Keys Marine Laboratory Blog

Annual KML Open House

2013-02-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

Questions about a Cushion Star at the Tide Pool 2012

Annual Keys Marine Lab

Open House

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

2:00-4:00 at Keys Marine Lab

Mile marker 68.5 bayside, Long Key

During Layton's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Information and posters in the classroom

Guided tours around the Lab

Slide show in classroom

“KML: Past & Present”

Touch tanks with live animals

A young visitor checking out the sea cucumber

KML staff explaining Queen Conch to visitors

Many questions around the Tide Pool

~ Uneven terrain ~

Appropriate footwear strongly suggested

Union College oceanographers vist KML

2012-12-21T15:24:00.001-05:00

Union College undergraduate Advanced Oceanography class

This was a first time visit to KML for students from Union College, Schenectady, NY. Led by their professor, Dr. David Gillikin, the class studied the biochemistry of the marine habitats around the Lab.On day 1 the class sampled water bay-side at intervals from Old Dan Banks to 14 miles back into Florida Bay, past Oxfoot Banks.

Students collecting and processing water samples

Day 2 they ventured ocean-side, sampling from hardbottom habitat near Channel 5, on past Tennessee Reef and out to blue water in 600'. It was a spectacular day.

Time out for lunch and a dip - they never dreamed they would be swimming in 600' of water!

A pod of dolphin came to play in our wake on the way home one afternoon

The class also kayaked through mangrove habitat, sampling water from Long Key Lake out through Zane Gray Creek to Long Key Bight.

Students spent their evenings in the KML chemistry lab analyzing their water samples and recording data

Upon their return to Union College, they will compile and review all of their data and present it as a class project.

2nd season of Science Seminars at KML

2012-12-14T14:46:00.001-05:00

Divers attach Staghorn coral fragments to a "tree" in the new Tennessee Reef Nursery. The baby corals will later be out-planted to help restore nearby reefs

KML launched its 2nd season of Science Seminars, open to the general public, with "Restoration Ecology part 2:Coral out-planting efforts in the Keys”. FWC/FWRI staff biologist Kate Correia gave a very informative talk on the on-going reef restoration projects, including their Staghorn Coral out-planting efforts in the Middle Keys.


A healthy Staghorn coral colony (Acropora cervicornis) - branch tips can grow up to 1" each year!

The Jan 8^th seminar will focus on Florida’s Reefs: past, present and future. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission coral biologist Karen Neely will discuss historical sea levels and the impacts on the Keys island chain - it was once a coral reef! The proposed listing of coral species to the Endangered Species List will also be a topic in her seminar.

Come join us!

Mile marker 68.5 bayside, Long Key

Tuesday, Jan 8^that 6:30-7:30pm

KML Classroom

"Florida Reefs:

Past, Present, and Future"

FWC/FWRI coral biologist – Karen Neely

Future seminar topics include:

· Feb. 5 Fisheries

· Mar. 12 Sea Turtles

Also coming up during Layton City Celebration:

KML Open House

Saturday, March 2^nd 2:00-4:00

Hammerhead at Alligator Reef

2012-11-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Students from Mainz, Germany were treated to an amazing sight as they snorkeled above a Hammerhead shark at Alligator Reef this week. This graceful creature cruised along the ledge for several minutes, giving the students a great photo op and a tale to tell back home. (photos by F Wagner; videos by A Dadak)

Lead by Dr. Bernhard Lieb, zoology professor at the University of Mainz, 21 students participated in a 2-week long field class exploring the habitats of South Florida.This was Dr. Lieb's 3rd visit to KML, where his students focused on the marine ecology of the Keys, learning to identify its various creatures.

