Identification_Information: Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: Thomas Adam Publication_Date: 2004 Title: Abundance and behavior of parrotfishes (Labridae, Scarinae) in the upper Florida Keys (NODC Accession 0127525) Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Santa Barbara, CA Publisher: Thomas Adam Online_Linkage: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0127525 Description: Abstract: To better understand the functional roles of parrotfishes on Caribbean reefs we documented abundance, habitat preferences, and diets of nine species of parrotfishes (Scarus coelestinus, Scarus coeruleus, Scarus guacamaia, Scarus taeniopterus, Scarus vetula, Sparisoma aurofrenatum, Sparisoma chrysopterum, Sparisoma rubripinne, Sparisoma viride) on three high-relief spur-and-groove reefs (Molasses, Carysfort, and Elbow) offshore of Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. On each reef, we conducted fish surveys, behavioral observations, and benthic surveys in three habitat types: high-relief spur and groove (depth 2 - 6 m), low-relief carbonate platform/hardbottom (depth 4 - 12 m), and carbonate boulder/rubble fields (depth 4 - 9 m).In addition, fish surveys were also conducted on a fourth high-relief spur-and-groove reef (French). We estimated parrotfish abundance in each of the three habitat types in order to assess the relative abundance and biomass of different species and to quantify differences in habitat selection. To estimate parrotfish density, we conducted 20 to 30 minute timed swims while towing a GPS receiver on a float on the surface to calculate the amount of area sampled. During a swim the observer would swim parallel with the habitat type being sampled and count and estimate the size to the nearest cm of all parrotfishes > 15 cm in length that were encountered in a 5 m wide swath. To quantify parrotfish behavior, approximately six individuals of each species were observed at each site for 20 min each. Foraging behavior was recorded by a SCUBA diver while towing a GPS receiver (Garmin GPS 72) attached to a surface float, which obtained position fixes of the focal fish at 15 s intervals. Fish were followed from a close distance (~ 2 m when possible), and food items were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, with macroalgae and coral usually identified to genus or species. Many bites involved scraping or excavating substrate colonized by a multi-species assemblage of filamentous “turf” algae and crustose coralline algae (CCA). Thus, multiple species of filamentous algae, endolithic algae, and CCA could be harvested in a single bite, and it was impossible to determine the specific species of algae targeted. We also recorded the type of substrate targeted during each foraging bout, categorizing each substrate as one of the following: (1) dead coral, (2) coral pavement, (3) boulder, (4) rubble, or (5) ledge. Dead coral included both convex and concave surfaces on the vertical and horizontal planes of three dimensional coral skeletons (primarily dead Acropora palmata) that were attached to reef substrate. Coral pavement was carbonate reef with little topographic complexity (i.e., flat limestone pavement). Boulder was large remnants of dead mounding corals not clearly attached to the bottom and often partially buried in sand. Coral rubble consisted of small dead coral fragments (generally < 10 cm in any dimension) that could be moved with minimal force. Ledges consisted entirely of the undercut sides of large spurs in the high-relief spur and groove habitat. In order to quantify the relative abundance of different food types, we estimated the percent cover of algae, coral, and other sessile invertebrates on each of the five substrates commonly targeted by parrotfishes (dead coral, coral pavement, boulder, rubble, or ledge) in 0.5 m x 0.5 m photoquadrats. We photographed a total of 8 haphazardly selected quadrats dispersed throughout the study site for each substrate type at each of the three sites (N = 24 quadrats per substrate type, N = 120 quadrats total). Each photoquadrat was divided into sixteen 12 cm x 12 cm sections which were individually photographed, and percent cover was estimated from 9 stratified random points per section (N = 144 point per quadrat). Purpose: To document patterns of resource-use of Caribbean parrotfishes Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 20130619 Ending_Date: 20130730 Currentness_Reference: ground condition Status: Progress: Complete Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None Spatial_Domain: Bounding_Coordinates: West_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.38 East_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.21 North_Bounding_Coordinate: 25.22 South_Bounding_Coordinate: 25.00 Keywords: Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NCEI Geoportal Filter Theme_Keyword: CoRIS_Metadata Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: none Theme_Keyword: Scarus coelestinus Theme_Keyword: Scarus coeruleus Theme_Keyword: Scarus guacamaia Theme_Keyword: Scarus taeniopterus Theme_Keyword: Scarus vetula Theme_Keyword: Sparisoma aurofrenatum Theme_Keyword: Sparisoma chrysopterum Theme_Keyword: Sparisoma rubripinne Theme_Keyword: Sparisoma viride Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Theme Thesaurus Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Algal Cover Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Calcareous Macroalgae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Coralline Algae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Crustose Coralline Algae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Encrusting Macroalgae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Fleshy Macroalgae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Turf Algae Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Predation > Coral Predation Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Herbivory Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Dominance > Keystone Species Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fish Assemblages Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fish Behavior Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fishing Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category Theme_Keyword: biota Theme_Keyword: 002 Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Theme_Keyword: Numeric Data Sets > Biology Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CRCP Project Theme_Keyword: The Importance of Parrotfish (fam. Scaridae) on the Maintenance and Recovery of Coral-Dominated Reefs Theme_Keyword: 182 Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Place Thesaurus Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Carysfort Reef (25N080W0013) Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Upper Florida Keys > Carysfort Reef (25N080W0013) Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Upper Florida Keys > Elbow Reef (25N080W0020) Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Elbow Reef (25N080W0020) Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Upper Florida Keys > French Reef (25N080W0022) Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > French Reef (25N080W0022) Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Molasses Reef (25N080W0003) Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Upper Florida Keys > Molasses Reef (25N080W0003) Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Upper Florida Keys > Key Largo (25N080W0010) Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Key Largo (25N080W0010) Access_Constraints: None Use_Constraints: Dataset credit required. Thomas Adam should be acknowledged as the creator of the dataset Distribution_Information: Distributor: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing address Address: Marine Science Institute City: Santa Barbara State_or_Province: CA Postal_Code: 93106 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 805-893-7625 Resource_Description: Downloadable Data Distribution_Liability: NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NMFS cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system. Standard_Order_Process: Digital_Form: Digital_Transfer_Information: Format_Name: csv Digital_Transfer_Option: Online_Option: Computer_Contact_Information: Network_Address: Network_Resource_Name: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127525 Access_Instructions: Download from NODC Online_Option: Computer_Contact_Information: Network_Address: Network_Resource_Name: ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0075/0127525/ Access_Instructions: Direct FTP access: Use any FTP client to begin downloading data. Username "anonymous", enter your email address as the password. Online_Computer_and_Operating_System: Any FTP client Fees: Contact NODC for most recent fee structure. Metadata_Reference_Information: Metadata_Date: 20230830 Metadata_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: Thomas Adam Contact_Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing address Address: Marine Science Institute, University of California City: Santa Barbara State_or_Province: CA Postal_Code: 93106 Country: US Contact_Voice_Telephone: (805) 893-7625 Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998 CoRIS: CoRIS_Metadata_Link: https://www.coris.noaa.gov/metadata/records/html/ta_bamf_crcp.html CoRIS_Tracking_ID: 7402