By Emilee Hawks The Florida Reef is the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. It is also the third largest coral reef in the world. Throughout this paper I will be explaining the various details about the Florida Reef ranging from the basic facts about its coral reef, to the marine animals that inhabit it, why the Florida coral reef is crucial to marine and human lives, and the dangers that affect the coral reefs considerably. Florida’s Coral Reef came into the world around 10,000 years ago trailing the last Ice Age. This happened when the sea’s water levels rose and revealed a growing coral reef. Coral reefs are in a constant state of fluctuation, where new living tissue grows on the outer surface. The skeleton from previous coral erodes to help make the sand that we find on our beaches today. The Florida Reef is over 150 miles long and 4 miles wide. The Florida Reef Tract stretches approximately 360 linear miles from Dry Tortugas National Park, west of the Florida Keys to the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County (FDep, 2017). Growth of coral reef is a very strenuous process for it is relatively slow. Each coral reef is broken up into colonies, and those colonies grow only ½ inch to 7 inches a year. Although the growth is leisurely, Florida’s coral reef is home to specialized habitats that provide shelter, food, and breeding sites for numerous plants and animals such as; the spiny lobster, snapper, and grouper (Lapointe, 2004). Along with being a safe space for numerous animals and plants, Florida’s coral reef also stands as the foundation of a dynamic ecosystem with tremendous biodiversity (Beach, 2006). Every coral reef is important, but there are distinct reasons to why the Florida coral reefs are an essential segment of the sea’s ecosystem. The Florida reef tract is comprised of several outer reefs, and patch reefs, all of which hold over fifty species of coral. Located solely on the Florida reef tract resides over 80% of all coral reef species in the Tropical Western Atlantic, and it also houses over one hundred different species of fish (Leopold, 2001). Florida coral reefs are also indispensible for human lives as well. Having a diverse number of fish in the Florida reef tract makes commercial fishing for spiny lobster and stone crab the largest in the state (Pawlik, 2014). Being exposed to long periods of prosperous environments, the Florida coral reef has grown to awe-inspiring heights and variety making it a go-to tourism location. The Florida Keys hosts several million divers, snorkelers, boaters, and fishermen annually. A tremendous amount of people have became flabbergasted by the beauty of the coral reefs, so enthralled that they made Florida the number one dive destination in the world (Leopold, 2001). As stated before, the Florida coral reef is home to a remarkable amount of fish. There are certain species of fish that only inhabit Florida’s coral reef. These fish populate the coral reef for the reef provides shelters from predators, and they also provide a protected place for their breeding grounds. For example, the Florida reef is home to the; Banned Butterflyfish, Bluestripped Grunt, Blue Tang (or as I like to call them Dory Fish), French Angelfish, Porcupinefish, Queen Angelfish, Redband Parrotfish, Sargeant Major, Spotted Drum, Trumpetfish, and the Yellowtail Snapper. These beautiful fish dwell in the sanctuary the Florida coral reef provides. With the beauty that the Florida Reef provides, there are also endangerments that are acquired. Florida coral reefs are very, very delicate. Even the slightest touch can crush the fragile living coral polyps on the surface of each coral formation, exposing the entire coral head to infection and disease (Beach, 2006). Although the coral reefs bring in divers and snorkelers, the sightseers that touch, stand, or scrape the coral with fins, hands, or equipment damage that has grown for hundreds of years (Leopold, 2001). These are just examples of some of the travellers can cause; there are other humane damages that affect the reef. As a population we often sail out to sea to find food and other adventures, but with our boats comes damages that are likely to happen to the reef. Large boats often travel over Florida’s coral reef, and with that centuries of coral growth can be broken into irreplaceable fragments upon the first moment of collision with the vessel (Lapointe, 2004). Dredging is also an issue with damaging the reef. Dredging is when a boat enters shallow water and their propellers stir up the bottom of the water. In dredging’s wake leaves a milky white trail of calcium carbonate silt. This silt blocks the sunlight from reaching the coral reefs, and it can also asphyxiate the bottom-dwelling organisms (Leopold, 2001). Oil population is another big factor in damaging the reef. Oil pollution can happen from bilge discharge, untreated sewage from cruises, and increased turbidity from boat wakes reduce the conditions required for healthy coral growth. The hydrocarbons from oil pollution also pollute the water column and are absorbed into food chain in the organisms that the coral reef benefits from (Leopold, 2001). In conclusion the Florida reef is a spectacular place in which marvelous events happen. Not only are the sight from the coral reef breath taking, there are also multiple benefits for marine and human life that originates from the coral reef. Whether it be having a place for the Florida population to catch fish, or even just to serve as a vacation destination, the Florida reef is an amazing creation that should be protected and helped to strive. Works Cited
Deignan, L. K., & Pawlik, J. R. (2014). Perilous proximity: Does the Janzen–Connell hypothesis explain the distribution of giant barrel sponges on a Florida coral reef? Coral Reefs,34(2), 561-567. doi:10.1007/s00338-014-1255-x Beach, K. S., Walters, L. J., & Borgeas, H. B. (2006). Irradiance and nutrient limitation of Dicytota spp. populations on Conch Reef, Florida Keys, USA. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology,329(1), 101-112. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2005.08.010 Lapointe, B. E., Barile, P. J., & Matzie, W. R. (2004). Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment of seagrass and coral reef communities in the Lower Florida Keys: discrimination of local versus regional nitrogen sources. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology,308(1), 23-58. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.01.019 Where is Florida's coral reef? (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2017, from http://reefrelieffounders.com/florida-keys-reefs.html Florida's Coral Reefs. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2017, from https://floridadep.gov/fco/fco/content/floridas-coral-reefs
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Biology of the Sea
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