Sandy, Full Moon Tides and North winds at KML

2012-10-31T13:46:00.000-04:00

Sat 6:30pm Oct 27th: view from KML Marina near boat ramp looking toward west driveway and Bay House (High tide still to come at 9:14pm)

In an unusual series of events, KML celebrated the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Wilma (Oct 24, 2005). First, Hurricane Sandy breezed up the east coast, impacting the Keys with some rain and gusty winds Oct 25th and 26th (with later devastating effects on the eastern seaboard). On the heels of Sandy came our first real cold front of the year, with night-time lows in the 60's and a strong north wind, peaking at 23mph, gusting to 41mph. To compound the effects, Monday 10/29 was Full Moon, with high tides expected to be 1.8 above mean.

Sat. 8:30pm seawater coming up between the Marina and Admin buildings, still an hour away from high tide


Sat 8:30pm View from the boat ramp to the west gate, water creeping out to the parking lot

Sunday 9:00am (morning high tide at 9:55) Mola and Diodon riding out the storm in the KML Marina. Several times during the weekend, the sea level was even with the top of the seawall, 2' waves crashing over the top.

Highest tides occurred Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening, with water levels at the Marina ramp reaching 2' above our mean water level. Thankfully, no serious damage at KML. Business as usual!

Sunday 9:00am KML boat ramp after 4 days of northwest winds blowing 23 mph, gustung up to 41mph piling in the seaweed

Annual Hawk Migration through the Keys

2012-09-19T10:44:00.002-04:00

Osprey in flight - photo by Ted Keyel

The Florida Keys Hawkwatch (FKH) has been monitoring the migration of birds of prey through the Keys for more than a decade and is crucially important in assessing population trends for 16 raptor species en-route to the Caribbean. Based at Curry Hammock State Park, it is the southern-most migration monitoring site in the US and holds the world record for daily Peregrine Falcon count. FKH is currently under the auspices of the Tropical Audubon Society and is a key component of the Raptor Population Index through the Hawk Migration Association of North America.
The team will be using KML as home base again this year. Follow their blog for daily sightings this season at:
http://floridakeyshawkwatch.wordpress.com/

Coral Spawning Encore

2012-09-05T11:55:00.000-04:00

DJ on his first seawater run aboard KML's R/V Diodon

Rachael is a seasoned pro at collecting clean reef water for rearing the anticipated baby coral

It's that time of year again! And after the August Blue Moon, to boot! During the first week in September, Dr. Mary Alice Coffroth, professor at University of Buffalo, is organizing a team to capture the annual spawning event of the Boulder Coral, Montastrea faveolata, in the Middle Keys. Follow their antics and activities on their blog.
http://spawning2012.blogspot.com/

New Staghorn Coral Nursery at Tennessee Reef

2012-06-05T12:18:00.001-04:00

A team of FWC Restoration Ecology scientists have established a new Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) Coral Nursery at Tennessee Reef this past May. Pictured above, Kerry measures newly-epoxied coral fragments to monitor growth in the "block nursery". KML's staff divers have assisted with the project when available.

A portion of the coral fragments are suspended above the ocean floor on branches of PVC in the "tree nursery". Regular visits to the Nursery are necessary to check on fouling, record growth rates and make any repairs to the growing corals.

If all goes well, 400+ new corals will be out-planted from the nursery to nearby reef habitat in the Spring of 2013. FWC scientists will continue to monitor survival and growth of the new colonies in the coming years.

Dave and Jessica hanging coral fragments on the tree nursery

Over the past 2 years, the team has propagated coral clippings (fragments) from donor colonies in the Middle Keys, and carefully tended them in a Nursery south of Vaca Cut. They have transplanted nearly 800 new colonies to nearby reef habitat this spring, which they will continue to monitor in the coming year.

Kate takes time out to watch a pygmy octopus floating past on the Sargassum weed

Acroporid (staghorn and elkhorn) corals along Florida's coast and throughout the Caribbean have experienced severe decline since the late 1970's, in part due to hurricanes, disease, over-fishing and thermal stress. These corals were listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in 2005. The Coral Nursery project, funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is a regional effort to aid in the recovery of the populations of these threatened corals. This has been a collaborative effort with Mote Marine Lab, The Nature Conservancy, the Coral Restoration Foundation, and NOAA, among others.

