| Summary: | This coral demographics protocol was devised to provide additional, species-specific insight (and ‘signal magnitude’) for corals than is provided by percent cover. Specifics of the protocol are based closely on other long-established monitoring programs in the Atlantic region, including Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA; Caribbean-wide), Sanctuaries Coral Reef Ecosystem Assessment and Monitoring, Florida (SCREAM), and the Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP). However, the sampling resolution may not capture the population structure of rare or uncommon corals, including currently-listed or candidate Endangered Species Act (ESA) species. Precise designations of coral condition (e.g. attributed disease, minor bleaching/paling conditions) are NOT included in this data. This is due to the low temporal resolution of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) sampling (biennial and potentially not seasonally consistent) and the wide array of surveyors involved, which is why the survey protocol is designed to capture the least ambiguous colony conditions likely to be encountered: recent mortality (i.e. dead white skeleton) and bright-white bleaching on a partial or an entire coral colony. The Line Point-Intercept (LPI) sampling is designed to provide resolution of benthic cover estimates for ecologically important cover types/groups (e.g. macroalgae, turf algae, crustose coralline algae, corals, sponges, sand/sediment, etc.). More detailed information on scleractinian corals, specifically density, size, and condition (percent mortality and bleaching) measurements, is being collected via the NCRMP Coral Demographics sampling.
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