Project:

The effects of salinity on the microbiome of Acropora

Students:

Kyle Robert Caputo, Benjamin Browne

School:

William Floyd High School,

Mentors:

Luisa McHugh

Abstract:

Acropora is a reef-building coral that forms a substrate for other organisms to live on and is the basis of many food chains that support various organisms including humans. This ability of Acropora to provide a habitat for organisms is especially important for endangered species to survive and repopulate. Unfortunately, Acropora is beginning to require human intervention to keep these ecosystems in balance. One particular change in the environment is the salinity of the ocean water. Because of the importance of Acropora and the changing ecosystem, we need to know how differences in water salinity affect this coral. To assess the impact of differences in salinity we will place grown Acropora in different salinities; normal, low and high salinity concentrations; and then observe the Acroopora microbiome. As Acropora is a holobiont, it is important to have a large and diverse microbiome to maintain homeostasis.

Poster:

Team samples: