Date of Award
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Gilchrist, Sandra
Area of Concentration
Marine Biology
Abstract
Global warming continues to impact biomes. One such system that is heavily influenced by global warming are marine ecosystems and more specifically, the coral reefs that provide shelters for more than 25% of all marine species. Through the use of microscopy, the Symbiodinium within these corals can be examined and quantified to see how the thermal fluctuations affect them. For the current study, Pocillopora damicornis was selected as it is commonly found in tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific region and is a reef-building coral. Corals were fragmented and separated into six tanks, pairs were labeled as either the control, temperature increased by one degree (°C), or temperature increased by two degrees (°C). Each week, all experimental tanks experienced an increase in water temperature to simulate a gradual change. After each week concluded, water samples were collected from the tanks and analyzed under the brightfield microscope to determine the total amount of Symbiodinium released into the surrounding environment. From these experiments, there appears to be a relation between the increasing water temperatures and the number of Symbiodinium found within the water surrounding the corals.
Recommended Citation
Matzen, Jade, "Studying the Effects of Increased Seawater Temperature on Symbiodinium within the Coral Species Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)." (2021). Theses & ETDs. 6101.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6101