Raymundo Coral Lab
Professor of Biology
University of Guam Marine Laboratory
UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96923 USA
(671) 735-2184
Having begun my career in the Philippines, I documented the impacts of dynamite blasting and severe overfishing on coral reefs, while witnessing the establishment of some of the most successful Marine Protected Areas in the world. My interests as a coral biologist have always centered around finding approaches to mitigating the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on coral health; melding science and management. My lab seeks to understand the environmental drivers of coral diseases, their impacts on coral communities, and, with the recent increase of severe mass bleaching events, links between bleaching and subsequent disease. Watching a disturbing amount of mass mortality in Guam has brought my students and I back to my roots in coral propagation and restoration, as a management tool for conservation in the face of a rapidly shifting environment. Thus, my lab is composed of a unique collection of people with diverse interests ranging from coral culture and propagation to the physiology of stress responses to managing disease and bleaching in reef restoration efforts.
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Restoring Staghorn Corals and Ecosystem Services on Reef Flats in Guam, Micronesia
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Other Reef Restoration Projects
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Reef Flat Long-Term Monitoring Program: as part of Guam’s Long-Term Monitoring Program, the longest-running monitoring program in the region
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NSF EPSCoR Guam Ecosystem Collaboratorium for Corals and Oceans: Identifying phenotypic traits that confer coral reef resilience
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Coral disease ecology
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Thesis: Quantifying physiological responses to physical injury in Porites lobata, using atranscriptomic approach (download)
Thesis: Protecting Guam's coral reefs by improving scuba diver behavior: A coral-safe diving reminder reduces reef contacts (download)
Thesis: Using survivor populations to mitigate bleaching mortality of staghorn Acropora corals (download)
Thesis: Examining gene expression of heat-stressed staghorn coral under different flow environments (download)
Thesis: Assessing differences in food fish species between marine preserves and non-restricted waters on Guam (download)
Thesis: Sexual reproductive biology of Guam's staghorn Acropora (download)
Thesis: Environmental regimes predict the spatial distribution of coral assemblages and climate-induced bleaching patterns around Guam (download)
Thesis: Testing the Sr/Ca proxy for sea surface temperature reconstruction in the coral Porites lutea in Guam, Micronesia
Thesis: Partial characterization of growth anomalies affecting massive Porites species in Guam (download)
Thesis: Characterization of White Syndrome (WS) affecting Porites spp. in Guam and the effect of colony morphology on disease dynamics (download)
Thesis: The effects of interspecific interactions on the growth of Acropora pulchra and Porites cylindrica (download)
Previous Education: MS in conservation biology and sustainable development from the University of Maryland, College Park; BA in sociology and environmental science from Barnard College, Columbia University
Previous Relevant Work: From 2016-2018, Whitney Hoot served as the NOAA National Coral Reef Management Fellow for Guam. She currently works as the Coral Reef Resilience Coordinator for GovGuam. She is the coordinator of the Guam Coral Reef Response Team, co-chair of the Guam Reef Restoration and Intervention Partnership (GRRIP), and co-chair of the Coral Restoration Consortium’s Management Working Group. She has previously worked or interned for Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Smithsonian National Zoo, and the Conservation Society of Pohnpei.
Publications:
Raymundo LJ, D Burdick, WC Hoot, RM Miller, V Brown, T Reynolds, J Gault, J Idechong, J Fifer, and A Williams (2019) Successive bleaching events cause mass coral mortality in Guam, Micronesia. Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-019-01836-2
Semmler R, WC Hoot, and ML Reaka (2016) Are mesophotic coral ecosystems distinct communities and can they serve as refugia for shallow reefs? Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-016-1530-0
Previous Education: Bachelors of Science from Cornell University
Previous Relevant Work: I was an intern in the Ocean Acidification Program at Mote's International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration in the Florida Keys. This program focused on characterizing the physiological effects of changing ocean pH, as well as temperature and nutrient concentration, on marine organisms found within coral reef and coastal ecosystems. I participated in designing, setting up, and maintaining experiments within the outside ocean acidification experimental water system (OAFTERU) and gained experience in coral and marine organism husbandry. I also learned techniques for measuring and analyzing seawater carbonate chemistry, water quality, and animal physiology (photosynthesis/ respiration, calcification rates, photochemical efficiency).
D'amy will be working on Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grant awarded to Dr. Lyza Johnston, in Saipan. She is co-advised by Dr. Raymundo and Dr. Johnston.
Maria is a Research Associate in Dr. Laurie Raymundo's lab. Shortly after receiving her B.Sc. in Marine Vertebrate Biology from Stony Brook University, she pursued her M.Sc. from James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science where she primarily focused on the transgenerational effects of ocean acidification and ocean warming on the proliferation of subtropical and tropical coral reefs. Outside of studying corals, she also enjoys diving, drinking coffee, traveling and photography.
Ashley began her career in marine sciences with a Bachelor of Science from UOG and working in Micronesian Conservation Coalition. In addition to reef restoration she loves studying Guam's manta ray population and aspires to work with cetaceans. In her free time, Ashley enjoys physical fitness and diving into adventures that get her out of her comfort zone.
Farron came to work with the Marine Lab reef restoration team through his work with The Nature Conservancy. His interests include innovating designs and methods for coral nurseries and out-planting. Farron uses his spare time to make educational videos on the environment of Guam and “extreme cleanups” of difficult to reach places.