South Florida/Caribbean Network seagrass community monitoring: Protocol narrative—version 1.1

Davis, Andy; Feeley, Michael; Londoño, Mario; Richter, Lee; Patterson, Judd; Atkinson, Andrea

doi:10.36967/2293388

Seagrass communities in nearshore coastal ecosystems provide important habitat for numerous species including recreationally and commercially important juvenile fish and invertebrate species, sea turtles, and wading and diving birds. These ecosystems also increase water clarity by reducing the impact of wave energy and helping to stabilize sediments. However, these communities are sensitive to natural and anthropogenic effects such as eutrophication, pollution, physical damage and changes in hydrological patterns (Lapointe et al. 1994; Fourqurean et al. 2002). Seven native seagrass species occur inside or in close proximity to seven of the South Florida/Caribbean Network (SFCN) parks. Seagrass communities in the SFCN parks have been exposed to significant anthropogenic stress, such as eutrophication and changes in salinity patterns associated with water management in south Florida, among other effects. More recently, an invasive exotic seagrass species has been responsible for seagrass community changes in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The South Florida/Caribbean Network has developed monitoring programs for natural resource “vital signs” including seagrass communities within the network’s parks. As several partners already monitor seagrass communities in and near network parks, the South Florida/Caribbean Seagrass Community Monitoring: Protocol Narrative (SFCN seagrass protocol) is focused on the gaps in existing monitoring programs, including offshore Biscayne National Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Salt River National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National Park. Partners already monitor Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay (in Everglades National Park) and Dry Tortugas National Park. The primary objective of the SFCN seagrass protocol is to monitor trends in seagrass cover, community composition and the presence of invasive exotic species within mapped seagrass habitat in network parks. Secondary objectives for the SFCN seagrass protocol are: collect ancillary information (i.e., water depth, sediment depth, substrate type, canopy height, Lobatus gigas [Queen Conch] counts) that can be used to improve understanding of seagrass species and habitat relationships or provide information to support another vital sign; when requested by park management and logistically feasible, compare trends in seagrass cover, species composition, and the presence of invasive exotic species within and outside of parks to evaluate the effectiveness of park management actions; and when requested by park management and logistically feasible, perform additional “episodic” monitoring in response to unforeseen events or circumstances.