Elkhorn coral demographic monitoring from 2004-03-30 to 2015-10-09 (NCEI Accession 0142175)

The overall objectives of this project are to document the dynamics of the remaining Elkhorn populations in the upper Florida Keys and to compare its performance to other Caribbean locations. This is an on-going monitoring project with thrice yearly surveys in the upper Florida Keys and annual surveys in Curaçao and only episodic surveys in Navassa (2006, 2009, 2012). Study units are 150 m2 plots in which all attached Acropora palmata colonies are mapped and surveyed each year. In Florida, individually tagged A. palmata colonies are surveyed more frequently to document their condition. Based on these observations, we can estimate basic population parameters including recruitment, growth and mortality, along with the causes of recent tissue mortality and the sources of recruitment (asexual or sexual). All monitored colonies are genotyped such that clones within the population are identified.