Meet the ResearchersLearn a little about each of the projects the University of New England students are working on. To go into more detail, and to see pictures and the latest research, follow the link "Progress Report" at the end of each section below. Summary of Research InitiativeJacque Carter
Dr. Sedberry and I, together
with several undergraduate and graduate students, have initiated work to
produce a definitive treatise on the coral reef and shore fishes of Belize.
This guide will be a comprehensive fish identification guide that contains
keys and illustrations to identify specimens to major group and to species as
well as data on fish habitat preference based on ten years visual census
surveys on the reef. In addition it will include information on the
importance of each species to local fisheries and ecology, as well as
fisheries statistics, conservation status of the species (e.g., underutilized,
overfished, endangered) and descriptions of the importance of these fishes in
the economy, culture and folklore of Belize. The Glovers Reef Marine Research
Station will serve as our primary base of field operations for P.I.s and
students throughout the course of this project.
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Biodiversity and PhotodocumentationJake Levenson So what's the point of taking pictures of the fish and reef? Well, it gives a great idea of the amazing Biodiversity found on a tropical reef! I can also take the pictures of this year's reefs and compare them to last year's pictures I took before Hurricane Mitch. This way we can spot different types of coral damage and diseases. I'm also taking pictures for another reason. I'm currently a volunteer diver at the New England Aquarium and am working on a project to find out the different reproductive modes of coral reef fish. There are even some fish found on coral reefs that nobody knows how they spawn. That's what I'd like to learn more about from this trip. There are some kinds of fish like squirrelfish that no one knows how they reproduce. Because we are here during a new moon, I'm hoping to use some high-tech photographic equipment to see if any possible nesting or spawning behaviors that might happen at night. Wanna go for a virtual dive in the tropics? Well stay tuned for some really cool night photos and videos! One more thing...I'm the guy on the other end of the digital camera sending
you guys images back to the Internet. I would love to answer any questions
that any of you might have. I love email so feel free to send me any
questions about fish, coral reefs, Glovers Atoll or SCUBA diving in general.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Coral Reef Damage from Hurricane MitchResearcher: Stacy Guerin
From Biddeford Maine
The reason I am going to Belize during spring break is to conduct research on the corals. Since Hurricane Mitch, many of the corals have been experiencing a disease that is common to corals. It is called Black-Band Disease (BBD). Black- Band Disease occurs when the corals are not receiving enough light. This can come about from stormy weather or from coastal development. Both cloud up the water and limit the amount of light reaching the corals. I hope to photograph the corals on different regions of the reef (for example, the fore-reef and back reef) and compare whether there are areas that were more affected than others. I am also going to look at what types of corals are more apt to get the disease. Hopefully with a follow up study during a non-hurricane season, I can look at the same corals at the same sites and determine if the Black-Band disease was a direct effect of Hurricane Mitch or if it is more anthropogenic in nature.
Dave Pellerin
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Lighting Effects on Soft Coral GrowthDomenic DiNatale
For years, aquariums have experimented with many types of lighting to see what is best for their fish and corals. My experiment is to determine which of three widely used types of bulbs are best for soft coral growth (actinic blue, super actinic, metal halide). My research here in Belize is looking at the natural growth patterns of soft corals.
During the time spent in Belize, I will find several individuals of the same
species I am working with (Sinularia sp.), mark them, and measure them
several times at the same time of day. Measurements will be taken at the
base of the coral (diameter), and a maximum height. Sinularia sp. grows at
an amazing rate, and there will be noticible differences within the ten days
of visiting Belize. I am looking at the size of the differences relative to
aquaculture lighting.
Coral Bleaching in BelizeJaneva Scofield and Jacquie Giovannone
In the past four years there have been two major coral reef bleaching events
in Belize. The most severe and most recent, coinciding with El Niņo and the
switch to La Niņa, occured in September 1998, and continued through October
1998. Our objective is to study the effects of this latest bleaching on the
coral ecosystem in Belize.
Biology of Sharks, Skates, and RaysDavid M. Koester, Ph.D.
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Hi! My name's Jake, I'm a Junior at UNE and am a Marine Biology Major. I enjoy
SCUBA diving, sailing, and photography. I'm really psyched that you decided
to check out this web site. My project is pretty cool, I am going around the
reefs and taking as many pictures as possible of all the fish I can find! I
know it seems overwhelming, trust me, it is sometimes. Hopefully, with Shawn
and Judd's help, I will complete a very thorough photographic census of all the
fishes found at Glovers!
Dave Pellerin and I hope to create a newsletter of some sort
informing the people of Belize what is occurring with their coral reef and
what if anything can be done about it.