For more information on the project contact: kerry.maxwell@myFWC.com

Welcome Brevard Community College

2012-05-25T10:24:00.001-04:00

Environmental Club of BCC (Melbourne)

Professor Scott Herber of Brevard Community College brought the Environmental Club of BCC's Melbourne campus to KML for the school's inaugural visit. Students had an excellent opportunity to get a first hand look at the ecology of the Florida Keys coral reefs ecosystem. Students were also able to compare and contrast the mangrove systems of the Indian River Lagoon, near BCC, with those of the Florida Keys giving them a unique insight into the aquatic ecological diversity of Florida. Although not all students were initially comfortable immersing themselves in the marine environment by the end of their trip, with the help of Professor Herber and KML staff, all students took the plunge. Professor Herber plans to continue bringing groups of students from BCC to KML in the future.

FSU Class Visits KML

2012-04-17T09:45:00.004-04:00

A reef ecology graduate class from FSU visited KML to take advantage of a beautiful week of weather here in the Florida Keys. The class was led by Markus Huettel, whose lab's work focuses on the ecology of coastal and shelf environments with emphasis on processes in the sediments and at the sediment-water interface. During their time here at KML they were able to visit a variety of sites, deploying sampling equipment, surveying reef life, and even taking advantage of KML's Living Laboratory. With the help of the KML science staff the Huettel group was able to deploy non-invasive instruments utilizing new techniques to measure vertical oxygen flux at the sea bottom. Vertical oxygen flux is vital in understanding processes such as aerobic decomposition of organic matter, animal respiration, and oxidation processes.

FSU divers with sampling equipment

Deploying oxygen flux measuring equipment

Of the variety of sites that were visited during the week, Alligator Reef, a favorite of many groups, gave students the opportunity to observe a variety of marine life including the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata.

Acropora palmata at Alligator Reef

The Huettel Group was able to participate in KML's Living Laboratory which gives student groups a unique opportunity to participate in long term sampling project. Sites are stationed at various permanent locations near the KML facility. The program introduces students to field research in marine ecology utilizing a variety of common sampling techniques. Students are then able to input their data into the KML Living Laboratory data base to contribute to an ongoing data set and compare their findings with previous groups who have participated in the program. For more information on KML's Living Laboratory or how to request participation please visit the "Living Lab" tab on the home page of our website.

FSU student swims transect line back to the boat

KML staff orients students on Living Lab

Special thanks to Markus Huettel and his team for contributing photos for this post. If you are interested in more information on the work being done by the Huettel Lab at FSU you can visit their website by clicking "here".

KML Open House

2012-02-29T08:46:00.003-05:00

The Keys Marine Lab will be hosting an Open House Saturday, March 3rd, from 2:00 to 4:00. Guided tours of renovations around the Lab and saltwater tanks with live animals for viewing .

Free, and open to the public.

Uneven terrain around the Lab so sturdy footwear is strongly recommended.

A Lobster's Point of View: Life in the Florida Keys

2012-02-21T12:05:00.004-05:00

KML will host the 3rd in a series of Science Seminars in the KML classroom at 6:30pm Tuesday February 21st. Fish & Wildlife Research Institute's marine biologist, Tom Matthews, will give a 20-30 minute talk on Florida's spiny lobsters and how they "see" their world under the waves here in the Keys. There will be opportunity to ask Tom questions following the talk. Seating is limited so call the office to reserve a spot.

Celebrating 20 years at KML

2011-12-16T15:33:00.005-05:00

Hot off the printing presses! New KML 20th Anniversary t-shirts! Designed by KML alum, Peter Bouwma (Bouwma Communication Design), with the KML 20th Anniversary logo on the front pocket area and full-color artwork depicting marine creatures of the Keys, bayside and oceanside, on the back (can you find KML on the map?). These beautiful 100% heavy-weight (6.2 oz) cotton tees are available in sizes Small through XX-Large. Short-sleeved style available in white or ash for $15.00 (plus $1.13 tax). Long-sleeved tees available in ash only for $20.00 (plus $1.50 tax). Order yours online through the Wildlife Foundation of Florida http://www.wildlifefoundationofflorida.com/?q=catalog/1

If you are visiting KML, order your shirts through the Foundation, present your receipt, and pick up your shirt in the office. KML ball caps are also still available for $15.00, plus tax.

