cervicornis showing the highest susceptibility to competition from algae and Palythoa. While restoration can rapidly increase coral abundance, long-term success will require a multifaceted approach to reduce the impacts of chronic reef stressors on wild and outplanted corals alike.

Role of physical refugia: implications from a mass sponge die-off in a lobster nursery in Florida

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 759 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Herrnkind ◽  
Mark J. Butler IV ◽  
John H. Hunt ◽  
Michael Childress
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys ◽  
Cyanobacterial Blooms ◽  
Manipulative Experiment ◽  
Juvenile Recruitment ◽  
Juvenile Abundance ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Data

In 1991 and 1992, cyanobacterial blooms depleted sponges, the primary refuge of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters, in ~20% of the nursery in the Florida Keys, USA. Long-term data from the affected middle Keys were used to study the impact of sponge loss, juvenile abundance, recruitment and shelter use. A manipulative experiment (1991–93) involved artificial shelters on 27 ~0.5-h sites. Conditions on 19 sites over the affected ~ 500 km 2 area were compared before and after the blooms. The entire nursery (~10,000 km2) was surveyed to estimate the impact of the disturbance on total juvenile recruitment. Refuge and lobster abundances declined and the pattern of shelter use changed on previously sponge- rich sites without alternative shelter (solution holes, coral heads, cement blocks, etc.). Although sponge loss often locally reduced juvenile abundance, the juvenile lobster population overall declined by ~5%. The availability of alternative, previously underused shelter (solution holes, coral heads, etc.) in the affected region, continued production in the larger unaffected nursery region, and high postlarval supply that fortuitously coincided with sponge loss all offset a stronger effect. However, postlarval supply is unlikely to remain high until the sponges repopulate the middle Keys (10+ years), so a major factor ameliorating the effect of sponge loss on lobster recruitment may disappear.

scholarly journals Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana E Williams ◽  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Allan J Bright ◽  
Caitlin M Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Partial Mortality ◽  
Host Coral ◽  
Coralliophila Abbreviata ◽  
Term Monitoring

Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. However, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few major sources of partial mortality (contrasting with threats such as bleaching, disease, or storm disturbances) that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: 1) removal from A. palmata only, 2) removal from all host coral species, or 3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 639 snails were removed from twelve 150 m2 plots. Snails were removed two additional times during a seven month “removal phase”, then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured, and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 4.3 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance. Maximum snail size decreased from 47.0 mm to 34.6 mm in the removal treatments. The effort required to remove snails from A. palmata was 30 diver minutes per 150 m2 plot, compared with 51 minutes to remove snails from all host corals. Since there was no additional benefit observed with removing snails from all host species, removals can be more efficiently focused on only A. palmata colonies, and in areas where C. abbreviata abundance is high, to effectively conserve A. palmata in targeted areas.

In Situ Tagging and Tracking of Coral Reef Fishes from the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lindholm ◽  
Sarah Fangman ◽  
Les Kaufman ◽  
Steven Miller
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Fish Movement ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Explicit Comparison

We surgically implanted coded-acoustic transmitters in a total of 46 coral reef fish during a saturation mission to the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory in August 2002. Aquarius is located within the Conch Reef Research Only Area, a no-take marine reserve in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Over the course of 10 days, with daily bottom times of 7 hrs, saturation diving operations allowed us to collect, surgically tag, release, and subsequently track fishes entirely in situ. Fish were collected using baited traps deployed adjacent to the reef as well as nets manipulated on the bottom by divers. Surgical implantation of acoustic transmitters was conducted at a mobile surgical station that was moved to different sites across the reef. Each fish was revived from anesthetic and released as divers swam the fish about the reef. Short-term tracking of tagged fish was conducted by saturation divers, while long-term fish movement was recorded by a series of acoustic receivers deployed on the seafloor. Though not designed as an explicit comparison with surface tagging operations, the benefits of working entirely in situ were apparent.

scholarly journals Shifting white pox aetiologies affecting Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, 1994–2014

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1689) ◽  
pp. 20150205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn P. Sutherland ◽  
Brett Berry ◽  
Andrew Park ◽  
Dustin W. Kemp ◽  
Keri M. Kemp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Disease ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Disease State ◽  
Moving Target ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
Disease Aetiology ◽  
The Caribbean

We propose ‘the moving target hypothesis’ to describe the aetiology of a contemporary coral disease that differs from that of its historical disease state. Hitting the target with coral disease aetiology is a complex pursuit that requires understanding of host and environment, and may lack a single pathogen solution. White pox disease (WPX) affects the Caribbean coral Acropora palmata . Acroporid serratiosis is a form of WPX for which the bacterial pathogen ( Serratia marcescens ) has been established. We used long-term (1994–2014) photographic monitoring to evaluate historical and contemporary epizootiology and aetiology of WPX affecting A. palmata at eight reefs in the Florida Keys. Ranges of WPX prevalence over time (0–71.4%) were comparable for the duration of the 20-year study. Whole colony mortality and disease severity were high in historical (1994–2004), and low in contemporary (2008–2014), outbreaks of WPX. Acroporid serratiosis was diagnosed for some historical (1999, 2003) and contemporary (2012, 2013) outbreaks, but this form of WPX was not confirmed for all WPX cases. Our results serve as a context for considering aetiology as a moving target for WPX and other coral diseases for which pathogens are established and/or candidate pathogens are identified. Coral aetiology investigations completed to date suggest that changes in pathogen, host and/or environment alter the disease state and complicate diagnosis.

scholarly journals Thermally tolerant symbionts may explain Caribbean octocoral resilience to heat stress

Coral Reefs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Pelosi ◽  
Katherine M. Eaton ◽  
Samantha Mychajliw ◽  
Casey P. terHorst ◽  
Mary Alice Coffroth
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Temperature

AbstractCoral reef ecosystems are under threat from the frequent and severe impacts of anthropogenic climate change, particularly rising sea surface temperatures. The effects of thermal stress may be ameliorated by adaptation and/or acclimation of the host, symbiont, or holobiont (host + symbiont) to increased temperatures. We examined the role of the symbiont in promoting thermal tolerance of the holobiont, using Antillogorgia bipinnata (octocoral host) and Breviolum antillogorgium (symbiont) as a model system. We identified five distinct genotypes of B. antillogorgium from symbiont populations isolated from Antillogorgia colonies in the Florida Keys. Three symbiont genotypes were cultured and maintained at 26 °C (ambient historical temperature), and two were cultured and maintained at 30 °C (elevated historical temperature) for 2 yrs. We analyzed the growth rate and carrying capacity of each symbiont genotype at both ambient and elevated temperatures in culture (in vitro). All genotypes grew well at both temperatures, indicating that thermal tolerance exists among these B. antillogorgium cultures. However, a history of long-term growth at 30 °C did not yield better performance for B. antillogorgium at 30 °C (as compared to 26 °C), suggesting that prior culturing at the elevated temperature did not result in increased thermal tolerance. We then inoculated juvenile A. bipinnata polyps with each of the five symbiont genotypes and reared these polyps at both ambient and elevated temperatures (in hospite experiment). All genotypes established symbioses with polyps in both temperature treatments. Survivorship of polyps at 30 °C was significantly lower than survivorship at 26 °C, but all treatments had surviving polyps at 56 d post-infection. Our results suggest broad thermal tolerance in B. antillogorgium, which may play a part in the increased resilience of Caribbean octocorals during heat stress events.

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