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 (see link below).
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
Date published: October 5, 2018
Status: Active Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)
The specific objectives of this project are to identify and describe the processes that are important in determining rates of coral-reef construction. How quickly the skeletons of calcifying organisms accumulate to form massive barrier-reef structure is determined by processes of both construction (how fast organisms grow and reproduce) and destruction (how fast reefs break down by mechanical...
Date published: February 28, 2018
Status: Active Measuring Coral Growth to Help Restore Reefs
It is critical to start measuring calcification rates in a systematic way now, particularly at subtropical latitudes where conditions fluctuate seasonally, so that we can understand how dynamic ocean conditions affect calcifying organisms today and predict possible changes in the future. We established a calcification monitoring network in the Florida Keys and have been measuring calcification...
Date published: August 19, 2015
Status: Active Local-scale ecosystem resilience amid global-scale ocean change: the coral reef example
Coral reefs are massive, wave resistant structures found throughout the tropics, where they have long attracted attention for their beauty, ecological importance, and rich biological diversity. However, in recent years attention to these systems has focused on their downturn in health and the potential that they effectively could disappear within a century. Yet while many coral reefs have...
Attribution: John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Date published: January 1, 2011
Status: Completed Impact of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Growth of Reef-Building Corals
Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems in the world. They provide food, fishing, and recreation opportunities for millions of people, protect coastlines from storms, and shelter thousands of plant and animal species. However, climate change is contributing to the degradation of coral reefs in two significant ways: warming temperature and...
Contacts: Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Year Published: 2020
Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery
Recovery of the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata is critical to reversing coral reef ecosystem collapse in the western Atlantic, but the species is severely threatened. To gauge potential for the species’ restoration in Florida, USA, we conducted an assisted migration experiment where 50 coral fragments of 5 nursery-raised genetic strains...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Toth, Lauren T.; Bartlett, Lucy
Year Published: 2020
Disturbances drive changes in coral community assemblages and coral calcification capacity
Anthropogenic environmental change has increased coral reef disturbance regimes in recent decades, altering the structure and function of many coral reefs globally. In this study, we used coral community survey data collected from 1996 to 2015 to evaluate coral calcification capacity (CCC) dynamics with respect to recorded pulse disturbances for...
Courtney, Travis A.; Barnes, Brian B.; Chollett, Iliana; Elahi, Robin; Gross, Kevin; Guest, James R.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Lenz, Elizabeth A.; Nelson, Hanna R; Rogers, Caroline; Toth, Lauren T.; Andersson, Andreas J
Year Published: 2020
Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic
Active coral restoration typically involves two interventions: crossing gametes to facilitate sexual larval propagation; and fragmenting, growing, and outplanting adult colonies to enhance asexual propagation. From an evolutionary perspective, the goal of these efforts is to establish self‐sustaining, sexually reproducing coral populations that...
Baums, Iliana B.; Baker, Andrew C; Davies, Sarah W; Grottoli, Andrea G; Kenkel, Carly D; Kitchen, Sheila A; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; LaJeunesse, Todd C; Matz, Mikhail V; Miller, Margaret W; Parkinson, John E; Shantz, Andrew A
Year Published: 2019
Improving estimates of coral reef construction and erosion with in-situ measurements
The decline in living coral since the 1970s has conspicuously slowed reef construction on a global scale, but the related process of reef erosion is less visible and not often quantified. Here we present new data on the constructional and deconstructional side of the carbonate-budget equation in the Florida Keys, U.S.A. We documented Orbicella spp...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Toth, Lauren T.; Hudson, J. Harold; Goodwin, William B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Bartlett, Lucy; Whitcher, Elizabeth M.
Year Published: 2018
Quantifying uncertainty in Sr/Ca-based estimates of SST from the coral Orbicella faveolata
The strontium to calcium ratio (Sr/Ca) in aragonitic skeletons of massive corals provides a proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) that can be used to reconstruct paleoclimates across decades, centuries, and, potentially, millennia. Determining the reproducibility of Sr/Ca records among contemporaneous coral colonies from the same region is...
Flannery, Jennifer A.; Richey, Julie N.; Toth, Lauren T.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Poore, Richard Z.
Year Published: 2018
A 3,000‐year lag between the geological and ecological shutdown of Florida's coral reefs
The global‐scale degradation of coral reefs has reached a critical threshold wherein further declines threaten both ecological functionality and the persistence of reef structure. Geological records can provide valuable insights into the long‐term controls on reef development that may be key to solving the modern coral‐reef crisis. Our analyses of...