As always, your generous donations are used for upgrades and improvements around the Lab and are tremendously appreciated.

Welcome Trevor, new KML staff scientist

2011-12-09T12:36:00.004-05:00

Trevor Luna joined the KML team as a Biological Scientist for FWC/FWRI in December of 2011. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL before moving to Zambia, Africa to serve in the U.S. Peace Corps. There he worked with the Zambian Department of Livestock and Fisheries as an Aquaculture Extension Agent promoting rural Tilapia culture. Trevor is an avid boater, diver, fisherman and hunter. The KML team is very excited to have Trevor on board. Welcome Trevor!

Adaptation to loacal environment in corals?

2011-11-01T12:44:00.009-04:00

Are corals genetically adapted to different habitats, or are they able to change their physiology to match novel environmental conditions? Carly Kenkel, a PhD candidate from the University of Texas at Austin hopes to answer this question for her model coral species, the Mustard Hill Coral (Porites astreoides), in the Florida Keys. She came to KML to set-up a large reciprocal transplant experiment to test for local adaptation of P. astreoides to differing thermal environments in the Keys. Because she was only able to spend 5 days here, the KML staff scientists helped with her collections and field deployment of the experiment. KML divers collected 15 P. astreoides colonies from a near-shore and off-shore site.

Healthy P. asteroides colony next to color reference card

Carly then fragmented these colonies using a tile saw, and mounted them on cement pucks with cattle tag labels to keep track of all the individuals.

Finally, Carly weighed all the fragments so that she can monitor growth during her experiment.

KML divers returned all the mounted fragments to her field sites, and she’ll be back in the spring and again in the fall to see if her predictions are correct!

Spiny lobster denning behavior

2011-10-19T09:28:00.009-04:00

What factors contribute to the denning behavior of Florida Bay's juvenile spiny lobster (Panularis argus) population? And how might shelter loss events, such as sponge die-offs, influence denning behavior and dispersal? What is the most effective way to conserve this important marine resource?
Katherine (Kat) Heldt, PhD candidate from Clemson University, has spent several months at KML, observing "social status" among lobsters and testing what mechanisms by which they choose shelters. Kat hopes to determine whether dominance status or familiarity can influence denning behavior and dispersal.

First, pairs of lobsters are housed in 15-gal replicate aquaria, plumbed to KML's seawater system. They are offered artificial shelter and observed at night for aggressive behavior under dim red lighting.

Next, the lobsters are transferred to KML's mesocosm ("The Shallows", KML's 122,000-gal flow-thru seawater pond) along with unfamiliar individuals (pairs housed in separate aquaria) equipped with artificial shelters. After several days of observing denning behavior and dispersal in the mesocosm, some of the shelter blocks are removed to mimic sudden habitat loss.

Finally, the tagged lobsters are released onto field sites (16 pre-selected 25m x 25m near-shore bay-side sites) for further observation.

Kat and her lab assistant, Frank, self-captain KML's 18' Parker, the R/V NariNari, to reach their sites.

FAU students take a fish-eye view of marine habitats

2011-10-01T16:01:00.008-04:00

No, this is not synchronized swim class. Dr. Stephen Kajiura, professor at Florida Atlantic University, brought 17 graduate students down to KML for their Sensory Biology and Behavior of Fish field trip in October. They spent 3 days exploring the various marine habitats, observing and discussing fish behavior.
Moving off the reef into deep water, students paired up to see how well they could navigate (ie swim a straight line) without visual references, such as being able to see the bottom. Students all agreed that they would make very poor fish. In another exercise, they were challenged to detect sounds of varying frequencies, while under water at varying depths and distances from the sound source.
Dr. Kajiura and his grad students are frequent visitors to KML, studying elasmobranch sensory abilities.

