A delegation from FAU Harbor Branch including Drs. Joshua Voss, M. Cristina Diaz, Michael Studivan, and recent hire Dr. Andia Chaves-Fonnegra recently attended the Functional Roles of Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene Gordon Research Conference (GRC) held June 17-22 at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Found at depths of 30–150 m in tropical and subtropical oceans, mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are “middle light” ecosystems that harbor extensive and diverse biological communities, including many important commercial fish species. However, globally mesophotic reefs are relatively understudied compared to shallow coral reefs, and only recently has the ecological importance of MCEs become a research priority.
At the inaugural mesophotic coral reefs GRC, Dr. Voss was one of three invited speaker in the Genetic Connectivity Among Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems session and presented NOAA CIOERT funded research regarding mesophotic coral connectivity in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Belize, and Cuba. Drs. Diaz, Chaves-Fonnegra, and Studivan presented posters regarding mesophotic sponges, disease dynamics, and coral gene expression, respectively. Dr. Studivan, in presenting a portion of his dissertation research, was honored with the “Best Graduate Student Poster” award.
Gordon Research Conferences are prestigious international scientific conferences that promote the presentation and discussion of new, unpublished research at the frontiers of science. By limiting conference attendance, GRCs encourage the free exchange of ideas while fostering communication and collaboration among both prominent and developing researchers in targeted scientific fields.
At the inaugural mesophotic coral reefs GRC, Dr. Voss was one of three invited speaker in the Genetic Connectivity Among Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems session and presented NOAA CIOERT funded research regarding mesophotic coral connectivity in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Belize, and Cuba. Drs. Diaz, Chaves-Fonnegra, and Studivan presented posters regarding mesophotic sponges, disease dynamics, and coral gene expression, respectively. Dr. Studivan, in presenting a portion of his dissertation research, was honored with the “Best Graduate Student Poster” award.
Gordon Research Conferences are prestigious international scientific conferences that promote the presentation and discussion of new, unpublished research at the frontiers of science. By limiting conference attendance, GRCs encourage the free exchange of ideas while fostering communication and collaboration among both prominent and developing researchers in targeted scientific fields.
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