Progress 07/28/14 to 06/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is conservation biologists and those involved with the restoration of endangered corals- both in the United States and internationally. As part of our partnership with The Florida Aquarium, we will have the opportunity to display this system to the general public (those visiting the Center for Conservation) and use it as a vehicle to discuss the plight of corals in Florida and showcase the efforts of University of Florida research scientists to restore coral populations. Changes/Problems:The proposed water source, treated saline groundwater, was not available. High-quality sterilized natural seawater was trucked in from The Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa 800 gallons at a time. This made efficient water usage an even higher priority. This demand was met by the very low water exchange rates made possible by biological conditioning in the refugium and protein skimmer. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A UF/IFAS Summer Research Internship was awarded to Timothy Lyons, a Marine Sciences major at UF, specifically to work with the new recirculating system. Tim was paid a total of $3,360 from Florida Agricultural Experiment Station funds for six weeks of coral aquaculture work and research experience. Following a recommendation by Dr. Joshua Patterson, his internship supervisor, Tim was subsequently awarded a highly competitive $4,000 academic scholarship from the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA). The committee awarding the MASNA scholarship stated that Tim's coral aquaculture internship with UF/IFAS was a primary reason for his selection. Tim Lyons showing off the recirculating system he helped build and operate (Left) and preparing experimental coral fragments for the system (Right). The aquaculture program at Hillsborough Community College has a degree requirement for students to successfully complete three aquaculture-related internships. Paperwork was completed and Christopher Kilroy has spent the past six months working with Dr. Joshua Patterson on the newly constructed experimental coral recirculating system in fulfillment of one of his required internships. This continues a tradition of collaboration between Hillsborough Community College and UF/IFAS Aquaculture, which to this point has existed primarily at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin. Chris works approximately 10 hours per week and has gained knowledge and experience in seawater chemistry management, coral biology and husbandry (photograph at left), and recirculating system engineering. Experience and skills gained and connections made working with the coral recirculating system will make Chris a more marketable job candidate post-degree. An undergraduate from the University of Tampa (Bridget Hickey - B.S. Marine Science-Biology; May 2015) was registered as a volunteer with the University of Florida and worked on the coral recirculating system project under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Patterson. Finally, a distance education student residing in neighboring Pinellas County and beginning the Master's in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program in Spring 2016 (Samantha Schaberg - B.S. Biology; Principia College; December 2013) also works one day per week with the coral recirculating system. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Discussions have been initiated with scientists at other institutions (Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, Mote Tropical Marine Laboratory, and Nova Southeastern University) who are also growing corals in ex-situ systems. Results of this project will be shared specifically within that community of interest. When the Center for Conservation is opened to the public, members of the community and other interested parties will be invited to observe and discuss the research taking place. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A fully operational research-scale coral aquaculture recirculating system has been constructed. The approximately 600 gallon system includes six 50-gallon acrylic tanks, a 150 gallon refugium, a 150 gallon sump, a protein skimmer, six stands, a magnetic drive pump, and six propeller driven pumps with three control boxes. This design allows for two sets of three replicate tanks which are currently being used to investigate the effects of differing flow regimes on corals grown ex-situ. Our focal coral species, staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis, is ESA listed as threatened. We have the good fortune of a terrific working relationship with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF), a pioneering not-for-profit that operates a series of in-situ nurseries throughout the Florida Keys. Not only were we able to source our corals from CRF for only the cost of shipping, the scientific nature of our work allows us to fall within permits for possession currently held by CRF. Including a back-up magnetic drive pump purchased with University of Florida funds and additional tanks and components donated by The Florida Aquarium, the $3,000 Giglia Endowment Award for Innovative Agriculture was leveraged to construct a system with a total value of over $8,000. Beyond monetary funding, this project has strengthened a partnership between UF/IFAS, The Florida Aquarium, and CRF, which was a stated goal of the proposal.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is conservation biologists and those involved with the restoration of endangered corals- both in the United States and internationally. As part of our partnership with The Florida Aquarium, we will have the opportunity to display this system to the general public (those visiting the Center for Conservation) and use it as a vehicle to discuss the plight of corals in Florida and showcase the efforts of University of Florida research scientists to restore coral populations. Changes/Problems:The proposed water source, treated saline groundwater, is not available. High-quality sterilized natural seawater is trucked in from The Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa 800 gallons at a time. This has made efficient water usage an even higher priority. This demand is met by the very low water exchange rates made possible by biological conditioning in the refugium and protein skimmer. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? A UF/IFAS Summer Research Internship was awarded to Timothy Lyons, a Marine Sciences major at UF, specifically to work with the new recirculating system. Tim was paid a total of $3,360 from Florida Agricultural Experiment Station funds for six weeks of coral aquaculture work and research experience. Following a recommendation by Dr. Joshua Patterson, his internship supervisor, Tim was subsequently awarded a highly competitive $4,000 academic scholarship from the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA). The committee awarding the MASNA scholarship stated that Tim's coral aquaculture internship with UF/IFAS was a primary reason for his selection. Tim Lyons showing off the recirculating system he helped build and operate (Left) and preparing experimental coral fragments for the system (Right). The aquaculture program at Hillsborough Community College has a degree requirement for students to successfully complete three aquaculture-related internships. Paperwork was completed and Christopher Kilroy has spent the past six months working with Dr. Joshua Patterson on the newly constructed experimental coral recirculating system in fulfillment of one of his required internships. This continues a tradition of collaboration between Hillsborough Community College and UF/IFAS Aquaculture, which to this point has existed primarily at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin. Chris works approximately 10 hours per week and has gained knowledge and experience in seawater chemistry management, coral biology and husbandry (photograph at left), and recirculating system engineering. Experience and skills gained and connections made working with the coral recirculating system will make Chris a more marketable job candidate post-degree. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Discussions have been initiated with scientists at other institutions (Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, Mote Tropical Marine Laboratory, and Nova Southeastern University) who are also growing corals in ex-situ systems. Results of this project will be shared specifically within that community of interest. When the Center for Conservation is opened to the public, members of the community and other interested parties will be invited to observe and discuss the research taking place. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Finalise the above
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A fully operational research-scale coral aquaculture recirculating system has been constructed. The approximately 600 gallon system includes six 50-gallon acrylic tanks, a 150 gallon refugium, a 150 gallon sump, a protein skimmer, six stands, a magnetic drive pump, and six propeller driven pumps with three control boxes. This design allows for two sets of three replicate tanks which are currently being used to investigate the effects of differing flow regimes on corals grown ex-situ. Our focal coral species, staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis, is ESA listed as threatened. We have the good fortune of a terrific working relationship with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF), a pioneering not-for-profit that operates a series of in-situ nurseries throughout the Florida Keys. Not only were we able to source our corals from CRF for only the cost of shipping, the scientific nature of our work allows us to fall within permits for possession currently held by CRF. Including a back-up magnetic drive pump purchased with University of Florida funds and additional tanks and components donated by The Florida Aquarium, the $3,000 Giglia Endowment Award for Innovative Agriculture was leveraged to construct a system with a total value of over $8,000. Beyond monetary funding, this project has strengthened a partnership between UF/IFAS, The Florida Aquarium, and CRF, which was a stated goal of the proposal.
Publications
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Progress 07/28/14 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience is conservation biologists and those involved with the restoration of endangered corals- both in the United States and internationally. As part of our partnership with the Florida Aquarium, we will have the opportunity to display this system to the general public (those visiting the Center for Conservation) and use it as a vehicle to discuss the plight of corals in Florida and showcase the efforts of University of Florida research scientists to restore coral populations. Changes/Problems: The greenhouse at the Center for Conservation which was under construction at the time of project funding is not yet operational because it lacks electricity and other important components. A required treatment system for the saltwater well has not yet been installed, so this water will not be available for the recirculating system. Greenhouse completion should take place within the next month, and sterile seawater will be hauled from The Florida Aquarium for use in the recirculating system. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? An undergraduate from the University of Tampa (Bridget Hickey – B.S.Marine Science-Biology expected 2015) has been registered as a volunteer with the University of Florida. Bridget has received training on construction of recirculating coral aquaculture systems related to this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Discussions have been initiated with scientists at other institutions (Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, Mote Tropical Marine Laboratory, and Nova Southeastern University) who are also growing corals in ex-situ systems. Results of this project will be shared specifically within that community of interest. When the system and its associated facility are operational, members of the public and other interested parties will be invited to observe and discuss the research taking place. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to complete construction of the recirculating system and acquire water, live-rock, live-sand, and corals. Soon thereafter the system will be totally functional and will be maintained with living Acropora cervicornis and utilized for replicated research to test the effects of flow regime on coral growth and health.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Components for a research-scale coral aquaculture recirculating system have been acquired. This includes six 50-gallon acrylic tanks, six stands, a magnetic drive pump, and six propeller driven pumps with three control boxes. These components will facilitate construction of a recirculating system with three replicate tanks serviced by currently utilized low-technology surge flow regimes and three replicate tanks with the ability to better replicate tidally-driven flows experienced by corals in nature. Design and construction of the system has begun in consultation with John Than, who serves as Manager of the Center for Conservation for the Florida Aquarium and has experience growing corals on commercial scale.
Publications
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