Defense Date

12-6-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Marine Science

First Advisor

Brian Walker, PhD

Second Advisor

Abigail Renegar, PhD

Third Advisor

Cheryl Woodley, PhD

Keywords

Coral, Regeneration, Coring, Colony Impacts, Spatial Analysis, OFAV

Abstract

Anthropogenic (e.g. damage from anchors, scuba divers, tissue sampling) and natural disturbances (e.g. predation, storm damage) can result in wounding of live tissue on coral colonies. Wounding has been shown to detract from a common resource pool, increasing disease susceptibility and impairing coral growth and reproductive activity. Regeneration not only varies between species, but also between conspecifics in the same location. A colony’s capacity to regenerate tissue can be an indicator of a colony’s condition and resilience. Understanding the physiological and environmental factors that affect tissue regeneration alongside the ultimate impact of sampling (disease and predation correlations) are needed for this to be a useful indicator. This research project analyzed the tissue regenerative rates of core lesions on eighty-seven colonies (45 in SE FL and 42 in the lower FL Keys) of the reef-building species Orbicella faveolata sampled over three time periods corresponding to different environmental conditions and stages of the metabolically taxing state of gametogenesis (1,717 cores total). Monthly standardized pictures of each core site were measured to calculate tissue regeneration rates for each colony and to assess the long-term effect of core sampling. Results found that regeneration rate differed by region and between colonies, with highest rates seen in the Kristin Jacobs Coral Ecosystem Conservation Area compared to Keys sites with increasing growth rates with latitude. Disease history before and throughout the study, genetic lineage, and predation were not found to be significant in predicting regeneration rate. Predation was most prevalent in the early summer sample period, likely because cores were left unfilled with ablative clay. Predation and disease outcomes were low throughout the study despite high endemic SCTLD levels and parrotfish populations. Lastly, most colonies were in a state of repair with 25% of biopsied tissue regrown by the end of the study. This study adds a valuable metric in the diagnosis and tracking of Orbicella faveolata condition over temporal and spatial scales uncommon in this field.

ORCID ID

0009-0003-6368-1317

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