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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Keri O’Neil, Cheryl M. Woodley, Jennifer Moore, Zach Ransom, Amelia Moura, Ken Nedimyer, David Vaughan
Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Keri O’Neil, Cheryl M. Woodley, Jennifer Moore, Zach Ransom, Amelia Moura, Ken Nedimyer, David Vaughan
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use …
Outplanting Technique, Host Genotype, And Site Affect The Initial Success Of Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis, Elizabeth Goergen, David S. Gilliam
Outplanting Technique, Host Genotype, And Site Affect The Initial Success Of Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis, Elizabeth Goergen, David S. Gilliam
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
Acropora cervicornis is the most widely used coral species for reef restoration in the greater Caribbean. However, outplanting methodologies (e.g., colony density, size, host genotype, and attachment technique) vary greatly, and to date have not been evaluated for optimality across multiple sites. Two experiments were completed during this study, the first evaluated the effects of attachment technique, colony size, and genotype by outplanting 405 A. cervicornis colonies, from ten genotypes, four size classes, and three attachment techniques (epoxy, nail and cable tie, or puck) across three sites. Colony survival, health condition, tissue productivity, and growth were assessed across one year …
Migration Strategies Vary In Space, Time, And Among Species In The Smallfish Metacommunity Of The Everglades, J. Matthew Hoch, Eric R. Sokol, Aaron D. Parker, Joel C. Trexler
Migration Strategies Vary In Space, Time, And Among Species In The Smallfish Metacommunity Of The Everglades, J. Matthew Hoch, Eric R. Sokol, Aaron D. Parker, Joel C. Trexler
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
Spatial ecology and movement strategies of aquatic organisms may limit their response to human-caused drying of wetland habitats. We characterized the movement strategies of the most abundant species of fish in the wetlands of the Everglades (USA) to better understand how they cope with annual fluctuations in aquatic habitat size. Over a six-year period, we used a sampling method designed to measure the density, activity levels, and movement direction of small fishes. We estimated changes in displacement speed and directional bias to identify patterns of movement that different fishes use to disperse over the gradient of disturbance in this environment. …
Ecological Design Of Marine Construction For Socio-Economic Benefits: Ecosystem Integration Of A Pipeline In Coral Reef Area, Sylvain Pioch, Philippe Saussola, Kirk Kilfoyle, Richard E. Spieler
Ecological Design Of Marine Construction For Socio-Economic Benefits: Ecosystem Integration Of A Pipeline In Coral Reef Area, Sylvain Pioch, Philippe Saussola, Kirk Kilfoyle, Richard E. Spieler
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
It is critical to understand that an ecosystem integration of construction requires a close Engineering/Biology partnership to meet socio-economic benefits in management goals. Biologists are not typically trained or licensed for the requisite engineering involved in construction. Likewise, non-biologists designing habitat often can lead to egregious results. For example, unintentionally constructing the wrong habitat, i.e., refuge for predators in a nursery area, or habitat that facilitates the spread of non-desirable species can increase, rather than ameliorate, the impact of construction. In recent years, Pioch and co-workers (unpublished) developed an alternative to the “classic” engineering approach to marine construction. This new …
Recovery Of Injured Giant Barrel Sponges, Xestospongia Muta, Offshore Southeast Florida, David S. Gilliam, Brian K. Walker, S. J. Saelens, Daniel P. Fahy, Vladimir N. Kosmynin
Recovery Of Injured Giant Barrel Sponges, Xestospongia Muta, Offshore Southeast Florida, David S. Gilliam, Brian K. Walker, S. J. Saelens, Daniel P. Fahy, Vladimir N. Kosmynin
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
Giant barrel sponges, Xestospongia muta, are abundant and important components of the southeast Florida reef system, and are frequently injured from anthropogenic and natural disturbances. There is limited information on the capacity of X. muta to recover from injury and on methods to reattach X. muta fragments. In late 2002, hundreds of barrel sponges offshore southeast Florida (Broward County) were accidentally injured during an authorized dredging operation. In early 2003, two to three months post-injury, 93% of 656 assessed injured sponges appeared to be recovering. In 2006, three years post-injury, nearly 90% of 114 monitored sponges continued to show …
Rapid Response And Restoration For Coral Reef Injuries In Southeast Florida: Guidelines And Recommendations, Chantal Collier, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, Kelly Gracie, Lisa Gregg, Walter Jaap, Mike Mastry, Nikki Poulos
Rapid Response And Restoration For Coral Reef Injuries In Southeast Florida: Guidelines And Recommendations, Chantal Collier, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, Kelly Gracie, Lisa Gregg, Walter Jaap, Mike Mastry, Nikki Poulos
