Status and Trends in the Florida Keys: and Hard-bottom Communities

Mark Chiappone, Steven Miller, Leanne Rutten

Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center

[email protected], 305-898-5390 The Florida Keys Setting Factors Affecting Florida Coral Reefs • Geography (continental influence, cold fronts) • Tropical cyclones • Climate-change drivers and responses: – (temperature and UV) – Coral diseases – Ocean acidification • Coastal development (pollution/contamination) • Urchin die-off (two events) • Removal of wildlife • Physical impacts (vessels, anchors, etc.) • Non-native species (invasive exotics) The Future: Minimizing the Damage? The integrity of hydrologic and biologic components of Florida’s Southeast coast will ultimately depend upon achieving a sustainable balance between ecosystem and human needs.

The Everglades and Miami, 11/21/2008 Earth Snapshot http://www.eosnap.com/image-of-the-day/the-everglades-and-miami-florida-december-24th-2008/ South Florida’s historic and current watershed

Sources: USDOI/USGS, USEPA, FDEP, Evergladesplan.org The Florida Keys Ecosystem: Open and Connected

Cuba, South of Florida and the Bahamas, 07/23/2011 Earth Snapshot http://www.eosnap.com/public/media/2011/07/cuba/20110714-cuba-full.jpg Florida Keys Diversity: A result of connectivity Status and Trends: Reef and Hard-bottom The Past . Geologic and environmental contexts . “The past is the key to the present” (Ginsburg and Shinn) The Present . What has been observed/documented? . What are we to make of present conditions? Possible Futures . A few years? . A few decades? . End of the 21st century? Geologic History Influences the Present

Florida Keys BedrockDepth to Surface Pleistocene Map Bedrock Surface USDOI/USGS https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/2007/1751/professional-paper/bedrock-surface.html The Past Influences the Present

SummaryFlorida Keys Illustration Depth to Index Pleistocene Map of theBedrock Florida Surface Keys USDOI/USGSUSDOI/USGS https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/2007/1751/professional-paper/figures/summary-illustration.htmlhttps://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/2007/1751/professional-paper/bedrock-surface.html Florida Keys Benthic Maps: The Early Version

Florida Reef Tract Marine Habitats and Ecosystems Marszalek (1977-82) c/o UF Map and Imagery Library http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00016788/00001/citation Florida Keys Benthic Maps: The Latest Version

Florida Keys Benthic Ecosystems USDOI/USGS https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/2007/1751/professional-paper/benthic-ecosystems.html Florida Keys Iconic Bank Reefs

Fowey Rocks Sombrero Key

Carysfort Light Alligator Light American Shoal

The Elbow Tennessee Light Sand Key Tract Marine Habitats and Ecosystems Marszalek (1977-82) c/o UF Map and Imagery Library http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00016788/00001/citation Hard-bottom and Habitats Status and Trends: Reef and Hard-bottom The Past (deep and shallow time) . Geologic and environmental contexts . “The past is the key to the present.” The Present . What has been observed/documented? . What are we to make of present conditions? Possible Futures . A few years? . A few decades? . End of the 21st century? Regional Coral Reef Change

White Band Disease

Bleaching

Bleaching

Diadema Die-off

Gardner et al. 2003 c/o W. Precht Regional Caribbean Coral Reef Change Images courtesy of P. Dustan, University of Charleston Images courtesy of P. Dustan, University of Charleston

Images courtesy of P. Dustan, College of Charleston CREMP Sampling Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Dry Tortugas National Park Florida Keys Reefs in Recent History

Data from CREMP, USC, UG, UNCW, NSU Upper Florida Keys Reefs N-N

South Carysfort Dry Rocks Sand Island

Elbow Reef Molasses Reef Florida Keys (1999-2015)

Coral Species Richness Stony Coral Cover 20 50.0 Patch reefs Patch reefs ) 2 Shallow hard-bottom 45.0 Shallow hard-bottom 18 High-relief spur and groove High-relief spur and groove Deeper fore reef 40.0 Deeper fore reef 16 35.0

14 30.0 25.0 12

% Cover % 20.0 10 15.0 10.0 8 5.0

No. coral taxa per transect (15 m (15 transect per taxa coral No. 6 0.0 Scleractinian Abundance: Top 15 species Florida Keys 1999-2009 All Habitats 500,000,000 72% 88% 94% 450,000,000 400,000,000 350,000,000 300,000,000 250,000,000 200,000,000 150,000,000 100,000,000 50,000,000 0 B B B B B B SSID PAST SMIC AAGR PPOR MCAV PFUR DSTK MFAV SRAD CNAT PDIV DSTR SBOU ODIF

Juvenile Scleractinian Abundance: Top 15 species Florida Keys 1999-2009 All Habitats 400,000,000 85% 96% 98% 350,000,000 300,000,000 250,000,000 200,000,000 150,000,000 100,000,000 50,000,000 0 SSID SRAD PAST AAGR SMIC PPOR MCAV DSTK PFUR FFRG SCOL DSTR MARE EFAS SBOU Kissling (1964) NURC/UNCW (2012) Looe Key Fore Reef Looe Key Fore Reef Florida Keys Reefs of the Future? The Past (deep and shallow time) . Geologic and environmental contexts . “The past is the key to the present.” The Present . What has been observed/documented? . What are we to make of present conditions? Possible Futures . A few years? . A few decades? . End of the 21st century? Transformation from Corals to…

. Re-transformation may not occur anytime soon. . Coral larval supply, recruitment, and post-settlement survivorship . Algae, sponge, and octocoral growth, fecundity, and allelopathic effects . Microbiomes may also be altered. Ajax Reef, Northern Reef Tract Reef framework may be collapsing (2015) Projected Sea Level Rise 5 ft. by the year 2100 Sources: Climate Central, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA Sea Level Rise Scenarios What can be done? Balancing Human Enterprise and the Ecosystem