FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory

MOTIVATION: The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene. MAIN TYPES OF VARIABLES INCLUDED: The database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record. SPATIAL LOCATION AND GRAIN: ). TIME PERIOD AND GRAIN: BioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year. MAJOR TAXA AND LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT: BioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates. SOFTWARE FORMAT: .csv and .SQL.

The industrialization of the deep sea is expanding worldwide. Increasing oil and gas exploration activities in the absence of sufficient baseline data in deep-sea ecosystems has made environmental management challenging. Here, we review the types of activities that are associated with global offshore oil and gas development in water depths over 200 m, the typical impacts of these activities, some of the more extreme impacts of accidental oil and gas releases, and the current state of management in the major regions of offshore industrial activity including 18 exclusive economic zones. Direct impacts of infrastructure installation, including sediment resuspension and burial by seafloor anchors and pipelines, are typically restricted to a radius of 100 m on from the installation on the seafloor. Discharges of water-based and low-toxicity oil-based drilling muds and produced water can extend over 2 km, while the ecological impacts at the population and community levels on the seafloor are most commonly on the order of 200-300 m from their source. These impacts may persist in the deep sea for many years and likely longer for its more fragile ecosystems, such as cold-water corals. This synthesis of Cordes et al.

Life-history theory suggests that trade-offs exist between fitness components, with organisms balancing investment in reproduction against survival and future reproduction. This study examined the influence of stress on physiological trade-offs in the dominant rocky intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus on the central Oregon coast, USA. The intertidal zone is a highly heterogeneous thermal environment that could lead to intrapopulation variation in stress responses. Stress increases along a vertical gradient, with higher physical stress occurring in the higher intertidal zone, both due to reduced feeding time and longer exposure to aerial conditions. Reproduction and carotenoid content were compared in mussels from the low and high vertical edges of the mussel bed. High-edge mussels invested less relative energy in reproduction and also spawned all of their gametes in the early summer, whereas low-edge mussels continuously spawned small batches of gametes throughout the year. High-edge mussels accumulated high concentrations of carotenoid pigments into their gonadal tissues, potentially to protect gametes from damaging oxidative stress experienced during aerial exposure. A reciprocal transplant experiment revealed plastic responses in growth and reproduction to increased stress. In contrast, carotenoid content did not increase in response to stress, suggesting that carotenoids may not change rapidly or may not be easily lost or gained. Our results indicate that mussels exhibit physiological trade-offs and, under increased stress predicted from climate change scenarios, may allocate energy away from reproduction toward costly physiological defenses.

Biological invasions depend in part on the resistance of native communities. Meta-analyses of terrestrial experiments demonstrate that native primary producers and herbivores generally resist invasions of primary producers, and that resistance through competition strengthens with native producer diversity. To test the generality of these findings, we conducted a meta-analysis of marine experiments. We found that native marine producers generally failed to resist producer invasions through competition unless the native community was diverse, and this diversity effect was weaker in marine than in terrestrial systems. In contrast, native consumers equally resisted invasive producers in both ecosystems. Most marine experiments, however, tested invasive consumers and these invasions were resisted more strongly than were producer invasions. Given these differences between ecosystems and between marine trophic levels, we used a model-selection approach to assess if factors other than the resistance mechanism (i.e. competition vs. consumption) are more important for predicting marine biotic resistance. These results suggest that understanding marine biotic resistance depends on latitude, habitat and invader taxon, in addition to distinguishing between competition with and consumption by native species. By examining biotic resistance within and across ecosystems, our work provides a more complete understanding of the factors that underlie biological invasions.

When identifying potential trophic cascades, it is important to clearly establish the trophic linkages between predators and prey with respect to temporal abundance, demographics, distribution, and diet. In the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the depletion of large coastal sharks was thought to trigger a trophic cascade whereby predation release resulted in increased cownose ray abundance, which then caused increased predation on and subsequent collapse of commercial bivalve stocks. These claims were used to justify the development of a predator-control fishery for cownose rays, the "Save the Bay, Eat a Ray" fishery, to reduce predation on commercial bivalves. A reexamination of data suggests declines in large coastal sharks did not coincide with purported rapid increases in cownose ray abundance. Likewise, the increase in cownose ray abundance did not coincide with declines in commercial bivalves. The lack of temporal correlations coupled with published diet data suggest the purported trophic cascade is lacking the empirical linkages required of a trophic cascade. Furthermore, the life history parameters of cownose rays suggest they have low reproductive potential and their populations are incapable of rapid increases. Hypothesized trophic cascades should be closely scrutinized as spurious conclusions may negatively influence conservation and management decisions.

Cold-water coral reefs form spectacular and highly diverse ecosystems in the deep sea but little is known about reproduction, and virtually nothing about the larval biology in these corals. This study is based on data from two locations of the North East Atlantic and documents the first observations of embryogenesis and larval development in Lophelia pertusa, the most common framework-building cold-water scleractinian. Embryos developed in a more or less organized radial cleavage pattern from ∼ 160 µm large neutral or negatively buoyant eggs, to 120-270 µm long ciliated planulae. Embryogenesis was slow with cleavage occurring at intervals of 6-8 hours up to the 64-cell stage. Genetically characterized larvae were sexually derived, with maternal and paternal alleles present. Larvae were active swimmers (0.5 mm s(-1)) initially residing in the upper part of the water column, with bottom probing behavior starting 3-5 weeks after fertilization. Nematocysts had developed by day 30, coinciding with peak bottom-probing behavior, and possibly an indication that larvae are fully competent to settle at this time. Planulae survived for eight weeks under laboratory conditions, and preliminary results indicate that these planulae are planktotrophic. The late onset of competency and larval longevity suggests a high dispersal potential. Understanding larval biology and behavior is of paramount importance for biophysical modeling of larval dispersal, which forms the basis for predictions of connectivity among populations.

The Deepwater Horizon (Macondo) oil spill released large volumes of oil and gas of distinct carbon isotopic composition to the northern Gulf of Mexico, allowing Graham et al (2010 Environ. Res. Lett. 5 045301) to use stable carbon isotopes (δ ^13 C) to infer the introduction of spilled oil into the planktonic food web. Surface ocean organic production and measured oil are separated by 5–7‰ in stable carbon isotope (δ ^13 C) space, while in radiocarbon (Δ ^14 C) space these two potential sources are separated by more than 1000‰. Thus radiocarbon isotopes provide a more sensitive tracer by which to infer possible introduction of Macondo oil into the food web. We measured Δ ^14 C and δ ^13 C in plankton collected from within 100 km of the spill site as well as in coastal and offshore DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon or ΣCO _2 ) to constrain surface production values. On average, plankton values were depleted in ^14 C relative to surface DIC, and we found a significant linear correlation between Δ ^14 C and δ ^13 C in plankton. Cumulatively, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that carbon released from the Deepwater Horizon spill contributed to the offshore planktonic food web. Our results support the findings of Graham et al (2010 Environ. Res. Lett. 5 045301), but we infer that methane input may be important.

Sound production by goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was characterized on 2 aggregation sites in the Gulf of Mexico off the southwest coast of Florida, which are likely to be spawning sites, based on the presence of fish with ripe gonads. Goliath grouper produced predominately lowfrequency single-pulse sounds with dominant frequencies around 60 Hz. Long-term acoustic recordings documented that sounds were most frequently produced between 01:00 and 03:00 h. Sound production had a lunar periodicity, with reduced levels occurring for several days around the full moon. A single goliath grouper was implanted with an acoustic telemetry transmitter that indicated the depth of the fish. This fish remained on the aggregation site for all but 1 d of the 2 mo record and was located near the bottom (46 m) for the majority of the time. Several forays to shallower depths were detected, most of which occurred near midnight and 03:00 h. These short-duration shallow-water forays could possibly indicate spawning ascents. The combination of passive acoustics and active acoustic telemetry indicates that efforts to document spawning should be concentrated around midnight. The prolific sound production of goliath grouper will allow large spatial and temporal scale mapping and monitoring of aggregation sites.

