Abundance, Distribution and Condition of Benthic Coral Reef Organisms in the Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary - 2010 Quick Look Report and Data Summary

摘要

During 19 days of fieldwork from June 28th to August 28th, 2010, research scientists from the Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, surveyed the density, size, and condition of benthic coral reef organisms in the upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from northern Key Largo at Turtle Reef to SW of Crocker Reef near Alligator Light. Benthic surveys at 120 sites focused on the abundance, size, and condition of Acropora corals, urchins, anemones and corallimorpharians, and selected mollusks. In addition, surveys of marine debris were undertaken to identify and quantify the type and frequency of lost fishing gear and other debris. In addition to these variables, surveys of species richness, cover, and density of benthic coral reef organisms (algae, sponges, stony corals, and gorgonians) were conducted from inshore to offshore at Conch Reef at nine sites from the inshore edge of the Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA) out to the Research Only Area (RO) near the Aquarius Undersea Habitat. The 2010 field surveys are part of an ongoing assessment and monitoring program back over a decade that documents the status and condition of benthic coral reef resources in the Florida Keys in relation to cross-shelf position, regional location, and the FKNMS management zones. The 2010 effort afforded the opportunity to continue the temporal data series for many variables assessed during the past decade, as well as to conduct detailed benthic surveys at Conch Reef, which has a long history of scientific experimentation and monitoring tied to the Aquarius Undersea Habitat deployed in 1992.