Kuffner, I. B. and V. J. Paul, 2004, Effects of the cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula on the larval settlement of the reef corals Acropora serculosa and Pocillopora damicornis: Coral Reefs23:455-458.
Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.
Biography
As a research marine biologist for the Coastal and Marine Geology Program, I investigate the causes and effects of coral reef degradation. I explore local- to global-scale stressors on reefs, and experimentally determine how environmental variables such as sea-surface temperature, water quality, seawater chemistry, nuisance macroalgae, and ocean acidification affect coral growth, the community structure of reefs, and the process of reef building. My work informs resource managers about the mechanisms causing reef degradation and how management efforts may be improved to protect and restore degraded reefs. Please visit the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) website for more information: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/.
Education:
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Ph.D. Chair: Paul L. Jokiel, 1999
Bachelor of Arts, University of New Hampshire, Department of Zoology, Minor: Marine Biology, 1993
Professional Experience:
Research Marine Biologist, US Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Geology Science Center, 2002 to present
Faculty, School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos Islands, 2001 to 2002
Director, Forfar Field Station, Andros Island, Bahamas, 2000 to 2001
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Post-doc advisor: Valerie J. Paul, 1999 to 2000
Science and Products
Year Published: 2017
Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef restoration efforts to date. We compared linear extension, calcification rate, and skeletal density of nursery-raised A. cervicornis branches reared for 6 months either on blocks attached to substratum or hanging from...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Bartels, Erich; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Enochs, Ian C.; Kolodziej, Graham; Toth, Lauren; Manzello, Derek P.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Kuffner, I. B., E. Bartels, A. Stathakopoulos, I. C. Enochs, G. Kolodziej, L. T. Toth, and D. P. Manzello. 2017. Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis. Coral Reefs 36:679-684.
Year Published: 2017
Experimental data comparing two coral grow-out methods in nursery-raised Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef-restoration efforts to date. As part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/), we investigated skeletal characteristics of nursery-grown staghorn coral reared using two commonly used grow-out...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Bartels, Erich; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Enochs, Ian C.; Kolodziej, Graham; Toth, Lauren; Manzello, Derek P.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Kuffner, I. B., E. Bartels, A. Stathakopoulos, I. C. Enochs, G. Kolodziej, L. T. Toth, and D. P. Manzello, 2017, Experimental data comparing two coral grow-out methods in nursery-raised Acropora cervicornis: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7HH6H72.
Year Published: 2017
Fidelity of the Sr/Ca proxy in recording ocean temperature in the western Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea
Massive corals provide a useful archive of environmental variability, but careful testing of geochemical proxies in corals is necessary to validate the relationship between each proxy and environmental parameter throughout the full range of conditions experienced by the recording organisms. Here we use samples from a coral-growth study to test the...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Roberts, Kelsey E.; Flannery, Jennifer A.; Morrison, Jennifer M.; Richey, JulieAttribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Kuffner, I. B., K. E. Roberts, J. A. Flannery, J. M. Morrison, and J. N. Richey (2017) Fidelity of the Sr/Ca proxy in recording ocean temperature in the western Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 18, doi:10.1002/2016GC006640.
Year Published: 2017
Underwater temperature on off-shore coral reefs of the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/) provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. Coral reef organisms are very sensitive to high and low water-temperature extremes. It is critical to precisely know water temperatures experienced by corals and...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Kuffner, I.B., 2017, Underwater temperature on off-shore coral reefs of the Florida Keys, U.S.A. (ver. 2.0, February 2017): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F71C1TZK.
Year Published: 2016
Data for evaluating the Sr/Ca temperature proxy with in-situ temperature in the western Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea
Massive corals are used as environmental recorders throughout the tropics and subtropics to study environmental variability during time periods preceding ocean-observing instrumentation. However, careful testing of paleoproxies is necessary to validate the environmental-proxy record throughout a range of conditions experienced by the recording...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Roberts, Kelsey E.; Flannery, Jennifer A.; Morrison, Jennifer M.; Richey, JulieAttribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Kuffner, I. B., K. E. Roberts, J. A. Flannery, J. M. Morrison, and J. N. Richey., 2016, Data for evaluating the Sr/Ca temperature proxy with in-situ temperature in the western Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea. U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7XP732P.
Year Published: 2016
Collection methods and descriptions of coral cores extracted from massive corals in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.
Cores from living coral colonies were collected from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A., to obtain skeletal records of past coral growth and allow geochemical reconstruction of environmental variables during the corals’ centuries-long lifespans. The samples were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies...
Weinzierl, Michael S.; Reich, Christopher D.; Hickey, T. Donald; Bartlett, Lucy A.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Weinzierl, M.S., Reich, C.D., Hickey, T.D., Bartlett, L.A., and Kuffner, I.B., 2016, Collection methods and descriptions of coral cores extracted from massive corals in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016–1182, 8 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161182.
Year Published: 2016
Coral cores collected in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.: Photographs and X-rays
Cores from living coral colonies were collected from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, to obtain skeletal records of past coral growth and allow geochemical reconstruction of environmental variables during the corals’ centuries-long lifespans. The samples were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Weinzierl, Michael S.; Reich, Christopher D.; Bartlett, Lucy A.; Flannery, Jennifer A.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Kuffner, I.B., Weinzierl, M.S., Reich, C.D., Bartlett, L.A., Flannery, J.A., 2016, Coral cores collected in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.—Photographs and X-rays: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7V69GQ2
Year Published: 2016
The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys
The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) is the largest coral-reef ecosystem in the continental United States. The modern FKRT extends for 362 kilometers along the coast of South Florida from Dry Tortugas National Park in the southwest, through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), to Fowey Rocks reef in Biscayne National Park in the...
Toth, Lauren T.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Kuffner, Ilsa B.View Citation
Toth, L.T., Stathakopoulos, Anastasios, and Kuffner, I.B., 2016, The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016–1074, 27 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161074.
Year Published: 2016
A geological perspective on the degradation and conservation of western Atlantic coral reefs
Continuing coral-reef degradation in the western Atlantic is resulting in loss of ecological and geologic functions of reefs. With the goal of assisting resource managers and stewards of reefs in setting and measuring progress toward realistic goals for coral-reef conservation and restoration, we examined reef degradation in this region from a...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Toth, Lauren T.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Kuffner, I. B., and L. T. Toth. 2016. A geological perspective on the degradation and conservation of western Atlantic coral reefs. Conservation Biology 30:706-715.
Year Published: 2016
Coral calcification and ocean acidification
Over 60 years ago, the discovery that light increased calcification in the coral plant-animal symbiosis triggered interest in explaining the phenomenon and understanding the mechanisms involved. Major findings along the way include the observation that carbon fixed by photosynthesis in the zooxanthellae is translocated to animal cells throughout...
Jokiel, Paul L.; Jury, Christopher P.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Jokiel, P. L., C. P. Jury, and I. B. Kuffner. 2016. Chapter 2: Coral calcification and ocean acidification. Pages 7-45 in D. K. Hubbard, C. S. Rogers, J. H. Lipps, and G. D. Stanley Jr., editors. Coral Reefs at the Crossroads, Coral Reefs of the World 6. Springer Netherlands.
Year Published: 2015
A new record of the late Pleistocene coral Pocillopora palmata from the Dry Tortugas, Florida reef tract, USA
Pocilloporid corals dominated shallow-water environments in the Caribbean during much of the Cenozoic; however, the regional diversity of this family declined over the last 15 My, culminating with the extinction of its final member, Pocillopora palmata, during the latest Pleistocene. Here we present a new record of P. palmata from Dry Tortugas...
Toth, Lauren T.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. LawrenceAttribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Toth, L.T., I.B. Kuffner, H. Cheng, and R.L. Edwards. 2015. A new record of the Pleistocene coral, Pocillopora palmata, from the Dry Tortugas, Florida Reef Tract, USA. PALAIOS 30: 827–835.
Year Published: 2015
Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico
Información General Los arrecifes de coral son estructuras sólidas, biomineralizadas que protegen comunidades costeras actuando como barreras protectoras de peligros tales como los huracanes y los tsunamis. Estos proveen arena a las playas a través de procesos naturales de erosión, fomentan la industria del turismo, las...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Zawada, David G.; Richey, Julie N.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Toth, Lauren T.; Torres-Garcia, Legna M.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Kuffner, I.B., Yates, K.K., Zawada, D.G., Richey, J.N., Kellogg, C.A., Toth, L.T., and Torres-Garcia, L., 2015, Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico: Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos Hoja de Información 2015-3074, 2 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20153074.
Pre-USGS Publications
Kuffner, I.B., 2002, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral, Porites compressa: A transplantation experiment: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology270(2):147-169.
Kuffner, I.B. and V. J. Paul, 2001, Effects of nitrate, phosphate and iron on the growth of macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria from Cocos Lagoon, Guam: Marine Ecology Progress Series222:63-72.
Kuffner, I. B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral Porites compressa Dana: a flume experiment: Marine Biology 138:467-476.
Kuffner, I.B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation on larval recruitment of the reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis: Marine Ecology Progress Series 217:251-261.
Kuffner, I.B., 1999, The effects of ultraviolet radiation on reef corals and the sun-screening role of mycosporine-like amino acids: Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 164 pp.
Banaszak, A. T., M. P. Lesser, I. B. Kuffner and M. Ondrusek, 1998, Relationship between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the concentration of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in marine organisms: Bulletin of Marine Science 63(3):617-628.
Kuffner, I. B., M. Ondrusek and M. P. Lesser, 1995, The distribution of mycosporine-like amino acids in the tissues of Hawaiian scleractinia; a depth profile: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 77-85.
Grottoli-Everett, A., I. B. Kuffner, 1995, Individual polyp response to UV radiation in Montipora verrucosa: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 115-120.
Date published: October 4, 2018
New coral reef study to begin at Buck Island National Park Service unit on St. Croix
Scienctists travel to Buck Island Reef National Monument to plan a new study and to assess hurricane impacts to the coral reefs surrounding Buck Island.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center