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Physis Journal of Marine Science CIEE Research Station Volume XX, Fall 2016 Photo Credits Front Cover................. Danielle Goldberg Title Page..................... Brian Anschel Physis........................... Brian Anschel Foreword..................... Danielle Goldberg and Brian Anschel Profile Pictures............ Brian Anschel Table of Contents........ Ive Pieterick, Brian Anschel, Levi Dodge, Savannah D’Orazio, Danielle Goldberg, Nick Hobgood, Georgette Douwma, Brian Anschel, Shannon Richardson Back Cover.................. Brian Anschel Physis Journal of Marine Science CIEE Research Station Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation Program Volume XX, Fall 2016 i PHYSIS Close your eyes. Now picture yourself on a pristine, white sandy shoreline. Admire the sapphire blue water, but do not see with just your eyes. Listen to the wallowing waves kiss the shore, inhale the salty air from the ocean’s breeze, and enjoy the wind gliding across your face as the sand tickles your toes. The existence of life is everywhere. Now open your eyes. Let the cognition of reality sink in. The roaring of bustling streets, the pungent odor of industry, and the unsightly world of concrete rears its ugly head. We, the human race, have diminished Mother Nature to nothing more than a servant. For she has been bent, broken and stripped repeatedly to satisfy our selfish desires. Modern society has pioneered numerous technological advancements, but at what unseen costs? Too often, people do not stop and ask “and what then?” – Rod Fujita. They fail to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions. But the past remains as an ominous reminder that we live to fight for today. Now as we watch our world die in front of our eyes, do we finally see that this is the answer to the never-ending question, and what then? We have forged a way to inhibit the natural breathing of our world’s ecosystems and the organisms that reside within them. These ecosystems have been suffocated beyond the point of return. For a lucky few, however, there are potential methods to reduce and reverse existing anthropogenic stressors. For the ocean, deceivingly too immense, too vibrant with life to be affected, has experienced the most harmful human impacts. The complexity of our oceans are not yet even fully understood, but we continue to witness the services they have provided for generations slowly disintegrate with every rising tide. To restore our planet into a thriving, beautiful home once more, we must let her breath. We vow to let her rebuild her mountains, replenish her forests, restore her oceans once more so that we can live with her, in harmony. We must allow physis, the process in which Mother Nature is freed to heal herself. Nature has been, and always will be, the best restorative agent. Studying beautiful treasures hidden beneath the waves strengthens our knowledge and understanding of the intricate and naturally occurring processes essential to restoring the oceans. With this knowledge comes the ability to enlighten the minds of others, to see what is unseen, the good and the bad, and to take part in assisting Mother Nature in freeing herself from servitude. People will protect what they love, and can love what they understand. Here, we present Volume XX of Physis: A Journal of Marine Science. ii FOREWORD Publication of Volume XX of the student journal Physis: Journal of Marine Science was a major goal of the Independent Research in Marine Ecology/Biology course. The course is part of the semester program in Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation at the CIEE Research Station Bonaire. Fadilah Ali, PhD Candidate, Franziska Elmer, PhD, and Kelly Hannan, MS co-taught the course. Additionally, student projects were supported by an intern, Nicole Jackson, BS or Emily Dawson, BS. The academic advisors guided the projects through course content delivery and weekly meetings with each student. Astrid de Jager Verstappen directed the Dive Safety Program for the semester. Research was conducted within the Bonaire National Marine Park with permission from the park and the Department of Environment and Nature. Projects were conducted near the research station, which is located on the leeward side of Bonaire to the north of the town of Kralendijk. The students presented the findings of their research projects in a public forum on the 30th of November, 2016 at the CIEE Research Station lecture room. The Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation program in Bonaire is designed for upper level undergraduates majoring in Biology/Ecology. There is a field-based orientation to the program with a strong focus on research-skills acquisition. In addition to the Independent Research course, students enroll in five courses: Coral Reef Ecology, Marine Ecology