BURR Team on hand for Coral Spawning Event in the Keys

2011-09-15T10:49:00.002-04:00

Boulder Star Coral (Montastrea faveolata) setting gamete bundles prior to spawning (photo by P. Gillet)

Every August, several nights after the full moon, Boulder Corals along the Florida Keys reef tract synchronize their reproductive efforts in an amazing coral spawning event. Dr. Mary Alice Coffroth, professor at SUNY Buffalo, was on hand to capture the event for on-going projects exploring the many facets of coral-algal symbiosis.

An army of grad students, divers and snorkelers from Buffalo as well as volunteers from south Florida institutions, took to the water to arrange collection tents over promising colonies near Alligator Reef as dusk approached, then returned to the boat to wait. Teams of divers splashed again at 11:00pm to gather cupfuls of the coral spawn, handing them off to snorkelers who ferried them back to the boat. Weather was a bit rough but the team was fearless!

Returning to the dock at 2:00am, the army worked around the clock at KML's wet lab facility to carefully rear the developing coral larvae. Spawning was so successful at the Middle Keys site this year, that the BURR Team (Buffalo Undersea Reef Research) had plenty to share with fellow scientists in the Upper and Lower Keys.

The new coral recruits were allowed to settle on ceramic tiles in their special Kreisells at the wet lab and then placed back out on the reef to follow development. Dr. Coffroth's team will periodically return to KML to sample the new recruits on the tiles to asses the coral/algal symbiosis between near-shore and off-shore sites.

Check out the BURR blog for more on this project
: http://burrcoralspawn11.blogspot.com/

The world of the Upside-down Jellyfish

2011-07-01T15:04:00.005-04:00

Upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana

Rachel Mellas, Masters candidate at SUNY Buffalo with Dr. Mary Alice Coffroth, spent 2 months at KML. She is studying the fitness effects and symbiont type in the upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana.

Upside-down jellyfish right side-up!

In Cassiopea, establishment of the symbiosis occurs in the scyphistomae (polyp) stage of development where multiple strains of Symbiodinium can be acquired. Upon infection, the scyphistomae produce ephyra (young medusa) through a process termed strobilation. Once they reach the adult medusa form, they typically harbor one specific type of symbiont (Symbiodinium A1).

Cassiopea scyphistomae (polyp) stage

To understand the potential fitness advantages to the host of harboring different symbiont types, Rachel has set up laboratory experiments which look at the how different symbionts affect the growth rate, survivorship, and timing of strobilation of scyphistomae, and if strobilation occurs with only certain symbionts (A1). (photos by R Mellas)

Lionfish, Lionfish Everywhere!

2011-05-20T17:20:00.012-04:00

KML staff recently participated in the Middle Keys Lionfish Derby, which was the first derby of REEF's 2nd Annual Lionfish Derby Series. The City of Layton was one the derby's major sponsors which was held at Fiesta Key Resort on Long Key.

Though the team was unable to improve upon last year's 2nd place finish, they had a great time and were able to catch 66 lionfish, which was just a few fish behind the 3rd place team that had 69.

To see the complete derby results follow this link:
http://www.reef.org/lionfish/derbies/2011MiddleKeysResults

Then the week following the derby, researchers Carmen Schloeder and Andrew Sellers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama visited KML and were also in search of the invasive lionfish.

They completed 9 dives in 3 days off of Long Key and were able to find lionfish on every dive except for 1. On the dives they were looking at density of the fish to compare to reefs in Panama and Belize. They also collected fish to look at gut content, size classes, distribution, and parasitology. In total they were able to catch 44 lionfish on their dives during the visit.

