Coral Research Project

When the San Diego State University started looking for couplings to use in their Coral Research project they selected KENT Systems. "As I recall, they were looking for a quick coupling that was easy enough to use in the challenging underwater environment" Says Lyle Sampson plant manager at KENT Systems, LLC. "In addition, they required the couplings to be color-coded. Fortunately, KENT Systems offers enough color options for our bulkhead couplings that SDSU was able to select colors that were easily identifiable under water." Concludes Sampson

As sunlight shines through water, the water acts like a filter and removes color for the spectrum, thereby changing the look of the color-coded products.

You can learn more about the Coral Research project from their press release listed below.

Incidences of coral disease have dramatically increased over the last two decades. This has led to a large number of studies to document the pathology and potential pathogens involved. Despite this research effort, only two coral pathogens have been identified. We propose that anthropogenic stresses are killing corals by disrupting the bacterial community associated with healthy corals. In collaboration with Nancy Knowlton and Davey Kline, this hypothesis is being tested by applying stresses to different coral species in the presence and absence of antibiotics.

Our preliminary data show that many of the commonly cited stressors of corals (e.g., nutrient, organic matter, water temperature,) kill corals under conditions found only on heavily impacted reefs. Interestingly, coral death induced by these treatments can be prevented with antibiotics. This strongly suggests that stress-induced changes in the normal bacterial community, rather than the stresses themselves are responsible for coral mortality.

Currently these experiments are being expanded to include a greater variety of stressors (e.g., sedimentation, pesticides, and estrogen compounds) and coral species. To test these theories and collect the necessary data we built "SPIDERS" (Syringe Pumps that are independently Deployable for Emission and Release of solutions). SPIDERS will be used to directly treat corals in the field.

For further information contact:

Forest Rohwer

San Diego State University

619-594-7829

forest@sunstroke.sdsu.edu