A thorough understanding of movement patterns of a species is critical for designing effective conservation and management initiatives. However, generating such information for large marine vertebrates is challenging, as they typically move over long distances, live in concealing environments, are logistically difficult to capture and, as upper-trophic predators, are naturally low in abundance. As a large bodied, broadly distributed tropical shark typically restricted to coastal and shelf habitats, the great hammerhead shark Sphyrna mokarran epitomizes such challenges. Highly valued for its fins, it suffers high bycatch mortality coupled with conservative fecundity, and as a result, is vulnerable to over-exploitation and population depletion. Although there is very little species specific data available, the absence of recent catch records give cause to suspect substantial declines across its range. Here, we used biotelemetry techniques (acoustic and satellite), conventional tagging, laser-photogrammetry, and photo-identification to investigate; the level of site fidelity, and or residency for great hammerheads to coastal areas in the Bahamas and U.S. and the extent of movements and connectivity of great hammerheads between the U.S. and Bahamas. Results revealed large scale return migrations (3030 km), seasonal residency to local areas (some for 5 months), site fidelity (annual return to Bimini and Jupiter for many individuals) and numerous international movements. These findings enhance the understanding of movement ecology of the great hammerhead shark and have the potential to contribute to improved conservation and management.

The tremendous diversity of life in the ocean has proven to be a rich source of inspiration for drug discovery, with success rates for marine natural products up to 4 times higher than other naturally derived compounds. Yet the marine biodiscovery pipeline is characterized by chronic underfunding, bottlenecks and, ultimately, untapped potential. For instance, a lack of taxonomic capacity means that, on average, 20 years pass between the discovery of new organisms and the formal publication of scientific names, a prerequisite to proceed with detecting and isolating promising bioactive metabolites. The need for "edge" research that can spur novel lines of discovery and lengthy high-risk drug discovery processes, are poorly matched with research grant cycles. Here we propose five concrete pathways to broaden the biodiscovery pipeline and open the social and economic potential of the ocean genome for global benefit: (1) investing in fundamental research, even when the links to industry are not immediately apparent; (2) cultivating equitable collaborations between academia and industry that share both risks and benefits for these foundational research stages; (3) providing new opportunities for early-career researchers and under-represented groups to engage in high-risk research without risking their careers; (4) sharing data with global networks; and (5) protecting genetic diversity at its source through strong conservation efforts. The treasures of the ocean have provided fundamental breakthroughs in human health and still remain under-utilised for human benefit, yet that potential may be lost if we allow the biodiscovery pipeline to become blocked in a search for quick-fix solutions.

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 403:255-267 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08417 Is multiple mating beneficial or unavoidable? Low multiple paternity and genetic diversity in the shortspine spurdog Squalus mitsukurii Toby S. Daly-Engel1,5,*, R. Dean Grubbs2, Kevin A. Feldheim3, Brian W. Bowen4, Robert J. Toonen4 1University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, 2538 The Mall, Edmondson 152, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA 2Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, 3618 Hwy 98, St. Teresa, Florida 32358, USA 3Field Museum, Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, USA 4Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, PO Box 1356, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA 5Present address: University of Arizona, Forbes 410, 1140 E. South Campus Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA *Email: tengel@email.arizona.edu ABSTRACT: Proposed benefits of multiple paternity include increased reproductive output, elevated fitness of progeny, and maintenance of population genetic diversity. However, another consideration is whether multiple paternity is simply an unavoidable byproduct of sexual conflict, with males seeking to maximize mating encounters while females seek to minimize the stress of copulation. Here we examined the polyandrous mating system in sharks, with a focus on the reproductive genetics of the shortspine spurdog Squalus mitsukurii. Members of the genus Squalus are long-lived, slow-growing, and employ among the longest gestation periods of any vertebrate. To evaluate multiple paternity and genetic diversity in S. mitsukurii, we genotyped 27 litters plus 96 individuals with 8 microsatellite loci. Further, 670 bp of the mtDNA control region were sequenced in 112 individuals to examine population structure. S. mitsukurii in Hawaii showed low genetic diversity relative to other sharks (π = 0.0010 ± 0.0008) and no significant population structure in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Direct allele counts and Bayesian approximations returned concordant estimates of 11% multiple paternity, the lowest observed in sharks to date. Considering the protracted reproductive interval of S. mitsukurii, sexual conflict that results from differential male and female reproductive strategies may favor the development of female mating avoidance behavior to minimize trauma. In S. mitsukurii this behavior includes segregation of sexes and an asynchronous reproductive cycle. KEY WORDS: Elasmobranch · Polyandry · Control region · Microsatellite DNA · Population structure · Sexual conflict · Sexual segregation · Reproductive strategy Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Daly-Engel TS, Grubbs RD, Feldheim KA, Bowen BW, Toonen RJ (2010) Is multiple mating beneficial or unavoidable? Low multiple paternity and genetic diversity in the shortspine spurdog Squalus mitsukurii. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 403:255-267. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08417 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 403. Online publication date: March 22, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.

