RRFB Plasticity and Epigenetics: Undergraduates in the Field

The EELab team returned to Bonaire, to complete the second seasonal monitoring time point of her year-long project. The goal of the trip was to assess the performance of Acropora cervicornis (staghorn) and Acropora palmata (elkhorn) corals on four Reef Renewal coral nursery sites.

One of the most challenging tasks of the trip was to photograph each coral fragment with a scale bar to measure growth rates. Caribbean Acropora corals can grow quite quickly and accurately photographing each of their branches while underwater can be tricky. However, Zach and Grant are both experienced divers and quickly got the hang of it. 

The team also collected coral samples that will be used to characterize coral physiological performance metrics related to metabolism and symbiosis as well as epigenetic DNA methylation. At each site, data loggers were deployed to monitor temperature, salinity, and light, and water samples were collected for nutrient analysis. Back in the lab, Zach and Grant will also help with the physiological and epigenetic methods to analyze these samples.

As Serena’s marine science career began with an opportunity to join a field research expedition as an undergraduate student, she was very excited for the chance to bring two of our undergraduate lab members in the field. This trip was the first time that Zach and Grant had visited Bonaire and both were impressed by the beauty of Bonaire’s reefs and the island itself. The team was even able to fit in a night dive to watch the Ostracod spawning, a beautiful bioluminescent light show. Serena hopes to continue bringing undergraduate lab members on the future trips planned for this project. 

This work has been made possible by support from Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, FIU CREST-CAChE, FIU Tropics, and the Judith Evans Parker Travel Scholarship. 

As Serena’s marine science career began with an opportunity to join a field research expedition as an undergraduate student, she was very excited for the chance to bring two of our undergraduate lab members in the field.

Bottom Time with Zach Howard

Zach Howard is a Laboratory Technician at FIU’s Environmental Epigenetics Lab under the supervision of Dr. Jose Eirin-Lopez

How did you become interested in the biology of corals?

Growing up I was always surrounded by fish tanks whether I was at home or visiting an aquarium. I was enthralled by their beauty and complexity in such a controlled and closed system. I was pulled in by the fact that it was also challenging to maintain a perfect equilibrium between all the fish, abiotic facts, water chemistry, and corals. Corals themselves being an extremely interesting group of animals as they have both their tissue and a symbiotic dinoflagellate, really interested me into how they thrive, grow, and just function overall at a cellular level.

What was your favorite part about joining the research trip to Bonaire?

My favorite part about joining the research trip to Bonaire is that you can visit and work in an amazing environment with amazing teammates. While you’re in Bonaire’s healthy reefs in the nursery it really makes you think of how reefs have functionally changed and shifted in the past 40 years. While in the evenings you can enjoy amazing sunsets at the beach and snorkel such beautiful Caribbean reef. The team members you work with from the lab are also fun as you get to encounter and solve challenges in the field, where you need to be able to adapt and improvise if something comes up. Seeing all the different ideas to overcome a challenge is extremely insightful as to how you can view the same problem but develop a multitude of solutions. It makes you critically think a lot about how research being done today can help shape the future, and just how much there is to still be done to fully understand different mechanisms and how they interact.

How will your involvement in this project impact your future scientific development?

My involvement in the project has drastically impacted my career as a scientist. Not only has it strengthened my resolve to continue to pursue my education in a grad school master’s program, but it has also shown me there is still much more that is needed to be understood about corals. I have gained and learned techniques I can’t wait to utilize again in my own project or helping another project or program! The involvement refined many processes that I had developed previously in my undergrad education, as well as strengthening skills I was confident in, from feedback and advice from team members.

What are your suggestions to other undergraduate students considering a career in marine biology?

To those undergraduate students who are considering a career in marine biology I have this advice to give: Don’t be afraid to visit and reach out to your professors during office hours as they are extremely willing to help and give advice! Careers in marine biology can divert into so many different paths as well, so it is an extremely wide career field where you could go into government jobs monitoring fisheries or to an agency that is developing restoration and conservation practices to preserve and protect what we have! But above all once again, reach out to your professors and grad students! The advice, willingness to help, and expertise of these faculty is astounding! You never know what you might be able to do with even a simple email asking if there’s any ongoing projects you can help with, or for an overview of how the lab works!

Seeing all the different ideas to overcome a challenge is extremely insightful as to how you can view the same problem but develop a multitude of solutions. It makes you critically think a lot about how research being done today can help shape the future, and just how much there is to still be done to fully understand different mechanisms and how they interact.