Hafa adai! I have finally made the move to Guam to begin my Masters in Biology at the University of Guam working with Dr. Laurie Raymundo and Dr. Lyza Johnston in Saipan. For the next few years, I will be working on a coral restoration project looking at the resilience of sexually propagated corals on novel larval seed beads.
Prior to moving to Guam, I spent a week and a half in Saipan working with Dr. Johnston with the JAMS (Johnston Applied Marine Sciences) Lab collecting coral spawn. For the species we were targeting, their peak spawning is three to seven days after the full moon. We dove every night right at sundown to look for “seeding” corals. You can identify corals that are about to spawn when the bundles are right at the mouth of the coral polyps. When we see this happening, we set up a net that floats overtop of the colony like a tent to capture the bundles that float into the collection tube. Spawning brings out all the night creepy crawlies to play in the spotlight of our flashlights—worms, jellies, and every night critter you can think of! I wore a long sleeve rash guard and leggings and still have some stings on my legs. My lips were swollen from the jelly stings.
Following a successful spawn capture, the spawn were brought to shore where we labeled the collection tubes by species. Collections of bundles, comprised of both egg and sperm, from the same species are mixed together. The bundles break down and eventually release the eggs and sperm, at which point they begin to fertilize. What I cannot describe is the smell of the coral spawn; it smells like dead fish.
After about an hour or two, the newly fertilized coral babies are cleaned. We have to clean and filter the water to remove excess sperm before transferring them to the tanks. The babies grow in large shallow tanks for several days. Under a microscope you can see the corals begin to divide and grow very soon after. Eventually you can see them start to spin in circles, explore, and swim. After a few days, when the babies are ready to settle, they sink to the bottom of the tank and begin to look for substrate on which to settle. At this point, we place the larval seed beads in the tank that have been conditioned in the water for several weeks in the coral nursery in Saipan. A few days later, we are able to see the coral begin to settle and establish their basal plate.
I must say, it is truly an amazing process, and I am one proud coral mama! Watching the stages unfold before my eyes is incredible. I am even more excited to experience another spawning event and get started on my research!
Look for posts about my project and experiences in both Guam and Saipan. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here – my professors at Duke, amazing mentors, and supportive friends and family! My adventure has begun!
