School of Science Department of Ocean Science 56 Characterising Coral Reef Function Across Anthropogenic Gradients Supervisor: WYATT, Alex / OCES Student: WONG, Sung Lit / BISC Course: UROP1100, Fall The correlations between anthropogenic-induced heat stress and coral reef function have been the most studied topic in recent years. Indeed, thermal stress is a critical factor in altering the attributes of coral reefs, since the symbiotic relationship between Symbiodinium and coral is highly dependent on the temperature condition. However, minus the rising thermal stress, studies have revealed more anthropogenic factors might be in play. These anthropogenic stressors simultaneously shaping the scapes of the world’s coral reefs since last century and should also be well addressed. In view of that, this review will: (i) provides an overview of identified anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs; (ii) review the works of literature to elaborate on the mechanisms involved; (iii) summarize the related research; and (iv) provide insight to future direction of studies to facilitate reef management. Infection Dynamics, Molecular Mechanisms, and Ecological Roles of Marine Cyanobacteria and Their Viruses Under Light-dark Cycles Supervisor: ZENG, Qinglu / OCES Student: CHENG, Hou Tin / SSCI Course: UROP1000, Summer Synechococcus is a cyanobacterium with single cell, which can be found in a lot of places in the marine environment. Its size ranges between 0.8 and 1.5 micrometers. It is an important component of prokaryotic autotrophic picoplankton in the temperate to tropical oceans, in which autotrophs are creatures that can make their own food with the use of light, water, carbon dioxide and other chemicals. Because of its importance in the marine ecosystem, it is important for us to study its growth. In this report, I will focus on how to maintain Synechococcus, how to measure and calculate the culture growth, and how to explain its growth. Infection Dynamics, Molecular Mechanisms, and Ecological Roles of Marine Cyanobacteria and Their Viruses Under Light-dark Cycles Supervisor: ZENG, Qinglu / OCES Student: LOH, Leyuan / BCB Course: UROP1000, Summer As the wave of pandemic swept across the globe for the past 3 years, the public has been sensitised to enhancing immunity against infectious diseases. Cyanobacteria research for therapeutic purposes, such as the well-known antiviral Spirulina and phage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics are actively undergoing across the globe. Thus, culturing cyanobacteria, specifically Prochlorococcus, is a vital procedure to provide fresh samples for research. The methods implemented for culturing Prochlorococcus in this project include the preparation of Pro99 medium, transferring of marine Prochlorococcus to the medium in a sterile environment, and sampling Prochlorococcus culture for fluorometry and cytometry. A growth curve is then constructed and compared with different cyanobacteria’s growth curves to ensure its growth rate is pertinent. Possible modifications to the implemented protocol are also suggested to maximise the yield.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=