Ronnie Braithwaite

Focus of ResearchThe project explored the effect that feeding

has on the growth of the open brain coralOther characteristics of the coral were

observed such as the color and tentacles Research on the correlation between the

number of mouths and the growth of open brain coral was minimal

The majority of research was focused on eating habits and growth of open brain coral

TaxonomyKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: CnidariaClass: AnthozoaOrder: ScleractiniaFamily: TrachyphylliidaeGenus: TrachyphylliaSpecies: T. geoffroyi

Background InformationPolyps are fleshy. When tentacles are retracted

during the day a large mantle extends well beyond the perimeter of the skeleton. This retracts if disturbed. At night tentacles in several rows are extended from the expanded oral disc inside the mantle. (“Corals of the Worldonline”:2001)

The polyps of Open Brain Coral inflate considerably in size with water, about two to three inches beyond its skeleton, during the daytime (FreshMarine.com: Open Brain Coral. 2012.)

Background Information (Cont.)Open Brain Corals derive their nutrition

chiefly through photosynthesis which is performed by zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga living symbiotically within the coral (FreshMarine.com: Open Brain Coral. 2012.)

Open Brain Corals are said to be one of the easiest species to care for and is best for beginners

How it came about?Originally, the project was to compare frozen

food with live foodFeeding vs no feeding was a more practical

experimentAfter reading research, I proposed these

questions…

QuestionsDoes the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from

feeding on frozen foods versus live foods?

Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from feeding on larger sized foods versus smaller sized foods?

Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower when fed only at night versus only during the day.

What are the possible lurking variables or extraneous variables that make measuring coral growth difficult?

How is the Open Brain Coral growth affected when fed dietary supplements like Iodine, Strontium and Magnesium?

Does increased quantity and frequency of feeding cause the Open Brain Coral to grow faster?

HypothesisFeeding the Brain Coral colonies will cause them to grow faster and as a result produce

more mouths than without feeding them.This hypothesis was created based off

extensive research onthe feeding habits of open brain coralthe growth and reproduction of the open

brain coralsources of nutritionthe structural features and morphology

Methods: The PlanThe polyps of open brain coral inflate

considerably in size with water so instead of measuring growth of the open brain coral by changed in size, the number of mouths on the open brain coral were counted daily

For the first nine weeks, the corals were not fed and data was collected

For the remaining twelve weeks, corals were fed frozen Cyclop-eeze Mysis shrimp and data was collected

One cube was dispersed in R/O water and fed to the corals twice a week

Methods: Data Collection

•Counting the mouths of corals at the end of February•LBC, MBC, SBC•Tentacles Extended?•Fed Today?•Color?•Salinity?•Temperature

Tentacles non-Extended vs Tentacles Extended

Close-up

Answers?Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from

feeding on frozen foods versus live foods?

Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower from feeding on larger sized foods versus smaller sized foods?

Does the Trachyphyllida geoffryoi grow faster/slower when fed only at night versus only during the day.

What are the possible lurking variables or extraneous variables that make measuring coral growth difficult?

How is the Open Brain Coral growth affected when fed dietary supplements like Iodine, Strontium and Magnesium?

Does increased quantity and frequency of feeding cause the Open Brain Coral to grow faster?

The Data

Rejects the HypothesisThe data rejects the hypothesis because there

were more mouths grown during the period when open brain corals were not fed

However the conclusion that feedings cause open brain corals to grow slower is not supported

There are number of lurking variables that were not accounted for in this experiment such as the natural growth rate of corals of varying sizes, the position of the corals in the tank, etc

Collective Data: Value and Application?

ConclusionThe conclusion that the data most firmly

supports is that feedings do not have any direct effect on the growth of mouths of open brain coral

Of course, a definitive conclusion could not possibly be made without more evidence to fully supporting it…

Future directions?How can I make it more complete?No definitive conclusion can be made without:controlling for more variables to isolate the

one independent variable (feedings) to determine if that variable is the true cause of the dependent variable

extending the experiment for a longer period of time

repeating the experiment

Conclusions from outside sourcesNo experiments were found specifically to

open brain corals

Challenges?Data Collection-Counting mouthsFeeding to make sure the one cube was

dispersed as equally as possibleSome days during feedings, the tentacles

were not extended like other daysSmall brain coral rarely opened its tentacles

to take in food

The Big PictureThe collection of data was legitimate The independent variable was feedings vs no

feedingsThe dependent variable was number of mouths

but…

To truly support or reject the hypothesis with a conclusion well grounded in the data, more variables needed to be controlled for

Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Ando, Ryoko, et al. “An Optical Marker Based on the UV-Induced Green-to-Red Photoconversion of a Fluorescent Protein.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99.20 (2002): 12651-56. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3073278>.2. Calfo, Anthony. Book of Coral Propagation: A Concise Guide to the Successful Care and Culture of Coral Reef Invertebrates. Monroeville, PA: Readingtrees.com, 2001. Print.3. “Corals of the Worldonline.” Corals of the World Factsheet and Images. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://coral.aims.gov.au/speciesPages/species_metadata/0350/view>. 4. “Open Brain Coral- Green.” Blue Zoo Aquatics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productdetail.asp?did=3&cid=51&pid=13895. "Open Brain Coral." Open Brain Coral. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/open_brain_coral.htm>. 6. "Open Brain Coral (Red) - Trachyphyllia Geoffroyi - Green Open Brain Coral." FreshMarine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.freshmarine.com/open-brain-red-coral.html>. 7. "Trachyphlliidae." Trachyphlliidae. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.wetwebmedia.com/trachyphlliidae.htm>.8. “Trachyphyllia geoffroyi and the ex-Wellsophyllia radiata.” Tropical Fish Magazine Mar. 2007: n. pag. Tropical Fish Magazine. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/trachyphyllia-geoffroyi-and-the-exwellsophyllia-radiata.htm>.9. Trevor-Jones, Andrew. “Coral Feeding.” ReefKeeping Apr. 2009: n. pag. ReefKeeping. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/atj/index.php>.