The Paleoenvironmental History of Deep-Water Scleractinian Corals

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Many workers have suggested that several deep-water (200 m) scleractinian corals originated at relatively shallow water depths and deeper water environments. A similar onshore-offshore pattern has been demonstrated for other benthic macroinvertebrates as well. The goal of this research is to rigorously document the paleoenvironmental history of deep-water azooxanthellate scleractinian corals through field work and through examination of museum collections in order to test hypotheses about the nature of observed patterns. With planning grant monies PI will visit the Smithsonian Institution, the British Museum (Natural History) and the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) and the Institut de Paleontologie in order to examine the coral collections and work with coral specialists at these institutions.