Abstract

Over the past 20 years, invasive chlorophyte blooms have devastated coral reefs off the southeast coast of Florida in an unprecedented sequence, with the non-native Caulerpa brachypus F. parvifolia being the most recent. We monitored benthic cover, water column dissolved inorganic nutrients, tissue C: N: P ratios, and stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) of C. brachypus and native chlorophytes (Caulerpa racemosa, Caulerpa verticillata, Caulerpa mexicana, and Codium isthmocladum) quarterly at two reef sites, the Princess Anne (PA) and North Colonel's Ledge (NCL) in 2003- 2004. These observations helped us gain a better understanding of the ecology and nutrition of the C. brachypus invasion. Stormwater discharges from the Lake Worth inlet had an impact on the PA site, while NCL was located further away from these discharges.