Field Research Methods, Advanced Scuba, Tropical Marine Conservation Biology, and Cultural & Environmental History of Bonaire. A noteworthy accomplishment is that students earned a Scientific Dive certification with the American Academy of Underwater Sciences during the program. Part of the mission of CIEE Foundation, which is a Bonairean not-for-profit organization, is: “to provide outstanding educational opportunities to students in Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation. We strive to provide interdisciplinary marine research opportunities for CIEE students as well as visiting scientists and their students from around the world.” Thank you to the students and staff that participated in the program this semester. A final word to the students: Congratulations on publishing this volume of Physis and best of luck as you embark on your future careers! Dr. Rita BJ Peachey iii Faculty Dr. Rita Peachey is the founding Director at CIEE. She has a PhD in Marine Sciences from University of South Alabama. Her research specialization is larval ecology, phototoxicity, fish ecology, and invasive species ecology. Her current research interests in Bonaire are a shark tagging project in Lagun, a coral gardening project along the leeward side of Bonaire and the effects of cruise ship tourism on Lac bay. Franziska Elmer is the Coral Reef Ecology Faculty for CIEE and co- teaches Independent Research and Marine Ecology Field Research methods. She has a Master's in Ecology and Evolution from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and a PhD in Marine Biology from Victoria University in Wellington (New Zealand). For her PhD, she researched how biological and physical factors affect coral recruitment and calcium carbonate accretion by CCA. Fadilah Ali is the Tropical Marine Conservation Biology Faculty at CIEE. She is also the co-instructor on the Independent Research Course and serves as the Outreach Coordinator. Fadilah's specialty is in Biodiversity and Conservation, and she has a Masters in Environmental Science and is currently finishing up her PhD in Ocean and Earth Sciences at the University of Southampton. She has been studying the lionfish invasion for the last six years and has conducted research on many Caribbean islands including Bonaire and Curacao. Astrid de Jager is the instructor for Cultural and Environmental History of Bonaire course, and Dive Safety Officer. She came to Bonaire in 2009 and has been working in the dive industry ever since. She holds a Master’s degree in Music History, and is a SDI and DAN instructor trainer. Kelly Hannan is the Marine Ecology Field Research co-instructor and Independent Research co-instructor. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Comprehensive Science from Villanova MSc. Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from University of Illinois. She is currently a PhD candidate in Marine Biology from James Cook University. Previous research involves physiology research relating to climate change. iv Staff Sara Buckley is the Office and Laboratory Manager. She received a B.S. in Oceanography from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a PADI/SDI SCUBA instructor. She studied UV effects on zooplankton. After a year Internship, she was hired on as a full-time staff member to be the Laboratory and Office Manager and to finish the zooplankton study. Luigi Eybrecht is the residence hall manager and logistics coordinator. His study interests include environmental conservation. He is also a proud local Bonairean. Marc Tsagaris is the facilities manager at CIEE and instructor for the Advanced Scuba course. He is interested in diver impacts on coral reefs and rebreather research. Mary DiSanza was born and raised in Colorado where she was committed to protecting the environment. Computers, banking and law gave way to scuba dive and travel. Mary worked as a Dive Instructor and Retail Manager for a dive shop on Bonaire for several years, before branching out to the resort/management side of the business. v Interns Emily Dawson is a teaching assistant for Coral Reef Ecology, Advanced Scuba, and Independent Research. She has two bachelor’s degrees from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) - Conservation Biology and Ecology along with Marine Biology. She worked as a research assistant at FIT for 3 years studying a variety of marine topics. Nikki Jackson is a TA for Tropical Marine Conservation Biology and Marine Ecology Field Research Methods. She also assists with the Advanced Scuba course and is a co-advisor for Independent Research. She has a Bachelors in Biological Sciences from Florida State University. She intends to obtain a Master’s degree in Biological Oceanography. Martijn Koot is the laboratory intern at CIEE and knows everything about nutrients and a little bit about DNA. He is still studying at the