Current Research Projects
Coral reefs are one of the most diverse, ecologically important ecosystems on the planet, but both global and local chronic pressures (e.g., global warming, ocean acidification, poor water quality) and acute disturbances (e.g., marine heatwaves, hurricanes, disease) threaten their persistence. The CRRAM Lab's research aims to evaluate the impacts of these threats on benthic communities, monitor long-term changes in reef health, and investigate methods to improve coral restoration success. Read on to learn about some of our exciting current projects.
Broward County Marine Biological Monitoring Project (Broward Annual)
The CRRAM Lab has annually surveyed the benthic community in Broward County, Florida since 2001, in part funded by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. The project was established to assess the impact of sedimentation and turbidity from beach nourishment on the ecologically important stony coral, gorgonian, and sponge assemblages found offshore. To do this, stony coral demographic data (species ID, colony size, health), gorgonian and sponge abundance data, and photo-quadrat data are collected by SCUBA divers at 25 sites, each composed of a fixed belt transect consisting of linearly placed quadrats. From this, spatial and temporal variations in benthic community composition and the stony coral assemblage can be assessed. So far, the data have been used to assess spatial and temporal variations in benthic community
Photo quadrats, like the one above, are taken along each transect.
community composition, the effect of beach nourishment activities on the benthic community, long-term coral growth trends, spatial and temporal patterns in coral recruitment, and competition amongst benthic taxa. Minimal impacts of beach nourishment activities on the offshore stony coral assemblage have been seen, but the data have captured large declines in stony coral density and cover, and found that coral colony growth and recruitment are low. These currently constrain population and assemblage recovery in the area.
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP)
Daniel collects data on stony corals during a SECREMP survey.
SECREMP is a collaborative, long-term monitoring effort between NSU and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, that aims to document the status and trends of the highly urbanized reef system off Southeast Florida’s coast. It was established in 2003 and consists of 22 sites distributed across four reef habitats (nearshore ridge complex, inner reef, middle reef, outer reef) spanning Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties surveyed annually. CRRAM Lab divers conduct photographic transects to quantify percent cover of major benthic taxa and demographic surveys to quantify abundance, size distribution, and health of stony corals, octocorals, and giant barrel sponges (Xestospongia muta) along four permanent belt transects at each site. This spatially robust, long-term comprehensive dataset provides resource managers with critical information that can be used to identify major threats to the reef ecosystem and develop effective management plans. In recent years, our SECREMP data has captured the severe impacts of the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak, including declines in live coral cover, diversity, and abundance. Click here to read our past SECREMP reports.
Offshore Nursery
NSU Nursery
Coral nurseries aim to safeguard vulnerable species and provide coral clippings a place to grow before being outplanted to surrounding reefs. They are comprised of structures that are anchored to the sea floor and suspended mid-water with a buoy. Coral fragments are clipped from natural colonies and either mounted or hung from nursery structures to grow. Once the fragments are large enough, they will be clipped again and outplanted to the reef. NSU’s first nursery site was established offshore Broward County in 2007 with only 40 structures and 100 staghorn coral fragments from 30 genetic individuals. In 2010, it was expanded to a second nearby site and has since grown to include 116 structures with around 4,000 coral fragments, 90 genotypes, and 14 different species! With so many structures and corals, the offshore nursery requires a lot of care: our team usually visits every month to conduct routine monitoring and maintenance. The CRRAM Lab uses corals grown in our nursery to conduct many projects aimed at answering important research questions. Currently, we are trying to 1) identify key site characteristics that may dictate outplant success and 2) improve the grow-out of sexually produced coral recruits.
Casey checks coral fragments on one of our nursery's mid-water trees.
CRF-NSU Broward Coral Gene Bank
Acropora cervicornis fragments from CRF in the NSU Broward coral gene bank.
