The highest abundance of organisms occurred furthest upstream, comprised of mostly Oligochaetes and Chironomids. Species diversity increased with salinity at all stations along the creek. Granulometry was comparable at all stations, with Hog 4 and Hog 5 showing somewhat higher percentages of silts and clays. Sediment metal analysis is currently ongoing. Palma Sola Creek shows dissolved oxygen levels typical of a stressed environment, indicating its value as a reference site, and to determine if the restoration project, when complete, is successful in providing productive habitat for these same communities.
Most hosts acquire symbionts during the larval stage or shortly after metamorphosis.
Once established, it is unknown if additional symbionts enter the host from the environment. The adaptive bleaching hypothesis states that symbiont switching is advantageous if environmental conditions change. To examine the temporal and spatial stability or flexibility of symbionts, we compared individual zooxanthella genotypes in the octocoral Plexaura kuna . Genetically distinct P. kuna colonies each contained a unique zooxanthella genotype that remained unchanged over a decade. P. kuna clonemates, genetically identical individuals, hosted the same zooxanthella genotype.