For most people, the Florida Keys are pictured as a gorgeous destination with sunny weather, cool ocean breezes and not a care in the world. However, for the Marine Ecology Creative Inquiry project, the Florida Keys are an important site for coral reef conservation and restoration. As the temperature of the oceans rise, coral reefs are more susceptible to infectious diseases and coral bleaching, which decrease reef health and can ultimately lead to the loss of marine biodiversity. This team, mentored by Dr. Michael Childress and graduate student Kea Payton from the Department of Biological Sciences, studies coral reef ecology and uses their results to inform conservation and restoration efforts and educate the public on the impact climate change has on reef systems and ultimately on humans. 

This Creative Inquiry team travels to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in , Florida to collect data from 30 reef sites multiple times a year. Here, the team measures the abundance of reef fish, lobsters, urchins, and other marine organisms to estimate the health of the coral reef. This ecosystem plays a vital role in the overall health of the ocean since it serves as a nursing ground for 25% of all marine species.  

The team members work on several projects related to coral reef health and conservation such as the effects of snail removal and marine debris on coral health and reef biodiversity. Diana Molnar, a senior biological sciences major, studies aggregation cues in Coralliophila galea, coral-eating snails. Molnar collects C. galea in the field and returns to Clemson where she conducts maze experiments. This experimental design uses a maze in which the snails can choose between four path options, each ending with a different abundance of snails. To conduct the experiment, she places a snail in the middle of the maze and records which path the snail chooses. The paths end with zero, one, two or three snails.  

The results of this experiment indicate conspecific preferences and inform snail control initiatives. Since SCUBA divers manually remove snails from coral, efficiency is key. Failing to remove all snails from a coral may leave it vulnerable to rapid reinfection due to recruitment of additional snails. “It comes down to the question: Is it more effective to spread efforts far and wide to reach more corals or focus on thorough removal from fewer corals?” Molnar said.  

The Creative Inquiry team is also studying the impacts of removing marine debris from coral reef systems. Over time human-made litter enters the ocean and can become integrated into the reef. Removing these littered items can have a negative impact on marine life if the organisms use the debris as foraging habitat or refuge. Specifically, the team wants to know if removal of debris (all or specific types) will negatively impact the survival of invertebrate populations compared to if the debris was left it the ocean. The team photographs and collects debris from the reefs such as fishing ropes, nets, and traps. Then they analyze the size of the debris, the organisms affected and the estimated biomass of those organisms. These measurements will allow for an estimate of species diversity and biomass removed per pound of debris and by debris type. All this information is considered when weighing the costs and benefits of removing the waste.  

This research on marine litter can be used as a marine debris management tool and inform removal dives. By studying the amount of biomass being removed, researchers and divers will be more educated on the ecological impact of waste removal. Overall, the team hopes this research can help improve the guidelines that surround removal practices.  

Ultimately, the Creative Inquiry’s goal is for people to understand the consequences of climate change and anthropogenic impacts on reef communities. Even if the ocean is a thousand miles from you, ignoring the effects of climate change and marine debris on coral reefs can diminish access to commonly consumed products such as sustainable seafood and marine bioproducts, such as medicine. Additionally, marine life would lose shelter and resources for food. Humans and sea creatures alike would suffer many valuable losses without a focus on coral reef conservation and restoration.