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NCCOS Sponsored Research Project: Understanding Coral Ecosystem Connectivity in the Gulf of Mexico from Pulley Ridge to the Florida Keys

Published by National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: December 19, 2025 | Last Modified: 2015-10-17T00:00:00.000+00:00
This project investigated the role that the mesophotic coral ecosystems (~60–100 m) of Pulley Ridge (off the southwest coast of Florida) play in replenishing key species in the downstream reefs of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Because of the well-documented decline of Florida’s reefs, it is important to identify, protect, and manage sources of larval reef species that can help sustain Florida’s reef ecosystems and the tourism economy that depends on it. This interdisciplinary study focused on determining the connectivity of reef species living at Pulley Ridge, the deepest known photosynthetic coral reef off the continental U.S., to those in the Florida Keys, as well as describing the community structure and determining the economic value of Pulley Ridge’s communities. Focal species for connectivity studies were the red grouper (Epinephelus morio), the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus), the Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.), the great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa), lettuce corals (Agaricia spp.), and the giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta). The study was advised by a Stakeholder Advisory Board, a collaboration of federal, state, and nongovernmental stakeholders to ensure the utility of outputs for resource managers.

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EARTH SCIENCE > AGRICULTURE > AGRICULTURAL AQUATIC SCIENCES > FISHERIES EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > CNIDARIANS > ANTHOZOANS/HEXACORALS > HARD OR STONY CORALS EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > SPONGES EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS) EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS) > RED ALGAE EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS > SPECIES RECRUITMENT EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > MIGRATORY RATES/ROUTES EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SPECIES LIFE HISTORY EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > SOCIOECONOMICS EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > MODELS > DYNAMIC VEGETATION/ECOSYSTEM MODELS EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > MODELS > OCEAN GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS (OGCM)/REGIONAL OCEAN MODELS CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > FLORIDA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > FLORIDA > FLORIDA KEYS OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA DHHS/NIH/NLM/NCBI/GB > GenBank Genetic Sequence Database, National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS > National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/OAR/OER > Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce U-MIAMI/RSMAS > Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami NCCOS Research Data Type > Derived Data Product NCCOS Research Data Type > Field Observation NCCOS Research Data Type > Model NCCOS Research Data Type > Video NCCOS Research Priority > Marine Spatial Ecology NCCOS Research Topic > Regional Ecosystem Science NCCOS Research Location > Region > Atlantic Ocean NCCOS Research Location > Region > Gulf of Mexico NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Florida M/V Spree R/V F.G. Walton Smith Dry Tortugas Florida Keys Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Pulley Ridge In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Current/Wind Meters > > > DRIFTING BUOYS > In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Photon/Optical Detectors > Cameras > > CAMERA > In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Profilers/Sounders > > > CTD > Conductivity, Temperature, Depth In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Profilers/Sounders > Acoustic Sounders > > ADCP > Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Grabbers/Traps/Collectors > > TRAPS In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Trawls/Nets > > MOCNESS > MOCNESS Plankton Net In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > > ROV > Remotely Operated Vehicles In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > SHIPS > > Bio-physical Modeling Bioeconomics Community Structure Coral Habitat Characterization Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Physical Oceanography Population Connectivity Population Dynamics Population Genetics Gulf of Mexico DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS > National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP)

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