KML has weathered Hurricanes Fay and Gustav so far this year. Fay caused a mandatory evacuation for a few days days. Rain and wind (30-45 knots here on Long Key) were a minor inconvenience as Gustav passed. Now we're all watching the approach of Hanna, Ike, and Josephine!
The feeding ecology of corals of the
To accomplish these research goals the researchers will use a combination of field collections, field transplants, microcosm experiments, and the application of novel molecular-level biochemical and stable isotopic techniques to determine the relative importance of heterotrophic feeding versus autotrophically-derived organic matter in satisfying the nutritional requirements of the coral host. The results of this study will provide important insights into how corals may be able to adapt to declines in water quality associated with increasing coastal development and environmental change, and will therefore have direct implications for the conservation of corals in
Recent research has clearly shown that the vulnerability of corals to disturbance can be influenced by their energetic status and that the lipid reserves stored by corals may allow them to increase their resistance and resilience to stress. Moreover, the ability of corals to switch their main feeding mode, from autotrophy to heterotrophy, under marginal conditions marginal (i.e., high turbidity, sedimentation, high nutrients) can provide an adaptive mechanism for sustained growth over the short-term that may be fundamental to corals exposed to multiple stressors. The increased availability of heterotrophic energy and nutrient sources in nearshore coastal habitats has already been linked to higher coral growth, increased energy storage, and increased resilience to disturbances such as coral bleaching. These findings have led to the hypothesis that inshore habitats in the
With logistic support provided by KML’s science staff, Lirman and Teece completed coral collections at 4 reefs in the Middle Florida Keys. At each reef (2 inshore and 2 offshore reefs), small (2-4 cm2) tissue shavings were collected from 2 abundant coral species, Porites astreoides and Montastraea faveolata, using a wood chisel. Some of the samples were kept for isotopic analyses and the remaining coral chips were used for a reciprocal transplant experiment established between inshore and offshore coral reefs. In addition to the coral tissue, researchers collected water, macroalgae, zooplankton, and sediment samples to analyze the isotopic composition of benthic primary producers and potential coral food sources. All samples were initially processed at the lab facilities provided by the Keys Marine Lab at Long Key,
In June, 2008, reciprocal coral transplants were performed using tissue chips from colonies from inshore and offshore habitats to document changes in nutritional sources and lipid and protein storage as corals are transplanted to different habitats, and to evaluate the role of nutritional sources and reserves on coral growth and survivorship. Coral chips were glued to terracotta tiles and placed on PVC platforms at
For information on this project, please contact D. Lirman (dlirman@rsmas.miami.edu) or M. Teece (mteece@esf.edu).
