SGER-Exploratory Testing of Intra-Crystalline Amino Acids as a Skeletal Record of Past Coral Bleaching Events

过去的白化事件和当代环境条件的记录是了解未来气候变化影响和制定珊瑚礁生态系统管理战略的关键。在这个跨学科的项目中，研究人员将测试长寿的大型珊瑚骨骼中的晶体内氨基酸组成和降解，作为过去漂白事件的潜在示踪剂。 这项研究的目标是表征晶体内的氨基酸，在每两周的分辨率，在一个滨珊瑚骨骼奠定之前，期间和之后的记录良好的大堡礁大规模珊瑚漂白事件在1998年2月。预计将发现与漂白事件相关的氨基酸异常的特征模式，然后可以将其用作过去漂白事件的生物标志物。“珊瑚压力生物标志物”的成功鉴定将促进对过去珊瑚漂白的原因，漂白频率和严重程度以及后果的研究。 更广泛的影响包括博士后和本科生培训。

Records of past bleaching events, and contemporary environmental conditions, are key to understanding the impact of future climate change and preparing management strategies for coral reef ecosystems. In this interdisciplinary project, the investigators will test the intra-crystalline amino acid composition and degradation in long-lived massive coral skeletons as a potential tracer of past bleaching events. The goal of the research is to characterize the intra-crystalline amino acids, at fortnightly resolution, in a Porites skeleton laid down before, during, and after the well-documented Great Barrier Reef mass coral bleaching event in February 1998. It is anticipated that a characteristic pattern of amino acid anomalies will be found associated with the bleaching event, which can then be used as a biomarker of past bleaching events. The successful identification of a 'coral stress biomarker' will catalyze research into the causes of past coral bleaching, bleaching frequency and severity, and the consequences. The broader impacts include post-doctoral and undergraduate training.