Brandon Sosa
@eco-sosa.bsky.social
Marine ecology & Environmental economics
PhD Candidate @FIU
Reef grazers, socioeconomics, reef management modeling, and mariculture
📸 https://www.instagram.com/eco.sosa
PhD Candidate @FIU
Reef grazers, socioeconomics, reef management modeling, and mariculture
📸 https://www.instagram.com/eco.sosa
Pinned
Brandon Sosa
@eco-sosa.bsky.social
· May 5
🦀 Caribbean King Crabs = reef roombas
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
If you are interested in coral reefs in Florida or how management handled the 2023 heatwave, check out this article! conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#coralreefs #marinebiology #florida
#coralreefs #marinebiology #florida
Success of restoration strategies in preventing extirpation of 2 critically endangered coral species
An unprecedented marine heatwave in 2023 caused widespread coral bleaching and mortality throughout the Caribbean. In the Florida Keys (USA), 2 foundation species, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) an....
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
If you are interested in coral reefs in Florida or how management handled the 2023 heatwave, check out this article! conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#coralreefs #marinebiology #florida
#coralreefs #marinebiology #florida
Heat-driven functional extinction of Caribbean Acropora corals from Florida’s Coral Reef | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Heat-driven functional extinction of Caribbean Acropora corals from Florida’s Coral Reef
In 2023, a record-setting marine heat wave triggered the ninth mass coral bleaching event on Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR). We examined spatial patterns of heat exposure along the ~560-kilometer length o...
www.science.org
October 25, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Heat-driven functional extinction of Caribbean Acropora corals from Florida’s Coral Reef | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
The past three summers have been the worst on record for Florida's coral reefs. To try to restore them, scientists are breeding corals that can handle heat better, using coral from other countries. By @lsommer.bsky.social
Why scientists are using corals from other countries to help save Florida's reefs
The past three summers have been the worst on record for Florida's coral reefs. To try to restore them, scientists are breeding corals that can handle heat better, using coral from other countries.
n.pr
October 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
The past three summers have been the worst on record for Florida's coral reefs. To try to restore them, scientists are breeding corals that can handle heat better, using coral from other countries. By @lsommer.bsky.social
Great day out on the water! Helped a friend crank out 10 sites in one day!
🪸🧽🌎
#coral #reefs #FL #marine #science #missionblue #seakeepers
🪸🧽🌎
#coral #reefs #FL #marine #science #missionblue #seakeepers
August 22, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Great day out on the water! Helped a friend crank out 10 sites in one day!
🪸🧽🌎
#coral #reefs #FL #marine #science #missionblue #seakeepers
🪸🧽🌎
#coral #reefs #FL #marine #science #missionblue #seakeepers
How many newly settled Caribbean king crabs (Maguimithrax spinosissimus) do you see settled on this clump of batophora ssp. algae? 🦀
#marine #science #coral #reefs #mariculture
🌎🪸🌿
#marine #science #coral #reefs #mariculture
🌎🪸🌿
August 17, 2025 at 3:43 AM
How many newly settled Caribbean king crabs (Maguimithrax spinosissimus) do you see settled on this clump of batophora ssp. algae? 🦀
#marine #science #coral #reefs #mariculture
🌎🪸🌿
#marine #science #coral #reefs #mariculture
🌎🪸🌿
Here is the reef cleaning champ, Caribbean King Crab (Maguimithrax spinosissimus), hard at work 💪.
Reef roombas, keeping the reef clean when we are away! #grazers #coral #reefs #FL #restoration #herbivores 🦀🌍
Reef roombas, keeping the reef clean when we are away! #grazers #coral #reefs #FL #restoration #herbivores 🦀🌍
The Crab! The Channel Clinging Crab!! The CCC! An unsung hero of Caribbean reefs where they serve as gardeners grazing on the algae that smothers coral. Seen 8x fast, our giant crab friend patiently and carefully plucks it from between the branches of a staghorn coral #coralcitycamera
July 31, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Here is the reef cleaning champ, Caribbean King Crab (Maguimithrax spinosissimus), hard at work 💪.
