Feeding effects on reproductive output in the ögonkorall Lophelia pertusa
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually.
Subject: Marine Biology
Project Level: Adjustable to Master or Bachelor Project
Project start and length: 30-60pt, preferred start September 2024 or January 2025
Supervisors: Rhian Waller & Nadjejda Espinel
Location: Tjärnö Marine Laboratory
Project Background
Lophelia pertusa is one of the most widespread corals found globally at depths from around 100m to over 2000m. It is the only reef building species of coral found in Swedish waters and has been successfully cultivated and spawned at the Tjärnö Marine Lab for over ten years.
Project Description
We have been running a feeding experiment on corals kept in the aquarium since the 2024 spawning season (January - March 2024). Historically corals are collected from the wild each year for spawning and then preserved for other purposes.
We are trialling 5 different feeding strategies for 2024 to see if we can encourage reproduction to continue in the laboratory so we can utilise them again in the following years for spawning.
We are looking for a student to compare the reproductive output between these 5 different feeding treatments from 3 timepoints (before the experiment, mid experiment and at the end of the experiment (January 2025).
This project will use extensive histological analysis.
Contact
Rhian Waller
Email: rhian.waller@gu.se