Currents Fall 2012 Newsletter - Volume XXVII, Number 2

11 CORAL REEF RESTORATION ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING LAB (CRRAM) Researcher: David Gilliam, Ph.D. “The protection and conservation of coral reef ecosystems will only advance through strong collaboration among coral reef scientists and local, state, and federal resource managers.” Research Focus: The CRRAM lab focuses on coral reef ecology with an emphasis on restoration, assessment, and monitoring. Research includes investigating the ecology, restoration, and conservation of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) populations. The lab has a strong resource-management focus and works closely with local, state, and federal agency resource managers. Research Activities: • studying the basic ecology of staghorn and other corals • evaluating threats to coral reefs and their communities • monitoring coral reef health • conducting reef damage recovery and restoration projects • investigating methods to improve restoration success CORAL RESTORATION LABORATORY Dean: Richard Dodge, Ph.D. “Local and global degradation of coral reefs necessitates research to better identify causes of stress and to develop methods for sound restoration. Understanding the effects of environmental change and anthropogenic stressors on corals and coral reefs is essential to the preservation and protection of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Restoration science, if properly developed and applied, can help to promote reef recovery.” Ph.D. candidate Liz Larson measuring the growth and recording the health of a staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) colony, an ESA-listed threatened species Park researchers with NSU research scientist Brian Walker, Ph.D. (standing far left); Assistant Professor Dave Gilliam, Ph.D. (seated, left); Ph.D. candidate Liz Larson (center); and M.S. students Stephanie Bush (seated, right) and Mauricio Lopez-Padierna (seated, far right) working in Veracruz, Mexico, assisting the Parque Nacional System Arrecifal Veracruzano with coral reef assessment studies. ResearchFocus: TheCoral Restoration lab is ageneral purpose laboratory for experimental examination of the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors—including pollutants and climate change—on coral reef organism biology and ecology. Coral reproduction and health are studied under controlled conditions. Coral nurseries, in the laboratory and in the field, provide scientists with specimens of multiple coral species for research and experimentation. Nurseries can contain a genetically diverse living stock of corals for reef restoration experimentation and implementation. Research Activities: • impacts of single and multiple interacting coral stressors including nutrient load, acidification, temperature, salinity, oil, chemical dispersants, and other pollutants on corals and coral reef organisms • coral life history, genetics, and reproduction • coral diseases and coral-microbial interactions • propagation of multiple coral species for experimentation and restoration • living stock collection of corals protected from environmental change • rearing and transplantation of nursery corals for reef restoration Ph.D. candidate Abigail Renegar and OC alumna Erin Hodel with experimental corals in the laboratory