RiSE Lab - Resilience in Stressful Environments Lab
Our Research
We are dedicated to exploring the resilience of organisms in stressful environments. We conduct in-depth research projects that aim to uncover the secrets of these vital organismal-ecosystem relationships. We are a marine environment focused lab that primarily conducts research in coral reef ecosystems and on cnidarians (e.g., corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish).
What is stress resilience? Stress resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from environmental stressors, which importantly includes resisting harmful potential impacts of a stressor and effectively (and speedily) recovering from any damage following the stressful period.
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Thermal Stress Resilience - Capacity & Tradeoffs
Cnidarians (e.g., corals) exhibit variable thermal stress resistance and recovery. We study trade-offs between individual thermal resistance and recovery ability. The goal is to identify links between these mechanisms that each contribute to overarching thermal resilience as climate change impacts worsen. We currently conduct this work on reef-building corals from the Indo-Pacific (e.g., Acropora hyacinthus in Palau and Montipora capitata in Hawaiʻi), soft corals, and the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis.
A) Cnidarians are animals but do not exist in a vacuum, rather they have other microorganisms that live within or on them (e.g., algae, bacteria, and viruses). In particular, reef-building corals have a mutually symbiotic relationship with plant-like algae that provide them with their color and the majority of their energy via sugars. These algae, called Symbiodiniaceae, can also influence coral thermal resilience. We study links between the type of Symbiodiniaceae algae a coral has and how thermally resilient the coral is. We also plan to branch out into the broader coral holobiont microbiome.
B) Under normal conditions, cnidarians can allocate energy to important life functions such as growth and reproduction. However, under stressful conditions, they may not have the same ability to carry out these life functions. We investigate links between thermal resilience and other life functions. For example, can corals allocate energy to growth while under stress, or resume their previous growth rates after stress? Corals that are thermally resilient but slow-growing may not be able to quickly rebuild or sustain coral reefs in future climate change scenarios.
Multi-Stress Resilience - Across Time and Conditions
We are interested in exploring stress resilience under different timescales (e.g., short-term vs. long term stress, seasonal variation, and across life stages) and under different conditions (e.g., types of stress and environmental gradients). We are currently exploring coral thermal stress resilience and other life functions in adult and offspring (larvae and juvenile) Montipora capitata corals, in order to determine what components of resilience and fitness can be passed down through generations.
We have also branched out to other types of multi-stress resilience assays, including wound healing and oxidative stress.
Stress Resilience - Broadening Study Systems
We are also developing tools to explore mechanisms of stress resilience in local southern California marine ecosystems (e.g., tide pools) and with marine invertebrates beyond reef-building corals. We are using common soft corals found in the aquarium and pet trade industry as model organisms to explore cnidarian thermal tolerance and community dynamics. Additionally, we have introduced Nematostella vectensis into the lab and now have a spawning stock (original anemones kindly obtained from the Martindale Lab at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience).