Alumna’s Coral Research Published in Leading Journal

For decades, coral reef ecosystems have been in decline due to a variety of environmental stressors. Considering this decline, coral restoration efforts in the Caribbean have been implemented to promote reef recovery.

In partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line and the Perry Institute of Marine Science, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences marine science alumna Cassie VanWynen ’20 recently published her thesis research. It compares the growth and survival among the acroporid taxa A. cervicornis, A. palmata, and their hybrid, A. prolifera, in three in-situ coral tree nurseries established around Great Stirrup Cay, The Bahamas.

VanWynen is now a research associate in Halmos College’s Coral Reef Ecology with an emphasis on Restoration, Assessment, and Monitoring (CRRAM) housed in the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center. The research in this lab includes investigating the ecology, restoration, and conservation of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) populations. The lab has a strong resource management focus and works closely with local, state, and federal agency resource managers.

For the full journal article at Frontiers in Marine Science.