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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Identifying Disease-Resistant And Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes In The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Morgan V. Hightshoe
Identifying Disease-Resistant And Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes In The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Morgan V. Hightshoe
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Since the 1970s, loss of herbivores, coral bleaching, pollution, and disease epidemics have reshaped the ecological framework of coral reefs. Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, was a major reef-building scleractinian coral found throughout Florida and the Caribbean that experienced unprecedented population declines primarily due to disease and coral bleaching. These two stressors are coupled; the highest coral disease prevalence occurs after periods of thermal stress caused by increased sea surface temperature. Previous research documented three disease-resistant A. cervicornis genotypes in Panama, but it is unknown if disease-resistant genotypes exist in the Florida Keys. Thermal tolerance has been found to be …
Exploring The Potential For Artificial Reefs In Coral Reef Restoration: Responses And Interactions Of Associated Biota To Varying Experimental Treatments In The Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle
Exploring The Potential For Artificial Reefs In Coral Reef Restoration: Responses And Interactions Of Associated Biota To Varying Experimental Treatments In The Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Coral reefs are being negatively impacted by various causes worldwide, and direct intervention is often warranted following disturbance to restore or replace lost ecosystem structure and function. An experimental coral reef restoration study involving standardized artificial reef modules (ReefballsTM) was conducted in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the towns of Puerto Morelos and Akumal. The purpose was to explore the use of artificial structure for restoration and mitigation applications in a highly diverse and dynamic Caribbean coral reef environment by applying and evaluating the performance of select experimental treatments hypothesized to accelerate development of the associated biota. The first …
Artificial Reefs As Juvenile Fish Habitats In Marinas, Allison Patranella
Artificial Reefs As Juvenile Fish Habitats In Marinas, Allison Patranella
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Coastal infrastructure has replaced many vital fish nursery habitats with structures designed without fully mitigating for the loss of the natural ecosystems. This thesis details research focused on the use of small, inexpensive, artificial reef modules as replacement juvenile fish habitat within marinas. My research hypothesis was that the placement of small, structurally complex artificial reef modules would increase fish abundance and species richness relative to unmodified marina seawalls. Non-destructive visual surveys of fishes were completed monthly for 14 months for 12 artificial reef sites and 12 control (unmodified) sites within the Nova Southeastern University Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center (NSU-GHOC) …
Coral Genotype Influence On Growth And Stress Resistance In Acropora Cervicornis: Investigating Potential Energy Tradeoffs, Peter T. Grasso
Coral Genotype Influence On Growth And Stress Resistance In Acropora Cervicornis: Investigating Potential Energy Tradeoffs, Peter T. Grasso
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Over the last few decades coral reefs have faced unprecedented declines in health due to natural and anthropogenic sources. Until recently few studies have examined genotypic variation of growth and thermal stress resistance in Acropora cervicornis. This study aims to assess the potential for energy trade-offs between growth and thermal stress resistance by following 120 coral fragments from 12 genotypes of Acropora cervicornis over the course of 15 months to determine average growth rates for each genotype. Following the completion of the growth observation a bleaching event occurred in the lower Florida Keys providing the opportunity for examining thermal …
Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Restoration In South Florida: Growth And Survivorship Of Outplanted Nursery Corals, Meaghan Johnson
Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Restoration In South Florida: Growth And Survivorship Of Outplanted Nursery Corals, Meaghan Johnson
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the growth and survivorship of outplanted Acropora cervicornis corals from underwater nurseries within three regions of the Florida Reef Tract. Substantial loss of stony coral cover on Florida’s coral reefs, including the branching staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, has occurred for decades due to disturbances such as disease, temperature induced bleaching, hurricanes, sedimentation, and pollution. This rapid population decline contributed to A. cervicornis being listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in May 2006. To aid in the recovery of the species, coral fragments were grown in underwater nurseries …
Evaluating Acropora Cervicornis Growth And Survivorship In A Line Nursery, Zachary Ostroff
Evaluating Acropora Cervicornis Growth And Survivorship In A Line Nursery, Zachary Ostroff
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata were once dominant, reef-building corals of Caribbean reefs. Over the last several decades, population declines of Caribbean Acropora have been dramatic, and both species are now listed as “Threatened” under the United States Endangered Species Act. Numerous restoration efforts now utilize coral gardening techniques to cultivate these species for transplantation, in which A. cervicornis is primarily cultivated both on fixed structures and in line nurseries. This study evaluates growth and survivorship of multiple A. cervicornis genotypes grown via two line nursery techniques, and compares the efficacy of each against the conventional method of fixed nursery …