Meeting Abstract
Coral reefs provide structurally complex habitats for thousands of species of marine organisms. The increased energy of hurricanes has the potential to impact reef fish density, richness or behaviors by altering physical structure or substrate composition. In September, a category 4 hurricane (Hurricane Irma) made landfall in the Florida Keys causing widespread impacts on the Florida reef tract. In this study, we compared pre and post surveys of substrate composition (photo quadrants) and reef fish densities (video transects) on three reefs that varied in proximity to the point of impact. Substrate cover after the hurricane was marked by noticeable decreases in algal cover, particularly turf algae, and increases in sand and coral cover. The impact on abundance within fish feeding groups was inconsistent over the three sites. The initial effects of the hurricane impacted substrate on a varied scale across the reefs, leaving them open to differing coral-algal dynamics as the area is resettled.
