THE SECOND LIFE OF A SHIPWRECK

The birth of an artificial coral reef is an example of one of nature's most important processes ecological succession.

- Charles C. Hofer

On the afternoon of July 13, 1733, the Spanish ship named the San Pedro left Havana, Cuba. The ship was loaded with silver coins and precious jewels. This was supposed to be a routine trip, transporting goods from the colonies to Spain.

But the San Pedro never completed its voyage. That afternoon, a hurricane roared in. Waves and winds thrashed the ship, breaking it apart. The San Pedro sank, dropping beneath the waves before coming to its final resting place 18 feet (5.5 meters) below. And there the ship sat for more than 200 years.

In the 1960s, divers rediscovered the lost ship, still nestled in its sandy grave 18 feet (5.5 meters) below the warm waters off the Florida Keys. In the ruins of the ship, the divers found a treasure. But it wasn't gold and silver-the Spanish had recovered almost all of those riches long ago. Instead, the divers found the ship transformed into a magnificent marine ecosystem. The wreck of the San Pedro was now a coral reef teeming with life.

Today, the San Pedro is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a collection of nine shipwrecks off the southern tip of Florida. Once, these sunken ships were barren, lifeless vessels. Today, they all host spellbinding marine ecosystems. They have become artificial coral reefs.

Ecological Succession

The birth of a coral reef is a great example of one of nature's most fundamental and important processes-ecological succession. Ecological succession is the gradual change of species and communities over time. Ecological succession is how an area, once destroyed by a terrible wildfire, recovers and transforms into a lush prairie. It's how a shrubland filled with short, woody plants grows into a towering forest. Or, it can be how a barren shipwreck transforms into a magnificent coral reef.