Voss Lab graduate students Sydney Bell and Haley Davis recently made an unfortunate yet important discovery on the reefs of Bonaire: the first reported potential observations of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in the region. SCTLD was first identified and characterized in south Florida, but sadly has now been documented in several locations throughout the wider Caribbean. As of May 2022, SCTLD had not been reported yet in Bonaire nor in nearby Aruba or Curaçao. Initial surveys in June 2022 at four dive sites identified four species with active disease lesions, all of which are species known to be highly susceptible to SCTLD: Colpophyllia natans, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Meandrina meandrites, and Diploria labyrinthiformis. Our team quickly notified collaborators at Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA) and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Association (DCNA) to share data and help inform subsequent monitoring and response efforts. Follow surveys and/or sampling will be needed to confirm SCTLD at these sites. STINAPA and DCNA have also taken aggressive steps to help reduce the potential spread of SCTLD to other reefs in Bonaire, including temporary dive site closures.

​To learn more about FAU Harbor Branch’s coral disease research and intervention efforts visit https://vosslab.weebly.com/coral-health--disease.html.
​And for more information about coordinated SCTLD tracking and response in the wider Caribbean visit https://www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak/. ​

We're very happy to announce that ​Voss Lab Ph.D. Candidate Alexis Sturm has been awarded a NOAA John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students or recent graduates who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. She is one of six Florida graduate students among the 83 Knauss finalists selected for 2023!   

This is the second Knauss Fellowship awarded to a Voss Lab student.  Danielle Dodge Farelli was also selected as a Knauss Fellow in 2018 and has continued her professional career with NOAA, now serving as the Assistant Chief of Staff for NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
 
Lexie is looking forward to the placement week where she will interview with multiple offices across agencies throughout the Executive Branch including NOAA, EPA, and NSF, and will match into her host office. During her year-long appointment with the federal government, Lexie aims to connect her passions for marine science, management, and policy and to continue applying and supporting cutting-edge research for a purpose.
 
Prior to starting as a Knauss Fellow, Lexie will be defending her dissertation entitled Genetic structure of shallow and mesophotic populations of a dominant, broadcast spawning coral, Montastraea cavernosa, in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean on August 22nd at 2 PM.

​Congratulations Lexie!

The entire lab was thrilled to attend the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium in Germany this summer. More than 1100 coral reef scientists from 80 countries participated in this outstanding scientific conference.  In addition to the excellent presentations, plenary lectures, poster sessions, and workshops, ICRS 2022 also included a number of cultural, artistic, and networking events in beautiful and historic Bremen. 

​Our FAU Harbor Branch team was very well represented with 10 presentations:

• Joshua Voss et al. Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Exploration and Characterization in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Cuba, and Mesoamerica
• Ryan Eckert et al. Genetic connectivity and algal symbiont communities of shallow and mesophotic Stephanocoenia intersepta populations in Florida
• Alexis Sturm et al. Genetic connectivity patterns among shallow and mesophotic Montastraea cavernosa coral populations in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean
• Erin Shilling et al. Intervention strategies for diseased corals in Southeast Florida and potential impacts on mucus microbial communities 
• Allie Klein et al. Stony coral tissue loss disease susceptibility and resistance: Genomic and microbiome factors in Orbicella faveolata 
• Gabby Pantoni et al. Can coral restoration combat coral losses to stony coral tissue loss disease in the northern region of Florida's Coral Reef? (DEP/FWC)
• Sydney Bell et al. Can Genomic Information Help Predict Coral Restoration Success? 2bRAD Sequencing in a Multi-Species South Florida Coral Restoration Experiment 
• Ashley Carreiro et al.  Assessment of nutrient enrichment effects on stony coral tissue loss disease progression and microbial communities in Montastraea cavernosa corals
• Haley Davis & Joshua Voss. Hyposalinity thresholds for stony corals Montastraea cavernosa and Porites astreoides in southeast Florida 
• Michael Studivan et al. Optimizing stony coral tissue loss disease intervention strategies through whole-transcriptome gene expression profiling