Since 2021, the CRRAM Lab has partnered with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) to establish an in situ coral gene bank in Broward County, FL. The effort aims to promote redundancy and preservation of the unique genetic diversity of key stony coral species within CRF nursery systems, as well as provide a separate location to help protect these selected coral genotypes from environmental pressures and stochastic events, such as hurricanes and disease outbreaks. To date, we have transferred and are maintaining over 1,300 fragments from 236 genotypes of Acropora cervicornis, A. palmata, Orbicella annularis, and O. faveolata. This represents approximately 62% of the CRF genetic stock, with the eventual goal of reaching 100%. It also marked the first time that A. palmata was grown in a nursery in Broward County, which is the northern extent of the species range. The corals are maintained bi-
monthly; surplus tissue of banked corals is used for restocking genotypes and outplanting, thus increasing local genetic diversity. As of December 2023, 180 fragments from nine A. cervicornis genotypes have been outplanted locally, with a 6-month survival of 74%. The project aims to begin outplanting A. palmata and test the efficacy and impact of various outplanting techniques on growth and survival.
Coral Outplanting and Monitoring
Through collaboration with multiple partners from non-profit organizations, universities, state and federal governments, and other labs within NSU, the CRRAM Lab has outplanted over 18,000 corals representing 14 species for various projects since 2012 along the Broward County coast. Large outplanting efforts involving multiple partners can help improve the resilience and survival of vulnerable coral species against a changing climate. Our largest current project is a collaboration with the University of Miami funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Since January 2020, our goal has been to outplant over 5,000 staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) fragments and 1,500 colonies from other species and to track their survival and health over set monitoring intervals. We outplanted corals using a variety of attachment methods, including marine epoxy and cement mixtures, as well as using different techniques, such as microfragmentation. The assemblage of corals outplanted represents populations found in both Broward and Miami-Dade Counties to promote genetic diversity. To date, we have outplanted 5,645 A. cervicornis colonies and 2,108 coral colonies from 12 other species across 23 sites for this project. Despite the effects of chronic disturbances, such as disease and ocean warming, our oldest outplants for this project (3 years old) have a 71% survival rate.
Shane outplants Acropora cervicornis fragments.
Spar Orion and Clipper Lasco Groundings (Spar-Clipper)
In 2006, two commercial shipping vessels, the M/V Clipper Lasco and M/V Spar Orion, ran aground on a coral reef offshore Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The vessels caused fundamental changes to the benthic community and physically altered the structure of the reef. Site assessments in 2010 showed little recovery, prompting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to fund rehabilitation of both sites. Rehabilitation was completed in December 2015, using large limestone boulders to stabilize a portion of the impacted reef. In 2016, the CRRAM lab began yearly monitoring of the community development at both grounding sites, as well as reference reef sites. Belt and photo transect surveys assess species-specific demographic data and taxa-specific cover data to quantify the development of benthic biological communities on the deployed boulders compared to remaining injury areas and nearby reference
Divers from the CRRAM lab conduct surveys along a transect at a reference site.
reference reefs. So far, our data has shown that stabilized sites have higher recruitment and inter-annual survival of stony corals than non-stabilized sites. This project gives insight into succession after total community restart and allows resource managers to better understand the recovery period of coral reefs affected by ship groundings.
Osborne Tire Reef Coral Removal and Relocation Project
In the early 1970s, between one and two million tires were dropped into the ocean offshore Fort Lauderdale, Florida to create an artificial reef deemed the Osborne Tire Reef. The idea was to repurpose waste automobile tires to create habitat for large game fish, thus enhancing recreational fishing and diving. Despite initial efforts to stabilize this artificial reef, it became apparent that tires dislodged following storms were causing harm to natural reefs. Consequently, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) funded efforts to remove loose tires and the stony corals that were growing on them. To preserve this important natural resource, in August 2022, CRRAM Lab divers began removing coral colonies from the tires. To date, we have removed over 1,400 colonies, representing 17 stony coral species, ranging in size from just one cm to over 53 cm in
Corals removed from derelict tires relocated to the stabilized M/V Clipper Lasco grounding site.
in diameter! These corals are being used for research and restoration throughout Florida, with over 900 colonies being relocated across 8 different reef sites, including a ship grounding site and two spawning hubs. Nearly 300 corals have been donated to partner institutions, and the remaining colonies are being studied in NSU’s offshore nursery. This project has provided the lab with the opportunity to work with many coral species not often included in restoration and has facilitated the rehabilitation of several sites throughout Broward County.
Listed Endangered Species Monitoring
An Acropora palmata colony measured as part of the listed species monitoring.
