scholarly journals Composition of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Microbial Communities in Waters around the Florida Reef Tract

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1120
Author(s):  
Peeter Laas ◽  
Kelly Ugarelli ◽  
Michael Absten ◽  
Breege Boyer ◽  
Henry Briceño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Red Tide ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Fish Parasites ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
Florida Reef Tract ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Reef Tract

The Florida Keys, a delicate archipelago of sub-tropical islands extending from the south-eastern tip of Florida, host the vast majority of the only coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Abiotic as well as microbial components of the surrounding waters are pivotal for the health of reef habitats, and thus could play an important role in understanding the development and transmission of coral diseases in Florida. In this study, we analyzed microbial community structure and abiotic factors in waters around the Florida Reef Tract. Both bacterial and eukaryotic community structure were significantly linked with variations in temperature, dissolved oxygen, and total organic carbon values. High abundances of copiotrophic bacteria as well as several potentially harmful microbes, including coral pathogens, fish parasites and taxa that have been previously associated with Red Tide and shellfish poisoning were present in our datasets and may have a pivotal impact on reef health in this ecosystem.

scholarly journals Composition of Microbial Communities in Waters Around the Florida Reef Tract and Their Potential Significance for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peeter Laas ◽  
Kelly Ugarelli ◽  
Breege Boyer ◽  
Michael J. Absten ◽  
Henry O. Briceño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Fish Parasites ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Florida Reef Tract ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

The Florida Keys, a delicate archipelago of sub-tropical islands extending from the south-eastern tip of Florida, host the vast majority of the only coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which was first detected near Virginia Key in 2014, has spread throughout the Florida Reef Tract and to reefs throughout the Caribbean, af-fecting nearly all reef-building corals. Molecular studies of SCTLD have identified opportunistic pathogens associated with the disease, but so far no single pathogen can be clearly pinpointed as its cause. One focus of recent research has been the surrounding environment of the corals, coined the 'coral ecosphere'. Abiotic and microbial components of the coral ecosphere are pivot-al for understanding the health of a reef, and could play an important role in SCTLD in Florida. In this study, we analyzed microbial community structure and abiotic factors that can impact coral (and human) health. Both, bacterial and eukaryotic community structure were significantly linked with variations in temperature, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon values. High abundances of copiotrophic bacteria as well as several potentially harmful microbes, including coral pathogens, fish parasites, and taxa that have been previously associated with Red Tide and shellfish poisoning, were present in our datasets and can have a pivotal impact on coral health in this ecosystem.

scholarly journals Impacts of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) on Coral Community Structure at an Inshore Patch Reef of the Upper Florida Keys Using Photomosaics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Kolodziej ◽  
Michael S. Studivan ◽  
Arthur C. R. Gleason ◽  
Chris Langdon ◽  
Ian C. Enochs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

Since the appearance of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) on reefs off Miami in 2014, this unprecedented outbreak has spread across the entirety of Florida’s coral reef tract, as well as to many territories throughout the Caribbean. The endemic zone reached the upper Florida Keys by 2016, resulting in partial or complete mortality of coral colonies across numerous species. Disease was first observed at Cheeca Rocks (Islamorada, Florida) in the beginning of 2018, with reports of coral mortality peaking mid-year. The disease was still present at Cheeca Rocks as of March 2020, however, to a lesser degree compared to the initial outbreak. Annual monitoring efforts have been ongoing at Cheeca Rocks since 2012, including repeated benthic photomosaics of a 330 m2 survey zone, spanning six replicate sites. As such, a repository of coral community composition data exists for before and after the disease outbreak that was analyzed to assess the impacts of SCTLD on reef communities at an upper Florida Keys inshore reef. Cheeca Rocks is hypothesized to be a resilient reef due to its persistent high coral cover despite its inshore location, which subjects corals to fluctuating water quality and marginal environmental conditions. Coral populations here have been shown to recover from bleaching events and heat stress with minimal coral mortality. Though colonies of coral species characterized as highly and moderately susceptible to SCTLD (e.g., Colpophyllia natans, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Orbicella annularis, and O. faveolata) suffered mortality as a result of the outbreak with an average loss of 16.42% relative cover by species, the overall impacts on coral cover and community structure were relatively low, contributing to a loss of total coral cover of only 1.65%. Comparison of photomosaic data to other studies indicate Cheeca Rocks may not have been affected as severely as other sites on Florida’s coral reef tract, underlying this site’s potential role in coral resilience to stressors including bleaching events, land-based pollution, and disease epizootics.

scholarly journals Ranking 67 Florida Reefs for Survival of Acropora cervicornis Outplants

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond B. Banister ◽  
Robert van Woesik
Keyword(s):  
Patch Reef ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Acropora Cervicornis ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
Latent Effects ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
Subtropical Oceans ◽  
High Wave Energy

