Moriah Kunes
Kunes’ research aims to better understand the role of nitrogen cycling within the coral holobiont under normal and stressed conditions. My work uses 15N tracer experiments to determine where nitrogen is translocated within the coral holobiont and how surrounding environmental conditions may influence which nutritional mode, (photosynthesis vs. heterotrophy), corals use to acquire nitrogen. I’m hoping my studies will give insight into the health of the coral-algal partnership which is essential for coral survival. Kunes is advised by Bess Ward, the William J. Sinclair Professor of Geosciences and The High Meadows Environmental Institute