The molecular ecophysiology of closely related pocilloporids of the South Pacific: a case study from the Austral and Cook Islands

[2016]

Coral colonies were sampled in the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, and Cook Islands and ten physiological response variables were measured to understand outliers in the coral communities.

The molecular ecophysiology of closely related pocilloporids of the South Pacific: a case study from the Austral and Cook Islands

Platax 13: 1-25, 2016
By Anderson B. Mayfield, Chii-Shiarng Chen, Alexandra C. Dempsey, Andrew W. Bruckner
January 25, 2016

Abstract

In April-May 2013, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s research vessel, the M.Y. Golden Shadow, traversed a ~2,000-km, predominantly unexplored region of the South Pacific Ocean, a marine transect that incorporated reefs abutting the Austral Islands of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. In addition to conducting traditional coral reef surveys on this four-week mission, molecular biological techniques were employed to attempt to assess the health of pocilloporid corals sampled at the majority of the 59 reefs visited. Ten molecular physiological response variables were measured in a 45-sample subset of the 122 colonies sampled, and, upon utilizing multivariate statistical approaches (MSA), it was found that Pocillopora verrucosa samples from Maria Atoll in the Austral Islands differed significantly from all other sampled colonies, particularly with respect to the hsp90 mRNA expression signatures of their endosymbiotic dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) communities. Additionally, a novel outlier detection technique employing heat maps and a variety of MSA identified five outliers (11% of the dataset); curiously, though, there was no effect of environment on outlier frequency. These five colonies were hypothesized to be displaying aberrant behavior with respect to their cellular physiology at the time of sampling, and it is hoped that this MSA-based outlier discovery approach could be exploited to identify corals of compromised resilience in future coral reef monitoring endeavors.

From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.

Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.

Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.

There are certain faces you never forget.

Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…