Research Symposium

BIO

Kathleen Spencer-Armond is a first-year undergraduate student at Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. She is a participant in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), where she is gaining early experience in academic research and developing skills in scientific inquiry and analysis.

Through UROP, Kathleen has worked with her research mentor, Laurel Field, a Ph.D. student in the RasterLab at Florida State University. This mentorship has provided her with valuable exposure to the research process and opportunities to engage with environmental science from a research perspective. Her academic interests center on understanding environmental change and contributing to solutions that support ecological health and responsible resource management.

Kathleen plans to pursue a Master of Science degree after completing her Bachelor of Science and hopes to continue conducting research throughout her career. She is particularly interested in contributing to scientific knowledge that informs environmental policy, sustainability, and conservation efforts.

Evaluating the Effect of Depth on the Health of Reef-building and Weedy Corals in Bonaire

Abstract

Coral bleaching events have become more frequent and extreme in recent years, resulting in increased mortality rates and less time for coral to recover from increased ocean temperatures. Bonaire, an island in the southern Caribbean known for its marine life and tourism, experienced an island-wide coral bleaching event in late 2023, negatively impacting many species. Weedy corals, such as Agaricia spp. and Porites asteroides, are fast growing and can quickly form colonies. These are important for quick recoveries of coral reefs after disturbances. Reef-building corals, such as Orbicella spp., create the structure of coral reefs, and often grow slower and larger. Both types of coral provide shelter for marine animals like fish and invertebrates. Reef-building and weedy corals respond differently to stressors. To analyze their differences, we looked at three sites around Bonaire to see how varying species respond to different depths. The program TagLab was used to analyze three 50m transects for each site from varying depths (10m, 15m, 20m, 25m). Around 60 photos from June 2024 were analyzed per transect, noting size and attributes including bleaching, mortality, and disease, which all factor into overall health. We predict that both reef-building and weedy corals would, on average, be healthier at higher depths, but weedy corals would remain more prevalent regardless of depth due to their fast-growing nature. Determining overall health patterns after large bleaching events provides a better understanding of species-specific behaviors and how to preserve the reefs, which are essential for Bonaire’s tourism-based economy, biodiversity, and food.

Keywords: coral, reef, Bonaire, coral health