Details:

Journal Title:
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Personal Author:
Opresko, Dennis M. ; Goldman, Samantha L. ; Johnson, Raven ; Parra, Katherine ; Nuttall, Marissa ; ... More +
Opresko, Dennis M. ; Goldman, Samantha L. ; Johnson, Raven ; Parra, Katherine ; Nuttall, Marissa ; Schmahl, G.P. ; Brugler, Mercer R. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) ; CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)
NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) ; CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System) Less -
Description:
The continental shelf edge of the NW Gulf of Mexico supports dozens of reefs and banks, including the West and East Flower Garden Banks (FGB) and Stetson Bank that comprise the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Discovered by fishermen in the early 1900s, the FGBs are named after the colourful corals, sponges and algae that dominate the region. The reefs and banks are the surface expression of underlying salt domes and provide important habitat for mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) and deep coral communities to 300 m depth. Since 2001, FGBNMS research teams have utilized remotely operated vehicles (e.g. ‘Phantom S2’, ‘Mohawk’, ‘Yogi’) to survey and characterize benthic habitats of this region. In 2016, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement proposed the expansion of the current sanctuary boundaries to incorporate an additional 15 reefs and banks, including Elvers Bank. Antipatharians (black corals) were collected within the proposed expansion sites and analysed using morphological and molecular methods. A new species, Distichopathes hickersonae, collected at 172 m depth on Elvers Bank, is described within the family Aphanipathidae. This brings the total number of black coral species in and around the sanctuary to 14.
Keywords:
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Corals
Source:
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 100(4), 559-566
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/s002531542000051x
ISSN:
0025-3154;1469-7769;
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Document Type:
Journal Article
Place as Subject:
Mexico, Gulf of
License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:
CC BY
Compliance:
Library
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:4cc453ff4c0d12d3b55cb778dc09f57fcb10c07139ec5a9c33b576e074139305
Download URL:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/50719/noaa_50719_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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