Project: Collaborative Research: Pattern and process in the abundance and recruitment of Caribbean octocorals

Acronym/Short Name:Octocoral Community Dynamics
Project Duration:2018-04 - 2024-03
Geolocation:St. John, US Virgin Islands

Description

NSF Award Abstract:
Coral reefs are exposed to a diversity of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and the consequences for ecosystem degradation have been widely publicized. However, the reported changes have been biased towards fishes and stony corals, and for Caribbean reefs, the most notable example of this bias are octocorals ("soft corals"). Although they are abundant and dominate many Caribbean reefs, they are rarely included in studies due to the difficulty of both identifying them and in quantifying their abundances. In some places there is compelling evidence that soft corals have increased in abundance, even while stony corals have become less common. This suggests that soft corals are more resilient than stony corals to the wide diversity of disturbances that have been impacting coral corals. The best coral reefs on which to study these changes are those that have been studied for decades and can provide a decadal context to more recent events, and in this regard the reefs of St. John, US Virgin Islands are unique. Stony corals on the reefs have been studied since 1987, and the soft corals from 2014. This provides unrivalled platform to evaluate patterns of octocoral abundance and recruitment; identify the patterns of change that are occurring on these reefs, and identify the processes responsible for the resilience of octocoral populations. The project will extend soft coral monitoring from 4 years to 8 years, and within this framework will examine the roles of baby corals, and their response to seafloor roughness, seawater flow, and seaweed, in determining the success of soft corals. The work will also assess whether the destructive effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria have modified the pattern of change. In concert with these efforts the project will be closely integrated with local high schools at which the investigators will host marine biology clubs and provide independent study opportunities for their students and teachers. Unique training opportunities will be provided to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a postdoctoral researcher, all of whom will study and work in St. John, and the investigators will train coral reef researchers to identify the species of soft corals through a hands-on workshop to be conducted in the Florida Keys.

Understanding how changing environmental conditions will affect the community structure of major biomes is the ecological objective defining the 21st century. The holistic effects of these conditions on coral reefs will be studied on shallow reefs within the Virgin Islands National Park in St. John, US Virgin Islands, which is the site of one of the longest-running, long-term studies of coral reef community dynamics in the region. With NSF-LTREB support, the investigators have been studying long-term changes in stony coral communities in this location since 1987, and in 2014 NSF-OCE support was used to build an octocoral "overlay" to this decadal perspective. The present project extends from this unique history, which has been punctuated by the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, to place octocoral synecology in a decadal context, and the investigators exploit a rich suite of legacy data to better understand the present and immediate future of Caribbean coral reefs. This four-year project will advance on two concurrent fronts: first, to extend time-series analyses of octocoral communities from four to eight years to characterize the pattern and pace of change in community structure, and second, to conduct a program of hypothesis-driven experiments focused on octocoral settlement that will uncover the mechanisms allowing octocorals to more effectively colonize substrata than scleractinian corals on present day reefs. Specifically, the investigators will conduct mensurative and manipulative experiments addressing four hypotheses focusing on the roles of: (1) habitat complexity in distinguishing between octocoral and scleractinian recruitment niches, (2) the recruitment niche in mediating post-settlement success, (3) competition in algal turf and macroalgae in determining the success of octocoral and scleractian recruits, and (4) role of octocoral canopies in modulating the flux of particles and larvae to the seafloor beneath. The results of this study will be integrated to evaluate the factors driving higher ecological resilience of octocorals versus scleractinians on present-day Caribbean reefs.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.


