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Phone:(808) 956-8369
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University of Hawai`i at Manoa
3190 Maile Way, Room 101
Honolulu, HI 96822
Dept. Chair:
Dr. Tom Ranker
Graduate Program Chair:
Dr. Tom Ranker
Home > People > Graduate Students > Kimberly Conklin
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Kimberly Conklin MS Student Marine Botany Track Contact Information University of Hawai`i at Manoa Affiliations |
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Thesis Title: Restoration of a Seagrass Bed in Hawaii: understanding the phylogeography of the native red alga, Spyridia filamentosa, and its role in seagrass bed succession. Research Statement: The early successional role and genetic diversity of the native red alga, Spyridia filamentosa, may be key to successful restoration of the endemic seagrass, Halophila hawaiiana, in Maunalua Bay, Oahu. While ecological disturbance is natural in the bay's dynamic systems, anthropogenic stressors (e.g., nutrients and terrestrial sediment input) and the presence of invasive algal species inhibit the re-colonization of native Hawaiian species. I am interested in investigating the importance of natural succession in a dynamic soft-sediment marine system and am using molecular tools to examine the genetic diversity of S. filamentosa (a potential early colonizer) throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago in order to identify specific populations (e.g., highly branched morphs which trap faciliating sediments) which may speed up H. hawaiiana re-colonization. Assignment of molecular haplotypes to morphological varieties will demonstrate whether there is a signifcant relationship between genotype and specified morphological characters, and whether the movement and introduction of highly branched haplotypes of S. filamentosa should be considered in seagrass restoration efforts in Maunalua Bay. Awards:
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