Project: CAREER: Applying phenotypic variability to identify resilient Acropora cervicornis genotypes in the Florida Keys

Acronym/Short Name:Resilient Acerv
Project Duration:2015-04 - 2021-05
Geolocation:Florida Keys, Summerland Key, FL 24.563595°, -81.278572°

Description

NSF Award Abstract:
Caribbean staghorn coral was one of the most common corals within reefs of the Florida Keys several decades ago. Over the last 40 years disease, bleaching, overfishing and habitat degradation caused a 95% reduction of the population. Staghorn coral is now listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. Within the past few years, millions of dollars have been invested for the purpose of restoring the population of staghorn coral within Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Significant effort has been placed on maintaining and propagating corals of known genotypes within coral nurseries for the purpose of outplanting. However, little is known about the individual genotypes that are currently being outplanted from nurseries onto coral reefs. Are the genotypes being used for outplanting resilient enough to survive the three major stressors affecting the population in the Florida Keys: disease, high water temperatures, and ocean acidification? The research within the present study will be the first step in answering this critically important question. The funded project will additionally develop a research-based afterschool program with K-12 students in the Florida Keys and U.S. Virgin Islands that emphasizes an inquiry-based curriculum, STEM research activities, and peer-to-peer mentoring. The information from the present study will help scientists predict the likelihood of species persistence within the lower Florida Keys under future climate-change and ocean-acidification scenarios. Results of this research will also help guide restoration efforts throughout Florida and the Caribbean, and lead to more informative, science-based restoration activities.

Acropora cervicornis dominated shallow-water reefs within the Florida Keys for at least the last half a million years, but the population has recently declined due to multiple stressors. Understanding the current population level of resilience to three major threats - disease outbreaks, high water temperatures, and ocean acidification conditions - is critical for the preservation of this threatened species. Results from the present study will answer the primary research question: will representative genotypes from the lower Florida Keys provide enough phenotypic variation for this threatened species to survive in the future? The present proposal will couple controlled laboratory challenge experiments with field data and modeling applications, and collaborate with local educators to fulfill five objectives: 1) identify A. cervicornis genotypes resistant to disease, 2) identify A. cervicornis genotypes resilient to high water temperature and ocean acidification conditions, 3) quantify how high water temperature and ocean acidification conditions impact disease dynamics on A. cervicornis; 4) determine tradeoffs in life-history traits because of resilience factors; and 5) apply a trait-based model, which will predict genotypic structure of a population under different environmental scenarios.


DatasetLatest Version DateCurrent State
Information about sequences of coral, Acropora cervicornis, collected from host colonies at the Mote Marine Laboratory in situ coral nursery in Looe Key, Lower Florida Keys in November and December 20192024-04-04Data not available
Aquaria water quality pH and dissolved oxygen measurements from full factorial study of Acropora cervicornis at Mote Marine Laboratory in Nov-Dec 20192022-04-22Data not available
Aquaria water quality PAR measurements from full factorial study of Acropora cervicornis at Mote Marine Laboratory in Nov-Dec 20192022-04-22Data not available
Aquaria water quality total alkalinity, DIC, and CO2 measurements from full factorial study of Acropora cervicornis at Mote Marine Laboratory in Nov-Dec 20192022-04-22Preliminary and in progress
Fecundity and oocyte sizes of Acropora cervicornis genotypes measured July 2020 at Mote Marine Lab2022-03-23Final no updates expected
Temperature and pCO2 effects on survivability of 25 genotypes of Acropora cervicornis coral at Mote Marine Laboratory in Nov-Dec 20192022-03-18Preliminary and in progress
Pilot study with three unique genotypes of Acropora cervicornis coral to determine survival probability after exposure to temperature treatments at Mote Marine Laboratory in September and October 20192022-03-18Preliminary and in progress
Assessment of polyps per area of Acropora cervicornis genotypes sampled July 2020 for fecundity analysis at Mote Marine Laboratory2022-03-16Final no updates expected
Fecundity assessment of Acropora cervicornis colonies from spawning observations and gamete bundle analysis in August 2020 at Mote Marine Laboratory 2022-03-15Final no updates expected
Fecundity and number of oocytes from Acropora cervicornis genotypes measured July 2020 at Mote Marine Lab2022-03-14Final no updates expected
Colony sizes and morphometric assessments of Acropora cervicornis genotypes sampled July 2020 for fecundity analysis at Mote Marine Laboratory2021-03-23Final no updates expected
Imaging pulse amplitude modulator fluorometer data collected from Acropora cervicornis under different pH and temperature treatments from experiments at Summerland Key, Florida from July to September 20172020-05-19Final no updates expected
Acropora cervicornis buoyant weight measurements under different pH and temperature treatments from experiments at Summerland Key, Florida from July to September 20172020-05-19Final no updates expected
Acropora cervicornis growth rates under different pH and temperature treatments from experiments at Summerland Key, Florida in September of 20162017-10-05Final no updates expected
Imaging pulse amplitude modulator fluorometer data collected during Acropora cervicornis experiments at Summerland Key, Florida from July to September of 20162017-08-08Final no updates expected
Acropora cervicornis photosynthesis and respiration rates under different pH and temperature treatments from experiments at Summerland Key, Florida in September of 20162017-08-08Final no updates expected
Acropora cervicornis growth rates under different pH and temperature treatments from experiments at Summerland Key, Florida in September of 20162017-08-08Final no updates expected
Acropora cervicornis coral disease exposure experiment conducted on Summerland Key, FL from August to September of 2015 (Resilient Acerv project)2016-04-11Final no updates expected

People

Principal Investigator: Erinn M. Muller
Mote Marine Laboratory (Mote)


Data Management Plan

DMP_OCE-1452538.pdf (30.26 KB)
04/11/2016