Reef roombas, keeping the reef clean when we are away! #grazers #coral #reefs #FL #restoration #herbivores 🦀🌍
Reef roombas, keeping the reef clean when we are away! #grazers #coral #reefs #FL #restoration #herbivores 🦀🌍
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
The Claw Cometh!! 🔮🦀 #crab #claw #cometh #pincer #seamonster #itcamefromthedeep #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity
July 30, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The Claw Cometh!! 🔮🦀 #crab #claw #cometh #pincer #seamonster #itcamefromthedeep #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
🤔Are corals animals, plants, or rocks?
Surprise—they’re animals! Those hard reef structures are actually colonies of tiny, soft-bodied organisms. They host symbiotic algae that keep them fed and give them their distinctive color. 🪸🐠
👉🏽Learn more: go.whoi.edu/Coral-sp
Surprise—they’re animals! Those hard reef structures are actually colonies of tiny, soft-bodied organisms. They host symbiotic algae that keep them fed and give them their distinctive color. 🪸🐠
👉🏽Learn more: go.whoi.edu/Coral-sp
July 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM
🤔Are corals animals, plants, or rocks?
Surprise—they’re animals! Those hard reef structures are actually colonies of tiny, soft-bodied organisms. They host symbiotic algae that keep them fed and give them their distinctive color. 🪸🐠
👉🏽Learn more: go.whoi.edu/Coral-sp
Surprise—they’re animals! Those hard reef structures are actually colonies of tiny, soft-bodied organisms. They host symbiotic algae that keep them fed and give them their distinctive color. 🪸🐠
👉🏽Learn more: go.whoi.edu/Coral-sp
After over a year of work, our report with Everglades Foundation & Earth Economics is out!
America’s Everglades = $1 trillion in assets over 50 yrs
💧Clean water economy
💵 $1 in = $4 out
Huge thanks to Paul, Meenakshi & Chloe!
www.evergladesfoundation.org/itsworthit (report in link page)
🌎
#EcoEcon
America’s Everglades = $1 trillion in assets over 50 yrs
💧Clean water economy
💵 $1 in = $4 out
Huge thanks to Paul, Meenakshi & Chloe!
www.evergladesfoundation.org/itsworthit (report in link page)
🌎
#EcoEcon
bit.ly
July 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
After over a year of work, our report with Everglades Foundation & Earth Economics is out!
America’s Everglades = $1 trillion in assets over 50 yrs
💧Clean water economy
💵 $1 in = $4 out
Huge thanks to Paul, Meenakshi & Chloe!
www.evergladesfoundation.org/itsworthit (report in link page)
🌎
#EcoEcon
America’s Everglades = $1 trillion in assets over 50 yrs
💧Clean water economy
💵 $1 in = $4 out
Huge thanks to Paul, Meenakshi & Chloe!
www.evergladesfoundation.org/itsworthit (report in link page)
🌎
#EcoEcon
Daytime octopus 🦑 a curious individual, saw him walking and swimming around the reef off of Lizard Island. Here he is trying to camouflage and look like the surrounding bleached Acropora coral, keeping an eye on us.
July 9, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Daytime octopus 🦑 a curious individual, saw him walking and swimming around the reef off of Lizard Island. Here he is trying to camouflage and look like the surrounding bleached Acropora coral, keeping an eye on us.
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
Manatee fam!! #manatee #manatees #manateesofcoralcity #manateefamily #mamatee #babytee #calf #trio #sirenia #coral #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #coralcity #civicpridethroughbiodiversity
June 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Lizard Island Research Station, Australia. Positioned right the Great Barrier Reef, this station has been pumping out science for over 50 years. I am glad to be apart of an amazing NSF IRES graduate coral reef transdisciplinary course with lessons from JCU and Southern Cross researchers.
