In April 2025, the University of Guam welcomed visiting researchers as part of an ongoing collaboration on the development of a new research instrument that can be used to assess the bleaching risk of different types of coral. 

University of Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant Lauren Kallen defended her Master’s thesis—a research project that represents the first study of its kind on Guam, focusing on understanding the population dynamics of Drupella fragum, a sea snail that feeds on coral tissue and can be found on shallow reef flats around the island.

The University of Guam NSF EPSCoR GECCO Biorepository has partnered with the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., for the DNA sequencing of marine organisms.  

Off the shores of Guam is one of the most complex marine systems in the United States, home to thousands of organisms – many of which are still being documented and identified to this day. The Guam NSF EPSCoR GECCO Biorepository is part of an on-going effort to understand those organisms as well as their habitats.

In preparation for her master's thesis defense this summer, Anela Duenas, a Guam NSF EPSCoR graduate assistant, presented her proposal, “Ecophysiology of Coral Species Replacement on Reef Flats of Guam,” that examines the relationship of the microalgae Symbiodiniaceae with reef-building corals Acropora pulchra and Pavona decussata.  

Insights into reproductive trends, predation patterns, and climatic triggers observed before a crown-of-thorns (COTS) outbreak are crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies to protect coral reefs, according to Ciemon Caballes, Ph.D., a senior research associate at the University of Guam's NSF EPSCoR.