Cyanobacterial blooms on coral reefs and algal epizoic growth on corals in Southwest Puerto Rico

Benthic, Bloom, Conservation, Coral, Disease, Ecology, Microbiology, Monitoring, Water quality

Author: David L. Ballantine, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2006 One of the recently recognized threats to coral reef health is overgrowth by macroscopic algae. Algal blooms are becoming increasingly widespread on a worldwide scale with the phenomenon involving both geographical expansion and increased biomass. Virtually all macroalgal blooms appear to be initiated by nutrient…

Reef fish spawning aggregations of the Puerto Rican shelf

Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Habitat, Management, Reef, Snapper, Spawning

Author: Edgardo Ojeda, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2007 Known spawning aggregation sites (SPAG’s) for reef fishes from Puerto Rico consisted only of several red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) sites and one each for tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) and mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis). This project initiated an interview-based survey as a first step to identify additional…

Sedimentation patterns at reef sites adjacent to the Guanica Bay watershed, Southwest Puerto Rico

Chemistry, Coastal, Conservation, Geology, Habitat, Monitoring, Sediment

Author: Clark Sherman, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2009 – 2012 This research is part of the Guanica Bay Watershed Project, a multi-agency project to strategically evaluate, design, and implement a watershed restoration project to reduce the effects of land-based sources of pollution into the coastal ocean. A primary element of this…