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(Advanced/Level 3) Training

Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Point Count Survey. (Advanced/Level 3) Training. By Julie Galkiewicz SNI - Tarpon Springs. Point Count. What did we survey with the Basic level?. Primary reef benthic types LC, BLC, NDC, TA, MA, AINV, SN, RB, SP, GOR Coral Recruits

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(Advanced/Level 3) Training

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  1. Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA)Point Count Survey (Advanced/Level 3) Training By Julie Galkiewicz SNI - Tarpon Springs

  2. Point Count

  3. What did we survey with the Basic level? • Primary reef benthic types • LC, BLC, NDC, TA, MA, AINV, SN, RB, SP, GOR • Coral Recruits • What size? • How many times along the 10m transect line? • Identify them?

  4. What we’re adding! • Macroalgae types and heights • Diadema, Lobster, Conch, Lionfish abundance • Identifying corals • Types of sponges

  5. Algae Types Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) • Why do we care? • Construct/cement reef framework; may indicate good conditions for coral larvae recruitment • Requires similar conditions as corals • What does it look like? • Pink encrusting stuff • Not an encrusting sponge!

  6. Do you see any CCA?

  7. Algae Types Calcareous Macroalgae (CMA) • Why do we care? • Too crunchy and bad-tasting for herbivorous fish to eat • Some inhibit coral larval recruitment or kill/overgrow corals • Can be indicative of high nutrients • Important sediment producers • What does it look like? • Regular macroalgae, but crunchy due to calcium carbonate. Sometimes green.

  8. Algae Types Fleshy Macroalgae (FMA) • Why do we care? • Indicative of either low abundance of herbivores (fishes and urchins) or high nutrients • Inhibit coral larval recruitment or kill/overgrow corals • What does it look like? • Tall, branchy. Squishy and slimy feeling.

  9. Measuring Algae • Write down type (FMA, CMA) and height

  10. Important Animals • Diadema • Important herbivore, large mortality event in the 1980s • Queen Conch • Commercially important, overfished • Spiny Lobster • Commercially important • Lionfish • INVASIVE! Measure along a 1m belt transect

  11. Identifying Corals • Identify any corals along the point count • Indicate if they are live (LC), bleached (BLC), or newly dead (NDC) • E.g. LC-PAST, BLC-CARB, NDC-FFRA • Why do we care? • Gives us an idea of reef condition • Coral cover • Species distribution: small opportunistic/stress-tolerant vs. large reef-building species

  12. Bleaching coral looks like: Newly Dead coral looks like: Bare skeleton, bright white with little or no turf algae covering it Tissue still on skeleton, just pale or colorless

  13. Types of Sponges • Epibenthic sponge (SPO) • Healthy part of the reef • Important filter feeders and home for other organisms • Aggressive Invasive (AINV) • Bioeroder weakening the coral skeleton • Compete for space and overgrow/kill corals

  14. (SPO) Barrel sponges Finger Sponges

  15. Aggressive invertebrate (AINV) Overgrowing coral Have large holes and no polyps

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