Student projects
Optimising reef recovery.
Alcyonium - Parerythropodium fulvum is the fastest substrate covering species but it is poisonous and aggressive and does not encourage fish to the area.
Many coral reefs around the world have been badly damaged by human actions. In many cases, although the stressor has been removed, there is little or no reef recovery by natural processes. Reefs can be replanted by several different techniques but few studies have been done on optimising recovery for a particular objective. Objectives vary, from reef stabilisation to maximum area covered to minimum mortality to maximum diversity. This study will optimise for resident reef fish species using a matrix of recovery techniques to create optimum growth rates in planted soft corals while maintaining the species richness and the Shannon biodiversity index equal for each of the study areas. Success of the recovery techniques will be measured by two criteria – the increased area of reef covered by living soft coral and the changed diversity of the resident fish species.
Researcher Bujang Mayah (bujang@tracc-borneo.org),
In preparation for an MSc degree.
Nutrient recycling in Holothurians to remove organic pollutants.
Holothurians or sea cucumbers are efficient detritivores and efficiently remove organic material from sand and coral substrates. Human activities creates areas of anoxic seabed sediment with high BOD and bacterial numbers. Using juvenile holothurians from a hatchery we are determining the optimum species to recycle nutrients from a semi treated sewage discharge point.
Researcher Mohammed Abdullah Al Hasmi (Mohdaah@tracc-borneo.org),
In preparation for an MSc degree.
Turtle monitoring project for nesting turtles & foraging juveniles.
The turtles of pom pom island fall into 3 groups, The adult males are mostly resident year round, The adult females are seasonal while the juveniles are resident for long periods. By tagging the population from all three groups we can determine if the population is shared between other islands. Using dna sampling we can determine the amount of interaction between the Sandakan population, Sipadan population and the Pom Pom Population. By observation of diet and regular sampling we can determine if the juveniles are eating exclusivly on pom pom seagrass or if other island are part of the forage range.
Researcher Elaine Mok (Elaine@tracc-borneo.org),
In preparation for an MSc degree.
(See more proposed projects for student research BSc, MSc or PhD) These are suggestions only, if you have a project that is possible then we want it to succeed. Contact us with a brief proposal info@tracc-borneo.org
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