Contact details

Mr Pim Bongaerts
Centre for Marine Studies
The University of Queensland
Gehrmann Laboratories (#60)
St Lucia QLD 4072 Australia

(tel) +61 (0) 733652332
(fax) +61 (0) 733654755
(email) pimuq.edu.au
(www) http://www.mesophotic.org

Connections

Students
Mr Norbert Englebert
Ms Francisca Vermeulen

Collaborators
Dr Eugenia Sampayo
Dr Linda Tonk
Dr Mark Vermeij
Dr Ray Berkelmans
Dr Madeleine van Oppen
Mr Thomas Bridge
Mr Pedro Frade

Last presented poster


AMSA Conference 2009

People > Pim Bongaerts

Position: PhD Candidate
Last update: 24-Aug-2010		Supervisors: Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Dr Tyrone Ridgway, Dr Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty, Dr Cynthia Riginos

Research

Molecular ecology of mesophotic coral ecosystems

The term ‘mesophotic coral ecosystems’ has recently been adopted for the deep, light-dependent coral communities that we find at depths in excess of 30 m (usually confined to a maximum depth of 100-150 m). These communities have received little attention compared to their shallow-water counterparts due to their relative inaccessibility. However, recent technological advances (ROVs, AUVs, technical diving) have sparked a renewed interest in these ecosystems, especially as they seem to be largely protected from several major reef stressors, such as storm events and elevated seawater temperatures. By exploring the molecular ecology of mesophotic coral ecosystems, we hope to get a better understanding of the ability of these deep reef areas to act as refugia and more importantly to re-seed shallow reefs post disturbance.

The research is focusing on two geographic locations: the Great Barrier Reef (in particular the shelf edge reef systems of the Far Northern GBR) and secondly the island of Curacao in the Dutch Caribbean. Of particular interest are (1) the genetic connectivity between shallow and deep coral populations and (2) the genetic diversity of the symbiotic algae (Symbiodinium) associated with mesophotic corals.
Keywords: connectivity, dgge, ecology, genetics, mesophotic, population genetics, Symbiodinium, symbiont diversity

Education

MSc Limnology and Oceanography - University of Amsterdam - Cum Laude (2006)
BSc Biology - University of Utrecht (2004)

Awards

Australian Geographic Sponsorship Grant (2009), PADI Foundation Grant (2008), IPRS Scholarship (2007), UQILAS Stipend (2007), Project Aware Foundation Grant (2007), Schure-Beijerinck-Popping Grant (2006), AUV Grant (Amsterdam University Association) (2006), NECOV Ecology Prize (2006), STUNT Grant (University of Amsterdam) (2005), Trajectum Scholarship (Utrecht University) (2004)

Publications

Bongaerts P, Riginos C, Ridgway T, Sampayo EM, Van Oppen MJH, Englebert N, Vermeulen F, Hoegh-Guldberg O  (2010) Genetic Divergence across Habitats in the Widespread Coral Seriatopora hystrix and its Associated Symbiodinium. PLoS One 5: 10871-10871

Bongaerts P, Ridgway T, Sampayo EM, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2010) Assessing the ‘deep reef refugia’ hypothesis: focus on Caribbean reefs. CORAL REEFS 29: 309-327

Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Winkelhagen AJS, Tonk L, Bak RPM (2008) In situ photobiology of corals over large depth ranges: A multivariate analysis on the roles of environment, host, and algal symbiont. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY 53: 2711-2723

Sampayo EM, Ridgway T, Bongaerts P, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2008) Bleaching susceptibility and mortality of corals are determined by fine-scale differences in symbiont type. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 105: 10444-10449