EAGER: Building networks and study systems to advance research on the biology of Pacific corals

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

EAGER: Building Networks and Study Systems to Advance Research on the Biology of Pacific Corals This EAGER award provides funding to develop an international and multidisciplinary network of researchers to study the biology of coral reefs and their resilience relative to global climate change. This study will also undertake pilot and proof-of-concept experiments, both in the laboratory and in the field, to provide better understanding of the vulnerability of coral reefs to changing environment and measures for their protection. A team of researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Hawaii, and Vassar College will make trips to research sites both in Taiwan, at their National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, and in China, at their Tropical Biological Research Station in Sanya, to engage with coral-reef researchers and to lay the groundwork for on-going collaborations. The outcomes of this project, including the testing of research hypotheses and sharing of views, promise to lead to transformative results, both in biology and ecology. This proposed activity addresses an important research area that has important implications for global environmental health. The potential for fruitful collaborations and a broader international network of coral-reef researchers should produce valuable benefits. In addition to the scientific outcomes, benefits will derive from the engagement of a number of young researchers, both post-doctoral fellows and undergraduates, who will travel to Asia and participate in this groundbreaking research. In a broader sense, better understanding of reef resilience and local ecological phenomena should lead to methods for remediation and control of reef destruction, a serious environmental problem. The establishment of an East Asia Coral Reef Alliance could be instrumental in saving critical reef populations.