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Clemontene
Rountree John Pandolfi, Ph.D. "It is extremely rare that a teacher is given the opportunity to have an unparallel adventure into the world of a research scientist. This academically stimulating, professionally rewarding, and personally inspiring experience will be shared with my students." |
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Ecology and biodiversity of the Montastraea "annularis" reef corals species complex The reef coral know to scientists as Montastraea
"annularis" has long held the interest of coral reef
ecologists because it is one of the most dominant corals of Caribbean
reefs. Recent discoveries have led investigators to conclude that
modern Montastraea "annularis," long thought to represent
one species, consists of a complex of three different species. Although
these three species can be distinguished by growth form, traditional
measurements of internal structures used to differentiate M. "annularis"
from other corals do not distinguish these three species from each
other. Measurements of less commonly used internal structures were
measured on collected specimens to determine if they vary among the
three species. Finding internal structures that can be used in identifying
these species is important to ecologists and paleontologists who may
not have samples that display growth form. Additional data must be
collected before conclusions can be drawn regarding the non-traditional
measurements. In addition, transect data of species distribution across
the reef was analyzed to quantify their ecological distribution. These
data show a significant difference in the water depth preference of
each species. M. faveolata favors shallower depths, M. franksi
deeper depths and M. annularis s.s. mid depths. Understanding
of the differences among species and their distribution is important
for evaluation of ecosystem health and to understand the loss of biodiversity
plaguing our world today. This research was supported by a grant from the
National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers Award
Number DBI-0243512, Supplement #1 |