Abstract Summary
Populations of elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, have declined over 90% in their Caribbean range since the 1980s. Due to their importance as ecosystem engineers and their ability to structurally stabilize reef environments, establishing a regional mapping and monitoring program was crucial to determine the relative importance of various spatial, temporal, and physical factors affecting the survival of wild A. palmata. Starting in 2010, wild A. palmata colonies were monitored along the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) from Southeast Florida to the Dry Tortugas. Results suggest colony fate was influenced by the amount of initial living skeletal area, geographic location, season, year, and the presence of other stressors such as disease, storms, and corallivorous snails. The synergistic interaction between these factors led to extirpation at three sites. The results offer insight into regional variability in survivorship and aid in identifying where remnant populations of A. palmata may persist along the FRT. This in turn can help guide future restoration efforts of this threatened coral.
