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Biologists are transplanting sponges to rebuild sponge beds in the Florida Keys. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
If your flower garden gets wiped out by a hard freeze, you can either plant new seeds and wait for them to grow, or you can plant whole flowers. They both work, but one of them gives you faster results.
Biologists are testing the “faster” method to restore sponge beds in the Florida Keys. They’re transplanting sponges from healthy beds to some that have been damaged by red tides and other causes. The hope is that the transplants will cut years off the time required to rebuild the beds.
Sponges provide habitat for juvenile fish and shellfish, including spiny lobsters and other commercially important species. The sounds produced by some of their visitors, such as snapping shrimp, may guide other creatures to this safe habitat.
Sponges also filter impurities from the water. One large sponge can filter enough water in a single day to fill a small swimming pool.
Beginning in the 1990s, sponge beds across hundreds of square miles of the Florida Keys have suffered extensive damage. It takes a long time to rebuild those beds because sponges grow slowly, and their larvae travel only a short distance before they settle down.
Over the last few years, though, a team of researchers and volunteers has been transplanting sponges in several locations. They’ve used four species that are big and that grow quickly. The early results have been successful, so they’re trying other species to see if they’ll take as well. Their work is helping rebuild an important ecosystem in the Florida Keys.
