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Species List...

Mithrax spinosissimus

Prunum carneum

Triplofusus gigantues

Dardanus sp.

Class Anthozoa

Mithrax hispidus 

Dardanus sp.

Family Terebellidae

Donax variabilis 

Green Algae 

Cantharus sp.

Order Isopoda

Phylum Porifera 

Nereis sp.

Family Serpulidae

Ophiocoma sexradia

Dictyota sp.

Phylum Porifera 

Unidentifiable

Order Actiniaria

Phylum Porifera 

Order Stomatopoda

Menaethius monoceros

Ophiocoma sexradia

Class Holothuroidea

Unidentifiable

Patella vulgata

Order Stomatopoda

Cerastoderma edule

Alia carinata

Green Algae

Subclass Copepoda

Palaemonetes antennarius

Subclass Copepoda

Phylum Porifera

Order Isopoda

Nipponnemertes pulcher

Myoramyxa pardalota

Subclass Copepoda

Order Decapoda

Synalpheus sp.

Emplectonema gracile

Class Holothuroidea

Order Decapoda

Chaetodon ocellatus

Anisotremus virginicus

Equetus lanceolatus

Lachnolaimus maximus

Lutjanus apodus

Lutjanus griseus

The area...

The section of reef used to collect this data set was at the coordinates 24° 40' 16" N and 81° 44' 40" W. This section was part of a rubble reef roughly seven miles off of Key West, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. The sample was part of a triangle shaped ledge in about five and a half feet of water. The reefs in the Gulf of Mexico were recently negatively impacted by the BP Oil Spill and are still recovering and this section was a measurement of how quickly the ecosystem has healed.

Impacts...

Similar to that of the Atlantic Ocean reefs, rubble reefs in the Gulf of Mexico face the same issues. One of the most common ailments to coral reefs is bleaching. Due to an increase or decrease in water temperature, the corals expel an algae, known as zooxanthellae, turning it completely white and making it very susceptible to diseases. Another environmentally based issue is ocean acidification, resulting from the increased absorption of carbon dioxide in the oceans. Many of the other problems are directly attributed to humans such as overfishing and collection of Panulirus argus (Florida Spiny Lobster) , Menippe mercenaria (Florida Stone Crab), Ocyurus chrysurus (Yellowtail Snapper), Lachnolaimus maximus (Hogfish), and many more. The near constant marine traffic leads to many cases of boats running aground and dropping their anchor on coral heads and divers touching corals and other organisms within the ecosystem. The biodiversity of ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico also face the dangers associated with the negative impact of oil spills.

Biodiversity...

Interesting finds...

This Biocube in the Gulf of Mexico was the second highest biodiversity of the four locations. This is the second most biodiverse area because less species and some had over forty individuals over the one species. It had fifty species in one cubic foot and over 400 individuals. In this cube most of the biomass was in decapods, sponges, and mollusks. 

The Prunum carneum is a small marine gastropod found in tropical waters. This sea snail is part of the family Marginellidae. It has a caramel colored, smooth shell, and a white and orange spotted body. It also has an elongated proboscis and two tentacles on either side. I found this mollusk particularly interesting because of its bright and beautiful coloring.

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