Author Posting. © Oceanography Society, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 24, no. 2 (2011): 174–181, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2011.37.

Increases in the frequency, duration, and severity of regional drought pose major threats to the health and integrity of downstream ecosystems. During 2007-2008, the U.S. southeast experienced one of the most severe droughts on record. Drought and water withdrawals in the upstream watershed led to decreased freshwater input to Apalachicola Bay, Florida, an estuary that is home to a diversity of commercially and ecologically important organisms. This study applied a combination of laboratory experiments and field observations to investigate the effects of reduced freshwater input on Apalachicola oysters. Oysters suffered significant disease-related mortality under high-salinity, drought conditions, particularly during the warm summer months. Mortality was size-specific, with large oysters of commercially harvestable size being more susceptible than small oysters. A potential salinity threshold was revealed between 17 and 25 ppt, where small oysters began to suffer mortality, and large oysters exhibited an increase in mortality. These findings have important implications for watershed management, because upstream freshwater releases could be carefully timed and allocated during stressful periods of the summer to reduce disease-related oyster mortality. Integrated, forward-looking water management is needed, particularly under future scenarios of climate change and human population growth, to sustain the valuable ecosystem services on which humans depend.

Patterns of population structure and historical genetic demography of blacknose sharks in the western North Atlantic Ocean were assessed using variation in nuclear-encoded microsatellites and sequences of mitochondrial (mt)DNA. Significant heterogeneity and/or inferred barriers to gene flow, based on microsatellites and/or mtDNA, revealed the occurrence of five genetic populations localized to five geographic regions: the southeastern U.S Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the western Gulf of Mexico, Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas. Pairwise estimates of genetic divergence between sharks in the Bahamas and those in all other localities were more than an order of magnitude higher than between pairwise comparisons involving the other localities. Demographic modelling indicated that sharks in all five regions diverged after the last glacial maximum and, except for the Bahamas, experienced post-glacial, population expansion. The patterns of genetic variation also suggest that the southern Gulf of Mexico may have served as a glacial refuge and source for the expansion. Results of the study demonstrate that barriers to gene flow and historical genetic demography contributed to contemporary patterns of population structure in a coastal migratory species living in an otherwise continuous marine habitat. The results also indicate that for many marine species, failure to properly characterize barriers in terms of levels of contemporary gene flow could in part be due to inferences based solely on equilibrium assumptions. This could lead to erroneous conclusions regarding levels of connectivity in species of conservation concern.

