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Corals - Who's Who?
Jackie Wolstenholme of James Cook University is the 1999 Doctoral Fellow. She has received funding in 1999 and 2000 and is eligible for a final year in 2001. Her project, "Species boundaries in scleractinian corals" addresses one of the most basic questions in coral reef biology: where does one draw the line between coral species? Species of corals have traditionally been classified according to similarities and differences in the appearance of the skeleton. However, this has proved inadequate for many corals. Jackie's research will integrate traditional and contemporary techniques to clarify uncertainties in the classification of a group of corals within the genus Acropora. This is the most diverse and widespread genus of reef-building corals in the world and it includes the well-known staghorn and plate corals. Because of the wide distribution of Acropora, Jackie will travel to coral reef locations around the world for this project. Lizard Island will act as a base for detailed work on the timing of reproduction of particular species groups, as well as an important site for obtaining data on similarities and differences in skeletal characters. A species is usually defined as a group of plants or animals that can interbreed and produce viable offspring; individuals in a single species have similar appearance because they are genetically related. Jackie began to investigate the synchronicity of spawning and fertilisation success of different "morphs" of currently accepted Acropora species at Lizard Island in 1999. She found several morphs that do not spawn at the same time as other morphs, so it is unlikely that the two groups interbreed. Jackie's research will provide an important foundation for resolving difficulties in the classification of corals, a major impediment to research, environmental management and assessment of biodiversity of coral reefs.
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