When it comes to science, research and education go hand in hand. So in addition to teaching, MANTA’s mission includes tackling some of today’s tough research questions. This means our students not only get to learn marine biology, they get to do marine biology. Student will get to serve as part of the research team for projects ranging from sea turtle population monitoring to fish behavioral studies. You’ll find that investigating the ocean’s mysteries reveals a whole new way in which to look at the underworld world. This is not only the most fun, it’s an opportunity to experience what most people will only see on the Discovery Channel! The following topics represent examples of specific research projects or general topics that MANTA is pursuing.
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Sea turtle abundance, health, and habitat use: All species of sea turtles are endangered or threatened. Therefore monitoring population size and health is an important part of assessing the success of regulations designed to protect these species. MANTA will record all sea turtle sightings and interactions as part of an in-water abundance survey. We will also work with local and U.S.-based sea turtle research and advocacy groups to perform research on sea turtle health as it relates to exposure to environmental pollutants.
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| ii. |
Sustainable fisheries management and marine protected areas: In addition to the aforementioned research, MANTA will conduct long-term fish monitoring surveys measuring the numbers, sizes, and species present on reefs where fishing is allowed compared to reefs where fishing is not allowed to assess the impact of marine protected areas on fish abundance and species diversity. |
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Evaluating the effectiveness of environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint: The bottom of boats and ships typically become fouled with algae, barnacles, and other plant and animal growth that create a great deal of additional friction, slowing the boat, and drastically increasing fuel costs. To deal with this problem anti-fouling paints are used that repel the growth of these organisms by incorporating toxic chemicals that the fouling organisms cannot tolerate. In time this paint naturally peels off and the toxic chemicals are released into the environment, where a wide variety of animals and plants absorb them and become exposed to their toxic effects. New experimental anti-fouling paints are being explored that do not release persistent toxic chemical into the environment. These new non-toxic paints will be compared to the traditional toxic paints to see how effective they are at repelling the fouling organisms from growing on the hulls of our research vessels (once they are acquired). Since MANTA will be using catamarans (which have two separate hulls), each hull will be painted (and repainted over subsequent seasons) with a different type of anti-fouling paint, and the growth of fouling organisms will be periodically measured. |
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Differences in engine performance and long-term maintenance costs between using biodiesel versus petroleum diesel in marine diesel engines: Alternative biofuels such as biodiesel are available that burn cleaner and reduce emissions. Biofuels will be used in the engines for MANTA vessels to teach environmentally responsible behavior and demonstrate the effectiveness of these alternate fuel sources. |
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The effects of top predator removal on coral reef ecosystems: Human fishing activities routinely remove the largest predators in coral reef communities. This can cause a) an increase in numbers of the smaller prey fish they consume, b) changes in the feeding behavior and intensity of these smaller fish because they are more abundant, and there is less threat of being preyed upon. This changes grazing patterns on and around the reef and has implications for coral reef community dynamics and coral health. These questions will be explored through hands on research using SCUBA diving and other field techniques. |
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Larval dispersal, retention, and recruitment of serranids (groupers): It is unclear whether fish larvae remain in the local environment where they were spawned to become a part of the local adult breeding population, or whether they are carried by currents to distant locations which may be in another country or management area, and then become part of the adult breeding population there. This question has general implications on how connected the marine tropical and subtropical coral reef communities are, and has specific implication on the design of proper fisheries management practices and how marine protected areas should be designed. Fish have ear bones that have growth rings just like trees do, and these bones also record the water chemistry in the area in which they grow and feed over the course of their life. Since the elements and isotopes in the water vary from place to place, the origin of a fish can be finger-printed based on the chemical pattern recorded in its ear bone. Spawning females will also be injected with a specially enriched isotope of the element barium to chemically tag all larvae that she produces. Juvenile fish will be later collected in this and the surrounding areas and analyzed for the presence of this chemical tag to determine whether they are from local or distant locations. State-of-the-art analytical chemistry technology called laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry will measure the chemical composition of the fish ear bones. This will be used to determine what proportion of local adult grouper comes from local breeding populations compared to distant breeding populations. This information will allow fisheries managers to improve regulations and design more effective marine protected areas to protect our ocean resources. |
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Coral reef ecology
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| viii. |
Fish feeding behavior and ecology |
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Global climate change and the effects on coral health |
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Mercury levels in fish |
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