Over the past three decades, coral populations have declined across the tropical and subtropical oceans because of thermal stress, coral diseases, and pollution. Restoration programs are currently attempting to re-establish depauperate coral populations along the Florida reef tract. We took an integrated Bayesian approach to determine which Florida reefs ranked highest based on the survival of outplanted colonies of Acropora cervicornis from 2012 to 2018. Survival of A. cervicornis outplants was highly variable in the upper Florida Keys with some reefs showing the highest likelihood of survival (e.g., North Dry Rocks, Carysfort, Key Largo Dry Rocks, and Conch Reef), whereas some adjacent reefs showed the lowest likelihood of survival (e.g., an Unnamed Reef, Pickles Reef, and U47 Patch Reef). Similarly, survival was highly variable in the middle and lower Florida Keys and in the Broward-Miami subregions. Survival was high and less variable in Biscayne Bay and low and less variable in the Marquesas subregions. The reefs that ranked lowest for outplant survival were exposed to high wave energy. Partitioning out the spatial effects of reefs and subregions from the model, we detected spatial latent effects of low survival that were most evident in the middle and the upper Florida Keys, particularly between 2015 and 2017. The overall high spatial and temporal variability in survival among adjacent reefs highlights a need to outplant nursery-reared colonies strategically, in order to optimize coral-population recovery efforts in Florida.

Building Bridges and Trees

2018 ◽  
pp. 139-151
Author(s):  
Irus Braverman
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys ◽  
Florida Reef Tract ◽  
The World ◽  
Legal Regimes ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Coral Tree ◽  
Hurricane Irma

Ken Nedimyer is founder and president of the Coral Restoration Foundation. He has lived and worked in the Florida Keys for over forty years and has witnessed firsthand the degradation of the Florida Reef Tract. He established one of the largest coral nurseries in the world and has been training restoration groups, especially in the Caribbean, on how to use his unique coral tree technique. Nedimyer won multiple awards, including a CNN Hero in 2012 and a Disney Conservation Hero in 2014. I first interviewed him over the phone on January 4, 2016, then met him in person in Hawai‘i, and finally interviewed him a couple of weeks after Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys. Nedimyer is the only nonscientist among the interchapter interviews. His narrative is important, in my view, precisely because he is an outsider to that world, therefore providing a fresh reflection on both scientists and the existing legal regimes....

scholarly journals Genetic structure and diversity of the mustard hill coral Porites astreoides along the Florida Keys reef tract

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique N. Gallery ◽  
Michelle L. Green ◽  
Ilsa B. Kuffner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Lenz ◽  
Lauren T. Toth
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Genetic Population ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Porites Astreoides ◽  
Single Well ◽  
Reef Tract

AbstractIncreases in local and global stressors have led to major declines in coral populations throughout the western Atlantic. While abundances of other species have declined, however, the relative abundance of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, has increased. Porites astreoides is relatively resilient to some stressors, and because of its mixed reproductive strategies, its populations often recover quickly following disturbances. The ability for P. astreoides to continue as a potential “winner” in western Atlantic reefs relies on maintaining sufficient genetic variation within populations to support acclimatization and adaptation to current and future environmental change. Without high genetic diversity and gene flow within the population, it would have limited capacity for adaptation and the species’ competitive advantages could be short-lived. In this study, we determined the genetic relatedness of 37 P. astreoides colonies at four shallow reefs along the offshore Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT), a region particularly hard-hit by recent disturbances. Using previously designed microsatellite markers, we determined the genetic diversity and connectivity of individuals among and between sites. Our results suggest that the FKRT likely contains a single, well-mixed genetic population of P. astreoides, with high levels of gene flow and evidence for larval migration throughout the region. This suggests that regional populations of P. astreoides likely have a higher chance of maintaining resilience than many other western Atlantic species as they face current and future disturbances.

scholarly journals Ulva prolifera green-tide outbreaks and their environmental impact in the Yellow Sea, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyu Zhang ◽  
Peimin He ◽  
Hongmei Li ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Jihua Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Sea ◽  
Red Tide ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ulva Prolifera ◽  
The Yellow Sea ◽  
Green Tide ◽  
Biological Interactions ◽  
Green Tides ◽  
Carbon Cycles

Abstract The Ulva prolifera green tides in the Yellow Sea, China, which have been occurring since 2007, are a serious environmental problem attracting worldwide attention. Despite extensive research, the outbreak mechanisms have not been fully understood. Comprehensive analysis of anthropogenic and natural biotic and abiotic factors reveals that human activities, regional physicochemical conditions and algal physiological characteristics as well as ocean warming and biological interactions (with microorganism or other macroalgae) are closely related to the occurrence of green tides. Dynamics of these factors and their interactions could explain why green tides suddenly occurred in 2007 and decreased abruptly in 2017. Moreover, the consequence of green tides is serious. The decay of macroalgal biomass could result in hypoxia and acidification, possibly induce red tide and even have a long-lasting impact on coastal carbon cycles and the ecosystem. Accordingly, corresponding countermeasures have been proposed in our study for future reference in ecosystem management strategies and sustainable development policy.

LARGER FORAMINIFERS OF THE FLORIDA REEF TRACT, USA: DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS ON REEF-RUBBLE HABITATS

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Baker ◽  
P. Hallock ◽  
E. F. Moses ◽  
D. E. Williams ◽  
A. Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Florida Reef Tract ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
Larger Foraminifers
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