"KILLER ALGA" COULD BE ENDANGERING REEFS FORT PIERCE, FLA., May 23, 2000 - A shallow-water alga (seaweed) that's normally found in and around mangroves is blooming on deep-water reefs off the shores of Riviera and Palm Beach, and could be endangering the marine life on local reefs. Dr. Brian LaPointe, a Senior Research Scientist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, calls the outgrowth of the Caulerpa alga "very alarming." "My concern is that it's taking over the reefs and that could lead to reduced biodiversity. Caulerpa crowds out and smothers the native organisms that should be there, and that impacts the reef and the fisheries, and ultimately, all of us," LaPointe said. "When we started studying this, there were a few small patches of it. Now, we suddenly find it covering acres of reef," LaPointe added. LaPointe said the Caulerpa alga he's studying is similar to an alga that has destroyed extensive areas of reef off the coasts of Italy, France, and Spain. He says the reason for the sudden growth of Caulerpa in 90- to 100-feet of water near the Lake Worth inlet isn't completely understood, but "could be from a variety of man-made and natural pollution sources." "We do know it only grows in nutrient-enriched water, and that goes hand-in-hand with certain kinds of pollution," LaPointe said. When Caulerpa takes over, the small organisms that depend on the reef die, and the smaller fish leave. In turn, the larger fish and other organisms that depend on the food chain of that reef also leave, and the area soon "resembles an underwater desert", LaPointe said. His work on the impact of nutrient-enriched waters on the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, and other areas has been included in a book on nutrient pollution just published by the National Academy of Sciences. For further updates, call the News Media Update Hotline at Harbor Branch Oceanographic, at (772) 465-2400, ext. 687. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to the exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of mankind.