|
Description:
Project Manager:
Cheryl Woodley
Project Years:
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Project Summary:
This project is a continuation building on FY21-23 studies and developed with input from state and federal end-users. Project objectives incorporate additional information needs expressed by Florida DEP and NMFS SERO to support permitting guidelines and ESA Section 7 and EFH consultation. This project addresses Florida’s FY24-26 Jurisdictional Priority “Support next step in Florida’s process to develop turbidity criterion including evaluation of turbidity benchmarks across reproductive/larval coral life stages. For this project we plan to focus on ESA-listed species, Acropora cervicornis, since it is one of the most abundant ESA coral species in proximity to the planned dredging activities. We will use an adaptive strategy during the course of this project to brief user groups on the results of each experiment and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the data and information being generated meets the needs of managers and decision-makers. We learned from the FY21-23 project that each new experimental design requires testing and optimization to meet study objectives before experiment execution and this methodology will be integrated into the project objectives and time-lines for FY24-26. Based on end-user input, we were asked to target chronic exposures of a minimum of 90 days at or below current water quality criterion in dose-response designs and compound stressor scenarios, and depending on larval availability, we plan to trial studies similar to Ricardo et al. 2016 (https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21567) that evaluates the effect of suspended solids on gamete bundle movement through the water column and other effects such as sediment binding to sperm or ova that have been shown to diminish fertilization efficiency. Other stressors identified by end-users that are likely to occur with turbid conditions are elevated temperatures and light reduction and thus experiments will be prioritized along with other information needs in conducting compound stressor experiments. In conjunction with laboratory exposure experiments, we will continue exploratory proteomics work on experimental samples to evaluate the protein responses of the coral under various scenarios, with the intent of identifying sub-lethal and early warning bioindicators that can be developed into on-site diagnostic assays associated with damage. As time permits we will collaborate with others on exploratory evaluations of the coral microbiome and whether potential changes could be diagnostic of adverse turbidity exposure effects.Though these sediments and dredge materials are focused on Florida and U.S. Caribbean ESA coral, we expect that the outcomes from this research will provide a basis for examining other species in Florida and other locations, such as priorities mentioned for Guam, American Samoa, CNMI, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico in support of ongoing water quality monitoring programs. Project objectives include:1. Develop and optimize methods for each new experimental design set-up to meet study design criteria. 2. Test and validate new endpoints to assess injury or physiological impairment as they become available, including proteomic indicators.3. Design, optimize and perform chronic exposures of ESA-listed coral with turbidity and elevated temperature, and include feasibility evaluation for additional endpoints (e.g., microbiome changes or other bioindicator) that can be translated into field assays that support rapid decision making during dredging or other coastal construction projects.4. Conduct feasibility trials on early life stage development exposed to targeted NTU levels of turbidity based on availability of robust gametes, due to likely consequences of 2023 extreme temperature exposures attempts will be made to secure material from ex-situ spawning facilities.5. Design, optimize and perform a chronic repeated exposure-rest-exposure design at defined NTU levels below the water quality criterion to determine the ability of corals to rebound to repeated and compounding turbidity exposures.
Expected Outcome:
We expect that the results of A. cervicornis chronic turbidity exposures will provide benchmarks based on several independent indicators of injury or mortality that can be used in developing a water quality criterion that is protective of coral. These data will more accurately reflect turbid conditions for corals at depth during coastal construction or dredging projects. We also expect these findings to fill information gaps that will aid NMFS SERO in their deliberations for ESA Section 7 and EFH consultations.
Project Locations:
Project Category:
Land-based Sources of Pollution (LBSP)
Project Status:
Ongoing
Associated Products:
|
