In January of 2015, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation surveyed a plethora of reefs throughout the Palauan archipelago as part of their Global Reef Expedition (GRE). Details can be found here, and the field report can be downloaded here. I have analyzed my pocilloporid coral samples using my standardized protocol and have finally developed the associated predictive models. The underlying data can be downloaded here. Those interested in meta-data and extraction details for the entire pocilloporid sample-set should instead download this file.

Here is the RNA/DNA/protein extraction protocol I used with ~180 or so pocilloporid coral samples; 108 of the species-typed colonies were Pocillopora acuta, rather than P. damicornis. What I can say is that, like all other coral colonies sampled as part of the GRE, stress gene expression levels were incredibly high in both the coral hosts and their endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae populations. Sadly, we never encountered a pristine reef in all our surveys between 2013 and 2016, even to some of the most far-flung islands and atolls in the world.

Here are the pictures from the January and February dives (linked to my OneDrive account). Also, check out the Palau section of my Adobe Portfolio for the “best of Palau” photos.

A diverse array of seriatoporids (e.g., S. hystrix) were also sampled across the archipelago for future analysis of host scleractinian and endosymbiotic dinoflagellate genetics, as well as comprehensive characterization of the colonies’ microbiomes. For a more comprehensive treatise on samples available for sharing, go here.

I realize it’s impossible to see all the site names; this is mainly to show how well we canvassed the western side of the country. Who wants to go back and do the east side?! Survey site coordinates can be found here.

For some of the best images from the trip, please check out those I've posted below or go to my Adobe Portfolio.