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🦑
June 3, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Lizard Island Research Station, Australia. Positioned right the Great Barrier Reef, this station has been pumping out science for over 50 years. I am glad to be apart of an amazing NSF IRES graduate coral reef transdisciplinary course with lessons from JCU and Southern Cross researchers.
🦑
🦑
🦀 Help shape reef restoration! I’m piloting a short PhD survey (~12 min) on using crabs & urchins to restore Florida’s coral reefs.
🌍 You don’t need to be from FL!
🔗 fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
📤 No time? Please repost!
#Socialsci
#CoralReef #Restoration #SciComm #MarineScience #FloridaKeys🦑
🌍 You don’t need to be from FL!
🔗 fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
📤 No time? Please repost!
#Socialsci
#CoralReef #Restoration #SciComm #MarineScience #FloridaKeys🦑
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fiu.qualtrics.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:07 PM
🦀 Help shape reef restoration! I’m piloting a short PhD survey (~12 min) on using crabs & urchins to restore Florida’s coral reefs.
🌍 You don’t need to be from FL!
🔗 fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
📤 No time? Please repost!
#Socialsci
#CoralReef #Restoration #SciComm #MarineScience #FloridaKeys🦑
🌍 You don’t need to be from FL!
🔗 fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
📤 No time? Please repost!
#Socialsci
#CoralReef #Restoration #SciComm #MarineScience #FloridaKeys🦑
This is adaptive management in action. Now more than ever, we need permitting and funding for bold, experimental approaches aimed at restoring our coral reefs
www.science.org/content/arti...
#coralreef #restoration #marinescience #Florida #Keys #coral #reef 🌍🦑
www.science.org/content/arti...
#coralreef #restoration #marinescience #Florida #Keys #coral #reef 🌍🦑
After mass coral die-off, Florida scientists rethink plan to save ailing reefs
“Additional risky measures are now called for, unless we just want to give up,” one scientist says
www.science.org
May 22, 2025 at 6:04 AM
This is adaptive management in action. Now more than ever, we need permitting and funding for bold, experimental approaches aimed at restoring our coral reefs
www.science.org/content/arti...
#coralreef #restoration #marinescience #Florida #Keys #coral #reef 🌍🦑
www.science.org/content/arti...
#coralreef #restoration #marinescience #Florida #Keys #coral #reef 🌍🦑
Pretty cool innovation!This Artificial Jelly Smells Like Home to Coral — And Helps Them Settle on coral reefs purescience.news/article?id=4...
#coralreefs #conservation
🌍
#coralreefs #conservation
🌍
This Artificial Jelly Smells Like Home to Coral — And Helps Them Settle In
Learn more about SNAP-X — an bio-inspired gel mimicking the scent of healthy reefs to support coral reef restoration.
purescience.news
May 18, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Pretty cool innovation!This Artificial Jelly Smells Like Home to Coral — And Helps Them Settle on coral reefs purescience.news/article?id=4...
#coralreefs #conservation
🌍
#coralreefs #conservation
🌍
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
Who can spot the crab? This channel clinging crab is bigger than it looks - about a foot wide, including its massive legs. It's also faster than I expected and scurried off before I could get a full photo with the legs expanded. #MarineLife #scuba #photography
April 22, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Who can spot the crab? This channel clinging crab is bigger than it looks - about a foot wide, including its massive legs. It's also faster than I expected and scurried off before I could get a full photo with the legs expanded. #MarineLife #scuba #photography
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
It’s official: We’re making a coral documentary. 🎥 "Reef Keepers" tells the story of the people restoring the Florida Coral Reef.
Filmmaker Alyson Larson and I started by trailing a truck with 1,000 elkhorn corals from The Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach to the Keys Marine Lab.
Filmmaker Alyson Larson and I started by trailing a truck with 1,000 elkhorn corals from The Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach to the Keys Marine Lab.
May 12, 2025 at 5:37 PM
It’s official: We’re making a coral documentary. 🎥 "Reef Keepers" tells the story of the people restoring the Florida Coral Reef.
Filmmaker Alyson Larson and I started by trailing a truck with 1,000 elkhorn corals from The Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach to the Keys Marine Lab.
Filmmaker Alyson Larson and I started by trailing a truck with 1,000 elkhorn corals from The Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach to the Keys Marine Lab.
We need more investment, support, and research into cost-effective coral reef solutions.
theconversation.com/reality-chec...
theconversation.com/reality-chec...
Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs
New research examined coral restoration projects worldwide to calculate what it would actually cost to bring back what’s already been lost.
theconversation.com
May 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
We need more investment, support, and research into cost-effective coral reef solutions.
theconversation.com/reality-chec...
theconversation.com/reality-chec...
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
"Ocean acidification is a silver lining" is a bizarre story line.
(In the meantime, coral reefs are already cooking due to global heating). www.science.org/content/arti...
(In the meantime, coral reefs are already cooking due to global heating). www.science.org/content/arti...
Dying coral reefs could slow climate change
Dissolving skeletons would boost oceans’ ability to soak up carbon dioxide
www.science.org
May 5, 2025 at 1:14 AM
"Ocean acidification is a silver lining" is a bizarre story line.
(In the meantime, coral reefs are already cooking due to global heating). www.science.org/content/arti...
(In the meantime, coral reefs are already cooking due to global heating). www.science.org/content/arti...
🦀 Caribbean King Crabs = reef roombas
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
May 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
🦀 Caribbean King Crabs = reef roombas
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
Like other grazers, their job is to clean algae on coral reefs.
We're exploring how to raise them in abandoned quarries: calm, food-filled places that already support wild crab populations.
#Mariculture #ReefRestoration #Grazers #MarineScience #Crabs 🦑🌍
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
Your 'moment of doom' for May 3, 2025 ~ To the moon!
"Last year was the hottest, worldwide, ever recorded and governments are collectively failing to meet targets to avert escalating disasters."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"Last year was the hottest, worldwide, ever recorded and governments are collectively failing to meet targets to avert escalating disasters."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Revealed: Forecasts of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels soar in Trump’s first 100 days
Even as Trump’s pledge to ‘drill, baby, drill’ is hampered by tariff chaos, analysis shows surge in planet-heating emissions
www.theguardian.com
May 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Your 'moment of doom' for May 3, 2025 ~ To the moon!
"Last year was the hottest, worldwide, ever recorded and governments are collectively failing to meet targets to avert escalating disasters."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"Last year was the hottest, worldwide, ever recorded and governments are collectively failing to meet targets to avert escalating disasters."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Is this crab older than you?
Some say he is still crabbing around. 🦀
#crab #reefs #grazers #coral #marinescience #science #restoration #crustaceans #coralreefs
#addOcean
Some say he is still crabbing around. 🦀
#crab #reefs #grazers #coral #marinescience #science #restoration #crustaceans #coralreefs
#addOcean
May 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Is this crab older than you?
Some say he is still crabbing around. 🦀
#crab #reefs #grazers #coral #marinescience #science #restoration #crustaceans #coralreefs
#addOcean
Some say he is still crabbing around. 🦀
#crab #reefs #grazers #coral #marinescience #science #restoration #crustaceans #coralreefs
#addOcean
Reposted by Brandon Sosa
Slo-mo hello from a slippery dick wrasse 👋 #slipperydickwrasse #wrasse #slomo #hello #supermale #protogynoushermaphrodite #closeup #teef #staghorn #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #bfi #noaa #aoml #coralcity #civicpridethroughbiodiversity
May 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Slo-mo hello from a slippery dick wrasse 👋 #slipperydickwrasse #wrasse #slomo #hello #supermale #protogynoushermaphrodite #closeup #teef #staghorn #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #bfi #noaa #aoml #coralcity #civicpridethroughbiodiversity