2008 Reef Plate Grant Awards
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| The
Protect Our Reefs Grants Advisory Committee announced 16 awards
totaling $449,816 in 2008 for coral reef research, conservation and
education projects funded through the sale of the Protect Our Reefs
specialty license plate. “The Protect Our Reefs Grants Program is funding exciting new research that we hope will help protect and restore coral reefs in the Florida Keys and elsewhere,” said Bruce Frerer, chairman of the Protect Our Reefs Grants Advisory Committee. “The projects funded through this program are unlocking exciting new findings about corals and helping educate the public about the importance of coral reefs and how we need to act now to conserve them.” |
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| Grant Summaries |
| Title: “Investigating the Potential of Native Coral Bacteria to Prevent White Pox Disease” Amount: $37,954 Organization: University of Florida Contact: Max Teplitski, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Water Science, Genetics Institute, University of Florida – IFAS, Gainesville, Florida. maxtep@ufl.edu. Summary: This proposal builds on progress made with funding from the previous Protect Our Reefs Grants Program. This project aims to define virulence behaviors in the White Pox Serratia pathogen that are controlled by a cell-to-cell communication mechanism called “quorum sensing” (QS) then characterize the ability of coral-associated bacteria to inhibit QS-controlled virulence behaviors in the coral pathogen. This will be an important step toward being able to harness the potential of native coral-associated bacteria in protecting coral reefs from bacterial diseases. It will make it possible to continue the work toward reaching the long-term goal for developing sustainable and logistically feasible biological control strategies for managing bacterial diseases of corals. Title: “Seasonal Changes in the Protective Qualities of Elkhorn Coral Surface Mucus” Amount: $10,000 Organization: Mote Marine Laboratory Contact: Kim Ritchie, Ph.D., Manager, Microbiology Program, Ritchie@mote.org. Summary: The project continues research to document temporal changes in Acropora palmata mucus, its effectiveness against potentially invasive microbes, and to document associated microbial population shifts in comparison to a recently funded project to compare Florida’s A. palmata shifts to those in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Past funding documents the shifts from beneficial to pathogenic bacteria on the coral surface and in the water column at Looe Key Reef as temperatures shift. This proposed research has never, before this study, been performed on corals of any species. Title: “Investigation of Microbes Associated with Early Life Stages of Reef-Building Corals in the Florida Keys” Amount: $20,249 Organization: Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce Contact: Valerie Paul, Ph.D., Director, Smithsonian Marine Station, paul@si.edu. Summary: This project continues investigations on the microbiology of reef-building corals in the Florida Keys. Our work has the unique focus of identifying microbes in early life stages of the coral host and specifically looking for bacteria that are acquired during initiation of symbiosis with the photosynthetic zooxanthellae Symbiodinium. Title: “Linking Coral Microbial Populations and Water Column Dissolved Organic Matter” Amount: $40,736 Organization: Mote Marine Laboratory Contact: Kim Ritchie, Ph.D., Manager, Microbiology Program, Ritchie@mote.org. Summary: This project will investigate the role that dissolved organic matter plays in microbial chemical processes in marine waters. Environmental factors that are routinely examined for their impact on coral vitality include nutrients, turbidity, water temperature, and light availability. To this point, however, no research has explored whether fluctuations in the magnitude and/or chemical structure of the bulk dissolved organic matter pool in the water column directly or indirectly influence the health of the imperiled Florida Keys coral ecosystem. Title: “Optimizing substrate conditioning and positioning for coral larval settlement and survival” Amount: $24,225 Organization: NOAA-Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center Contact: Margaret W. Miller, Ph.D., Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Margaret.w.miller@Noaa.gov. Summary: The project seeks to continue ongoing research on broadcasting coral larval ecology in the Florida Keys and better characterize the substrate preferred for coral settlement. The project will also characterize the substrate bacterial/biofilm communities associated with different levels of larval settlement preference via Electron Microscopy imaging and chemical signatures via Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy. Characterization of biofilms preferred for settlement is an important first step to understanding specific mechanisms of larval settlement behavior, how it might be affected by changing environmental conditions such as temperature or pH and how substrates might be engineered to enhance both settlement and survivorship of coral recruits. Title: “The Feeding Ecology of Corals of the Florida Reef Tract: Can Corals Change Their Feeding Mode Based on Environmental Conditions?” Amount: $40,658 Organization: University of Miami Contact: Diego Lirman, Ph.D., University of Miami, dlirman@rsmas.miami.edu. Summary: The location of Florida reefs adjacent to large urban centers makes this system vulnerable to disturbances like eutrophication, sedimentation and pollution associated with coastal development and industrial and agricultural activities. While the decline in reef condition documented in Florida has mirrored regional and global patterns, the present condition, abundance and distribution of corals in the Florida Reef Tract poses a challenging question about the relationship between water quality and coral status and the potential for corals to thrive in marginal environments. In fact, inshore patch reefs exhibit some of the healthiest coral populations in the Florida Reef Tract. The data collected will provide insights into the role of nutritional status and nutritional sources on coral resistance and resilience and will improve our understanding of how corals may adaptively respond to changes in water quality by switching their trophic mode under adverse environmental conditions. Title: “The Genetic Basis for Coral Reef Resilience” Amount: $30,000 Organization: University of Florida Contact: Nancy Denslow, ndeslow@ufl.edu. Summary: This study seeks to understand the genetic differences that allow some corals to survive while others die following changes in habitat/water quality. The study will look at the differences between healthy, bleached, diseased and recovering. The study will sequence thousands of coral genes to help answer the questions. Title: “Impact of Toxic Cyanobacterial Blooms (Lyngbya spp.) on Coral Reef Habitats off Southeastern Florida and the Florida Keys” Amount: $23,383 Organization: Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce Contact: Valerie Paul, Ph.D., Director, Smithsonian Marine Station, paul@si.edu. Summary: The project seeks to identify nutrient sources and regimes initiating and maintaining toxic cyanobacterial blooms of Lyngbya spp. and to assess Lyngbya spp. prevalence and impact on coral reef organisms occurring off southeastern Florida and the Florida Keys. Title: “Developing Restoration Methods to Aid in Recovery of a Key Herbivore, Diadema antillarum, on Florida Coral Reefs” Amount: $60,000 Organization: Mote Marine Laboratory Contact: Ken Leber, Ph.D., Director, Center for Fisheries Enhancement, kleber@mote.org. Summary: This project seeks to understand the processes influencing and preventing the recovery of long-spined sea urchins (Diadema antillarum) in the Florida Keys using a small-scale aquaculture program and computer modeling. Title: “Investigating the Role of the Spotted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus guttatus) in the Recovery of the Long-Spined Sea Urchin (Diadema antillarum) on the Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys” Amount: $13,961 Organization: University of Florida Contact: Donald Behringer, Ph.D., behringer@ufl.edu, department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Summary: This project will investigate the role of the spotted spiny lobster in the recovery of long-spined sea urchins. This proposal seeks to understand the role that spotted spiny lobsters play in the death of urchins and the role they may play in the lack of sea urchin recovery following the massive die-off in the 1980s. Title: “Coral Conservation of Florida’ s Coral Reefs through Controlled Propagation” Amount: $33,000 Organization: Mote Marine Laboratory Contact: Kevan Main, Ph.D., Director, Center for Aquaculture Research and Development, kmain@mote.org. Summary: Culturing corals to restore damaged and declining reef systems represents a promising opportunity to provide the diversity of species required to recreate the reef environment prior to the disturbance event. This project seeks to develop optimal culture techniques for four key scleractinian (hard) coral species, expand the number of broodstock colonies in the coral seed bank, produce large numbers of three coral species for reef restoration research trials, evaluate the health of cultured and wild corals and disseminate project results. Title: “Determining Coral Reef Impacts Associated with Boat Anchoring and User Activity” Amount: $38,350 Organization: University of Florida Contact: Donald Behringer, Ph.D., behringer@ufl.edu, department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Summary: Funding will support the creation of a mooring buoy program in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties to protect reefs from one of their greatest threats: damage from boat anchors. Funding will support aerial surveys to determine which areas are subject to the heaviest uses and to design an appropriate management plan. The study will also determine whether the locations identified in the surveys as those with the highest pressure suffer from the most damage. The program will also seek to determine whether the damage exceeds corals ability to recover from it. Title: “Clifton Perry Reef Study and SLISPP Reef Cleanup Project” Amount: $10,300 Organization: Florida Oceanographic Society Reef Research Team Contact: Merle Stokes, wstokes@martin.fl.us Summary: The project seeks to document the organisms that settle on artificial reefs, even as natural reefs decline. These structures may represent a haven for species as reefs decline, so knowing what is settling on these structures is important. This effort will focs on Clifton S. Perry Memorial Reef and include mapping, benthic surveys, fish counts and support volunteers during reef cleanup St. Lucie Inlet State Preserve coral reefs. Title: South Florida Marine Ecosystem Synthesis Amount: $35,000 Organization: Florida SeaGrant Contact: Pamela Fletcher, South Florida Marine Ecosystem Outreach Coordinator, Florida SeaGrant Summary: Florida SeaGrant is producing a comprehensive book on the South Florida marine ecosystem focused on conceptual drawings and graphics that will clearly illustrate the physical chemical and biological components of the ecosystem for a broad range of audiences, including resource managers, decision makers and the lay public. The book is designed to be useful as an overall comprehensive resource as well as individual pages illustrating smaller portions of the ecosystem. The coral reef chapter will present a comprehensive summary of how various components of the ecosystem operate and will summarize ways that individuals can help preserve the ecosystem for future generations. Title: International Coral Reef Symposium Amount: $22,000 Organization: Nova Southeastern University Contact: Dr. Richard Dodge, Dean, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, dodge@nova.edu. Summary: This grant supports the “Reefs for the Future,” the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium the world’s largest scientific conference dealing with research, education and conservation of coral reefs and reef-related ecosystems. The international meeting is held every four years, with Florida leading the bid to host the 2008 symposium in Fort Lauderdale. More than 2,500 attendees are expected and sessions will focus on sharing current coral reef research efforts in multi-disciplinary platforms. Conference sessions include: “coral reef organisms as recorders of local and global environmental change,” “functional biology of corals and coral symbioses,” “coral microbial interactions,” “ecological processes on today’s reef ecosystems,” “reef resilience,” “reef management” and “reef restoration.” Title: “REEF Marine Exotic Species Action Plan” Amount: $10,000 Organization: REEF Contact: Lad Akins, Director of Special Projects, REEF, Lad@REEF.ORG Summary: This grant supports the coordination of Southeast Florida Marine Exotic Species Workshop to begin the creation of a rapid response plan for non-native species, especially lionfish. Recent documentation has shown that there are more than 16 non-native marine fishes in Southeast Florida waters and that some have become established, showing the need for early detection and rapid response. The workshop will include key agency and constituent groups to review current non-native species plans and develop a coordinated Southeast Florida regional plan for assessment, verification, notification and response to non-native marine species. |
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Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, we incorporate public outreach as a key part of our mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.