DatasetLatest Version DateCurrent State
Number and size of eggs found in five different branches from a single Antillogorgia americana from a study site in the San Blas Islands, Panama from July 1990 to August 19912024-03-13Final no updates expected
Number and size of gonads found in monthly samples of Antillogorgia americana colonies at a study site in the San Blas Islands, Panama from July 1990 to August 19912024-03-13Final no updates expected
Branch extension measurements from a clipping experiment conducted on the coral Antillogorgia elisabethae at two sites in the Bahamas determined from June 1999 to June 20002023-11-08Final no updates expected
Branching data from a clipping experiment conducted on the coral Antillogorgia elisabethae at two sites in the Bahamas determined from June 1999 to June 20002023-11-07Final no updates expected
Identity and heights of Octocoral species found on transects at 6 sites on the south shore of St John, U.S. Virgin Islands in 2021 and 20222023-04-18Data not available
Octocoral Recruitment surveys on transects at 6 sites on the south shore of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands in 2021 and 20222023-04-18Data not available
Light intensity (lux) of downwelling light upon the benthos along differing conditions of octocoral canopy formation in Lameshur Bay St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands in March of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Light intensity (lux) of downwelling light upon the benthos along differing conditions of octocoral canopy formation in East Cabritte, in Grootpan Bay, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands in March of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Benthic invertebrate abundances associated with octocoral forests in St. John, US Virgin Islands from July 2019 to Jan 20202023-03-21Final no updates expected
Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorometer measurements from Porites astreoides colonies in St. John, US Virgin Islands from July to August of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Simultaneous light intensity measurements from a HOBO light intensity logger and a cosine-corrected PAR sensor in Lameshur Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands in January of 20212023-03-21Final no updates expected
Canopy closure values from photographs taken within octocoral forests in Lameshur Bay St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands from July 2019 to Jan 20202023-03-21Final no updates expected
Steady state photosynthesis (photosynthetic induction time) from Porites astreoides colonies in St. John, US Virgin Islands from July to August of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Canopy closure values from photographs taken within octocoral forestsalong the south shore of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands in March of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Octocoral height, density, and genera from in situ observations within octocoral forests in Lameshur Bay St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands from July 2019 to Jan 20202023-03-21Final no updates expected
Octocoral canopy metrics (mean height, density, and closure) in St. John, US Virgin Islands in March of 20192023-03-21Final no updates expected
Percent cover of living organisms on experimental tiles with different levels of turf algae cover during an in-situ experiment in St. John, US Virgin Islands in August and September of 20192021-09-14Final no updates expected
Octocoral recruitment surveys on transects at 5 sites on the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands, 2014-2019.2021-08-31Final no updates expected
Locations of mapped polyps on experimental tiles with different levels of turf algae cover during an in-situ experiment in St. John, US Virgin Islands in August and September of 20192021-07-16Final no updates expected
Reattachment of octocoral polyps following a stress event and polyp bailout in sea tables in St. John, US Virgin Islands in August of 20192021-07-16Final no updates expected
Polyp settlement and polyp counts on experimental tiles with different levels of turf algae cover during an in-situ experiment in St. John, US Virgin Islands in August and September of 2019.2021-07-16Final no updates expected
Counts of individuals and cell division for 100 Plexaura homomalla embryos from fertilization to 24 hours after fertilization from adult corals collected in Round Bay, St. John, USVI in July of 20192021-07-15Final no updates expected
Cell counts for 11 P. homomalla embryos taken every 5-10 minutes from fertilization to 13 hours after fertilization from adult corals collected in Round Bay, St. John, USVI in July of 20192021-07-15Final no updates expected
Densities of small corals in Diadema halos and temporal stability of D. antillarum clusters from surveys in St. John, US Virgin Islands in 2019 and 20202021-04-27Final no updates expected
Size of Porites astreoides colonies in annual photo-quadrats at St. John, VI from 1992 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
The size (cm) of Porites astreoides in the first 18 quadrats of the transect at St. John, VI from 2000 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
Mean percentage cover of corals and Porites astreoides at each site by year at St. John, VI from 1992 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
Juveniles and recruits of Porites astreoides at each site by year at St. John, VI from 1994 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
Density of Porites astreoides in quadrats at St. John, VI from 1992 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
The density of Porites astreoides in the first 18 quadrats of the transect at St. John, VI from 2000 to 20192021-03-03Final no updates expected
Growth rate of Peyssonnelid Algal Crusts on terracotta settlement tiles at five sites across Lameshur Bay, St. John, USVI from 2009 onward2021-01-13Final no updates expected
Interactions of scleractinian corals with Peyssonnelid Algal Crusts at two sites and depths in Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, USVI as recorded in August 2019 and January 20202021-01-13Final no updates expected
Percent cover of Peyssonnelid Algal Crusts at two sites and depths in Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, USVI from July and August 20192021-01-12Final no updates expected
Growth rate of Peyssonnelid Algal Crusts at two sites and depths in Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, USVI as recorded in August 2019 and January 20202021-01-12Final no updates expected
Fish bite rates of individual 'focal' herbivorous fishes within and outside of canopies at Lameshur Bay, St John, USVI, Feb- Mar 20162020-10-08Final no updates expected
Demersal fish feeding rates within and at edges of octocoral communities at Lameshur Bay, St John, USVI, Feb- Mar 20162020-10-08Final no updates expected
Fish abundance and foraging rates by family from point surveys within and outside of canopies at Lameshur Bay, St John, USVI, Feb- Mar 20162020-10-07Final no updates expected
Scleractinian coral counts within and outside of canopies at Lameshur Bay, St John, USVI, Feb- Mar 20162020-10-07Final no updates expected
Summary abundance of soft corals, stony corals, and algae on the reefs of St. John USVI from photoquadrats taken between 1992 and 20172020-07-29Final no updates expected
Summary sponge abundance by species and site on the coral reefs of St. John USVI from photoquadrats taken between 1992 and 20172020-07-24Final with updates expected
Summary sponge abundance on the coral reefs of St. John USVI from photoquadrats taken between 1992 and 20172020-07-24Final no updates expected
Sponge abundance by species on the coral reefs of St. John USVI from photoquadrats taken between 1992 and 20172020-07-24Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony heights measured during transect surveys at four sites on the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands during June-October 20192020-02-12Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony height by pooled pooled taxa and year from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony sizes (height by pooled taxa, site, and year) from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony density by pooled taxa, life stage, and year from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony density by pooled taxa, site, and quadrat from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony density by taxon, year, site, and life stage from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony height pooled by taxon and year from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral sampling effort (density by pooled taxa and site) from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony height by taxon, year, site, and life stage from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony density by pooled taxa, life stage, and year from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral sampling effort (density of juveniles pooled taxa, year, site, and quadrat) from surveys conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 20172020-02-04Final no updates expected
Octocoral colony heights measured during transect surveys at four sites on the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands in June-August 2018.2019-09-23Final no updates expected

People

Lead Principal Investigator: Howard Lasker
State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)

Principal Investigator: Peter J. Edmunds
California State University Northridge (CSUN)

Contact: Peter J. Edmunds
California State University Northridge (CSUN)


Data Management Plan

DMP_OCE-1756678_1756381_Lasker_Edmunds.pdf (164.88 KB)
02/09/2025