Corals--Florida

Since the emergence of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in 2014, 60% of live coral cover on Florida’s coral reefs have been lost. This study assessed the efficacy of outplanting microfragment colony arrays of three SCTLD-susceptible coral species (Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella faveolata, and Pseudodiploria clivosa) as remediation technique in two SCTLD-degraded reef areas, St. Lucie Reef and Palm Beach, in southeast Florida. After approximately 2 years, outplanted colonies at both reefs experienced ≥ 75 % survivorship, net positive growth rates, and fragment fusion, with some variation between species and across reefs. Additionally, outplanting SCTLD-susceptible species did not increase local disease prevalence and resulted in low disease prevalence on the outplanted colonies. The results from this study will be used to inform and optimize ongoing and future outplanting based coral restoration projects throughout Florida’s coral reefs and the wider Caribbean.

Quantifying and understanding coral community dynamics, including recruitment, is critical for developing effective ecosystem management strategies, particularly in areas that have experienced significant coral losses such as Southeast Florida’s Kristin Jacobs Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area. While several federal, state, and regional efforts effectively track annual changes in juvenile and adult coral colonies, few coral reef monitoring programs are designed to track new coral recruitment. This study’s aims were to assess potential differences in community composition of adult and recruit stony corals in southeast Florida using phototransects, and to test the efficacy of eDNA approaches for monitoring coral recruitment. Replicate phototransects demonstrated significant differences in recruit density and community composition across sites. This photogrammetry approach was more applicable than eDNA and indicates that site specific management and restoration strategies in a regional context may be warranted for the study area.

Since 2014 stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has contributed substantially to declines of reef-building corals in Florida. Monthly surveys were conducted throughout the northern Florida reef tract to monitor the spread and impacts of SCTLD on a larger spatial scale. SCTLD disease prevalence was lower in Palm Beach County than in Broward or Martin County, but there were no significant changes in prevalence over time. To assess colony level impacts of the disease, this study optimized a 3D photogrammetry technique for fate-tracking infected Montastraea cavernosa coral colonies with a low-cost, rapid protocol that measured tissue area over three time points. Total colony area and healthy tissue area decreased significantly over time, while disease area did not significantly vary. Traditional coral surveys combined with the 3D photogrammetry method provide greater insights into the spatial/temporal dynamics and impacts of this disease on individual corals and reef populations than surveys alone.