Reef-scale trends in Florida Acropora spp. abundance and the effects of population enhancement
Document (DOC) | Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:35515 | Updated: August 9, 2022 | Published / External
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Summary
Since the listing of Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis under the US Endangered Species Act in 2006, increasing investments have been made in propagation of listed corals (primarily A. cervicornis, A. palmata to a much lesser extent) in offshore coral nurseries and outplanting cultured fragments to reef habitats. This investment is superimposed over a spatiotemporal patchwork of ongoing disturbances (especially storms, thermal bleaching, and disease) as well as the potential for natural population recovery. In 2014 and 2015, we repeated broad scale (>50 ha), low precision Acropora spp. censuses (i.e., direct observation by snorkelers documented via handheld GPS) originally conducted in appropriate reef habitats during 2005–2007 to evaluate the trajectory of local populations and the effect of population enhancement. Over the decade-long study, A. palmata showed a cumulative proportional decline of 0.4 –0.7x in colony density across all sites, despite very low levels of outplanting at some sites. A. cervicornis showed similar proportional declines at sites without outplanting. In contrast, sites that received A. cervicornis outplants showed a dramatic increase in density (over 13x). Indeed, change in A. cervicornis colony density was significantly positively correlated with cumulative numbers of outplants across sites. This study documents a substantive reef-scale benefit of Acropora spp. population enhancement in the Florida Keys, when performed at adequate levels, against a backdrop of ongoing population decline.
Document Information
Document Type
Journal article
Document Format
Acrobat Portable Document Format
Publication Date
2016-09-29
Contact Information
No contact information is available for this record.
Please contact the owner organization (SEFSC) for inquiries on this record.
Extents
-80.6° W,
-80.1° E,
25.3° N,
24.9° S
Atlantic Ocean, U.S. South, upper Florida Keys
2013 - 2015
Item Identification
| Title: | Reef-scale trends in Florida Acropora spp. abundance and the effects of population enhancement |
|---|---|
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2016-09-29 |
| Abstract: |
Since the listing of Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis under the US Endangered Species Act in 2006, increasing investments have been made in propagation of listed corals (primarily A. cervicornis, A. palmata to a much lesser extent) in offshore coral nurseries and outplanting cultured fragments to reef habitats. This investment is superimposed over a spatiotemporal patchwork of ongoing disturbances (especially storms, thermal bleaching, and disease) as well as the potential for natural population recovery. In 2014 and 2015, we repeated broad scale (>50 ha), low precision Acropora spp. censuses (i.e., direct observation by snorkelers documented via handheld GPS) originally conducted in appropriate reef habitats during 2005–2007 to evaluate the trajectory of local populations and the effect of population enhancement. Over the decade-long study, A. palmata showed a cumulative proportional decline of 0.4 –0.7x in colony density across all sites, despite very low levels of outplanting at some sites. A. cervicornis showed similar proportional declines at sites without outplanting. In contrast, sites that received A. cervicornis outplants showed a dramatic increase in density (over 13x). Indeed, change in A. cervicornis colony density was significantly positively correlated with cumulative numbers of outplants across sites. This study documents a substantive reef-scale benefit of Acropora spp. population enhancement in the Florida Keys, when performed at adequate levels, against a backdrop of ongoing population decline. |
| Purpose: |
To document a substantive reef-scale benefit of Acropora spp. population enhancement in the Florida Keys, when performed at adequate levels, against a backdrop of ongoing population decline. |
| Other Citation Details: |
Miller MW, Kerr K, Williams DE. (2016) Reef-scale trends in Florida Acropora spp. abundance and the effects of population enhancement. PeerJ 4:e2523 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2523 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | A. cervicornis |
| None | Acropora palmata |
| None | Conservation Biology |
| None | coral |
| None | Ecology |
| None | Marine Biology |
| None | population enhancement |
| None | reef |
Temporal Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | 2014-2015 |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Atlantic Ocean, |
| None | Florida Keys |
Document Information
| Document Type: | Journal article |
|---|---|
| Format: | Acrobat Portable Document Format |
| Status Code: | Published |
Support Roles
Co-Author
| Date Effective From: | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Williams, Dana E |
| Address: |
75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, FL 33149 Unites States |
| Email Address: | dana.williams@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 305-767-3262 |
| URL: | https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dana_Williams3 |
| Contact Instructions: |
Contact by email preferred. |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -80.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | -80.1 | |
| N° Bound: | 25.3 | |
| S° Bound: | 24.9 | |
| Description |
Atlantic Ocean, U.S. South, upper Florida Keys |
|
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Range |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2013 |
| End: | 2015 |
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Access Procedure: |
Data is downloadable |
| Data Access Constraints: |
None |
| Data Use Constraints: |
Please cite appropriately |
| Metadata Access Constraints: |
None |
| Metadata Use Constraints: |
Please cite appropriately |
URLs
URL 1
| URL: | https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2523 |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
Landing Page for journal article |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 35515 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:35515 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Lee M Weinberger |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2016-11-04 06:24+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2022-08-09 17:11+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2022-04-27 |
| Owner Org: | SEFSC |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2022-04-27 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2023-04-27 |