Toth, Lauren T.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Shinn, Eugene A.
Year Published: 2018
A framework for identifying and characterising coral reef “oases” against a backdrop of degradation
Human activities have led to widespread ecological decline; however, the severity of degradation is spatially heterogeneous due to some locations resisting, escaping, or rebounding from disturbances.We developed a framework for identifying oases within coral reef regions using long‐term monitoring data. We calculated standardised estimates of...
Guest, James R.; Edmunds, Peter J.; Gates, Ruth D.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Andersson, Andreas J; Barnes, Brian B.; Chollett, Iliana; Courtney, Travis A.; Elahi, Robin; Gross, Kevin; Lenz, Elizabeth A.; Mitarai, Satoshi; Mumby, Peter J.; Nelson, Hannah R.; Parker, Britt A.; Putnam, Hollie M.; Rogers, Caroline S.; Toth, Lauren T.
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 T.; Manzello, Derek P.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
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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, Julie N.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
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.
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: March 31, 2021
Providing Guidance and Hope for Coral Restoration Efforts
Coral reefs are suffering due to multiple stressors in our changing world, but there is hope for recovery. New USGS science can help guide the way to restoration success.
Date published: March 5, 2021
CMHRP coral-reef researcher featured in National Parks Traveler podcast
Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner was interviewed by Lynn Riddick, reporter for National Parks Traveler
Date published: October 21, 2020
SPCMSC coral team and Ohio State researchers travel to the Florida Keys to complete coral growth study
Ilsa Kuffner, Marine Biologist with the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, will lead a team along with collaborators from Ohio State University (OSU) to the Florida Keys to finish a study on the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata. They will visit the Dry Tortugas National Park, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and Biscayne National Park to conduct their research.
Date published: June 17, 2020
SPCMSC researcher to participate in 2nd National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-RCN) workshop on coral bleaching
Ilsa Kuffner, and 27 other experts in coral reef science, will participate in the National Science Foundation’s 2nd Research Coordination Network on Coral Bleaching. The workshop, originally planned for Bremen, Germany, will now be held virtually from 6/30 to 7/3/2020.
Date published: October 18, 2019
New video abstract highlighting published results on Florida Keys coral-reef erosion
A video abstract summarizing USGS work published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography was released on the journal’s YouTube channel. The work was completed by four scientists from St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center and collaborators from NOAA and the Florida Institute of Technology.
Date published: August 22, 2019
USGS scientists participate and accept leadership roles during Coral Disease Technical Workshop
During the annual multi-agency Coral Disease Technical Workshop, which convened to review the status of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) outbreak in Florida and determine key goals for research and intervention activities for the coming year, USGS scientists actively participated and took on leadership roles.
Date published: August 8, 2019
SPCMSC scientist co-authors article helping to guide coral-reef restoration
Ilsa B. Kuffner, research marine biologist, is one of 12 authors of a journal article written by a consortium of experts proposing new guidelines to help corals adapt to a changing environment. These guidelines are intended to help optimize the restoration of declining coral populations in the Caribbean.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: June 18, 2019
Scientists commencing field experiment at Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix, USVI
Ilsa Kuffner, Anesti Stathakopoulos, BJ Reynolds, and Nate Smiley will travel to St. Croix, USVI, to install a coral-growth experiment at Buck Island Reef National Monument.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: June 6, 2019
New USGS manuscript documents unprecedented shift in coral species composition of Florida’s reefs
Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC), Ilsa Kuffner (Research Marine Biologist, SPCMSC), and Anastasios Stathakopoulos (Oceanographer) led a study published this week showing that the coral species that dominated Florida’s coral reef for the last 8000 years have been replaced by novel species assemblages in recent decades.
Date published: May 30, 2019
SPCMSC scientist contributing to NSF Research Coordination Network on Coral Bleaching
Ilsa Kuffner, Research Marine Biologist from St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, is participating in a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network to make experimental design recommendations to advance understanding of coral bleaching.
Date published: May 2, 2019
Coral-reef research featured in Science Magazine news article
A news feature published last week in Science Magazine highlights research by SPCMSC scientists into the problem of reef erosion in the Florida Keys.
Date published: May 2, 2019
New paper published on Florida Keys coral reef construction and erosion
A team of four scientists from St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and collaborators from NOAA and Florida Institute of Technology published a paper in the journal Limnology and Oceanography. The research was conducted in the Florida Keys including sites in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Biscayne National Park.