Gulf of mexico biocube
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.