Current Research and Research Interests

M.S. Thesis:

The photophysiological response of corals to their light microenvironment

Coral reefs are one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, contributed in part by the symbiotic relationship between host coral and their symbiont dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium). However, coral reefs are faced with extraordinary pressures on local, regional, and global scales due to climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. Change in reef substratum composition, from declining coral cover, will lead to changes in the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) impinging upon the coral, and this in turn, has significant implications for the light-dependent processes of photosynthesis and calcification. This research proposes to test the hypothesis that reef substratum composition does not influence coral color through altering the spectral composition of the microenvironment. In order to test the influence of the light environment, the project will address three issues pertaining to the coral color and the spectral composition of the reef environment in relation to the surrounding substratum. The research will first quantify the color of coral and substratum through RGB color analysis of digital photographs. The second focus of the research will measure the spectral composition of the reef environment using an underwater spectrophotometer, to quantify the spectrum of the light environment from differing substratum types. The third part of the research will be a mensurative experiment evaluating the photosynthetic efficiency of the corals growing on substrata differing in composition and color. The rate of coral calcification deposition will be used as a measurement of coral health and growth in differing spectral environments. Evaluating the physiological response of the coral colony to differing light environments and spectral compositions, will further the understanding of coral biology and ecophysiology.