Quantifying Cold-Water Coral Community Composition Using Environmental DNA Metabarcoding Analysis

Awardee: Olivia Simons

Bio:
Olivia Simons is a Ph.D. student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA and received her B.S. in biology from UCSB. At UCLA, her research focuses on the biology of tropical corals in Mo’orea and cold-water corals in Southern California, as well as the biodiversity of our coastal habitats via environmental DNA methods. She is also interested in climate justice, deep sea ecosystems, and building the best garden possible at home. As a recently certified AAUS Scientific Diver, she can’t wait to explore the ocean from a new perspective – underwater!

Project:
Not many realize that California has its own corals! These cold-water corals can survive in the deep and are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification and anthropogenic activities that impact the ocean floor, such as bottom-contact fisheries. Just like tropical reefs, these corals support lots of biodiversity, including some of California’s most economically and ecologically important species. This project uses environmental DNA (eDNA) methods to assess community composition of a cold-water coral habitat off of Santa Catalina Island, CA in hopes of understanding the biodiversity these corals support and the potential for resilience in the face of climate change.