Marine Biology Commons^™

Optimization Of Grow-Out Of Bouldering Coral Microfragments: Land Vs. Offshore Nursery, Ashlee A. Steinberg

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Corals along the Florida Reef Tract and the wider Caribbean have been declining for decades. Low densities of adult colonies hinder the ability of corals to replenish themselves through sexual reproduction, thus reef managers are focusing on restoration actions that increase coral biomass. Microfragmentation is a way to quickly increase the biomass of bouldering corals by cutting the coral into small pieces which forces the coral to allocate its resources away from reproduction and back into growth, increasing its growth rate. This study assessed the optimal location for grow-out (land vs. offshore nursery) and its synergy with size of fragment …

A Comparative Genomics Exploration Of Inter-Partner Metabolic Signaling In The Coral-Algal Symbiosis, Katherine E. Dougan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the foundation of coral reef ecosystems is the symbiosis between the coral host and its microbial community, particularly its photoautotrophic algae from the family Symbiodiniaceae. As a symbiosis centered around nutritional exchange, determining the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of this cooperative exchange is central to understanding how it breaks down. As the nutritional transfer primarily consists of sugars, this work first focuses on the cnidarian insulin signaling pathway, an evolutionarily important metazoan pathway involved in diverse functions, most notably metabolism. This dissertation unveiled 360 putative cnidarian insulin-like peptides (cnILPs) from existing transcriptomic datasets, where they were previously missed …

The Roles Of Host Species, Geographic Scale And Environmental Stressors In Shaping The Composition Of Coral Microbiomes, Alicia Marie Riegel Parker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Reef-building corals are long-lived and may take many centuries to adapt, making them especially susceptible to climate change. However, corals host microbial symbionts that can change quickly, potentially speeding acclimation. My dissertation aimed to determine the degree of coevolution and flexibility between corals and their microbiomes among hosts, across space, and in response to stress.

Microbial communities are usually surveyed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, however the PCR primers used also amplify coral DNA, thereby limiting prokaryotic read coverage. To mitigate this contamination, I designed a peptide nucleic acid clamp that increased the recovery of bacterial reads by 2-11x …

How Corals Avoid Mating Between Different Species, Amanda Kempton

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Coral Health, Kristin Jones

2019 Symposium

Plastic pollution is a large and growing problem in our ever producing world. Not only does it litter our cities, but it is cluttering up the natural world as well, the largest being our oceans. Plastic is dumped into the seas where it floats and slowly breaks down into microplastics that are then ingested by marine animals. I will conduct an experiment to test the effects of micro plastics on coral health by subjecting palythoa corals to different plastic levels in a controlled environment. I hypothesize that corals will ingest micro plastics and will suffer health consequences, leading to a …

A Phylogeographic Analysis Of Black Coral (Antipatharia) On Artificial And Natural Reefs In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Heather Otte

Theses and Dissertations

NOAA's Islands in the Stream concept (IitS) of designating networks of marine protected areas as refugia in the Gulf of Mexico depends on genetic connectivity. Isolated habitats like those proposed by the IitS occur naturally off the Texas coast where hard-bottom structures protrude from mudflats, offering a small-scale study of the IitS feasibility. Two sequences, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA and nuclear internal transcribed spacer, were used to build haplotype networks of Antipatharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia), corals with planktonic larvae that can act as a proxy for connectivity of other organisms. Two species showed no significant genetic differentiation or pattern of genetic …

The Controversy Of Sunscreen Ingredients: Examining The Relationship Between Oxybenzone And Butylparaben On Stylophorum Pistillata, Brian K. Lee, Natalia Corvalan, Jae Z. Saraum

Exigence

Abstract

The basis of this proposal is to understand the relationship between select UV filters and coral bleaching and provide a framework for additional research. Coral reefs are home to a diversity of marine life and are keystones to major coastal economies around the world. Oxybenzone and butylparaben are major ingredients found in sunscreen that induces coral bleaching to major coral reefs. To alleviate the negative effects, this proposal will attempt to better understand how oxybenzone and butylparaben facilitates coral bleaching and develop an effective and environmentally fair sunscreen. The research proposed will be funded by donors to cover research, …

Phenomenological And Molecular Basis Of The Cnidarian Immune System, Tanya Brown

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet due partially to the habitat structure provided by corals. Corals are long lived organisms that can live for hundreds of years and as a result growth of many species is very slow. As a result of this, recovery of corals from disease outbreaks is very slow and difficult and therefore the ecosystem is deteriorating rapidly. Due to this increase in disease and its detrimental effect on coral reefs, it has become imperative to study how corals respond to disease outbreaks. The response of the coral to pathogens is …

Resurgence Of Acropora Corals On Mid Shelf Patch Reefs, Southwater Caye Marine Reserve, Central Belize, Jillian J. Keefer

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Acropora cervicornis (staghorn) and Acropora palmata (elkhorn) are ecologically important corals that grow quickly and provide topography and refuges for fish and invertebrates. Historically, Acropora was the most abundant coral in shallow patch reef zones in the Caribbean. During the 1980s, white band disease eliminated most Acropora causing a loss in rugosity and an increase of macroalgae on many reefs. Although Acropora remains rare throughout most of the Caribbean, this study documents its partial comeback and possible limiting factors in Southwater Caye Marine Reserve (SWCMR), Central Belize. Patch reefs in the reserve averaged 19% live coral cover with A. palmata …

Coral-Fish Dynamics And Interactions: A Case Study Of Grand Cayman, Eileen Shea Davis

Lawrence University Honors Projects

To better understand the ecological interactions of coral reefs, it is important to understand the mechanisms that control the distribution and abundance of reef-building corals as well as the mechanisms that control the diversity and abundance of the fish community that inhabits these reef habitats. The purpose of this study was to identify specific coral-fish interactions among the reefs of Grand Cayman in order to gain insight into the biological effects of fish on the assemblage of hard corals. Using data collected by the Lawrence University Marine Program (LUMP), a number of exploratory statistical analyses were run in order to …

The Phylum Cnidaria: A Review Of Phylogenetic Patterns And Diversity 300 Years After Linnaeus, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Marymegan Daly, Mercer R. Brugler, Paulyn Cartwright, Allen G. Collins, Michael N. Dawson, Daphne G. Fautin, Scott C. France, Dennis M. Opresko, Estefania Rodriguez, Sandra L. Romano, Joel L. Stake

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Systema Naturae includes representatives of every major lineage of the animal phylum Cnidaria. However, Linnaeus did not classify the members of the phylum as is now done, and the diversity of the group is not well represented. We contrast the Linnaean perspective on cnidarian diversity with the modern, phylogenetic perspective. For each order, we detail diversity at the family level, providing phylogenetic context where possible.