From a scientic standpoint, a new marine reserve is

an excellent opportunity to study how marine protected

areas might promote the regeneration of corals and sh
populations and the Smithsonians Caribbean Coral
Reef Ecosystems (CCRE) program is well-positioned to
facilitate the work. Soon after SWCMR was established,
CCRE sta, in collaboration with Dr. Randi Rotjan, a reef
ecologist at the New England Aquarium, began collecting
baseline data and developing a monitoring plan that will
measure how this reserve aects the marine habitat. Tis
new plan was intentionally designed to take advantage of
the wealth of historical data from past CCRE scientists
and to remain comparable to contemporary monitoring
programs underway at marine reserves around the world.
Te collaborative team established permanent monitoring
transects on coral reefs both inside and outside of the reserve
boundary. Each transect was initially surveyed in June 2011
and will be re-surveyed bi-annually for years to come. Te
monitoring program will measure and compare the diversity
and abundance of key reef organisms over time.
Tis new marine reserve and the collaborative eorts
of the CCRE program have the potential to inuence
and measure change in the
status of the coral reefs of
Belize. On a global scale,
the knowledge gained
from this body of research
could help enhance our
understanding of marine
ecosystems and inform
management of marine
protected areas around the
world, which are just the
type of far-reaching results
that define Smithsonian
science. SMS
In the 39 years since the
Smithsonian established
the Carrie Bow Cay Field
Station in Belize, the
coral reefs that attracted
scienti sts there have
changed dramatically.
Scientists working on reefs
throughout the world have
witnessed declines in reef
health, as evidenced by a drop in the extent of living coral on
the reef, reduced diversity of reef organisms, and an increase
in coral bleaching, disease, and mortality. Tese disturbing
trends have been driven by a host of stressors, including coastal
development, overshing, and pollution on a local scale, while
increased sea temperatures due to climate change aect corals
on a global scale. And the eects show no sign of slowing down.
In 2008, 53% of coral reefs in Belize were described as poor
or critical; by 2010 that gure increased to 70%, according to
Healthy Reefs Initiative reports (www.healthyreefs.org). Time
is running out to slow the decline and prevent catastrophic
loss of these vitally important ecosystems.
While reversing the eects of global climate change may
be a long-term endeavor, governments do have the ability to
slow overshing on reefs in the short term. Overshing a reef
causes a cascading eect of ecological interactions that can
have direct impacts on the ability for corals to survive. Tere
is evidence from other reserves that protection from shing
can reverse the direction of an ecological cascade and may
even increase the reefs resilience against stressful events.
Te government of Belize is taking action by establishing
more marine protected areas than any other country in the
Mesoamerican region. Te most recent marine reserve, the
South Water Cay Marine Reserve (SWCMR), encompasses
the reefs and mangroves around Carrie Bow Cay (www.
swcmr.org).
Protecting Fish, Protecting Reefs
Smithsonian researchers and collaborators investigate marine reserves
Scott Jones, CCRE Program Coordinator
Smithsonian Marine Station | 701 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34949 | 772.462.6220 | www.sms.si.edu
A researcher surveys
the reef by counting
and identifying fish and
corals and document-
ing diversity along a
25-meter distance.
The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce Fall 2011
Coral Settlement 2
COSEE Florida Science Cafes 2
Flotsam & Jetsam 3
Grants, Publications 3
Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Update 4
News
In this issue:
2 3 4
SMS
Reef fishes play a vital role in the over-
all health of coral reef ecosystems.
How Corals Find a Home
of experiments conducted at the Mote Tropical Research
Laboratory in Summerland Key, they found that larvae
of the Mustard Hill coral, Porites astreoides, settled more
readily on surfaces covered in a natural bacterial layer,
called a biolm, than on surfaces from which the bacteria
had been removed. Tese results led the researchers to
search for specic bacterial strains that the coral larvae
use to indicate good settlement habitat.
Twenty-three marine bacterial strains were isolated
from the reef environment in the Florida Keys and tested
for their ability to induce coral larval settlement. Of the
23 strains tested, only one strain induced settlement,
which indicates that corals do not respond to all bacteria,
but rather require the presence of specic bacterial
strains when choosing settlement sites. Te presence
of these bacteria may be specically associated with
environmental conditions that are benecial to the
young coral, providing the corals a way to nd the
location where they have the best chance for survival.
While there is still much work to be done to fully
understand the settlement process, this study has laid
the foundation for future discoveries in this area. SMS
While more traditional events such as public
lectures and educator workshops are very much
a part of the menu of activities oered, COSEE
Florida (Centers for Ocean Sciences Education
Excellence) has recently been experimenting
with a new format of science outreach. Te
science cafe format is an international movement
with the intention of bringing scientic topics
into everyday conversation by broaching them
in casual, comfortable environments. Cafes are
held in a variety of venues, from a community
center to a local pub, but they all have one thing
in common - participants are just as engaged and a part of
the discussion as the person(s) presenting the topic. COSEE
Florida recently hosted two science cafes and both were met
with success.
