Master of Professional Science Candidate
Marine Biology & Ecology
I am interested in the inoculation of disease susceptible corals with probiotics to test the difference in disease severity and survivorship. I am currently working in collaboration with the Smithsonian Marine Station to assess if pretreating corals with a probiotic bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas sp. McH1-7, protects corals against Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). This experiment is the first to be tested in the field for its potential to act as a prophylactic measure to improve the survivorship of restored corals on reefs. In addition, because this bacterial strain also produces chemicals that appear to induce larvae settlement, larvae are being exposed to this probiotic and out planted to determine settlement success and survivorship. This will demonstrate and prove the ability of the probiotic strain to be used in the control of SCTLD in the field and for large-scale application. The overall goal is to establish and expand restoration "spawning hubs" and expand interventions to restore large coral reef colonies.
Before joining the Coral Reef Futures Lab, I completed my B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry at Georgia Southern University in 2018. While there, I conducted research in Dr. Sophie George's lab studying the effects of salinity on oxygen consumption rates of grass shrimp.
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