Celebrating 20 years at KML

Hot off the printing presses! New KML 20th Anniversary t-shirts! Designed by KML alum, Peter Bouwma (Bouwma Communication Design), with the KML 20th Anniversary logo on the front pocket area and full-color artwork depicting marine creatures of the Keys, bayside and oceanside, on the back (can you find KML on the map?). These beautiful 100% heavy-weight (6.2 oz) cotton tees are available in sizes Small through XX-Large. Short-sleeved style available in white or ash for $15.00 (plus $1.13 tax). Long-sleeved tees available in ash only for $20.00 (plus $1.50 tax). Order yours online through the Wildlife Foundation of Florida http://www.wildlifefoundationofflorida.com/?q=catalog/1

If you are visiting KML, order your shirts through the Foundation, present your receipt, and pick up your shirt in the office. KML ball caps are also still available for $15.00, plus tax.

As always, your generous donations are used for upgrades and improvements around the Lab and are tremendously appreciated.

Welcome Trevor, new KML staff scientist

Trevor Luna joined the KML team as a Biological Scientist for FWC/FWRI in December of 2011. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL before moving to Zambia, Africa to serve in the U.S. Peace Corps. There he worked with the Zambian Department of Livestock and Fisheries as an Aquaculture Extension Agent promoting rural Tilapia culture. Trevor is an avid boater, diver, fisherman and hunter. The KML team is very excited to have Trevor on board. Welcome Trevor!

Adaptation to loacal environment in corals?

Are corals genetically adapted to different habitats, or are they able to change their physiology to match novel environmental conditions? Carly Kenkel, a PhD candidate from the University of Texas at Austin hopes to answer this question for her model coral species, the Mustard Hill Coral (Porites astreoides), in the Florida Keys. She came to KML to set-up a large reciprocal transplant experiment to test for local adaptation of P. astreoides to differing thermal environments in the Keys. Because she was only able to spend 5 days here, the KML staff scientists helped with her collections and field deployment of the experiment. KML divers collected 15 P. astreoides colonies from a near-shore and off-shore site.

Healthy P. asteroides colony next to color reference card

Carly then fragmented these colonies using a tile saw, and mounted them on cement pucks with cattle tag labels to keep track of all the individuals.

Finally, Carly weighed all the fragments so that she can monitor growth during her experiment.

KML divers returned all the mounted fragments to her field sites, and she’ll be back in the spring and again in the fall to see if her predictions are correct!