Zane Grey Creek

By: Vanessa Jimenez and Emily Williams

Zane Grey Creek

Acetabularia

On Tuesday, May 23^rd, for our last stop of the day we visited Zane Grey Creek. This was located on the Atlantic side of Long Key, just a short walk from Keys Marine Lab. Zane Grey Creek is a natural mangrove tidal creek that has been dredged to gain access to Long Key Bight. We visited this site during low tide. The tidal creek had shallow water and no wave activity, with the exception of passing boats. These combined factors allowed for a lot of light penetration and low turbidity. The site was dominated by several primary producers including Rhizophora mangle, Thalassia testudinum, Laurencia, and Acetabularia. The natural structure from the Rhizophora mangle has created a haven for juvenile fish. Structure is an important part of marine ecosystems as it creates protection from predation, which is why this creek is a crucial nursery for many species. The Thalassia, Laurencia, and Acetabularia. also play an important role as primary producers in the habitat. The tidal influx of nutrients has impacted its success as a nursery. As the tide rises, nutrients from the Atlantic flush in, bringing extra nutrients. The availability of these extra nutrients increases primary productivity and in turn decreases grazing. Less grazing and limited wave action aids in the abundant growth of algae and sea grass. The sea grass in this creek were a lot larger compared to the sea grass observed at other locations, due to the high amount of nutrients. All of these factors play a pivotal role for the success of this ecosystem. 

Along with the primary producers, there were a large diversity of other species. These included sponges, corals, cnidarians, and juvenile fishes. The most abundant sponges in Zane Grey Creek were the loggerhead sponge, and the orange icing sponge. The only coral in the area was Siderastrea siderea. This is significant because the coral must out compete the abundant sea grass and algae. It is interesting because corals are usually found in areas where nutrients are depleted and this area was nutrient replete. The two cnidarians included Cassiopea cassiopea (upside down jellyfish) and Heteractis aurora (beaded sea anenome), which were both very abundant. The juvenile fishes in the creek were diverse. A few of the most common juveniles included Sergeant major, Lane Snapper, Slippery Dick and Bluestripped Grunt. Overall, Zane Grey Creek is a diverse tidal driven habitat that serves as a nursery for a wide variety of species.

Scarus guacamaia	Rainbow Parrotfish
Scarus iserti	Striped parrotfish
Abudefduf saxatilis	Sergeant major
Chaetodon capistratus	Foureye butterflyfish
Sphyraena barracuda	Great Barracuda (juvenile)
Lutjanus synagris	Lane snapper
Halichoeres maculipinna	Clown wrasse (juvenile)
Thalassoma bifasciatum	Bluehead wrasse
Halichoeres bivittatus	Slippery dick (juvenile)
Haemulon carbonarium	Caesar grunt
Haemulon sciurus	Blue striped grunt
Gerres cinereus	Yellowfin mojarra
-	Killifish
Sphoeroides spengleri	Bandtail puffer
Heteractis aurora	Beaded sea anenome
Cassiopea cassiopea	Upsidedown Jellyfish
Acetabularia	Mermaid’s cup
Caulerpa spp.	-
Halimeda spp.	-
Halodule wrightii	Shoal grass
Laurencia spp.	-