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Coral Reefs from Martin County to the Dry Tortugas

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Coral Reefs from Martin County to the Dry Tortugas CoralCoral ReefsReefs FromFrom MartinMartin CountyCounty toto thethe DryDry Tortugas:Tortugas: AnAn OverviewOverview BrianBrian D.D. KellerKeller11 andand WilliamWilliam F.F. PrechtPrecht22 11SoutheastSoutheast RegionalRegional ScienceScience CoordinatorCoordinator OfficeOffice ofof NationalNational MarineMarine SanctuariesSanctuaries 22DamageDamage AssessmentAssessment andand RestorationRestoration ProgramProgram ManagerManager FloridaFlorida KeysKeys NationalNational MarineMarine SanctuarySanctuary PerspectivesPerspectives •• Spatial:Spatial: variationvariation amongamong somesome coralcoral reefreef systemssystems ofof thethe greatergreater CaribbeanCaribbean (&(& Australia)Australia) •• Temporal:Temporal: thethe FloridaFlorida ReefReef TractTract overover thethe pastpast ~125,000~125,000 yearsyears andand recentrecent “““shiftingshiftingshifting Southeast Florida baselinesbaselinesbaselines””” •• ManagementManagement Implications:Implications: reducereduce humanhuman impacts,impacts, anticipateanticipate Florida Keys furtherfurther changeschanges GBRMP boundary Lizard Island over 900 islands ~ 3,000 separate reefs • The Great• Barrier Reef Cape Flattery 80 Kilometers 0 Courtesy J. Day Princess Charlotte Bay MesoamericanMesoamerican BarrierBarrier Reef:Reef: Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico 5 km MMesoamericanesoamerican BBarrierarrier RReeReef:eeff:: AmbergrisAmbergris CayeCayeCaye,,, BelizeBelize 5 km DiscoveryDiscovery Bay,Bay, St.St. Ann,Ann, JamaicaJamaica Fringing Reefs 1 km EastEast CubaCuba 5 km TheThe FloridaFlorida Keys:Keys: BankBankBank-Barrier Reef System --BarrierBarrier ReefReef SystemSystem The Sambos http://strata.geol.sc.edu/florida/pages/012-Florida- Looe Key Reef-Tract-National-Geographic.html Pelican, Maryland, and American Shoals Reef 5 km SoutheastSoutheast Florida:Florida: RelictRelict ReefsReefs andand LithifiedLithified SandSand RidgesRidges 2 km FloridaFlorida ReefReef TractTract •• NorthernNorthern limitlimit ofof coralcoral reefreef growthgrowth inin thethe greatergreater CaribbeanCaribbean •• SameSame coralcoral speciesspecies –– structural structural similaritiessimilarities andand differencedifference –– GulfGulf ofof MexicoMexico effectseffects •• ImmediatelyImmediately adjacentadjacent toto ~6~6 millionmillion peoplepeople •• SESE Florida:Florida: coastalcoastal developmentdevelopment andand allall thatthat entailsentails –– beachbeach renourishment,renourishment, sewagesewage •• TheThe Keys:Keys: ~3~3~3-4--44 millionmillion visitorsvisitors annuallyannually andand allall thatthat entailsentails DevelopmentDevelopment ofof thethe FloridaFlorida ReefReef TractTract overover thethe pastpast ~125,000~125,000 yearsyears SeaSeaSea-level--levellevel FluctuationsFluctuations http://www.teachingboxes.org/seaLevel/lessons/lesson4_SeaLevelCurveGraph.htm Sea Level ~125,000 Years Ago ? Ooid Loop Current tidal displaced offshore bars Reef Ooid system tidal bars (Upper & Middle Keys) WindleyWindley KeyKey Quarry/FossilQuarry/Fossil ReefReef GeologicalGeological StateState ParkPark No A. palmata, little A. cervicornis (Precht and Miller 2006) http://strata.geol.sc.edu/florida/ pages/082-Windley-Key-Quarry- Pleistocene.html Sea Level ~125,000 Years Ago Ooid Stronger influence of Gulf tidal waters on reefs bars Ooid Reef tidal bars system Nevertheless, head corals thrived. Shinn 2001 MiamiMiami OoliteOoliteOolite,,, BiscayneBiscayne Blvd.Blvd. http://strata.geol.sc.edu/florida/pages/092-Miami-Oolite- Pleistocene-Biscayne-Blvd.html AfterAfter episodesepisodes ofof reefreef growthgrowth therethere waswas aa longlong periodperiod ofof relativelyrelatively lowlow seasea levellevel (red(red line)line) andand exposureexposure ofof thethe FloridaFlorida ContinentalContinental ShelfShelf ~68,000 years of exposure of FL Shelf TheThe extentextent ofof thethe seasea-level-level lowlow-stand-stand duringduring thethe LastLast GlacialGlacial MaximumMaximum (~20(~20-18-18 thousandthousand yearsyears ago);ago); ~120~120 mm lowerlower thanthan present.present. Courtesy A. Hine (USF) Lidz 2006 AsAs thethe raterate ofof seaseasea-level--levellevel riserise slowedslowed ~6,000~6,000 yearsyears ago,ago, modernmodern reefsreefs startedstarted growinggrowing inin thethe KeysKeys –– thisthis timetime AcroporaAcropora waswas aa dominantdominant There was no direct connection to the Gulf of Mexico and no Florida Bay… Lidz 2006 ButBut thatthat isolationisolation waswas notnot toto last.last. Shinn 2001 Shinn 2001 Meanwhile, to the north… SpurSpurSpur-and-groove,--andand--groove,groove, elkhornelkhornelkhorn-dominated--dominateddominated reefsreefs startedstarted toto growgrow alongalong thethe shoreshore ofof SoutheastSoutheast FloridaFlorida –– thousandsthousands ofof yearsyears earlierearlier