Visual Surveys Reveal Coral Growth in Mangrove Fringe in a Subtropical Metropolis

Abstract

Mangrove forests are understudied habitats for potentially resilient coral communities (Rogers 2019, Stewart et al. 2022). These coexisting mangrove-coral (CMC) habitats (Stewart et al. 2022) can be found around the world yet are still underreported and understudied. Miami, Florida falls within the possible range of CMC habitat distribution (see figure 7 in Stewart et al. 2022) but is also a heavily urbanized coastal environment. We conducted surveys of potential CMC habitats in the spring and summer of 2022 at four locations: Lamar Lake, Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area, Matheson Hammock Park and Marina, and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park ("Bill Baggs"). Approximately 3 km of coastline were explored using rudimentary visual surveys conducted via.