For immediate release
Media contact: Traci Peterson, Office:817-272-9208, Cell:817-521-5494, tpeterso@uta.edu
UT Arlington biologists taking coral reef research to Australia
A University of Texas at Arlington researcher who is working with colleagues in Puerto
Rico to assess the effects of warming ocean temperatures on coral reefs will present her
research at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium in Australia in July.
Laura Mydlarz, an assistant professor of biology at UT
Arlington, organized and is co-chairing a series of talks on
“Immune defenses of coral reef organisms” at this summer’s
conference. Coral reefs worldwide are threatened by
pollution, overfishing and climate change.
Laura Mydlarz
Mydlarz has found that different species of Caribbean coral
respond differently to environmental stressors, like warming
waters and disease. Some, such as the Porites astreoides or
“mustard hill coral,” have more successful, robust immune
responses than others. These coral species may survive while
other susceptible species perish, changing the reef landscape
forever.
“Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse places in the world, with thousands
of fish species alone calling them home,” said Mydlarz. “The documented decline of
coral cover is a serious threat not only to this diversity, but the livelihoods of
communities living on the coast. Knowing more about their susceptibility to disease will
help us predict future changes and challenges”
The International Coral Reef Symposium occurs once every four years and is sanctioned
by the International Society for Reef Studies as a way for researchers and other experts to
share the latest in knowledge about coral reefs.
Some 2,500 attendees from 80 countries are expected this year. Mydlarz will be
presenting work conducted in her lab in collaboration with Jorge Pinzon, a post-doctoral
fellow in the UT Arlington biology department. Mydlarz’ graduate students, Elizabeth
McGinty and Whitney Mann, will also present their research at the conference.
Mydlarz is in the second year of a $409,537 National Science Foundation grant to study
coral disease, especially associated with environmental stress and climate change. In her
lab on the UT Arlington campus, she and her students are analyzing coral samples from
Puerto Rico for disease resistance markers. Her collaborators on the grant are from the
University of Puerto Rico and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mydlarz also was recently a coauthor on a Journal of Experimental Biology paper called:
“Patterns of coral ecological immunology: variation in responses of Caribbean corals to
elevated temperature and a pathogen elicitor.”
“The research going on in Dr. Mydlarz’ lab gives students the opportunity to reach
beyond North Texas and address a worldwide problem like coral decline,” said Pamela
Jansma, dean of the UT Arlington College of Science. “Her inclusion in this international
gathering is a testament to the quality of her work.”
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of nearly
33,500 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu for more information.
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