Ecological significance of deep light-dependent coral communities
The deep reef seems to be a more homogeneous environment in terms of physical conditions and may offer an escape to a variety of stressors common on the shallow reef. As such, deep coral communities may play an important role acting as refugia, re-seeding the shallow reef after storm events or periods of elevated SSTs. By exploring the composition, life-history and extent of physiological specialization of these coral communities, we hope to get a better understanding of the ability of deep reef areas to act as refugia and more importantly to re-seed damaged reefs. This will allow us to make more accurate predictions on the persistence and community structure of coral reefs in a future of increasing anthropogenic pressure.
Population genetics is the study of variation in genes among a group of individuals and allows us to assess genotypic diversity and differentiation of coral populations. Genotypic diversity within populations provides us with a tool to assess the role of sexual and asexual reproduction on a reef. Genetic differentiation (or relatedness) on the other hand can be used as a proxy to quantify the levels of gene flow occurring between different populations. While measures of genetic differentiation are commonly used to assess connectivity on larger spatial scales, I am particularly interested in looking at the connectivity of areas and habitats within a reef ecosystem. A better understanding of local recruitment processes will provide us with information about the recovery potential of coral reefs after localized (e.g. depth-related) disturbances, independent of other adjacent reefs. The combination of this data with large-scale, biogeographic assessments of Dr Tyrone Ridgway, will aid in building on the bigger picture of coral reef connectivity (such as on the Great Barrier Reef).
