SEMINAR: MBF 602 Seminar- Daniel Holstein March 12th, 2010 4:00pm S/A seminar room

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Vertical connectivity in mesophotic coral ecosystems

Declines in living coral on shallow Caribbean reefs due to escalating and interacting stressors may further compromise the ability of these reefs and associated species to resist global change. Mesophotic coral reef ecosystems (MCE) at depths between 30 – 150m have been shown to be buffered from some of the stressors associated with habitat degradation in their shallow counterparts. High coral cover and species overlap between shallow reefs and MCEs imply that MCEs may serve as refugia for many coral reef species and contribute to processes of recovery in shallow coral populations. In order to explore this possibility, processes that control the direction and strength of larval connectivity pathways between MCE and shallow coral habitats must be addressed. Because the initial transport of early larvae is considered to be one of the major factors impacting recruitment success, this study focuses on Montastraea faveolata andPorites astreoides vertical larval connectivity between shallow and deep coral environments in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Measurements of depth-specific adult reproductive strategy (spawning time, frequency, fecundity), egg buoyancy and larval behavior will be used to parameterize the dispersion of planula in a coupled biophysical Connectivity Modeling System (CMS). The CMS consists of submodels including an Individual Based Model (IBM) simulating larval movement, growth and survival and a GIS-based module depicting habitat, adult production and proximal settlement cues, coupled to a nested Regional Ocean Modeling System’s (ROMS) velocity field to estimate transport. The resulting connectivity matrices will elucidate mechanisms controlling vertical larval connectivity in the USVI and aid in the management of local and regional coral metapopulations.

 

Daniel M. Holstein

B.S. Marine Science and Biology, University of Miami, FL (2006)

Entered MAF January 2007

Entered MBF Ph.D. program Fall 2009

Advisor: Claire B. Paris

Cary Rios 
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University of Miami
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