Summary Intraspecific diversity can have important effects on population, community and ecosystem processes, yet we have little understanding of the relative importance of genetic‐ versus trait‐based measures of intraspecific diversity. I conducted a manipulative field experiment of plant ( Spartina alterniflora ) genotypic diversity and trait diversity to examine their independent and interactive effects on plant performance and community structure. I focused on variation within and among genotypes in plant stem height, a trait that varies substantially across environmental gradients and can be an important predictor of plant competition intensity. Trait and genotypic diversity interactively affected multiple metrics of plant performance. Both stem density and spatial spread increased with genotypic diversity in the low trait diversity combinations, yet there were negligible to weak negative effects in the high trait diversity treatments. Spartina alterniflora percentage cover also varied with genotypic and trait diversity, but not in a clear linear pattern. There were no effects of trait or genotypic diversity on associated macrofauna above‐ground, yet they interactively affected below‐ground measures. Infaunal abundance and sediment oxygen availability mirrored the idiosyncratic response of plant percentage cover. Despite the interactive effects of genotypic and trait diversity, high trait diversity consistently increased plant performance in genotypic monoculture. Synthesis . The effects of intraspecific plant trait diversity on a range of plant and community responses in this study reinforce the premise that functional differences underlie ecological effects of genetic diversity and suggest that readily measured trait variance may serve as a valuable predictor of plant performance.

White sharks are highly migratory and segregate by sex, age and size. Unlike marine mammals, they neither surface to breathe nor frequent haul-out sites, hindering generation of abundance data required to estimate population size. A recent tag-recapture study used photographic identifications of white sharks at two aggregation sites to estimate abundance in "central California" at 219 mature and sub-adult individuals. They concluded this represented approximately one-half of the total abundance of mature and sub-adult sharks in the entire eastern North Pacific Ocean (ENP). This low estimate generated great concern within the conservation community, prompting petitions for governmental endangered species designations. We critically examine that study and find violations of model assumptions that, when considered in total, lead to population underestimates. We also use a Bayesian mixture model to demonstrate that the inclusion of transient sharks, characteristic of white shark aggregation sites, would substantially increase abundance estimates for the adults and sub-adults in the surveyed sub-population. Using a dataset obtained from the same sampling locations and widely accepted demographic methodology, our analysis indicates a minimum all-life stages population size of >2000 individuals in the California subpopulation is required to account for the number and size range of individual sharks observed at the two sampled sites. Even accounting for methodological and conceptual biases, an extrapolation of these data to estimate the white shark population size throughout the ENP is inappropriate. The true ENP white shark population size is likely several-fold greater as both our study and the original published estimate exclude non-aggregating sharks and those that independently aggregate at other important ENP sites. Accurately estimating the central California and ENP white shark population size requires methodologies that account for biases introduced by sampling a limited number of sites and that account for all life history stages across the species' range of habitats.

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 12:97-108 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00325 Sound production of red grouper Epinephelus morio on the West Florida Shelf Misty D. Nelson1,*, Christopher C. Koenig2, Felicia C. Coleman2, David A. Mann1 1College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA 2Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, 3618 Coastal Highway, St. Teresa Beach, Florida 32358, USA *Email: mnelson4@mail.usf.edu ABSTRACT: Passive acoustic and digital video recordings were used to investigate sonic activity and behavior of red grouper Epinephelus morio on the West Florida Shelf. Red grouper were found to produce a unique series of low-frequency (180 Hz peak) pulses consisting of 1 to 4 brief (0.15 s) broadband pulses and a 0.5 to 2 s growl (short call); occasionally these were followed by a rapid series of 10 to 50 broadband pulses (pulse train). Sound production was ob served throughout the day and night, but most sounds occurred between sunrise and sunset, with a noticeable increase during late afternoon. Behaviors asso ciated with sound production included solitary male activity and court - ship interactions, indicating that sound production is likely related to spawning activity. Thus, passive acoustics could be an effective tool in monitoring red grouper reproduction and defining critical habitat of a keystone species. KEY WORDS: Epinephelidae · Acoustics · Video · Fish behavior · In situ observations · Diel periodicity · Gulf of Mexico Full text in pdf format Supplementary material NextCite this article as: Nelson MD, Koenig CC, Coleman FC, Mann DA (2011) Sound production of red grouper Epinephelus morio on the West Florida Shelf. Aquat Biol 12:97-108. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00325Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 12, No. 2. Online publication date: April 28, 2011 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.