Visit to the Tennessee ROA

2011-04-13T14:24:00.005-04:00

KML science staff, diving under their Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary permit, checked on things in the Tennessee Research Only Area (ROA). Located 2 miles east of the Tennessee Reef Light, this small 0.2 acre Special Use Area was designated as one of the "no entry" zones by the Sanctuary, to be used as an undisturbed reference area.

The habitat within the ROA is characterized by low-relief contiguous reef, with areas of bare sand bottom, ranging from 12' to 35' depth. Divers floated past large barrel sponges and massive ancient coral heads

There were several long-spined urchins (Diadema antillarum) tucked away, with plenty of macro-algae to feed on. A big Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) followed divers around the reef.

A brilliant green moray eel (Gymnothorax funebris) was sitting out in plain view (or trying to blend in with the algae!), watching the show.

And it seems that no dive would be complete these days without encountering at least 1 invasive exotic lionfish (Pterois volitans). KML and FWC staff are specially permitted by the Sanctuary to capture and remove lionfish within all Special Use Areas, including Special Preservation Areas, ROAs, and Ecological Reserves. Staff scientist Andrew Crowder used a pair of hand nets to capture this lionfish near a large coral head.

Staff scientist, Cindy Lewis displays the 4 lionfish captured during the day of diving in the Tennessee ROA. The lionfish will be used in a feeding trial at KML.

New Shade Stucture

2011-03-30T11:51:00.005-04:00

The cement pad in front of the classroom/dry lab once again has a shade structure! It will be a much-needed place to work on vessels and vehicles, out of the sun and also an area of shade for our visiting groups to utilize.

It all started with a pile of pipes and boxes of screws on the concrete pad.

One half done, tackling the second set of arches

Bill and Dave have worked pretty much non-stop since the delivery of the base plates. Several of the FWRI Marathon office crew came up to give us a hand for 2 days and that was a huge help - Thanks Bryan, Chris and Nick!

The Great Moon Snail Search

2011-03-26T15:30:00.007-04:00

University of South Florida's Dr. Gregory Herbert's Geology class visited KML to survey the diversity and ecology of local benthic marine invertebrates, with an emphasis on mollusks, specifically moon snails.

The elusive moon snails were nowhere to be found during their boat trip with stops at Old Dan Bank, White Marlin Beach, and Indian Key. However, the group did find evidence of their presence: tracks, eggs, and prey(Chione elevata).

Fortunately, the class was very pleased to find a few moon snails while snorkeling down near Bahia Honda State Park at the Missouri - Ohio Channel, and also enjoyed a rocky trip on FIO's R/V Bellows before heading back to St. Petersburg.

First visit for Randolph-Macon College

2011-03-25T16:22:00.005-04:00

First-time visitor to KML, Grace Lim-Fong, assistant professor of Biology at Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, VA), ventured to the Keys with 8 enthusiastic marine biology students.
They spent a rigorous week at the lab, learning about the various habitats, marine life, and designing experiments for class presentations.

Students collecting data at the Bamboo Key Living Lab site

One challenge in the marine environment is learning techniques for collecting data. The students participated in KML's Living Lab project, collecting data at 3 of our 5 permanent near-shore sites, using belt transects, line intercept, and quadrat sampling methods.

Upon their return to Randolph-Macon, Professor Lim-Fong and her students sent us a school pennant, signed by all the students, which is hanging in the Classroom in our "Who's Who at KML" display.

A long road to the Keys from Idaho

2011-03-18T11:52:00.003-04:00

Graduate and undergraduate geology students from the University of Idaho (Moscow, ID) came to the Keys in March to warm their bones while studying the Modern Carbonate Sediments of the Florida Keys. Led by their professor, Dr. Peter Isaacson, they explored some of the geological highlights of the Keys.

They had an opportunity sample the shoreline sediments and snorkel live coral reefs near KML. Then, in contrast, they visited Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, where they saw 125,000 year old coral formations in the walls of the old quarry.

Once back in Idaho, the students signed their U. Idaho pennant, which now hangs in the Who's Who at KML display in our Classroom.