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Growth of Open Brain Coral. Ronnie Braithwaite. Focus of Research. The project explored the effect that feeding has on the growth of the open brain coral Other characteristics of the coral were observed such as the color and tentacles - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Ronnie Braithwaite
Focus of ResearchThe project explored the effect that feeding
has on the growth of the open brain coralOther characteristics of the coral were
observed such as the color and tentacles Research on the correlation between the
number of mouths and the growth of open brain coral was minimal
The majority of research was focused on eating habits and growth of open brain coral
TaxonomyKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: CnidariaClass: AnthozoaOrder: ScleractiniaFamily: TrachyphylliidaeGenus: TrachyphylliaSpecies: T. geoffroyi
Background InformationPolyps are fleshy. When tentacles are retracted
during the day a large mantle extends well beyond the perimeter of the skeleton. This retracts if disturbed. At night tentacles in several rows are extended from the expanded oral disc inside the mantle. (“Corals of the Worldonline”:2001)
The polyps of Open Brain Coral inflate considerably in size with water, about two to three inches beyond its skeleton, during the daytime (FreshMarine.com: Open Brain Coral. 2012.)
Background Information (Cont.)Open Brain Corals derive their nutrition
chiefly through photosynthesis which is performed by zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga living symbiotically within the coral (FreshMarine.com: Open Brain Coral. 2012.)
Open Brain Corals are said to be one of the easiest species to care for and is best for beginners
How it came about?Originally, the project was to compare frozen
food with live foodFeeding vs no feeding was a more practical
experimentAfter reading research, I proposed these
questions…
QuestionsDoes the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from
feeding on frozen foods versus live foods?
Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from feeding on larger sized foods versus smaller sized foods?
Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower when fed only at night versus only during the day.
What are the possible lurking variables or extraneous variables that make measuring coral growth difficult?
How is the Open Brain Coral growth affected when fed dietary supplements like Iodine, Strontium and Magnesium?
Does increased quantity and frequency of feeding cause the Open Brain Coral to grow faster?
HypothesisFeeding the Brain Coral colonies will cause them to grow faster and as a result produce
more mouths than without feeding them.This hypothesis was created based off
extensive research onthe feeding habits of open brain coralthe growth and reproduction of the open
brain coralsources of nutritionthe structural features and morphology
Methods: The PlanThe polyps of open brain coral inflate
considerably in size with water so instead of measuring growth of the open brain coral by changed in size, the number of mouths on the open brain coral were counted daily
For the first nine weeks, the corals were not fed and data was collected
For the remaining twelve weeks, corals were fed frozen Cyclop-eeze Mysis shrimp and data was collected
One cube was dispersed in R/O water and fed to the corals twice a week
Methods: Data Collection
•Counting the mouths of corals at the end of February•LBC, MBC, SBC•Tentacles Extended?•Fed Today?•Color?•Salinity?•Temperature
Tentacles non-Extended vs Tentacles Extended
Close-up
Answers?Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from
feeding on frozen foods versus live foods?
Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from feeding on larger sized foods versus smaller sized foods?
Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower when fed only at night versus only during the day.
What are the possible lurking variables or extraneous variables that make measuring coral growth difficult?
How is the Open Brain Coral growth affected when fed dietary supplements like Iodine, Strontium and Magnesium?
Does increased quantity and frequency of feeding cause the Open Brain Coral to grow faster?
The Data
Rejects the HypothesisThe data rejects the hypothesis because there
were more mouths grown during the period when open brain corals were not fed
However the conclusion that feedings cause open brain corals to grow slower is not supported
There are number of lurking variables that were not accounted for in this experiment such as the natural growth rate of corals of varying sizes, the position of the corals in the tank, etc
Collective Data: Value and Application?
ConclusionThe conclusion that the data most firmly
supports is that feedings do not have any direct effect on the growth of mouths of open brain coral
Of course, a definitive conclusion could not possibly be made without more evidence to fully supporting it…
Future directions?How can I make it more complete?No definitive conclusion can be made without:controlling for more variables to isolate the
one independent variable (feedings) to determine if that variable is the true cause of the dependent variable
extending the experiment for a longer period of time
repeating the experiment
Conclusions from outside sourcesNo experiments were found specifically to
open brain corals
Challenges?Data Collection-Counting mouthsFeeding to make sure the one cube was
dispersed as equally as possibleSome days during feedings, the tentacles
were not extended like other daysSmall brain coral rarely opened its tentacles
to take in food
The Big PictureThe collection of data was legitimate The independent variable was feedings vs no
feedingsThe dependent variable was number of mouths
but…
To truly support or reject the hypothesis with a conclusion well grounded in the data, more variables needed to be controlled for
Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Ando, Ryoko, et al. “An Optical Marker Based on the UV-Induced Green-to-Red Photoconversion of a Fluorescent Protein.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99.20 (2002): 12651-56. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3073278>.2. Calfo, Anthony. Book of Coral Propagation: A Concise Guide to the Successful Care and Culture of Coral Reef Invertebrates. Monroeville, PA: Readingtrees.com, 2001. Print.3. “Corals of the Worldonline.” Corals of the World Factsheet and Images. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://coral.aims.gov.au/speciesPages/species_metadata/0350/view>. 4. “Open Brain Coral- Green.” Blue Zoo Aquatics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productdetail.asp?did=3&cid=51&pid=13895. "Open Brain Coral." Open Brain Coral. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/open_brain_coral.htm>. 6. "Open Brain Coral (Red) - Trachyphyllia Geoffroyi - Green Open Brain Coral." FreshMarine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.freshmarine.com/open-brain-red-coral.html>. 7. "Trachyphlliidae." Trachyphlliidae. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.wetwebmedia.com/trachyphlliidae.htm>.8. “Trachyphyllia geoffroyi and the ex-Wellsophyllia radiata.” Tropical Fish Magazine Mar. 2007: n. pag. Tropical Fish Magazine. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/trachyphyllia-geoffroyi-and-the-exwellsophyllia-radiata.htm>.9. Trevor-Jones, Andrew. “Coral Feeding.” ReefKeeping Apr. 2009: n. pag. ReefKeeping. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/atj/index.php>.