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CAN GENOMIC AND ALGAL SYMBIONT DATA PREDICT CORAL RESTORATION SUCCESS? CORAL AND ALGAL SYMBIONT SEQUENCING IN A MULTI-SPECIES SOUTH FLORIDA CORAL RESTORATION EXPERIMENT

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Date Issued:
2023
Abstract/Description:
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) emerged in 2014 and has since spread across Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR) and the Caribbean. This thesis is part of a larger project assessing the efficacy of restoring SCTLD-susceptible corals Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella faveolata, and Pseudodiploria clivosa in SCTLD endemic areas. As part of Florida’s largest coral restoration experiment to date, 1,152 cement bases with 5,760 coral fragments from 99 source colonies were outplanted across six regions throughout FCR and monitored monthly over two years for survival, disease, and growth. Before outplanting, coral tissue samples were collected for high-resolution 2bRAD and ITS2 sequencing to genotype the corals and characterize their initial algal symbiont communities. Neither host genetic lineages nor algal symbiont types significantly affected SCTLD susceptibility or survival, negating the hypothesis of SCTLD-resistant “super coral” lineages. Results from this study will inform the feasibility and design of future coral restoration efforts in SCTLD endemic zones to maintain or enhance coral biodiversity.
Title: CAN GENOMIC AND ALGAL SYMBIONT DATA PREDICT CORAL RESTORATION SUCCESS? CORAL AND ALGAL SYMBIONT SEQUENCING IN A MULTI-SPECIES SOUTH FLORIDA CORAL RESTORATION EXPERIMENT.
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Name(s): Bell, Sydney L. , author
Voss, Joshua D. , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Biological Sciences
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2023
Date Issued: 2023
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 109 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) emerged in 2014 and has since spread across Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR) and the Caribbean. This thesis is part of a larger project assessing the efficacy of restoring SCTLD-susceptible corals Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella faveolata, and Pseudodiploria clivosa in SCTLD endemic areas. As part of Florida’s largest coral restoration experiment to date, 1,152 cement bases with 5,760 coral fragments from 99 source colonies were outplanted across six regions throughout FCR and monitored monthly over two years for survival, disease, and growth. Before outplanting, coral tissue samples were collected for high-resolution 2bRAD and ITS2 sequencing to genotype the corals and characterize their initial algal symbiont communities. Neither host genetic lineages nor algal symbiont types significantly affected SCTLD susceptibility or survival, negating the hypothesis of SCTLD-resistant “super coral” lineages. Results from this study will inform the feasibility and design of future coral restoration efforts in SCTLD endemic zones to maintain or enhance coral biodiversity.
Identifier: FA00014204 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2023.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Corals--Diseases
Coral reef restoration
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014204
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Host Institution: FAU