Highlights

Research Experiences for Teachers
at the Smithsonian
Application Procedures
2003

Research Experiences for Teachers

Clemontene W. Rountree

Ms. Rountree is from Silver Spring, Maryland. She is currently a science teacher at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, DC. Ms. Rountree has received many awards and honors including the Excellence in Science Teaching Award (2002) from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In 2002 she participated in the National Academy of Science's Teacher Advisory Council's "Voice for Teacher" conference, and the NSF Research Teacher Internship at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Research Advisor:

John Pandolfi
(202) 357-2406
pandolfi.john@nmnh.si.edu

Curator. B.S. University of Notre Dame; Ph.D. University of California, Davis. Research interests: Ecological dynamics of coral reefs; Long-term ecological records of coral reefs: global climate change and the present biodiversity crisis; Long-term ecological records of marine environments, populations, and communities; the origin of the modern Caribbean reef coral fauna: evolution and extinction within the Montastraea "annularis" complex. Science Unit: Department of Paleobiology.

Project Title: Reef Corals

Project Description: Ecology and biodiversity of the Montastraea "annularis" reef corals species complex. Montastraea "annularis" has long held the interest of coral reef ecologists because it is one of the most dominant corals of Caribbean reefs. The extensive variability in colony morphology (columns, massive heads, and sheets/plates) exhibited over a depth range from the intertidal to greater than 80 meters water depth was believed to be an adaptive response to differing light levels. More recently, a number of features were found to covary with the different types of colony morphologies, and have led recent investigators to conclude that modern Montastraea "annularis" sensu lato, long thought to represent one species, consists of a complex of at least 3 different species. Morphometric analyses of non-traditional skeletal characters including septal relief and corallite structure show that the species are morphologically distinct.

The purpose of the current research project is to assess the species boundaries and ecological distribution of each of the three purported species of the M. "annularis" species complex from Carrie Bow Caye, Belize. It was at this Smithsonian marine lab that the original Montastraea "annularis" species was first extensively studied. The distribution of these species was recorded for seventy 30 meter transects, ranging from 2 - 30 meters deep. In addition, 50 specimens were collected for morphological analysis.

A teacher assisting in this project would be involved in: 1) measuring nine morphological characteristics from the collected specimens (including growth rate, corallite fan width, colony curvature, etc.) to determine how skeletal morphology varies among growth forms (and species); and 2) summarizing the transect data in the form of tables and graphs with statistical analyses to quantify the ecological distribution of the three reef coral species. Full training in these techniques will be provided.

Application for the Classroom: One of the fundamental questions of science is "What is a species?" The definition of species is forever evolving, and species of all kinds of organisms are being reclassified and reevaluated as the scientific community expands its knowledge of the natural world. Understanding of the "species" concept is important for evaluation of ecosystem health and to understand the loss of biodiversity plaguing our world today. This project allows a teacher to not only experience morphological and ecological research first hand, but will give them further insight into the complex issue of species classification and how it relates to understanding of the importance of species loss and ecological conservation.