Seagrass beds provide essential habitat for many fish species. This study utilized over a decade (2009 to 2022) of annual seagrass monitoring data to investigate trends in seagrass composition with the introduction of the non-native species, Halophila stipulacea . Fish community surveys, as well as benthic community surveys, were also conducted within soft bottom habitat of two Caribbean bays in 2023. Seagrass composition saw...

Central place activities present conflicting demands or tradeoffs between activities at and away from the central place. Stegastes damselfishes are small, mostly reef-associated fishes that are common in shallow tropical and sub-tropical marine environments. Both sexes defend a territory consisting of their food supply and shelter sites, with male territories also including a nest where females lay eggs which are then guarded...

Nassau grouper ( Epinephelus striatus , Serranidae) were one of the most important fishery species in the Caribbean, but are now listed as critically endangered. Population collapse in most places occurred primarily by fishers targeting their spawning aggregation sites, where thousands of fish gathered during full moon periods from December to April. Identifying management options for protecting this vulnerable period is cruci...

There is limited information on the intra-annual variability of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), worldwide. The benthic communities, measured as % cover, of two geomorphologically different mesophotic sites (El Hoyo and Hole-in-the-Wall) were examined during 2009–2010 in southwest Puerto Rico. Depths sampled were 50 and 70 m. At each site/depth combination, two permanent transects, measuring 10-m long by 40-cm wide, were su...