Abstract. The Cape Lookout cold-water coral area off the coast of North Carolina forms the shallowest and northernmost cold-water coral mound area on the Blake Plateau in the NW Atlantic. Cold-water coral habitats near Cape Lookout are occasionally bathed in the Gulf Stream, which is characterised by oligotrophic warm water and strong surface currents. Here, we present the first insights into the mound distribution and morphology, sedimentary environment and coral cover and near-bed environmental conditions as recorded by bottom landers from this coral area. The mounds occur between 320 and 550 m water depth and are characterised by high acoustic backscatter indicating the presence of hard structure. Three distinct mound morphologies were observed: (1) a mound with a flattened top at 320 m, (2) multi-summited mounds with a teardrop shape in the middle part of the area and (3) a single mound at 540 m water depth. Echosounder profiles show the presence of a strong reflector underneath all mound structures that forms the base of the mounds. This reflector cropped out at the downstream side of the single mound and consists of carbonate slabs. Video analysis revealed that all mounds are covered by Lophelia pertusa and that living colonies only occur close to the summits of the SSW side of the mounds, which is the side that faces the strongest currents. Off-mound areas were characterised by low backscatter and sediment ripples, indicating the presence of relatively strong bottom currents. Two bottom landers were deployed amidst the coral mounds between December 2009 and May 2010. Both landers recorded prominent events, characterised by large fluctuations in environmental conditions near the seabed as well as in the overlying water column. The period between December and April was characterised by several events of increasing temperature and salinity, coinciding with increased flow and near-bed acoustic backscatter. During these events temperature fluctuated by up to 9 °C within a day, which is the largest temperature variability as measured so far in a cold-water coral habitat. Warm events, related to Gulf Stream meanders, had the duration of roughly 1 week and the current during these events was directed to the NNE. The consequences of such events must be significant given the strong effects of temperature on the metabolism of cold-water corals. Furthermore, elevated acoustic backscatter values and high mass fluxes were also recorded during these events, indicating a second stressor that may affect the corals. The abrasive nature of sand in combination with strong currents might sand blast the corals. We conclude that cold-water corals near Cape Lookout live under extreme conditions that limit mound growth at present.

Red grouper (Epinephelus morio) is an economically important species in the reef fish community of the southeastern United States, and especially the Gulf of Mexico. It is relatively common in karst regions of the Gulf and is associated with low-relief rocky features devoid of overlying sediments. Working both inshore in Florida Bay, Florida (U.S.A.), and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico shelf-edge fishery reserves, Madison Swanson and Steamboat Lumps, we characterized red-grouper habitat and the associated faunal assemblages and demonstrated through a series of experiments that red grouper expose rocky habitat by excavating with their mouths and fanning with their fins to clear away surficial sediment, thereby providing habitat for themselves as well as other reef-dwelling organisms. They also maintain this habitat by periodically clearing away sediment and debris. Such maintenance provides a clean rocky substrate for the attachment of sessile invertebrates, thereby modifying habitat features to provide refuge for many other species of fish and motile invertebrates. We demonstrated increased biodiversity and abundance associated with habitat structured by red grouper, and we speculate here as to its fishery importance as habitat for other economically important species such as spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and vermilion snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens).

The northeastern Gulf of Mexico contains some of the most diverse and productive marine habitat in the United States. Much of this habitat, located on the shelf edge in depths of 50 to 120 m, supports spawning for many economically important species, including groupers. Here, we couple acoustic surveys with georeferenced videography to describe the primary spatial and geologic features of spawning aggregation sites for four economically important species: gag (Mycteroperca microlepis), scamp (M. phenax), red grouper (Epinephelus morio), and red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), with notes on fish distribution and abundance and spawning activities. We provide information on movement patterns of reef fish determined using acoustic telemetry. Finally, we discuss the possible coupling of geomorphology with hydrographic features to influence the overall productivity of the region and the importance of spatial fishery management in sustaining that productivity.