Abstract

Biogeographic comparisons of the faunal compositions among regions can provide insight into the degree and direction of connectivity among regions, and highlight locations with relatively unique sets of taxa. We used data from the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) Fish Survey project to conduct a multivariate analysis of reef fish assemblages across sites throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). REEF coordinates a regional citizen science fish monitoring program with data that are input into a centralized, online database. Since 1994, REEF surveyors have collected nearly 5,000 roving diver surveys from 330 sites throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including 2,868 surveys within the FGBNMS. The fish assemblages of the FGBNMS, based on 10 years of data are summarized. The degree of faunal relatedness among regions in the Gulf of Mexico in terms of species composition is also presented, using a multivariate MDS plot. These results will be useful for marine resource management and planning at the FGBNMS and wider Gulf of Mexico, and emphasize the importance of large-scale data collection programs

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