That the same coral that we admire as we swim over the reefs can also be used to help broken bones heal quickly and cleanly? A product of coral, Hydrozyapatite (HA), is used to fuse bones and fibrous tissue back together after a fracture. The similarity of coral’s rigid, webbed structure to actual bone allows the compound to assimilate into the patient’s body. This use of HA to fill the voids caused by a fracture eliminates the need for patients to donate bone from other parts of their body causing extra trauma. Other coral compounds are currently being studied for possibly containing anti-tumor and anti-HIV properties. As we continue to discover new wonders from the depths of the sea, we must stop and appreciate its generosity. If we do not take the time and the effort to conserve its power, who knows what medical miracles we might lose? - Jillian Coddington

Photo by Linda Kuhnz

• Article written by Jillian Coddington. Jill was a student at CIEE Research Station Bonaire in the Spring of 2008. She attends the University of California at Berkeley.

Did you know?
Most corals are actually white. Like many jellyfish and anemones, corals get their color from the zooxanthellae that colonize their surface. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae provide the coral with the majority of its energy, while the coral provides the zooxanthellae shelter, as well as nitrogen waste and carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis. Occasionally, a large disturbance will cause a coral to eject all of its algae, leaving the coral completely white; this is known as bleaching.

Bleaching can be caused by a variety of factors including temperature change, changes in salinity, sedimentation, or sickness. Because of the nature of these disturbances, bleaching often occurs across large areas and leaves entire reefs at risk. As recently as 2002 there was a global temperature rise, with about half the world’s reefs experiencing some form of bleaching. However, a bleached coral is not a dead coral. If the bleaching event is mild and the corals survive, they may recruit new zooxanthellae anywhere from a few months to a year after the disturbance ends. Usually the new zooxanthellae are more resistant to disturbances, resulting in a much more resilient reef.

• Author: Nick Trilla is from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. He is majoring in Global Studies at Providence College, and will graduate next spring. He studied Tropical Marine Biology and Scientific Diving with CIEE Research Station Bonaire this summer.

Did you know?
That Ara-C, a chemotherapy agent used in the treatment of leukemia, was derived from a sponge in the Caribbean? In the early 1950s, a professor at Yale University discovered that a species of sponge, Tectitethya crypta, contained unique nucleosides never before isolated. Nucleosides are subunits of nucleic acids, the heredity-controlling components of all living cells. Fifteen years after this discovery, Ara-C and Ara-A, an antiviral drug, were developed. This was the beginning of an era of marine pharmacology which, over the past 30 years, has seen the isolation of greater than 10,000 unique com

pounds. From this, more than 30 marine natural products and derivatives have undergone clinical trials. Among these numerous products is another antitumoral agent, ecteinascidin 743, derived from the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata, which grows on the roots of mangroves throughout the Caribbean. Unfortunately, this animal species is very small and lacks the biomass to be a sustainable resource. For this reason, various mariculture initiatives have recently been launched. Individual examples such as those above underline the importance and value of marine biotechnology, not to mention the utility of coral reefs at large. Before all else, we must ensure that the policies and regulations are in place to conserve and protect a decaying coral reef system. Only then can humankind capitalize on what many consider to be our medicine cabinet of the future – Spencer Trooboff

• About the Author: Spencer Trooboff is a Junior at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, where he majors in Science and Management. He lives in Franconia, New Hampshire, and attended Tropical Marine Biology and Scientific Diving courses at CIEE Research Station Bonaire this summer.

Did you know

When in search of strange behaviors on the reef, there is no better time to experience the exhilarating spectacle of mating fish than at dusk. Many divers are not aware of this and have already dried off and rinsed their gear clean. During that hour before sunset various species of reef fish release numerous free floating gametes, that become intertwined and disperse through the currents. This type of reproductive strategy is referred to as broadcast spawning in which male-female pairs spawn in massive groups that can sometimes reach the thousands.

To someone less familiar courtship may seem like nothing more than fish hovering near the bottom or darting swiftly to the surface. But upon careful observation many of the subtle patterns will be easily recognized. Some things to look for may include, coloration changes, male rapidly swimming back and forth, females suspended in mid-waters, and displays of dominance of competitors. Sparisoma aurofrentum, more commonly known as the Redband parrot fish good example of a species that undergoes daily spawning patterns. Although many species spawn close to dusk the exact time is different for the varied regions of the Caribbean. So next time you go out for a long dive in and begin to paddle back to shore before it gets too dark, take sometime to look around and observe the subtle marine behaviors that are all around.

• About the Author: Minna Abdel-Wahab, is originally from the island of Oahu, Hawaii, but has been living in California for the last 3 years attending the University of San Francisco studying Biology and Chemistry. She enjoys traveling and meeting new people, and has thus far fallen in love with the rich culture and beautiful surroundings of Bonaire. She studied at the CIEE Research Station Bonaire in June of 2008

 

 

Return to this page regularly for more Did You Knows. All Did You Knows are written by students and instructors of CIEE Research Station Bonaire.

 

Underwater Webcam

Check out the Underwater-Webcam on Something Special reef. The project is an international cooperation between Breathe-IT from Bonaire, independis information systems inc. from Halifax, Canada and CNI Europe from the Netherlands. The camera used is a MOBOTIX M22 camera, of which Breathe-IT on Bonaire is the Caribbean distributor. Since June 1st Bonaire is the location of an underwater Mega-pixel webcam with an image uploading every 2 seconds. The webcam is located about 100 meters South of the Something Special dive mooring at a depth of 15 meters.

Click on the image below for a live image of the reef.

CIEE Research Station Bonaire

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