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Informe Final Datos Monitoría Arrecifes de Coral en Reservas Naturales 2006 : Monitoring of Coral Reef Communities at Isla Desecheo, Rincon, Mayaguez Bay, Guanica, Ponce, and Isla Caja de Muertos
A total of 12 coral reef stations from six Natural Reserves were included as part of the 2006 Puerto Rico - U.S. National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NOAA/DNER). The sessile-benthic community structure at the reef systems of Puerto Botes and Puerto Canoas (Isla Desecheo), Tourmaline Reef (Mayaguez), Cayo Coral (Guánica), West Reef (Caja de Muerto – Ponce), and Derrumbadero Reef (Ponce) presented statistically significant reductions of live coral cover. The maximum decline of live coral cover between the 2005 and the 2006 monitoring surveys was of 59.1 % at Derrumbadero Reef. In all cases, the decline of (total) live coral cover at the community level was driven by mortality of Boulder Star Coral, Montastrea annularis (complex), a highly dominant species in terms of reef substrate cover and the principal reef building species. The sharp decline of live coral cover at many of the reefs included in this monitoring program is associated with a massive regional coral bleaching event that affected the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico between September and late October, 2005. The massive bleaching of corals coincided with an extended period of elevated sea surface temperatures (SST). As much as 14 Degree Heating Weeks (DHW), an indicator of thermal stress acting upon shallow reef communities were measured from daily temperature records produced by a NOAA/NESDIS satellite infrared radiometer. During our 2006 coral monitoring survey, approximately 6 to 9 months after the bleaching event, a relatively high proportion of live corals, particularly Montastrea annularis were observed to still retain partially bleached conditions. The potential recuperation of these corals is uncertain at this point.
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