Coral Reef Snail Predator Removal and Recolonization Study

639 predatory snails were initially removed from twelve 150-square-meter reef plots in the Florida Keys to evaluate a coral conservation method. The dataset documents a multi-phase experiment including removal events and five subsequent surveys over 19 months to track snail recolonization. It was collected by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program from 2011 to 2013.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the rate of predatory snail recolonization on coral reefs after removal events.
• Correlating snail population recovery with specific reef plot locations like Carysfort Reef.
• Studying the size and sex distribution of collected Coralliophila abbreviata snails.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of manual removal as a conservation strategy for Acropora palmata corals.

Strengths

• Documents a detailed, multi-year field experiment spanning 19 months of monitoring.
• Provides a precise initial count of 639 snails removed from a defined area (twelve 150m² plots).
• Includes biological measurements (size, sex) for collected specimens.
• Supported by a major authoritative source (NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program).

Limitations

• Specific column names and full data structure are unknown from provided sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2013-08-25 vs. 2026-03-05).
• Exact row count and file size are not documented.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Visual observations and manual removal/collection of predatory snails (Coralliophila abbreviata) from designated reef plots.

Time Range

2011-2013

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:10:09.900046

Geography

Florida Keys, specifically Carysfort Reef (25N080W0013).