At the Center of Research in the Western Pacific
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.
University of Guam Professor of Ichthyology Terry Donaldson recently co-authored a paper on bioacoustic communication within the family Holocentridae, a group of marine fishes commonly known as squirrelfishes and soldierfishes. These fishes are known to communicate by sound production. The paper, “Sounds as taxonomic indicators in holocentrid fishes,” was a collaboration with Marine Banse, Eric Parmentier and Estrelle Bertimes (University of Liege, Belgium), David Lecchini (PSL University, French Polynesia), and Frederic Bertucci (University of Montpelier, France).
Bastian Bentlage, associate professor of Bioinformatics at the UOG Marine Lab and one of the leads from UOG, speaks at the November town hall meeting,
Above is an Elamena castanea, a false spider crab found in Guam during the first Bioblitz this year. Photo credit: Dr. Robert Lasley, PhD. Among
Dr. Bastian Bentlage, PhD, Associate Professor of Bioinformatics, assembles a coral research instrument developed by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. After a detour to Alabama
Research by Reilly Kleven at the University of Guam (UOG) has revealed the remarkable growth potential of branching Lithophyllum coralline algae, a vital component of
As part of the University of Guam’s first Bioblitz, an event focused on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a place over
Following a three-week series of biological surveys, scientists from the University of Guam Marine Laboratory along with an international team of researchers estimate that they