thanthan inin thethe KeysKeys Idealized cross-section of ridges off Broward County From Precht et al. 2000; Precht & Aronson 2004; after Lighty et al. 1978 This reef tract extended from Biscayne Bay to offshore of Riviera Beach: 128 km!! Banks et al. 2007 Banks et al. 2007 Banks et al. 2007 FloridaFlorida ReefReef TractTract •• FromFrom aa geologicalgeological perspective,perspective, thethe FloridaFlorida ReefReef TractTract hashas developeddeveloped fromfrom timetime toto timetime overover thethe pastpast ~125,000~125,000 years,years, onlyonly toto becomebecome drowneddrowned byby risingrising seasea levelslevels oror exposedexposed duringduring lowlow seasea levelslevels •• However,However, unprecedentedunprecedented thingsthings –– eveneven fromfrom aa geologicalgeological perspectiveperspective -- startedstarted toto occuroccur aboutabout 3030 yearsyears agoago onon aa CaribbeanCaribbean-Caribbean-- widewide scalescale ExamplesExamples ofof thethe “““shiftingshiftingshifting baselinesbaselines syndromesyndromesyndrome””” (( (PaulyPaulyPauly 1995)1995) inin thethe greatergreater CaribbeanCaribbean “Shifting baselines are the chronic, slow, hard-to-notice changes in things, from the disappearance of birds and frogs in the countryside to the increased drive time from L.A. to San Diego.” R. Olson 2002 http://www.shiftingbaselines.org/ ““ShiftingShifting BaselineBaseline”” 11 Acropora Die-off: Late 1970s – 1980s Elkhorn coral Staghorn coral Courtesy S. Miller ““ShiftingShifting BaselineBaseline”” 11 Acropora Die-off: Late 1970s – 1980s Acropora Biological Review Team (2005) ““ShiftingShifting BaselineBaseline”” 22 Diadema Die-off: Jan. 1983 – Jan. 1984 Courtesy B. Causey Lessios et al. (1984) Courtesy J.B.C. Jackson ““ShiftingShifting BaselineBaseline”” 33 1987: First E. Pacific/Caribbean coral bleaching event 19971997-1998:-1998: FirstFirst globalglobal Looe Key Reef massmass coralcoral Looe Key Reef bleachingbleaching eventevent 1983:1983: CoralCoral bleaching,bleaching, lowerlower FloridaFlorida KeysKeys Courtesy B. Causey ““ShiftingShifting BaselineBaseline”” 44 Proliferation of Coral “Diseases”: 1980s – 1990s Courtesy S. Miller CaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbean-wide--widewide LossLoss ofof LiveLive CoralCoral CoverCover White Band Disease White Band Disease Bleaching Bleaching Diadema Die-off FKNMS… From Gardner et al. 2003 and Courtesy S. Miller Aronson & Precht 2006 CREMP: Overall Coral Cover in the Florida Keys http://www.floridamarine.org 14% Mass Bleaching 12% Hurricane Georges 11.9% 10% 11.3% 8% 9.6% 6% 7.4% 7.5% 7.4% 7.3% 7.2% 6.6% 6.7% 4% 2% Mean % Stony Coral Cover Stony Coral % Mean 0% 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 CREMP:CREMP: CoralCoral CoverCover inin DifferentDifferent HabitatsHabitats 25% . 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Mean % Stony Coral Cover Cover Mean Coral % Stony 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 Hardbottom Deep Shallow Patch ConsequencesConsequences ofof TheseThese ShiftingShifting BaselinesBaselines •• LossLoss ofof fastestfastestfastest-growing--growinggrowing reefreef frameworkframeworkframework--- buildersbuilders inin thethe CaribbeanCaribbean •• LossLoss ofof extensiveextensive AcroporaAcropora 333-D--DD habitathabitat structurestructure •• LossLoss ofof thethe “““lawn-mower”lawnlawn--mowermower”” (( DiademaDiadema)) thatthat enhancesenhances settlementsettlement ofof coralscorals (including(including AcroporaAcropora)) ConsequencesConsequences ofof TheseThese ShiftingShifting BaselinesBaselines •• RatchetingRatchetingRatcheting-down--downdown ofof coralcoral covercover afterafter massmassmass--- bleachingbleaching andand otherother eventsevents •• ContinuingContinuing lossloss ofof coralscorals toto diseasedisease syndromessyndromes •• WhatWhat elseelse hashas changedchanged comparedcompared toto 125,000125,000 yearsyears ago?ago? From this… “An average day of grouper fishing in the Keys in the 1930’s!” Courtesy J. Ault (UM/RSMAS) …to this Catch of the day, 2007 Courtesy L. McClenachan (UCSD/SIO) Finally,Finally, somesome thingsthings wewe cancan manage!manage! PostPostPost-Pleistocene--PleistocenePleistocene CoralCoral ReefReef ManagementManagement •• AcknowledgeAcknowledge largelargelarge-scale--scalescale andand longlonglong-term--termterm environmentalenvironmental andand ecologicalecological changeschanges beyondbeyond ourour controlcontrol •• ReduceReduce existingexisting humanhuman stressorsstressors –– OverfishingOverfishing andand damagingdamaging fishingfishing practicespractices –– thethe usualusual regulationsregulations andand marinemarine reservesreserves –– Pollution:Pollution: nutrientsnutrients andand chemicalschemicals –– improvedimproved wastewaterwastewater andand stormwaterstormwater treatmenttreatment –– OurOur contributionscontributions toto climateclimate changechange PostPostPost-Pleistocene--PleistocenePleistocene
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