Coral disease is emerging as a major factor in the degradation of many coral reefs, and surveys indicate that significant and damaging new diseases are emerging. Coral diseases potentially affect both well-managed and unmanaged reefs indiscriminately. Strategies for managing disease outbreaks are currently lacking. The increasing frequency of diseases affecting and altering reef communities means… Continue Reading Gulf of Mexico Coral Disease Dashboard
Many economically important coral reef fishes (e.g., groupers, snappers) in the Gulf migrate to specific places to form spawning aggregations and can result in tens to thousands of fish in a single location during spawning events. However, spawning aggregations are often targeted by anglers, resulting in intense fishing effort that can negatively affect fish populations.… Continue Reading Spawning, aggregations and connectivity in the Gulf
Reef-building corals are increasingly being exposed to persistent threats that operate on both regional and global scales, and there is a need to better understand the complex processes that diminish coral populations. The majority of the scientific literature on threats to corals were focused on climatic stressors. There are limited studies that provide perspective on… Continue Reading Non-climatic stressors for corals in the Gulf
Climate Change affects the corals as well as fishes and other organisms associated with the reefs. Shifting the the overall architecture of the reef can one that is dominated by sea fans, soft corals, macroalgae, and sponges. This in turn also changes the types of fish and invertebrates that depend on the habitat and food… Continue Reading Climate Change Impacts to Reef Associated Species
Some of the oldest known benthic marine organisms are black corals of genus Leopathes. These ancient deep-sea corals (Leiopathes spp.) are very slow-growing black coral species. In the Gulf, large colonies of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima have been estimated to be over 2,000 years old. They are characterized by their black or dark brown… Continue Reading Ancient Deep-Sea Corals
