Joshua Voss, PhD | Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute | Florida Atlantic University | 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946 | Lab Phone: 772-242-2393
Coral Reef Health and Ecology Lab
  • Home
  • News
  • People
    • Current Lab Members
    • Lab Alumni
  • Research
    • Mesophotic Coral Reefs >
      • Flower Garden Banks
      • Cuba
      • Carrie Bow Cay, Belize
      • South Florida
    • Coral Health & Disease >
      • Restoration Team Trials
      • Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
      • St. Lucie Reef
      • Oil, Dispersant, and Disease
    • Project CLOUD
  • Publications
    • Papers
    • Presentations
    • Google Scholar
  • Teaching
  • Opportunities
  • Photos

Notes from the Field: Diving at the Flower Garden Banks

10/26/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The R/V Manta at sunrise
This post written by Michael Studivan.

On the first two days of the cruise, Josh and Michael spent their mornings SCUBA diving on both the East and West Flower Garden Banks with divers Emma Hickerson, John Embesi, and Ryan Eckert from the National Marine Sanctuary office. We dove on the relatively shallow coral cap at 70ft to collect additional Montastraea cavernosa and Agaricia sp. to characterize skeletal morphology, zooxanthellae assemblages, and population genetics of the corals. Josh described the coral caps accurately as epic. Coral cover is 50-90%, comprised mostly of massive Orbicella, Montastraea, Siderastrea, Colpophyllia, Pseudodiploria, and Stephanocoenia species. Some colonies are encrusting and flattened on the reef substrate, but most form huge mounds and boulders between 4-10ft in height. This extensive ecosystem provides habitat for commercially important snapper and grouper as well as large pelagic species like whale sharks, turtles, and sharks. The Flower Gardens are truly a phenomenal reef system, and certainly worth the long haul more than 100 miles offshore.

With a total of 30 or more samples from each bank, Michael will be able to resolve population genetic structure within FGB and areas of the Caribbean. He and Samantha Johnston will also use these samples to analyze differences in the corals’ skeletal structure. Jennifer aided in sample collection and processing. She will use the zooxanthellae isolated from these samples to characterize and compare algal symbiont communities vertically within mesophotic communities and horizontally with samples collected at various locations throughout the Caribbean.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    March 2012
    November 2011
    June 2011
    August 2010
    February 2010

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.