Abundance of Shallow-Water Corals (Order Scleractinia) in the Safety Valve Region of Biscayne Bay, Florida
Swope N. Abundance of Shallow-Water Corals (Order Scleractinia) in the Safety Valve Region of Biscayne Bay, Florida
The Safety Valve region of Biscayne Bay, Florida is an area of shallow seagrass and sand communities. Many organisms inhabit this area, among which are scleractinian corals. This region and the corals there have received little attention thus far. In this study, the abundance of corals in four areas within the Safety Valve region was examined. The number of corals ranged from 1 to 26 per square meter and averaged at 10.8 per square meter, up to 96% of which were Porites divaricata Lesueur.