Participants in the Gainesville cafe enjoyed an after-
hours visit to the Florida Museum of Natural History at
the University of Florida (UF), a co-sponsor of the event, to
discuss the topic, Seafood Choices: Why am I so Confused?.
After a brief introduction on the state of seafood by Dr.
Steve Otwell of UF, guests nibbled on hors doeuvres
and peppered Dr. Otwell and other guest panelists with
questions about the health, safety and sustainability
of seafood today. In Miami, the topic was Fish Fry:
Why Scientists Study Juvenile Fish and the discussion
was led by Dr. Robert Cowen and Dr. Daniel Bennetti
of the partnering
institution, the
Uni v e r s i t y of
Miamis Rosenstiel
School of Marine
and Atmospheric
Science. With such
positive feedback
from participants
a nd s o ma ny
ocean scientists
in Florida, plans
for more cafes have
already begun. SMS
A staghorn coral
(Acropora cervicornis)
larva (left) swims next
to settled polyps of
the same species.
Jennifer Sneed, SMS Postdoctoral Fellow
COSEE Florida Takes Science Out of the Lab
Participants in the
science cafe in
Gainesville listen to a
brief introduction on
seafood.
Laura Diederick, Education Specialist
Science Cafe participants took part
in a taste test to see if they could
tell the difference between farmed
and wild-caught shrimp.
How do corals pick a place to live?
Researchers at the Smithsonian Marine
Station are working to answer that
question. When corals reproduce
sexually, parent colonies either spawn
sperm and egg bundles, which then
fertilize in the water column, or fertilize
their eggs internally and release larvae.
In both cases, swimming larvae make
their way to the bottom and, using a
variety of environmental cues, select a
good place to attach and metamorphose
into polyp form. As a polyp grows, it
calcifies a skeleton and divides into
multiple polyps until it becomes an
adult coral colony. Larval settlement
is a crucial step for coral survival, however, despite
decades of research, the process is still not completely
understood.
In spring of 2011, with support from the Mote
Marine Laboratory Protect Our Reefs Grant Program,
SMS Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Jennifer Sneed, and SMS
Director, Dr. Valerie Paul, began investigating the
role of marine bacteria in the selection of settlement
substrates by corals in collaboration with Dr. Kim
Ritchie from Mote Marine Laboratory and Dr. Koty
Sharp from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. In a series
Tis work was supported by a
grant funded by the sale of the
Protect Our Reefs license plate.
New Grants
Valerie Paul received an award of $127,486 from the
National Science Foundation for Year 2 of the project
entitled, COSEE Florida: Water as Habitat.
Valerie Paul received an award of $204,800 from the
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for
the project entitled, Research and Public Outreach
Programs.
Laura Diederick received an award of $9,972 from
City of Fort Pierce through the Fort Pierce Authentic
Tours Program, for the project entitled, National
Estuaries Day Celebration.
Melanie McField received an award of $84,500 from
Te Summit Foundation for the project entitled,
Healthy Reefs for Healthy People IV.
Selected Publications
Baeza, J. Antonio, Juan A. Bolanos, Jesus E. Hernandez,
Carlos Lira, Regulo Lopez. 2011. Monogamy
does not last long in Pontonia mexicana, a
symbiotic shrimp of the amber pen-shell Pinna
carnea from the southeastern Caribbean Sea.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology, 407: 41-47.
Dobretsov, Sergey, Max Teplitski, Mirko Bayer,
Sarath Gunasekera, Peter Proksch and Valerie
Paul. 2011. Inhibition of marine biofouling by
bacterial quorum sensing inhibitors. Biofouling,
27(8): 893-905.
Freestone, Amy L., Richard W. Osman, Gregory
M. Ruiz, and Mark E. Torchin. 2011. Stronger
predation in tropics shapes species richness
patterns in marine communities. Ecology, 92(4):
983-993.
Gillis, J. Andrew, Kate A. Rawlinson, Justin Bell,
Warrick S. Lyon, Clare V. Baker, and Neil H.
Shubin. 2011. Holocephalan embryos provide
evidence for gill and appendage reduction and
opercular evolution in cartilaginous fishes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 108(4): 1507-1512.
Meickle, Theresa, Sarath P. Gunasekara, Yanxia
Liu, Hendrik Luesch, and Valerie J. Paul.
2011. Porpoisamides A and B, two novel
epimeric cyclic depsipeptides from a Florida
Keys collection of Lyngbya sp. Bioorganic &
Medicinal Chemistry, 19: 6576-6580.
Rawlinson, K. A., J. A. Gillis, R. E. Billings, Jr.,
and E. H. Borneman. 2011. Taxonomy and
life history of the Acropora-eating flatworm
Amakusaplana acroporae nov. sp. (Polycladida:
Prosthiostomidae). Coral Reefs, 30: 693-705.
