Evaluating the Efficacy of Sponge Nurseries to Support Large-Scale Sponge Community Restoration in the Florida Keys
John E. Hart and William C. Sharp
Widespread degradation of Florida Bay hard-bottom habitats has inspired efforts to restore sponge communities in Florida Bay using in situ propagation of sponge fragments. Small-scale restoration projects have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of propagating sponges from “donor” individuals and transplanting them onto degraded habitat to restore ecological function. However, large scale restoration of sponge communities throughout Florida Bay will require a much larger volume of sponge material. We are testing the efficacy of in situ nurseries as a repository for sponges for restoration efforts. In 2016, we established a network of in situ sponge nurseries along the periphery of Florida Bay and are evaluating refinements to the propagation process with the goal of producing a biologically diverse assemblage of sponges for use in restoration in larger numbers than previously feasible. First, we are comparing survival and growth rates of sponge cuttings attached to different mounting materials and positioned at different elevations from the seafloor. Secondly, we are testing if new sponge cuttings can be moved directly into the nursery without increasing mortality or affecting growth rates, which will increase efficiency by removing one logistical step in the sponge propagation and transplantation process. Finally, we are measuring the effects of the propagation process on the donor sponges that are left partially intact to regrow on the seafloor. Our vision is to undertake, in the near future, a large-scale restoration effort in the area of Florida Bay where the sponge community has been severely degraded.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute
John E. Hart and William C. Sharp
Widespread degradation of Florida Bay hard-bottom habitats has inspired efforts to restore sponge communities in Florida Bay using in situ propagation of sponge fragments. Small-scale restoration projects have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of propagating sponges from “donor” individuals and transplanting them onto degraded habitat to restore ecological function. However, large scale restoration of sponge communities throughout Florida Bay will require a much larger volume of sponge material. We are testing the efficacy of in situ nurseries as a repository for sponges for restoration efforts. In 2016, we established a network of in situ sponge nurseries along the periphery of Florida Bay and are evaluating refinements to the propagation process with the goal of producing a biologically diverse assemblage of sponges for use in restoration in larger numbers than previously feasible. First, we are comparing survival and growth rates of sponge cuttings attached to different mounting materials and positioned at different elevations from the seafloor. Secondly, we are testing if new sponge cuttings can be moved directly into the nursery without increasing mortality or affecting growth rates, which will increase efficiency by removing one logistical step in the sponge propagation and transplantation process. Finally, we are measuring the effects of the propagation process on the donor sponges that are left partially intact to regrow on the seafloor. Our vision is to undertake, in the near future, a large-scale restoration effort in the area of Florida Bay where the sponge community has been severely degraded.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute