Defense Date

5-1-2020

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

M.S. Marine Biology

First Advisor

Dorothy Ellen Renegar

Second Advisor

Charles G. Messing

Abstract

Biological invasions are a growing threat to coral reef ecosystems, as increasing anthropogenic transport and changing environmental patterns allow invasive species to establish and spread. Durusdinium trenchii is a dinoflagellate that has invaded the Greater Caribbean reef system and established symbioses with coral hosts. Establishment and persistence of invasive endosymbionts like D. trenchii could indicate a shift in the clade composition of coral holobionts worldwide. Statistical analyses were performed on the GeoSymbio database (Franklin et al. 2012) to determine whether differences in clade composition have occurred over time. Factors that influence biological invasions in marine ecosystems were assessed and analogous fields of study compared with invasion ecology. As no management frameworks currently exist that govern invasive marine microbes like D. trenchii, a management framework designed to account for these component fields of study is proposed[DER1] . Prominent and successful cases of marine bioinvasion management were reviewed and their potential applications assessed. These case studies were synthesized with modern control methods to create a framework for bioinvasion management that is specific to D. trenchii. The framework focuses on detection and preventative control of invasive transport vectors. [DER2]

[DER1]Add a few sentences here to describe the framework.

[DER2]There is still room here for a brief description of your frame work recommendations.

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