Karim P
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of Texas Austin (UT Austin)
Expertise
Microbial Ecology, population genomics, evolutionary biology
Bio
My research interests are microbial ecology, phylogenomics, and population genomics of reef-building corals. I currently study the microbial ecology of Caribbean reef corals to identify the factors that shape their microbial communities, which are crucial for proper coral host physiological functioning. Previously, I studied the phylogenomics and population genomics of the cryptic coral species complex massive Porites on Guam. Massive Porites are one of the major groups of reef-building corals in the Coral Triangle and Indo-Pacific. Interestingly, some species of massive Porites bleach less than others and predominantly inhabit different environments, which means that differential bleaching response between corals in different habitats is likely influenced by coral genotype, as well as environment. When I'm not working, I love traveling, freediving, paddleboarding, learning Spanish, and taking care of my plants!Project ideas
How adapted are coral microbiomes to changing environments?
Climate change is rapidly changing both the ecological and genomic landscape of ecologically signficiant reef-building coral species, however, the microbes of these corals are vastly understudied. Microbes, including those found in reef-building corals, enable proper physiological function of their host. In this study, we investigate how rapidly microbes in reef-building corals are changing, and what environmental factors most strongly influence change in these coral microbial communities.
Coral Species are complex
Coral reefs are undergoing tremendous amounts of decline, however, coral taxonomy is still largely understudied. Using genomic tools, in addition to corallite morphology data, we will identify cryptic coral species, which may likely occur in different environments, which has major implications on the conservation plans of coral reefs.