Keys Marine Lab apparrel

At long last we have KML shirts and hats available!

White Gildan 100% cotton short sleeved t-shirts with the official KML logo on the front and a stylized map of the Florida Keys on the back, sizes small, medium, large, and extra-large. The tan 100% cotton hats have an adjustable strap.

Either shirts or hats may be had for a suggested donation to KML of $15. Check it out the next time you stop by the Lab.

All KML apparel is also available online through the Wildlife Foundation of Florida
http://shop.wildlifeflorida.org

reef ball mangroves at KML

Mangrove Solutions Division:
Dr. Catherine Jadot - president
Ben Chisholm - project coordinator
http://www.mangrovesolutions.com

We are exploring yet another technique for planting mangroves out beyond the protection of the rip-rap. The Mangroves Solution Division is using KML as a beta test site here in the Keys.

The project:
To stabilize the seedlings (propagules) in the ocean, one proven method uses split encasement tubes driven into the sediment. This method protects against the wrack line, however, it doesn't alone promote the optimal growth of the seedling. A solution combining this wrack protection and Reef Ball technology has been developed to ensure the fastest, healthiest, and most protected growth of the mangrove tree. This solution is ideal for numerous applications including erosion efforts, enhancing aesthetical aspects of property and fertilizer runoff filtration.

Anchoring in high energy areas:
Suitable anchoring of the propagule is a common problem encountered. The Reef Ball Mangrove Planting Solution provides a steel anchor allowing a durable mooring.
Foundation Protection - Armored Cultivator Pot:
The concrete base of the device allows the propagule & roots to be protected from submerged debris. Available in a bio-degradable version, the solution has the ability to “wash away” as the mangrove matures and no longer needs assistance, leaving only a self sufficient, beautiful mangrove.
Wrack Protection - split PVC pipe:
Armored Cultivator Pot's stems will be shielded from waves, floating debris, wind, upland runoff, predation and UV, avoiding the troubles that most often cause plant failures in high energy zones
Enriched environment - fertilizer disk:
The Reef Ball Solution includes slow release fertilizer nutrients to optimize mangrove growth.


Putting it all together:
Mangrove propagules from the mangroves already on site were collected. The metal anchors were pounded into the hardbottom. The PVC wrack protectors were pounded over the stake. The armored cultivator pots were packed with peat and the bottom "sealed" with a fertilizer disk, then slid over the PVC pipe and stomped firmly into the muck on the bottom. The PVC pipes were filled with more peat to the mean high tide level and a propagule was dropped into the tube.



12 new mangroves planted at KML!
We will be watching for them to poke their noses out of the rack protectors in the next couple months as the reach for they sun.

















mangroves in armored pots at low tide

embryonic skeletal development in brittle star

guest submission by:

Mitch Ruzek, Ph.D. canidate

University Of South Florida (USF)

Tampa, FL

My colleagues and I in the Brian Livingston lab at USF are interested in mechanisms of control within cells that help to determine when and why certain cells take on certain fates at defined times in a developing embryo. We are specifically interested in the group of genes that is responsible for embryonic skeletal development in the brittle star Ophiocoma wendtii that is common in the Florida Keys. While utilizing the facilities at the Keys Marine Lab we collect brittle star specimens in ten to thirty feet of water around Long Key.

We carry out a great deal of our wet laboratory work directly on premise at the Keys Marine Lab. While staying in the dormitories on site we can spawn animals, collect fertilized eggs and developing embryos at various stages of development where the larval skeleton begins to form. We can preserve animals, extract both DNA and RNA as well as perform microscopic injection of embryos while at the KML.

Work continues on the embryos and genetic material collected while at KML when we return to Tampa. Once back at USF we work to determine what genes are responsible for the larval skeleton that is characteristic of the brittle star. Our work will help to contribute to a better understanding of the networks of genes found within all cells that function as groups to accomplish individual functions or tasks. Without the facilities and staff of the Keys Marine Lab our work with this fragile and difficult-to-transported species would be nearly impossible.

KML Marina is Open!

The long-awaited marina at KML is operational! Our boat ramp is officially open for use. Be sure to check with our Operations Manager and Staff for access and use guidelines.






We are docking KML boats on site once again. Many thanks to our Layton neighbors for offering us courtesy dock space at Zane Grey Marina across the street while the marina project was under way.



In the coming weeks we will be adding additional mooring spots along the new seawall as well as power and wash-down stations.

Thank you to all of our KML guests for your patience during our re-building efforts.

