May 20, 2021: Corals and Sponges
Image courtesy of Coral Ecosystem Connectivity 2014 Expedition. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
Most coral reefs familiar to us are shallow (found at depths of 3 to 30.5 meters or 10 to 100 feet), like reefs in the Florida Keys or the Bahamas. However, Pulley Ridge, located off the southwest coast of Florida, is a mesophotic reef, which is much deeper (59 to 105 meters or 194 to 344 feet) and at the lower depth limit for many of the plants and animals living there.
During the Coral Ecosystem Connectivity 2014 expedition, scientists observed that the top of West Pulley Ridge, located outside the Pulley Ridge Habitat Area of Particular Concern, supports a high diversity of plants and animals. This image alone includes dozens of sponges, lettuce algae (Anadyomene), crustose coralline algae encrusting the rocks, sea whips (Ellisella), and black fan corals (Antipathes).
From: The Flora and Fauna of Pulley Ridge – the Deepest Mesophotic Reef off the Continental U.S..