Zac H. Forsman Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology

 I am broadly interested in ‘the species problem’ - the question of how to define, identify, and delineate ‘species’.  This simple question is the foundation for a basic understanding of the origins and evolution of biodiversity.  Corals are an excellent example of the species problem, with patterns of variation that have baffled taxonomists for centuries.  Molecular studies have fundamentally challenged traditional taxonomy; revealing surprising underlying patterns (such as convergence, rapid evolution, and cryptic species) that were previously obscured.  My research is currently focused on combining multiple genetic markers with multivariate skeletal measurements to understand the scale of species-level variation in reef building coral.

A secondary interest of mine is coral propagation and cultivation.  I would like to see coral widely used as a model experimental organism, to ask questions about coral reef ecology, evolution, and biodiversity.  Coral cultivation can also influence the fields of coral restoration and the aquarium trade. Coral propagation can produce a large sample size of genetically identical fragments of uniform size, which is a unique experimental advantage. Such an experimental system could be a powerful predictive tool for questions about the future of coral reefs in the face of global change.


CURRICULUM VITAE

ZAC H. FORSMAN
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
P.O. Box 1346
Kāneʻohe, HI 96744

Ph: (808) 741-1385      Fax (808) 236-7443

Email:  zac@hawaii.edu   Web: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~zac/

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

·         Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation of coral reefs and associated organisms 

·         Coral reef restoration research

·         Speciation, hybridization, phenotypic plasticity, cryptic biodiversity, evolution of biodiversity

 

EDUCATION

PhD (2003)       Biology (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), University of Houston, Houston TX

Phylogeny and phylogeography of Porites & Siderastrea (Scleractinia:Cnidaria) species in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific based on the nuclear ribosomal ITS region.  Ph.D Dissertation.

BA (1996)         East Asian Studies (Japanese Language), University of Arizona, Tucson AZ

BSc (1995)        Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ      

POSITIONS HELD

2009-present    Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneʻohe HI

2007-2008        Consulting Fellowship; US Fish and Wildlife Pacific Islands office (Hawaiian Coral Reef Initiative), Honolulu HI

2003-2007      Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Biology Department, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu HI

1997-2003      Graduate Student Teaching Assistant/Research Assistant; University of Houston, Houston TX

1995-1996      Visiting Scholar; National Institute of Animal Industry, Tsukuba, Japan

1993-1995      Undergraduate Student Research Assistant; University of Arizona, Tucson AZ

 

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

24.      Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ (in prep) Genotype by environment interactions of a morphologically variable Hawaiian coral (Montipora capitata).

23.      Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ (in review) A review of molecular studies of reef-building corals; can we tell the difference between speciation, hybridization, and phenotypic polymorphism?  Evolutionary Biology (invited for special issue on speciation).

22.      Stat M, Baker A, Correa A, Forsman ZH, Huggett M, Pochon X, Skillings D, Starger C., van Oppen M, Gates RD (in press) Molecular delineation of species in the coral holobiont.  Advances in Marine Biology (invited review).

21.      Forsman ZH,  Kimokeo BK, Hunter CL, Toonen RJ (2012) Coral farming: species specific effects of light, water motion and artificial foods. JMBE online first, doi:10.1017/S0025315411001500

20.      Work TM, Forsman ZH, Szabo Z, Lewis TD, Aeby GS, Toonen RJ (2011) Inter-specific coral chimerism: genetically distinct multicellular structures associated with tissue loss in Montipora capitata.  PLoS One 6(7) e22869

19.      Baranets V, Forsman ZH, Karl SA (2011) Microsatellite loci for the plate-and-pillar coral, Porites rus. Conservation Genetics Resources 0: 2009-2011.

18.      Forsman ZH, Concepcion GT, Haverkort RD, Shaw RW, Maragos JE, Toonen RJ (2010) Ecomorph or endangered coral? DNA and microstructure reveal Hawaiian species complexes: Montipora dilatata/flabellata/turgescens & M. patula/verilli. PLoS One 5(12):e15021.

17.      Forsman ZH, Martinez JA, Maragos JE, Toonen RJ (2010) Resurrection of Porites hawaiiensis Vaughan 1907; a Hawaiian coral obscured by small size, cryptic habitat, and confused taxonomy.  Zootaxa 2624:67-68

16.      Forsman ZH, Birkeland C (2009) Porites randalli: a new coral species (Scleractinia, Poritidae) from Samoa. Zootaxa 2244:51-59

15.      Brown DP, Basch L, Barshis D, Forsman ZH, D Fenner D, Goldberg J (2009) American Samoa’s island of giants: Massive Porites colonies at Ta’u Island. Coral Reefs: 28:735.