Since 2011, the CRRAM Lab has tri-annually monitored the size and health conditions of the last remaining known colonies of two iconic, critically endangered reef-building coral species – the pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) and the elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) – in Broward County, Florida. This project was initially funded by Broward County and has remained a high priority due to the alarmingly low abundance of these species. The number of sites monitored has severely declined due to mortality from thermal stress, disease, and storm events: we monitor only four D. cylindrus sites and seven A. palmata sites. To bolster the A. palmata population, our divers have re-attached 101 storm-generated fragments to the reef substrate over the last 12 years. Recently, we have also placed A. palmata fragments in our offshore coral nursery to preserve the genotypes of these resilient
resilient colonies for potential use in future restoration efforts. Unfortunately, there is insufficient tissue on the remaining D. cylindrus colonies to attempt similar restoration methods. However, the amount of live tissue area on each colony has increased over the past year, creating a glimmer of hope for Broward County’s D. cylindrus population.
Mesoamerican Reef Coral Restoration
In 2022, the CRRAM Lab established an international, collaborative reef restoration project between the Mexican Institute for Research in Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (IMIPAS) and Coralisma, a non-profit organization dedicated to coral reef restoration, preservation, and education in Mexico. The project aims to outplant stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)-susceptible coral species in order to evaluate whether current disease conditions in the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park (APMNP) are appropriate for beginning larger-scale coral restoration activities. In September 2022, three SCTLD-susceptible species (Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella annularis, and O. faveolata) were microfragmented and outplanted to six sites in the APMNP. Our divers assessed microfragment outplanting success by evaluating coral survival, growth,
Marina cleans off outplanted microfragments prior to photographing them during a monitoring event.
growth, and health and surveyed SCTLD prevalence in the natural nearby coral populations. Our current data indicates that introducing SCTLD-susceptible coral species does not increase disease prevalence in the surrounding natural colonies, suggesting that additional restoration activities could be implemented in the APMNP. This project represents the first instance of microfragment outplanting in the Mexican Caribbean as an experimental framework.
Gulf of Mexico Coral Reef Monitoring and A. palmata Resilience Assessment
High coral cover composed primarily of plating Orbicella colonies in the VRSNP.
In 2024, the CRRAM lab established a coral reef monitoring program within the Veracruz Reef System National Park (VRSNP) in collaboration with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the Institute of Ecology, and Coralisma. The project aims to document annual reef status and determine long-term trends by gathering coral reef data from high priority sites identified by VRSNP management staff. This monitoring program will provide VRSNP managers with valuable insight on benthic cover, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding reef conservation and management. Additionally, recent bleaching events have significantly impacted A. palmata populations in the VRSNP. Documenting the current status of the population’s distribution and health following the 2023 bleaching event and before future events is essential. This data will enable us to identify potentially resilient populations and prioritize areas for restoration efforts, which will facilitate the development of effective management and conservation strategies to safeguard this critically endangered species in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Bahamas Coral Reef Restoration and Monitoring Project
Starting in 2018, the CRRAM Lab partnered with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and The Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) to establish a coral restoration and monitoring research project at NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay (GSC), The Bahamas. The project goals include establishing and maintaining an in situ acroporid coral nursery, outplanting nursery-grown corals, collecting annual benthic monitoring data, studying annual coral recruitment, and monitoring wild acroporid colonies. The nursery includes fragments of all three Caribbean acroporid corals – the endangered staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn corals (A. palmata), and their hybrid, the fused staghorn coral (A. prolifera) – collected from wild colonies throughout the Bahamas. We are using the nursery to preserve these corals, but also to study their growth and survival characteristics, with particular interest in the understudied hybrid taxa. This research has found that the hybrid
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A settlement tile deployed at a monitoring site in GSC used to quantify coral recruitment.
hybrid has significantly greater growth compared to the parental species, which may provide additional benefits to acroporid coral restoration. Additionally, fragments of A. cervicornis and A. palmata were outplanted to a local reef site and survival averaged 89%, with most corals doubling in size (some even quadrupling) in less than two years. Lastly, lab members are studying the health and demographics of the adult and juvenile coral populations at GSC to determine the condition of the reef, how it is changing, and what efforts can be made to prevent further decline.
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