Research
Research
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The Research Team acts as a hub for research on priority topic areas related to FCRRP. The team aims to maintain momentum on SCTLD research while also advancing our understanding of other disturbances, recovery options, and resilience of the system. The team is undergoing a change in organization to better address FCRRP priorities, with three ad-hoc committees: coral reef baselines and reference points, coral diseases (with a focus remaining on SCTLD), and intervention research & development.
The Research Team is co-led by:
Andy Bruckner (NOAA FKNMS)
Cheryl Woodley (NOAA NCCOS)
Coordination support is provided by:
Samantha Cook (NSU/NCRI)
Where we are today
Where we are today
The Research Team has been the largest Team to date, boasting participation from researchers across the state, country, and globe. In the days of the SCTLD Response, Research Team members collaborated extensively on experiments and shared information (both what was going well and where we faced challenges) at an extremely rapid pace. Thanks to these efforts, we learned more about SCTLD in a shorter amount of time than any other coral disease and probably most other animal diseases.
Today, the Team is undergoing a metamorphosis in order to shift from a strict focus on SCTLD research to a broader range of research topics. The intention is to maintain the ethos of collaboration and rapid information-sharing as we address key questions related to other important coral reef conservation topics.
Researchers and managers have made great strides not only in understanding Florida's Coral Reef but also in developing novel tools and techniques to study this amazing ecosystem.Photo: FWC FWRI
Current & Future Directions
Current & Future Directions
Establish ad hoc committees whose purpose will be to review the current state of science, identify the most important knowledge gaps, and recommend research directions/projects to fill those gaps. These ad-hoc committees will focus on three key research areas:
Guidance for the creation of sentinel sites
Coral diseases (with a focus remaining on SCTLD)
Coral reef interventions research & development
Ad hoc committee membership will consist of a defined number of panelists with recognized specialties that are invited to participate. The Team Leads will work to integrate experts from a wide range of disciplines. Outcomes from the ad hoc committees will be shared broadly, including through Disturbance Advisory Committee (DAC) meetings.
In the medium-term, the Team would like to support resource management agency needs related to ecosystem recovery. This will require guidance from and collaboration with managers on the specific, highest priority questions related to recovery to answer. This may also require a scientifically-relevant definition for 'resilience.'
Identify support for Team coordination, including its constituent groups or committees. Identify support for communications, both internal (e.g., creating spaces for members to share information and find opportunities for research collaboration) and external (e.g., information dissemination to other FCRRP Teams and the general public) to the Team.
Interested in more information?
Interested in more information?
The Coral Disease & Health Consortium website houses a wealth of information on coral biology, coral diseases, research methodologies, and more!
Reports from DEP funded research projects focused primarily on SCTLD can be found on their website.
The latest outcomes from research projects are shared frequently on meetings of the Disturbance Advisory Committee (DAC). If you are engaged in work related to the FCRRP and are interested in joining the DAC, please reach out to Maurizio Martinelli (mmartinelli1@ufl.edu).
Collaboration is key to research under the FCRRP umbrella.Photo: FWC FWRI
Header photo: Liv Williamson/UM
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