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports
From the time an injury to coral reef resources is reported, a well-coordinated and implemented plan is critical to the success of response and restoration efforts. There are three major plan components, each of which is equally important: (1) the Initial Response period immediately following notification of the incident; (2) the Response period, during which the Responsible Party (RP) is identified, the Trustees and RP carry out their respective responsibilities, a Primary Restoration plan is developed, authorizations and contractors to conduct restoration activities are sought and obtained, and primary restoration activities are conducted; and (3) the Post-Response period, which is …
Evaluation Of Methods To Enhance Reef Restoration, David S. Gilliam, Alison L. Moulding, Vladimir N. Kosmynin, Vanessa I. P. Brinkhuis, Richard E. Dodge
Evaluation Of Methods To Enhance Reef Restoration, David S. Gilliam, Alison L. Moulding, Vladimir N. Kosmynin, Vanessa I. P. Brinkhuis, Richard E. Dodge
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
The coral reefs of southeast Florida are offshore a highly urbanized area with a population exceeding 5 million people and three major shipping ports with over 6000 ships calling on an annual basis. Reef injury events are common and have been caused by ship groundings and marine construction activities such as channel dredging and cable placement. Restoration activities generally only include the reattachment of dislodged stony corals, removal of rubble, and boulder stabilization. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has recognized these limited activities and is collaborating with Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center to study ways to accelerate coral reef …
Growth And Survivorship Of Scleractinian Coral Transplants And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Richard E. Dodge, Daniel P. Fahy, T. Patrick Quinn, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Spieler
Growth And Survivorship Of Scleractinian Coral Transplants And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Richard E. Dodge, Daniel P. Fahy, T. Patrick Quinn, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Spieler
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
Replicate scleractinian coral transplants were obtained from the species Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa on a natural reef, off Dania Beach, Florida, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a 4 in. (~10 cm) core barrel. The transplants were fixed to Reef Ball™ substrates using an adhesive marine epoxy. Drill holes in the donor corals (core holes) were filled with concrete plugs. Control corals, of comparable size to both donor colonies and transplant corals, were monitored for comparison. Transplant corals, donor corals, and controls on the natural reef were monitored for growth and survivorship. Core holes were monitored for tissue regrowth …
Coral Of Opportunity Survivorship And The Use Of Coral Nurseries In Coral Reef Restoration, Jamie A. Monty, David S. Gilliam, Kenneth Banks, David K. Stout, Richard E. Dodge
Coral Of Opportunity Survivorship And The Use Of Coral Nurseries In Coral Reef Restoration, Jamie A. Monty, David S. Gilliam, Kenneth Banks, David K. Stout, Richard E. Dodge
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
Coral reef damage is unfortunately becoming a common occurrence off southeast Florida, U.S.A. Reattachment of the dislodged scleractinian corals usually initiates damage site restoration. Because mortality of dislodged colonies is typically high and natural recovery in southeast Florida is typically slow, transplantation of additional scleractinian corals into a damaged area has been used to accelerate reef recovery. Donor colonies available for transplantation have been grown in situ, grown in laboratories, and taken from nondamaged reef areas. An alternative source of donor colonies for transplantation into damaged sites is “corals of opportunity,” which we define as scleractinian corals that have been …
Success And Growth Of Corals Transplanted To Cement Armor Mat Tiles In Southeast Florida: Implications For Reef Restoration, S. L. Thornton, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, R. Devictor, P. Cooke
Success And Growth Of Corals Transplanted To Cement Armor Mat Tiles In Southeast Florida: Implications For Reef Restoration, S. L. Thornton, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, R. Devictor, P. Cooke
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
In 1997, 271 scleractinian corals growing on a sewer outfall pipe were used in a transplantation study offshore from North Dade County, Florida, USA. Corals were removed from the outfall pipe and transplanted onto concrete armor mat tiles used to cover the pipe. Success (number of corals still attached and alive), mortality (number of dead corals), and growth rates of the transplants were assessed between December 1997 and December 1999. Colony surface area and radius length were measured on scanned photographs to estimate horizontal growth rate. After two years post-transplantation, success rate and overall mortality were 87% and 7.8% respectively. …