Research

The Gump Station is host to a variety of marine and terrestrial projects involving numerous institutions and researchers.

Below you will find a small selection of past and current research projects [all projects will be listed in near future]

Gump Station Research Projects

	Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research IV The monitoring component of the MCR LTER IV program is designed to meet the needs for comparative analysis within the LTER system, to measure long-term trends, and to provide a contextual basis for process-oriented studies.
	Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) will be recovered after having been deployed for three years on both Moorea and Tetiaroa to compare the biotic assemblages between high island and low island reef communities. ARMS have become a standard for monitoring marine biodiversity and creating comparative baselines for marine communities particularly those associated with coral reefs, with…
	Ocean Acidification and Coral Reefs - Scale Dependence and Adaptive Capacity Ocean Acidification (OA) is perhaps the most serious threat to marine ecosystems. This project and addresses the problem in the most diverse and beautiful ecosystem on the planet, coral reefs. The research utilizes Moorea, French Polynesia as a model system, and builds from the NSF investment in the Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research Site (LTER) to exploit physical and…
	Biological Control of the Glassy-Winged Sharp Shooter Invasive glassy-winged sharpshooters were successfully controlled via introduction of a species-specific egg parasite wasp in French Polynesia
	Seamounts in French Polynesia Current bathymetric data shows that French Polynesia has 509 seamounts in its Exclusive Economic Zone, only taking into consideration those with peaks at less than 3000m from the surface. These extreme underwater landforms are generally located in line with the archipelagos. Life around seamounts is often linked to the presence of plankton.
	Quantitation of Coral Fluorescence in the Marine Environment ...the exact reason why most marine organisms demonstrate fluorescent phenotypes remains a mystery.
	Symbiont and host responses in reef ecosystems under rapid change The objective of the research is to examine how environmental stressors impact the health and persistence of corals and their associated microbial communities. Coral colonies consist of an animal host as well as a resident community of microorganisms that includes bacteria, dinoflagellate algae, and viruses. Environmental changes can cause shifts in the microbial composition of corals, as well…
	Community dynamics of corals, algae, and microbes Coral reefs around the world experience disturbances such as bleaching events, overfishing, and nutrification, which often facilitate the growth and proliferation of algae.
	Land Use Change, Ecotourism, and the Marine Environment Documenting Land Use Change and the Regulatory Environment
	Sediment Metabolomes as Drivers of Bacterial Community Structure This project takes important first steps towards applying environmental metabolomics to the field of marine microbial ecology. It will provide important baseline information describing sediment community composition across environmental gradients and insight into the chemical landscape within which bacteria reside. Lab experiments will be used to determine the effects of sediment metabolomes…
	Coral Tree Nursery Project in Moorea ... expanding our current coral tree nursery in the Piha'ena area of the lagoon.
	Causes and effects of grazing behavior by large, excavating parrotfishes on coral reefs Herbivory by fishes and sea urchins is a powerful mechanism on coral reefs
	Community Ecology of Coral Reefs of Moorea How does predation on corals by parrotfishes, pufferfishes, and butterflyfishes impact long-term coral health and survivorship?
	Coral population demographics and community dynamics Coral population and therefore community dynamics are driven in part by disturbance. MCR LTER research
	Phytoplankton of Moorea Several species of micro algae, phytoplankton, produce toxins known as harmful algal blooms, more commonly known as red tides.
	Strength of Coral-Algal Interactions in different environments The synergistic effects of algae and environmental conditions that harm coral (i.e., low flow and vermetids) will hasten coral declines...
	Moorea Biocode A library of genetic markers, digital images, and physical specimens for every species of plant, animal and fungus on the island of Moorea

Research

Research

Researchers...

Gump Station Research Projects