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Thursday, April 18, 2019. 12:00PM. Webinar: Predicting the distribution of Threatened Orbicellid corals in shallow and mesophotic reef ecosystems along the Puerto Rican shelf. Katharine Egan, OER.  Sponsored by NOAA. More information here.

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) are deep, diverse reefs, yet little is known about their spatial extent and location. For MCEs on the Puerto Rican shelf, the predominant reef-building corals are Orbicellids, which are listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. The goals of this study were to predict suitable habitat for Orbicellid coral species, identify how abiotic environmental factors constrain potential Orbicellid habitat, and identify areas of unexplored coral reef. The resulting spatial predictions will provide insight into habitat characterization of Orbicellids and provide direction for future MCE exploration efforts.