Oil, Dispersant, and Disease: Impacts and Interactions on Florida's Corals
Coral mucus is collected for bacterial community profiling
The overall goal of this project is an integrated assessment of oil and dispersant impacts on Florida’s reef building corals. A combination of ex situ exposure experiments, advanced molecular techniques, and in situ monitoring at potentially affected sites provide complementary data on the potential effects of oil and dispersant. The goals of this project are to:
A coral and zooxanthellae toxicant-stress microarray has been developed to identify genetic profiles indicative of exposure to crude oil, dispersants, or a combination of the contaminants. Bacterial community profiling is also being used to identify changes in the microbial communities of corals in response to oil and dispersants and to predict the effects of these changes on coral resilience. Both of these techniques will be combined with ongoing surveys of coral reef health at established Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (CREMP) sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- Adapt our coral-stress microarray to include genetic biomarkers indicative of oil/ dispersant exposure.
- Determine the potential effects of Deepwater Horizon oil and dispersants on coral health at molecular, organismal, population, and community levels.
- Identify damage to corals due to oil/dispersant exposure including both mortality and sublethal stresses.
- Assess chronic impacts of oil on coral health and the potential for recovery and resilience in affected habitats.
A coral and zooxanthellae toxicant-stress microarray has been developed to identify genetic profiles indicative of exposure to crude oil, dispersants, or a combination of the contaminants. Bacterial community profiling is also being used to identify changes in the microbial communities of corals in response to oil and dispersants and to predict the effects of these changes on coral resilience. Both of these techniques will be combined with ongoing surveys of coral reef health at established Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (CREMP) sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Coral fragments being exposed to oil in an experimental raceway
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Partners: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Kate Semon Lunz, Rob Ruzicka), Mote Tropical Marine Laboratory (Erich Bartels), Tonya Shearer (Georgia Tech)
Funding: FIO Oil Spill Grant, Mote Protect Our Reef Grant, Robertson Coral Reef Program, and Link Foundation for Intern Support |
