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In Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary region within the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, sponges thrive among diverse biological and geological habitats between 16–200+ m deep (i.e., coral reefs and communities, algal nodules, and coralline algae reefs, mesophotic reefs, patch reefs, scarps, ridges, soft substrate, and rocky outcrops). A synoptic guide is presented, developed by studying common sponge species in the region, through direct sampling and in-situ photographic records. This work improves our knowledge of Gulf of Mexico sponge biodiversity and highlights the importance of the region for scientists and resource managers.

2023
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Published research, Journal article, Fully or partially Program-funded
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean)
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Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, Porifera

Shore-based submersible operations, from 2006 to 2020, have allowed us to examine megabenthic assemblages along the island margin of Isla de Roatán from depths of about 150 to 750 m, including repeated observations of the same organisms. These dives were used to photo-document a diverse benthic assemblage and observe the health and condition of the sessile fauna in a well-explored but relatively undocumented area of the Mesoamerican Reef.

2022
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Published research, Journal article
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International
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Scleractinia, Antipatharia, Alcyonacea

This study analyzed alpha and beta diversity of mesophotic coral forests on fourteen topographic banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The objective of the study was to examine differences in structure and community in relation to lease stipulations established by the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management.

2022
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Published research, Journal article, Fully or partially Program-funded
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean)
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The Pourtalès Terrace is an exposed hard-bottom platform located south of the Florida Keys in 200–450 m depth with a diverse deep-sea coral ecosystem dominated by stylasterid hydrocorals, octocorals, and sponges that supports recreational and commercial fisheries. Here we report analyses of historic Terrace physiographic and geologic data with more recent high-resolution bathymetric and benthic data to statistically derive a benthic community characterization across the Terrace.

2021
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Published research, Journal article, Fully or partially Program-funded
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean)
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Desmophyllum pertusum, Lophelia pertusa

We provide the first consideration of larval connectivity among deep-sea sponge populations along the southeastern coast of North America, illustrate the influence of the Gulf Stream on dispersal, and complement published distribution models by evaluating colonization potential. 

2021
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Published research, Journal article, Using Program data
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean), New England/Mid-Atlantic
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Vazella pourtalesii

Shallow coral reef and seamount-based ecosystems associated with Pacific islands and atolls host a high and abundant biodiversity, yet many of the ecosystems are threatened by a range of climatic, oceanographic, and anthropogenic stresses. In these types of environments, the morphology and composition of the seabed have been shown to be useful proxies/surrogates for the distribution and abundance of benthic organisms, as well as the other organisms and communities that depend on them. We developed classification approaches for substrate mapping in coral reef and deeper-water environments (0–500 m) around the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) based on multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter, utilizing several key morphological variables together with the backscatter data in an unsupervised classification

2020
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Published research, Book chapter
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U.S. Pacific Islands
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The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, in the central Pacific waters of the Republic of Kiribati, is a model for large marine protected area (MPA) development and maintenance, but baseline records of the protected biodiversity in its largest environment, the deep sea (>200 m), have not yet been determined. Here, we present baseline deep-sea coral species distribution and community assembly patterns within the Scleractinia, Octocorallia, Antipatharia, and Zoantharia with respect to different seafloor features and abiotic environmental variables across bathyal depths (200–2500 m).

2020
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Published research, Journal article
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U.S. Pacific Islands
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Coordinated deep-water exploration from 2015 to 2017 enabled new insights into the status of deep-sea marine debris throughout the central and western Pacific Basin via ROV expeditions conducted onboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and RV Falkor. These expeditions included sites in United States protected areas and monuments, other Exclusive Economic Zones, international protected areas, and areas beyond national jurisdiction.

2020
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Published research, Journal article, Fully or partially Program-funded
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U.S. Pacific Islands
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Effective management of marine resources requires an understanding of the spatial distribution of biologically important communities. The north-western Gulf of Mexico contains diverse marine ecosystems at a large range of depths and geographic settings. To better understand the distribution of these marine habitats across large geographic areas under consideration for marine sanctuary status, presence-only predictive modelling was used.

2020
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Published research, Journal article
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean)
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In 2016, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement proposed the expansion of the current Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary boundaries to incorporate an additional 15 reefs and banks, including Elvers Bank. Antipatharians (black corals) were collected within the proposed expansion sites and analysed using morphological and molecular methods. A new species, Distichopathes hickersonae, collected at 172 m depth on Elvers Bank, is described within the family Aphanipathidae.

2020
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Published research, Journal article, Fully or partially Program-funded
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Southeast (South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/U.S. Caribbean)
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Distichopathes