McGill University
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Rowan Barrett
Matthieu Leray, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)
Start: 2021-09-01

Project

Are Microbes Key to the Survival of Coral Reefs Under Climate Change?
My research focuses on the dynamic interactions between tropical reef fish, corals, and their respective microbiomes, investigating how such partnerships contribute to coral reef resilience. I use a molecular approach to identify fish and coral genotypes and their microbiomes, testing for genetic differences between Panamanian reefs that experience significant temperature shifts and thermally stable reefs. Characterizing microbiomes of healthy and stressed fish and corals in different habitats will allow us to see if certain microbes confer adaptative benefits such as thermal tolerance to their hosts, benefits that may be crucial to reef survival under climate change.

Keywords

Microbiome, Coral reefs / Récifs coralliens, Changement climatique / climate change, Acclimatization & Adaptation / acclimatation & adaptation, (Meta)genomics / (méta)génomique, Tropical reef fish / poissons des récifs coralliens, panama