Erinn Muller Receives Master's Degree from Florida Institute of Technology


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Erinn Muller Receives Master's Degree from Florida Institute of Technology

By Caroline Rogers
August 2007

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Above: Erinn Muller records data on an elkhorn-coral colony with white-pox disease, in Haulover Bay inside Virgin Islands National Park. Photograph courtesy of Caroline Rogers. [larger version]

On May 5, 2007, Erinn Muller graduated with a Master's Degree from Florida Institute of Technology. Erinn worked with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Caroline Rogers at the USGS Caribbean Field Station on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, from January 2004 until December 2006, conducting extensive research on elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and its potential for recovery after severe losses 20 to 30 years ago from hurricanes and disease. The title of Erinn's thesis is "Prevalence of disease on the coral Acropora palmata (Scleractinia) at Hawksnest Bay, St. John, and colony recovery from white-pox lesions." Her work is especially timely because A. palmata was listed in May 2006 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Erinn found that disease and bleaching associated with record-high seawater temperatures caused the highest mortality (both of entire colonies and portions of colonies) during her 32-month study. Although mortality of entire colonies was not related to colony size, faster healing rates for disease lesions were correlated with larger colonies. Future bleaching events, disease outbreaks, and other stressors could inhibit recovery of this significant reef-framework-building coral. Erinn is planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree.