Coral Reproduction in a Changing Climate
Most tropical corals have a very tight reproductive window, spawning for just a few hours, over 1-6 days per year. For reproduction to be successful, spawning needs to be highly synchronous, so that gametes from different individuals meet, fertilise, and develop into larvae. There are a number of environmental cues that corals follow in order to synchronise spawning, including water temperatures, solar cycles, and lunar cycles. With climate change affecting some of these environmental cues, it is expected that reproduction will be affected in the future. I am interested in identifying potential issues and uncovering some of the mechanisms involved.
Read more:
Bouwmeester et al. (2023) Solar radiation, temperature and the reproductive biology of the coral Lobactis scutaria in a changing climate. Scientific Reports.
Bouwmeester et al. (2021) Latitudinal variation in reproductive synchrony among Acropora coral assemblages in the Indo-Pacific. Coral Reefs 40: 1411-1418.
Read more:
Bouwmeester et al. (2023) Solar radiation, temperature and the reproductive biology of the coral Lobactis scutaria in a changing climate. Scientific Reports.
Bouwmeester et al. (2021) Latitudinal variation in reproductive synchrony among Acropora coral assemblages in the Indo-Pacific. Coral Reefs 40: 1411-1418.
Physiology and Conservation of Symbiodiniaceae
Symbiodiniaceae are photosynthetic algae that live in symbiosis with most reef-building corals. These algal symbionts provide their coral hosts with vital sugars that fulfill the majority of their metabolic needs. However, due to climate change, thermal stress is disrupting this symbiosis on a regular basis, potentially threatening some Symbiodiniaceae populations. My research focuses on better understanding the physiology of Symbiodiniaceae, identifying their ability to adapt to warming temperatures, assessing the conservation status of differerent Symbiodiniaceae populations, and developping conservation strategies for sensitive and potentially endangered Symbiodiniaceae populations.
