Marine Biotech Fellowship: Natural Products from Common Shallow-water Soft Corals of Guam: Reproductive Considerations

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9321533 Slattery The proposed research program will utilize analytical chemistry techniques to evaluate the importance of secondary metabolites and steroids in reproduction of the soft corals Lobophytum spp., Sarcophyton spp., Sinularia spp., and Stereonephthya spp. from Guam. It is a continuation of an ongoing project which has identified and examined the importance of secondary metabolites, organic extracts, and morphological defenses in soft coral predator deterrence. This research will expand upon the aforementioned program to extract, isolate, and determine the structures of new secondary metabolites in adult colonies and their eggs. Temporal changes in concentrations of these compounds will be correlated with reproductive indices to assess the role of the compounds in maturation and spawning. Standard bioassays will be conducted to guide isolation natural products in egg release, sperm chemotaxis, and feeding deterrence. Novel compounds identified in this project will expand upon a growing database of metabolites that can be used as chemotaxonomic markers and will be incorporated into existing pharmacological programs. Furthermore, this project will contribute significant insights into the reproductive biology and chemical ecology of the common soft corals on the shallow reefs surrounding Guam. ***