Research Projects
Marah J. H. Newman
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD.
mjnewman@ucsd.edu
Calculating the biomass of Caribbean corals
The STRI Bocas del Toro research station is a great facility for detailed examination of Caribbean corals. While we know much about coral biology, morphology, physiology, evolution and ecology, we continue to lack information on some very basic life history characteristics. I am working in Bocas to determine the biomass (tissue weight per surface area) of 28 species of common Caribbean reef corals. By knowing the biomass of different species, we can better understand how corals allocate their resources- into skeletal growth, reproductive output, or tissue growth. Such information is critical to understanding the distribution of energy and productivity on coral reefs.
Changes in coral communities, due to increased threats such as overfishing, pollution, and increased water temperature over the past several decades have resulted in dramatic declines in coral cover across the Caribbean. My work aims to further understand how coral community decline may affect the larger reef ecosystem by examining not only losses in percent cover of corals, but also changes in the total biomass of the system. My research consists of time in the field, where I collect my samples and also time in the lab, where I weigh lots of pieces of coral…over and over and over again.