14.      Forsman ZH, Barshis D, Hunter CL, Toonen RJ (2009) Shape-shifting corals: Molecular markers show morphology is evolutionarily plastic in Porites. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 9:45 (Featured by Faculty of 1000)

13.      Keeley S, Forsman ZH, Chan R (2007) A phylogeny of the “Evil Tribe” (Vernonieae: Compositae) reveals old/new world long distance dispersal: support from separate and combined congruent datasets (trnl-F, ndhF, ITS).  Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 89-103

12.      Forsman ZH, Rinkevich B, Hunter CL (2006) Investigating fragment size for culturing reef-building corals (Porites lobata and P. compressa) in ex situ nurseries. Aquaculture 261: 89-97

11.      Forsman ZH, Wellington GM, Hunter CL G.E. Fox (2006) Is the ITS region the solution to the ‘species problem’ in corals? Intragenomic variation, and alignment permutation in Porites, Siderastrea and outgroup taxa.  10th Int. Coral Reef Symp.14-23

10.      Forsman ZH, Guzman HM, Chen CA, Fox GE, Wellington GM (2005) An ITS region phylogeny of Siderastrea (CNIDARIA:ANTHOZOA); is S. glynni endangered or introduced? Coral Reefs 24: 343-347

9.         Forsman ZH, Lednicky JA, Fox GE, Willson RC, White Z, Halvorson S, Wong C, Lewis AM, Butel JS (2004) Phylogenetic analysis of polyomavirus simian virus 40 from monkeys and humans reveals genetic variation. Journal of Virology, 78(17): 9306-9316

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

8.         Forsman ZH, Concepcion GT, Haverkort RD, Shaw RW, Maragos JE, Toonen RJ (2010) Is Montipora dilatata an endangered coral species or an ecotype? Genes and skeletal microstructure lump seven Hawaiian species into four groups. NOAA Report. p.20 

7.         Forsman ZH, Concepcion GT, Haverkort RD, Maragos JE, Toonen (2009) Genetic and morphological characterization of a coral Species of Concern, Montipora dilatata, in Kaneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.  NOAA Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office FY 2008 Report. p.15

6.         Forsman ZH, Phillips J, Gulko DA, Foster KB (2008) Primary restoration: enhancement of coral recovery at the M/V Cape Flattery incident site. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Office.

5.         Foster KB, Forsman ZH, Sukhraj NC (2007) Barbers Point (Kalaeloa) Harbor deep draft harbor fish and wildlife coordination act investigation marine assessment and impact analysis. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Office. p. 82

4.         Forsman ZH, Hunter CL (2007) Propagation of Hawaiian corals for reef restoration.  Hawaiian Coral Reef Initiation/NOAA report. p.18

3.         Forsman ZH, Hunter CL (2006) Origins and relationships of the Hawaiian reef coral Porites; taxonomy, life history, endemicity, and population genetics. Hawaiian Coral Reef Initiation/NOAA report, p. 12

2.         Lewis SS, Forsman ZH (2003) Genetics 3201 Laboratory Manual, University of Houston. http://nsm.uh.edu/~biol3201/manual.html

1.         Wellington GM, Forsman ZH (2002) Ribosomal DNA variation in Porites spp.; The relationship between the Texas Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Caribbean province. Environmental Institute of Houston Annual Report.

 

GRANTS

2011-2012      Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ. Waikīkī beach maintenance project marine environmental monitoring project. Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources $50,000         

2010-2011      Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ. Genetic isolation and plasticity in Montipora dilatata and Hawaiian congeners: where are the species boundaries? National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration $34,060

2009-2010      Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ. Gene flow and morphological variation in one of the rarest known corals: is Montipora dilatata genetically isolated? National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration $31,307

2008-2009      Forsman ZH, Hunter CL, Toonen RJ. Genetic and morphological characterization of a coral Species of Concern, Montipora dilatata, in Kaneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration $33,215

2006-2007      Forsman ZH, Hunter CL.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fellowship. Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative $44,000

2005-2006      Forsman ZH, Hunter CL. Propagation of Hawaiian corals for reef restoration. Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative $73,161

2004-2005      Forsman ZH, Hunter CL. Origins and relationships of an important Hawaiian reef building coral:  Porites taxonomy, life history, endemicity, and population genetics. Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative $64,340

2000-2001      Forsman ZH, Wellington GM. Ribosomal DNA variation in Porites spp.: The relationship between The Texas Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Caribbean Province. Environmental Institute of Houston $14,395

1999-2000      Forsman ZH, Wellington GM. Genetic connectivity to the Texas Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary. Environmental Institute of Houston $14,220

 

AWARDS AND HONORS

2010                       Paper featured by Faculty of 1000 (Forsman et al. 2009, BMC Evolutionary Biology)

2006,2007,2008 Travel award; Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative  $2,000

2006                       Best poster; First Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium, Hong Kong

2001                       Best poster; Sigma Xi campus-wide competition, University of Houston

1999                       Teaching Excellence Award; University of Houston campus-wide competition. $1,000

1999                       Teaching Excellence Award; University of Houston biology department competition $500

1999                       Grant-in-aid of research Sigma Xi; University of Houston $5,000

1996                       Travel and research award; biomedical research abroad, University of Arizona $8,000

1995                       Honorable mention; 4.0 GPA/2 semesters, University of Arizona

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE (awarded 2 teaching excellence awards)

