Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
Jo-Ann Leong - Director
Physical processes and ecosystem function
Florence Thomas - Associate Researcher
Photo by Brian Daniel
Primary research interests: role of
physical processes
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Nutrient dynamics of subtropical & tropical
communities and impacts on ecosystem function
Physiology of algae and corals
Ecology and evolution of marine invertebrate
reproduction
Active Funding
• Nutrient dynamics
• National Science Foundation - Chemical
Oceanography - $365,000
• Reproductive biology
• National Science Foundation - Biological
Oceanography - $294,000
Collaborators - US
Dr. Jeff Koseff - Stanford
Dr. Phil Yund - UNE
Dr. Bess Ward - Princeton
Dr. Ann Marie Sastry - U Michigan
Dr. Mimi Koehl - UC Berkeley
Dr. Ruth Gates - UH
International
Dr. Catriona Hurd - U Otago, NZ
Dr. Chris Cornelisen - U Otago, NZ
Dr. Fleur van Duyl - NIOZ, Netherlands
Post-docs
Louise Kregting
Kyle Aveni-DeForge
PhD Students
Sherril Leon Soon - UH
Brian Badgely - USF
Alison Meyers - USF
Nutrient dynamics of subtropical &
tropical communities and impacts on
ecosystem function
• Objectives:
• Examine effects of flexibility and morphology of a canopy
• Turbulence
• Nutrient uptake by
• whole community
• individual components
What are the implications of a shift
in benthic composition?
Shifts in Canopy
Structure
Biological
Faunal
Epiphytes
Nutrient uptake
Physical
Bottom shear stress
Within canopy hydrodynamics
Chemical
Nutrient concentration
Plant chemical composition
Reproductive Biology
• Objectives:
• Material properties of extra-cellular layers
• Effects of wave driven turbulence on
fertilization
Extracellular layer
• Numerous roles in fertilization
• Sperm binding
• Protection
• “Behavior” of spawned eggs
• tendency to clump
• buoyancy
50 m
500 nm
Flow experiments and
Finite Element Analysis
Collaborator Dr. Ann Marie Sastry
Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Flow chamber
Effects of flow on fertilization
• Flume experiments
• Unidirectional
• Flow through oscillatory
• Predictive models
• Combines field and
flume data
Present interests and future vision
Small scale observatories analyzed within the
context of larger observatories
Questions:
• What do individuals experience relative to larger
scale measures of environment
•
•
Compare scales
Develop predictive models
• How
do individuals respond to environmental
fluctuations
• Gene expression
• Nitrate assimilation genes - with B.B. Ward
• Coral stress genes - with R. Gates
Example: Measurement of flow
over urchins
ADV
ADCP
Compared to larger scale buoy data to
estimate flow during spawning season
• NOAA Buoy
–
Combine with our flow measurements
Estimates of percent of eggs fertilized as a function
of velocity - combining field and lab data
(%)
Percent
Percent fertilized
of eggs (%)
100
80
Water Column
Aboral
Pile
60
40
20
0
0.05
0.10
0.15
Velocity (ms-
>.15
Small scale observatory at HIMB
• Real-time measures of
•
•
•
•
•
Flow
PAR/UV
PH
O2
Temperature
Time
Real-time UV for water column and individual corals
Wave length
Fit within SOEST strategic plan
• Observatories
• Extends observatories to individual
biologically relevant scale
•
Integrates with organismal molecular biologists
• Living resources
• Focus on environmental impacts on the
function of ecosystems across scales
Why HIMB?
• Unprecedented access to diverse
tropical ecosystem
• Proximity to world class university
• Urban area with infrastructure
We can wire the reef and sample
physiological and molecular
parameters year round!!!
Photo by Brian Daniel