The Florida Keys are known for their lush coral reefs and incredible biodiversity. Protected by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Keys support more than 6,000 species of plants, fishes, and invertebrates – including more than 65 species of stony corals. But in the past few years, something has been targeting these corals.
The Florida Keys are known for their lush coral reefs and incredible biodiversity. Protected by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Keys support more than 6,000 species of plants, fishes, and invertebrates – including more than 65 species of stony corals. But in the past few years, something has been targeting these corals.
In September 2014, researchers began noticing that certain stony corals along the Florida Reef Tract weren’t doing well. The Florida Reef Tract stretches approximately 360 miles in an arc along the Florida Keys and southeastern Florida. Off Virginia Key, in Miami-Dade County, corals were showing "small circular or irregular patches of white, exposed skeleton devoid of tissue," explains Dr. Andy Bruckner, research coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. From there, the tissue would slough off, leaving the stark white skeleton exposed until algae colonized it. The disease, he explains, "radiates across the colony and outward."
This spells trouble for the reefs, and for the creatures and people who depend on them. The reefs of the Florida Keys provide food and recreational opportunities for residents and vacationers alike, and they can protect coastal communities since they serve as a buffer for hurricanes and other storms. So as Joanna Walczak, southeast regional administrator at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection puts it, "this is an all hands on deck situation, requiring an unprecedented effort and response."
Continue reading at NOAA.
Image via NOAA.
