HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

 

Theses and dissertations from the graduate programs of Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University.

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Theses/Dissertations from 2020

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Thesis: The Role of Bacterial Symbionts and Bioluminescence in the Pyrosome, Pyrosoma atlanticum, Alexis Berger

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Thesis: Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Analysis of Mangrove Ecosystems Using GIS, Kayla Caldwell

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Thesis: Fish Assemblages Associated with a Newly Deployed Eco-Engineered Artificial Seawall in the Intercoastal Waters of Port Everglades, Olmo Cinti

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Thesis: Examination of Parasite Assemblages in Killifish of the Genus Fundulus Across the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada, Derek Garvey

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Thesis: A Temporal Analysis of the Euphausiid Assemblage in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, with Notes on Seasonal Reproduction, Nathan A. La Spina

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Thesis: Predation Efficiency and Prey Choice of Estuarine Organisms Under Varying Anthropogenic Light Types and Intensities, Carmen Montalvo

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Thesis: Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Nearshore Distribution, Bimini, The Bahamas, Skylar L. Muller

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Thesis: Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Essential and Non-Essential Elements Recorded in Western Arctic Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus), Samantha L. Shore

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Thesis: Comparative Study of the Effects of Light on Photophore Ultrastructure from Two Families of Deep-Sea Decapod Crustaceans: Oplophoridae and Sergestidae, Jamie E. Sickles

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Dissertation: Understanding the Toxicity of Single Hydrocarbons, Oil, and Dispersed Oil: A Species Sensitivity Assessment for Five Atlantic Coral Species, Nicholas R. Turner

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Thesis: An Investigation into the Factors Influencing Growth and Survival of Caribbean Acroporid Corals in a Floating Nursery, Cassie M. VanWynen

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Thesis: The Microscopic Threat with a Macroscopic Impact: Microplastics Along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Emma Wightman

Theses/Dissertations from 2019

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Thesis: The Association between Stomach Fullness and Vertical Migration Behavior in Deep-Pelagic Crustaceans and Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, with Notes on Microplastic Ingestion, Ryan P. Bos

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Thesis: Determining how risk effects predator-prey interactions of marine communities in the nearshore environment of South Bimini, The Bahamas, Kendall Brancart

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Thesis: A Comparison of Circle and J Hook Performance within the Grenadian Pelagic Longline Fishery, Anthony G. Burns

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Thesis: Nutrient Concentrations and Effects on Mill Run from Residential, Urban, and Industrial Stormwater Contamination, Melissa Carver

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Thesis: Shallow- water hardbottom communities support the separation of biogeographic provinces on the west- central Florida Gulf Coast, Shelby Eagan

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Thesis: Assessment of Heavy Metals in Subsistence-Harvested Alaskan Marine Mammal Body Tissues and Vibrissae, Pilar M. Ferdinando

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Thesis: Characterization of Bacterial Communities in Biscayne Bay Through Genomic Analysis, Eric Fortman

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Thesis: Desperate Coral Larvae? Behavioral Responses to Settlement Cues in Aging Agaricia agaricites Larvae, Helena Sasha Fulmore

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Thesis: Outplanted Acropora cervicornis enhances the fish assemblages of Southeast Florida, Ellen Dignon Goldenberg

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Thesis: A characterization of a Southeast Florida stony coral assemblage after a disease event, Nicole K. Hayes

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Thesis: Spatial and Temporal Trends of Southeastern Florida's Octocoral Comunity, Alexandra Hiley

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Thesis: Sargassum Infauna Community Structure in the Florida Straits and Gulf Stream, Dayna S. Hunn

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Thesis: Optimizing restoration site selection along the Florida Reef Tract for the coral species Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata, Samantha King

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Thesis: Timing and Potential Drivers of Symbiont Selection in the Early Life Stages of the Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea, Sarah G. Koerner

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Thesis: Optimizing lighting regimes for rearing Orbicella faveolata and Acropora cervicornis recruits, Paul D. Kreh

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Thesis: Comparisons of Five DNA Repair Pathways Between Elasmobranch Fishes and Humans, Lucia Llorente

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Thesis: Analysis of "Observer Effect" in Logbook Reporting Accuracy for U.S. Pelagic Longline Fishing Vessels in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, Thomas J. Morrell

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Thesis: Microbial Analysis of Surfactant-Associated Bacteria in the Sea Surface Microlayer and Remote Sensing of Associated Slicks, Georgia Parks

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Thesis: The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform, Luis Ramirez

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Thesis: Effects of deposited sediment and turbidity on survival and growth of Orbicella faveolata recruits, Morgan Stephenson

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Thesis: Inferred Function and Dynamics of Microbial Communities from the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Deepesh Tourani

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Thesis: Reconstruction of Northeastern Pacific Ocean Holocene Production Using Marine Mammal Archaeofauna, Andrea M. Traffichini

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Thesis: Spatial and temporal trends in the Xestospongia muta (giant barrel sponge) population on the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Alanna D. Waldman

Theses/Dissertations from 2018

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Thesis: Indirect Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on the Realized Recruitment of Agaricia agaricites, Allan Anderson

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Thesis: Pathogen Transmission Techniques and Genotypic Resistance to Disease in the Threatened Coral, Acropora cervicornis, Megan Bock

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Thesis: Empirical Validation and Comparison of the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) Between the Gulf of Mexico and the Tongue of the Ocean, Cynthia A. Cleveland

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Thesis: Ecological Correlates of Community Structure in Seagrass-Associated Fishes in North Biscayne Bay and Port of Miami, Florida, Elizabeth F. Colhoun

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Dissertation: Turbulent and Electromagnetic Signature of Small- and Fine-scale Biological and Oceanographic Processes, Cayla Whitney Dean

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Thesis: A Comparison of Benthic Habitats and Faunas Between the Miami Terrace (Proposed Calypso Pipeline Site) and the Pourtales Terrace (Coral Habitat of Particular Concern), Laura Dell

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Thesis: Microbial Ecology of South Florida Surface Waters: Examining the Potential for Anthropogenic Influences, Chase P. Donnelly

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Thesis: Uncovering the Role of Propagule Pressure in Determining Establishment Success Using a Synthetic Biology Approach, Michael D. Dressler

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Thesis: Peruvian Pinnipeds as Archivists of ENSO Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards

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Thesis: Genetic Population and Evolutionary Dynamics of the Angel Sharks, Squatina spp., Cristin Keelin Fitzpatrick

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Thesis: Characterization of the Bioluminescent Symbionts from Ceratioids Collected in the Gulf of Mexico, Lindsay L. Freed

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Dissertation: Population dynamics of the threatened staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, and the development of a species-specific monitoring protocol, Elizabeth Goergen

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Thesis: Parasitic Indicators of Foraging Strategies in Wading Birds, Sarah Gumbleton

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Thesis: Ecophysiology of lionfish metabolic and visual systems: Are there physiological limits to inshore invasion?, Aaron Hasenei

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Thesis: Identifying Disease-Resistant and Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes in the Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis, Morgan V. Hightshoe

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Thesis: Spatiotemporal Change in the Benthic Community of Southeast Florida, Nicholas P. Jones

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Thesis: Patterns in Caribbean Coral Spawning, Anna C. Jordan

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Dissertation: Environmental Controls on Depositional Patterns of Isolated Carbonate Platforms, Jeremy M. Kerr

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Thesis: Optimization of Light Irradiance During the Early Life of Sexually-Produced Porites astreoides and Agaricia agaricites Recruits, Nicholas J. McMahon

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Thesis: The relationship of endoparasite diversity and feeding ecology in the seabird complex of South Florida, Michael Nakama

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Thesis: Assessment of Metals in Tissues of Marine-Associated Birds in South Florida, Caitlyn A. Nay

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Thesis: A Temporal Analysis of a Deep-Pelagic Crustacean Assemblage (Decapoda: Caridea: Oplophoridae and Pandalidae) in the Gulf of Mexico After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Devan Nichols

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Thesis: The Assemblage Structure and Trophic Ecology of a Deep-Pelagic Fish Family (Platytroctidae) in the Gulf of Mexico, Michael Novotny

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Thesis: Population Dynamics and Genotypic Richness of the Threatened Acropora spp. and their Hybrid in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hannah F. Nylander-Asplin

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Thesis: Early Life History Response of Reef Building Coral, Orbicella faveolata, to Ocean Acidification and Warming, Kelly A. Pitts

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Thesis: Species Richness, Diversity, and Abundance of Sponge Communities in Broward County, Florida, 2000-2015, Jessica Price

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Thesis: Identification and spatiotemporal dynamics of tuna (Family: Scombridae; Tribe: Thunnini) early life stages in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico, Nina Pruzinsky

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Thesis: Effects of ocean warming, sedimentation, and parental genotype on the post-settlement survival and growth of Acropora cervicornis recruits, Jena Robbins

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Thesis: Heavy Metal Accumulation in Seagrasses in Southeastern Florida, Erin Smith

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Thesis: Evaluating the Efficacy of Using Geomorphology as a Surrogate to Benthic Habitat on the Miami Terrace, Kim D. Smith

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Thesis: Age and Growth of Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) in Southeast Florida, Ian A. Towne

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Thesis: Rare Parthenogenic Reproduction in a Common Reef Coral, Porites astreoides, Alicia A. Vollmer

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Thesis: The role of ontogenetic habitat shifts on the parasite communities of five South Florida fishes, Brittany Nicole White

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Thesis: Microbiome Diversity of Coastal Tidal Floodwater in Southeastern Florida, Marissa Wickes

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Thesis: Trophic Ecology and Parasitism of a Mesopelagic Fish Assemblage, Matthew Woodstock

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Thesis: Genomic Analysis of Acropora cervicornis Mucus and Sediments in the Florida Keys Tavernier Nursery, Rachel Zimmerman

Theses/Dissertations from 2017

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Thesis: Reef Fish Assemblage Biogeography Along the Florida Reef Tract, Cory Ames

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Thesis: Emerging Hotspot Analysis of Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) Mortality (1974-2012), Crystal Ann Bass

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Thesis: Environmental Factors Affecting Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nesting, Hatching, and Incubation Patterns in Broward County, Florida, Zoey Ellen Best

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Thesis: Mapping the Spatial-Temporal Variation in Ras Ghanada Seagrass Meadows and Sand Shoals between 1996, 2006 & 2012, Ryan Brookbank

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Thesis: Evaluating the Ecological Status of the Introduced Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) in Florida: Forecasting Presence and Population Expansion Using Computational Geographic Information Systems, Noah G. Cohen

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Thesis: The Relationship between Near Shore Hardbottom Exposure and Benthic Community Composition and Distribution in Palm Beach County, FL, Kristen A. Cumming

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Thesis: "The Effects of Ocean Warming and Sedimentation on the Survival and Growth of Acropora cervicornis" and "Differential Prevalence of Chimerism during Embryogenesis in Corals", Hayley De Marchis

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Thesis: Investigating the Effect of Mechanical Beach Cleaning on Nesting, Hatching and Emergence Success of Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtles in Broward County, Florida, Megan A. Earney

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Thesis: Differential Use of Two Warm-Water Effluents by the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Temporal Distributions throughout Broward County, Florida, Laura F. Eldredge

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Dissertation: The Biannual Cycle and Reproductive Morphology of the Yellow Stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), with a Comparative Analysis from Batoid Reproductive Literature, Daniel P. Fahy

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Thesis: Evidence of Intermittent Residency in the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus)., Megan Foley

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Thesis: Coral vs. Macroalgae: Relative Susceptibility to Sedimentation and Ocean Warming, Ashton J. Galarno

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Thesis: Variable Patterns in Spur and Groove Reef Morphology Explained by Physical Controls and their Relevance for Platform-Top Sedimentology, Robert C. Gardiner Jr

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Thesis: Variation in Coral Recruitment and Juvenile Distribution Along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Leah M. Harper

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Thesis: A Comparison of the Ichthyofaunal Trophic Ecology at Selected Limestone Artificial Reef Sites and Adjacent Natural Reef Sites, Joseph R. Hornbeck

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Thesis: DNA Analysis of Surfactant-Associated Bacteria in a Natural Sea Slick in the Gulf of Mexico Observed by TerraSAR-X, Kathryn Howe

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Thesis: Microbial Community Richness Distinguishes Shark Species Microbiomes in South Florida, Rachael Cassandra Karns

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Dissertation: Exploring the Potential for Artificial Reefs in Coral Reef Restoration: Responses and Interactions of Associated Biota to Varying Experimental Treatments in the Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle

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Thesis: Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Fertilization Success and Early Larval Development in the Green Sea Urchin, Lytechinus variegatus, Brittney L. Lenz

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Thesis: Caecidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Broward County, Florida, Andres S. Lester-Coll

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Thesis: Distribution and Condition of Stony Corals in The Veracruz Reef System National Park: A Management Perspective, Mauricio López Padierna

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Thesis: Growth of Orbicella faveolata in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Darren B. Marshall

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Thesis: Assessing the Rate and Extent of Transgenerational Acclimation and Adaptation to Ocean Warming, Abby C. Nease

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Thesis: Age and Growth of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives, Cameron T. Perry

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Thesis: Forecasting the Spread and Invasive Potential of Apple Snails (Pomacea spp.) in Florida, Stephanie A. Reilly

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Thesis: Nuclear Genome Size Diversity Of Marine Invertebrate Taxa Using Flow Cytometric Analysis, Kyle Roebuck

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Thesis: Microbial and Genomic Analysis of Environmental Samples in Search of Pathogenic Salmonella, Jorie L. Skutas

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Thesis: Bacterial Communities Associated with Healthy and Diseased Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) Using High-Throughput Sequencing, Charles Walton

Theses/Dissertations from 2016

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Thesis: Population Fluctuation of the Nodular Coral Psammocora stellata in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: An Indicator of Community Resilience and Implications for Future Management, Kathryn Brown