Abstract
As the frequency and intensity of disturbances threatening coastal ecosystems increase, there is a greater need to determine which factors are actually driving the changes in these environments. This three-year study investigated the possible influences of stressors alongside changes in community ecology of three disparate marine habitats within the Florida Keys. The approach used in this study was purposefully large-scale, involving high-resolution monthly sampling of the benthic community structure and environmental data in order to capture associated relationships between stressors and benthic taxa. The need for this novel approach has been proposed in the scientific literature, as there has been greater recognition towards the influence of multiple stressors and the possibility of synergistic effects. Specifically within the Florida Keys, declining water quality and recent extreme temperature anomalies have caused changes in the dynamics of these habitats. Results of this study showed the most influential factors appear to be waves, nutrients, and temperatures within the three sites examined in this study. Waves appeared to have a regional effect, being influential at all three sites, while nutrients and temperatures showed local effects, only being influential at some sites. High and low extremes of these factors appeared to drive the dynamics seen in the top taxa present at these sites, consisting mostly of macrophytes, with some relationships being supported by correlations. In addition, effects from other stressors appeared to be important once combined with the influential factors at some sites, showing evidence of synergistic effects. While all possible stressors were not addressed within this study, there is evidence that there is further need to use this ecosystem-scale approach in order to determine any and all effects of multiple stressors. This will allow for better understanding of integrated effects and provide insight into marine management efforts in terms of anthropogenic and natural stressors or local (manageable) or regional (less controllable) influences.
