Carlyn Scott, College of Marine Science
Foraminifera, commonly called forams, are microscopic single-celled organisms that have inhabited Earth鈥檚 oceans for millions of years. As forams build their calcium carbonate shells, they record changes in past atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Today, forams also serve as valuable bioindicators of ocean health.
In the Reef Indicators Lab, Distinguished University Professor Pamela Hallock Muller uses forams to assess coral reef health through the FoRAM Index (Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring). Doctoral student Angelique Rosa Mar铆n is using the index to evaluate water quality in Puerto Rico鈥檚 Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. To teach others about her research, she recently developed an educational module for (Online Content for Experiential Learning of Tropical Systems), a program funded by the National Science Foundation that provides free and accessible learning resources.
Q: Can you tell me a little about the project and how you got involved?
A: OCELOTS is a program led by Dr. Ann Russell from Iowa State University that focuses on creating online educational modules in tropical biology topics applying the (Four Dimensional Ecology Education). This framework integrates core ecological concepts with human-environment interactions and aims to promote eco-literacy. OCELOTS gives the module authors resources and peer mentoring throughout the development of the lessons. At the end of the program, we present the module and receive feedback from peers, other module authors and instructors. It was an incredible way to share my research!
Q: Why are forams so important to study?
A: Foraminifera provide a unique perspective on the past climate 鈥� from millions of years ago to present day. I focus on the ecology of modern benthic forams, so anything that is considered 鈥渞ecent鈥� (about one to three centimeters of the sediment). My research explores what these recent assemblages are telling us about changes in coastal habitats within the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Foraminifera are microscopic single-celled organisms that can be used to assess the health of the oceans they inhabit.
As bioindicators, forams provide a unique approach to understand how the environment is behaving. The FoRAM Index is a foraminifera-based environmental metric that describes water quality conditions in reef environments. The idea was to determine the feasibility of the FoRAM Index as a potential long-term monitoring tool in the reserve. The study produced an environmental assessment and a baseline of the forams biodiversity of the outer cays.
This research is covered in the OCELOTS module and provides information on the benefits of using forams as bioindicators, such as their shell preservation, well established taxonomy and abundance, and the cost-effective techniques used to process them in samples.
Q: What was the motivation for developing this course?
A: It鈥檚 important for me to make science accessible. I think there is lack of awareness of what forams are and their importance in the ocean. This module was a great way to showcase forams and how they can be used in research and applied to coastal management.
Rosa Mar铆n developed a course about Foraminifera as indicators of water quality, and how this is applied to her research at the college.
This lesson also expanded on the issues that are happening in Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Puerto Rico. In this region, illegal construction and coastal erosion are negatively impacting the environment. This module presents the ecological importance of the reserve and the management needs.
In addition, it allowed me to highlight the career of my doctoral advisor, Pamela Hallock Muller, and her extensive work on using forams as reef indicators and challenges she faced as a woman in oceanography.
You can see the entire module at the .