My project is finally coming together after I spent the week preparing for my introduction presentation. A major part of my research is calculating the zooxanthellae density in Porites asteroides (my coral). Zooxanthellae are small dinoflagellates that live in symbiosis with coral. They are essential for the nutrition and calcification of coral. When a coral looses its zooxanthellae (zoox) the coral becomes bleached. This can be caused by a variety of environmental factors (light, elevated temperature, ocean acidification, etc...)
The brown spots on the coral polyp are the zoox (left picture). A prepared slide that is used to count the zoox density in coral (right picture).
Practicing counting the zoox!
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