Sneed, Jennifer M. and Georg Pohnert. 2011. Te
green alga Dicytosphaeria ocellata and its
organic extracts alter natural bacterial biolm
communities. Biofouling, 27(4): 347-356.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Niclas Engene graduated
from the University of
California at San Diegos
Scripps Institution of
Oceanography where
he received a PhD in
Oceanography. As a
Smithsonian Marine
Science Network (MSN)
postdoctoral fellow at
SMS, Niclas will study the
biodiversity and chemical
di versi ty of mari ne
cyanobacteria.
Pri or to comi ng to
SMS, Seabird McKeon
recei ved a PhD i n
Bi ol o g y f r om t he
University of Florida,
where he investigated
how interactions be-
tween marine organisms
influence biodiversity.
As a Smithsonian MSN
postdoctoral fellow, he
will focus specically on
the relationship between
crustaceans and corals.
Chelle King recently
joined the sta of SMS/
SMEE after working as
an Education Intern in
Spring 2011. As a part-
time Marine Biology
Educator, Chelle will
support the school and
public programs at SMEE
and assist with the eorts
of COSEE Florida. Prior
to joining SMS, Chelle
received her MS at
Truman State University.
SMS Welcomes Friends, New and Old
Te sta of SMS extends a warm welcome and a big thank you to new and
renewing members of Friends of the Smithsonian Marine Station who provide
critical support for research and educational programs. New and renewing
members can learn more about the benets extended to them and download a
sponsorship form at www.sms.si.edu/Get_Involved. We hope you will join today!
Charles & Janet Alford - Robert & Frances Bangert - Hugh & Catherine Benninger
David & Ursula Blackburn - Jack & Sally Chapman - Judith Collins
Dale Cassens Education Complex - William Jaeckle - Carl & Irene Kehres
Kevin Kehres - Richard & Susan Kehres - Marilyn Link
Alma Lee Loy - Guy Medor - Eleanor Sexton
Sumner Gerard Foundation - Peter & Jeanne Tyson - Walter & Lace Vitunac
William & Roberta Walker - Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan - Margaret Wisniewski
Te New Year is practically upon us
so start planning 2012 with upcom-
ing Smithsonian events! Daily tours are
now oered at 10:30am and 2:30pm at
the Marine Ecosystems Exhibit, and the
rst Tuesday of each month is still free!
Guided tours of SMS are oered the
third Tursday of each month at 2:00pm
(January 19, February 16, and March 15)
and you wont want to miss the annual
SMS Open House on Saturday March
3rd, 2012 from 10:00am- 3:00pm.
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events
Many Thanks to FWC
Sta members of the Smithsonian Marine Station and the Ecosystems
Exhibit are grateful for the ongoing support provided by the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission through the Fish and Wildlife
Research Institute. Tese funds allow us to conduct a number of research
and education activities that would otherwise not be possible.
New Faces at SMS
Dr. Valerie Paul, director
of SMS, and Zach Foltz,
manager of the Smithson-
ians research station in
Belize, shared their en-
thusiasm for science with
visitors to the National
Estuaries Day Festival.
On September 24, the Smithsonian
Marine Ecosystems Exhibit (SMEE)
hosted its first annual National
Estuaries Day Festival, funded by a
grant from the Fort Pierce Authentic
Tours program. Te Festival took place
in the Museum Pointe Park, located
directly behind SMEE, and featured
25 environmental exhibitors from area
non-profit agencies, governmental
organizations and conservation groups.
The outdoor space also included
educational stations on SMS research,
live entertainment and family-friendly
activities including a bounce house
and facepainting. Additionally, visitors
enjoyed free boat trips and free admission to the St. Lucie
County Regional History Center and SMEE. Te successful
debut of this event allowed the community to both learn
about and celebrate the incredible resources provided by
the Indian River Lagoon. Smithsonian sta and volunteers
are already looking forward to next years Festival!
After a months-long absence due to technology
Smithsonian Marine Station
701 Seaway Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34949
772-462-6220
www.sms.si.edu
Chelle King, Marine Biology Educator
Marine Ecosystems Exhibit Update
The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce Fall 2011
On the Web, In the Community: SMEE Reaches Out
upgrades, the underwater webcams at SMEE are back
and better than ever! Online visitors can once-again
peek into the seagrass ecosystem to catch a glimpse
of new autumn babies or head over to the Atlantic
coral reef webcam to see a complex community in
action. At night, a newly installed red light provides a
unique after hours view of the reef, and a brand new
microscope camera gets up-close-and-personal to a
variety of critters. Te webcams can be accessed from
the Smithsonian Marine Station Online Resources
webpage at www.sms.si.edu/online_resources. No
special software is needed, though some web browsers
may require an additional download. While youre
visiting the Online Resources page, dont miss the
links to SMEEs Facebook, Twitter, and newly launched
Flickr pages!
As the holidays draw near, SMEE is getting into
the spirit with a Holiday Camp! Kids six through
ten are invited to spend December 17th enjoying
marine-themed activities, including a trek through
the mangroves to search for critters! To register for
Holiday Camp, or with any questions, please call
SMEEs education sta at 772.465.3271. SMS
News
SMS