Mangrove mitigation is completed

During the construction of our new seawall, some of the white mangroves had to be removed in order to allow the large cranes and backhoes access to the marina area. Mangrove mitigation required KML to re-plant mangroves once the the seawall was completed. After a bit of research into the best planting methods to ensure survival, we contacted Sue Nulman at "Keys Mangroves" to purchase our red mangrove seedlings. Our first site was in a mucky inter-tidal area along the shoreline behind the new rip-rap. We set seven 24" seedings directly into the muck.
Site 1 at low tide
Site 1 at high tide



The second site at KML's Mangrove Point (the entrance to our marina) was mostly rubble and rock so we used terracotta strawberry pots lined with burlap to hold the soil around the mangrove seedlings. The 6 pots were partially buried among the rubble behind the new rip-rap. The pots should decay in a few years as the mangrove root system becomes established.

Site 2 at low tide
Site 2 at high tide



We will be monitoring our our new red mangrove seedlings at both sites in the coming months and anticipate adding more mangroves and other native plantings to the landscape.

Effects of Climate Change on Corals in Florida Bay

Chris Langdon, Remy Okazaki, Peter Swart

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmoshperic Science

University of Miami

Scientists working from the Keys Marine Lab are doing their part to investigate the effects of climate change, in particular, the phenomenon of ocean acidification. The University of Miami (UM) scientists are studying two species of corals growing in Florida Bay and whether these corals may have adapted to changing CO2. These star and starlet corals appear to be healthy and growing without any detrimental effects, despite the fact that Florida Bay’s highly variable environment makes it a potentially harsh habitat for corals and other organisms. Because of Florida Bay’s unique environment and environmental variability, it is an ideal “natural laboratory” to study climate change and corals.

Florida Bay experiences daily, seasonal, and regional fluctuations in many water chemistry parameters, including salinity, pH, and CO2. As a consequence of these changing parameters, the bay experiences extreme conditions, including CO2 levels that can be twice as high as levels that are found at the reefs on the Keys. These high-CO2 times in Florida Bay mimic future predicted conditions for the world’s oceans as greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. As more and more CO2 builds up in the atmosphere, more of it fluxes into the oceans where it becomes carbonic acid. This is the concept of ocean acidification. This acid neutralizes carbonate ions in the ocean, which marine calcifiers, such as corals, require to build their skeletons. Consequently, calcification is slowed. With their ability to calcify and grow impaired, corals are more susceptible to erosion, storm damage, and other processes that break down reefs. Hence, coral reefs and the ecosystem services they provide are threatened by ocean acidification.

Based out of the Keys Marine Lab, the UM scientists are measuring coral calcification and photosynthesis in a wide array of environmental conditions. Additionally, the scientists are analyzing a 190-year old coral skeleton from the study site to reconstruct the water chemistry and determine how the coral has grown during the last two centuries. These experiments should indicate whether corals have indeed adapted or acclimated to changing CO2. If they have, then hope exists for corals in the future.

(photo: This core sample is from a star coral skeleton and represents ~50 years of growth. Scientists will attempt to reconstruct the history of Florida Bay from this skeleton.)

Show your colors at KML

We are encouraging all KML visitors to bring along a school pennant or small banner to help decorate our newly-remodeled classroom. Feel free to sign and date them so other visitors can see who has been here.

AmeriCorps Badgers Busy at KML

AmeriCorps NCCC's "Badger 3" team donated 3 days of intensive labor at Keys Marine Lab. Eleven hard-working youths from across the US worked along side KML staff to trim palm trees, power-wash the marina building, pick up construction debris, clean out sheds, and help organize displays in the office and classroom.


On their 'day off', they volunteered to clean cages and walk dogs at the local animal shelters in Marathon and Big Pine.



Thanks to their tireless efforts, KML looks a lot brighter and neater. Their enthusiastic team-work were rewarded by a great afternoon of snorkeling at East Turtle Shoals off KML boats.

Classroom and Dry Lab ready for action!

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, KML is emerging from the rubble and debris of Hurricane Wilma's destruction. The building that housed the classroom, dry lab, and computer lab is finished!




Boasting new AC, electrical and plumbing throughout the building, a peek inside reveals a fresh look to cabinetry, counter tops, and workspace. Several groups have already taken advantage of the newly remodeled space.






Research Lab II is refurbished for our visiting scientists and the wet table will be plumbed once our new seawater system is functioning.








Our computer lab boasts a spectacular view of Florida Bay. Two computers, printers, and DSL access are available for our visitors.

KML is thinking Green

As guardians of our fragile ecosystem, the Keys Marine Lab is committed to making this facility Green Friendly. KML staff is requesting your assistance in the effort to "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle". New recycle bins have been placed in each dorm and around the grounds for your convenience.
While staying on site, we are asking our guests to make the effort to separate all discarded glass, aluminum cans, and plastics into the appropriate bins.

KML’s on-site Recycling Center, located within the dumpster area, is the central collection area for all your recyclables at the end of your stay. Plastic bags and Styrofoam egg cartons can be recycled at Publix and Winndixie grocery stores in marked containers at the front entrance.

“Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”