2012                 Guest lecture; coral phenotypic variation (advanced topics in marine biology; 20 students)

2011                 Guest lecture; coral ecology and speciation (marine research; 15 students)

2009                 Guest lecture; speciation (marine ecology and evolution; 20 students)

2008                 Guest lecture; the origin of life (ecology & evolution; 220 students)

                          Guest lecture; phylogenetic methods (molecular systematics & evolution; 15 graduate students)

2007                 Guest lecture; coral phylogenetics (marine biology; 20 students)

                          Guest lecture; coral evolution (advanced topics in marine biology; 30 students)

2006                 Guest lecture; phylogenetic methods (molecular systematics & evolution; 15 students)

1997-2002      Genetics laboratory (9 semesters;>200 students); Co-authored a new lab manual; designed four weeks of new experiments (DNA extraction, PCR, sub-cloning, sequencing, and bioinformatics).

1999                 Ecology laboratory (2 semesters;>40 students)

1996-1997      English as a second language: National Institute of Animal Industry Tsukuba, Japan

 

SEMINARS

2011               Hanauma Bay public seminar series, Oʻahu HI

2011               Departmental Seminar, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

2011               Northwestern Hawaiʻi Islands Symposium, Oʻahu HI

2010               Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Oʻahu HI

2010               John Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Oʻahu HI

2010               Northwestern Hawaiʻi Islands Symposium, Oʻahu HI

2009               Bishop Museum Sigma Xi seminar series, Oʻahu HI

2007               Pauley Lecture Series, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Oʻahu HI

2007               Kewalo Marine Lab Seminar, Oʻahu HI

2007               Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative, Oʻahu HI

2006               Oceanography Departmental Seminar, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Oʻahu HI

 

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS ATTENDED

2011         Pacific Science Congress (organizer and chair: marine biodiversity); Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2011         Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and Reefs; Oʻahu HI

2010         Evolution; Portland OR

2009         Evolution (Chair: Phylogenetics and Speciation); Moscow ID

2008         11th Int. Coral Reef Symposium; Fort Lauderdale FL

2007         Evolution (Chair: Systematics); Christchurch, New Zealand

2007         Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference; Oʻahu HI

2006         First Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium; Hong Kong, P.R. China

2004         10th Int. Coral Reef Symposium Okinawa, Japan

2003         Evolution; Chico CA

2002         9th Int. Coral Reef Symposium; Bali, Indonesia

1996         Experimental Evolution; Tokyo, Japan

1995         Biodiversity Conference; Tucson AZ

 

OTHER SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES AND RELATED EXPERIENCE

Languages:

                English (native), Japanese (conversational), Mandarin Chinese (basic)

Scientific Meeting Chair:

                Marine Biodiversity and Speciation (Symposium Organizer); Pacific Science Congress, Kuala Lumpur 2011, Malaysia

                Phylogenetics and Speciation –Evolution 2009, Moscow, ID

                Systematics –Evolution 2007, Christchurch, New Zealand

Field/Research expeditions:

                Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, coral reef ecological surveys; Barbers Point (Kalaeloa) channel (2007)

                Maui, Molokaʻi, Oahu Hawaiʻi, collection of rare Hawaiian coral for Waikīkī Aquarium (2007, 2005)

                Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary, fish surveys (1998) MV Fling, MV Spree (1999)

                Galapagos Archipelago, El Niño and paleo-climate studies (1997) MV Cook               

                Caribbean Marine Research Center/ Lee Stocking Island, coral transplant and bleaching studies (1997)

                Discovery Bay Jamaica, coral reef ecology field course (1994)

Outreach and Service:

                Curriculum development (K-12) for the Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative (2007)

                Undergraduate Marine Biology Program Mentor, University of Hawaiʻi (2006)

                Marine Option Program thesis mentor, University of Hawaiʻi (2006, 2005)

                Animal Science Program thesis mentor, University of Hawaiʻi (2007, 2004) 

Media exposure:

SOEST video (2011): http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/

PLoS One (2010): Hawaiʻi Public Radio interview, Associated Press interview, Honolulu Advertiser, Science Daily,

BMC Evolutionary Biology (2009): Science Daily, Physorg.com, esciencenews.com, sciencecentric.com, genref.com, wildshores.blogspot.com

YouTube: Hawaiʻi Coral Reef Initiative Quarterly Reports; (2005, 2006, 2007)

National Public Radio (NPR): and National Geographic Galapagos expedition (1997)

Public Broadcasting System (PBS): Arizona Illustrated, and Tucson Journal (1993)

 

REVIEWER SERVICE (over 73 articles and grant proposals peer-reviewed):

Aquatic Conservation, Bulletin of Marine Science, BMC Ecology, BMC Evolution, Conservation Biology, Coral Reefs (Journal of the International Society for Coral Reef Studies), Ecological Research, Hydrobiologia, Journal of Heredity, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Journal of Marine Biology, Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Molecular Ecology, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Pacific Science, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (2008), Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Technologiestichting STW (Dutch National Science Foundation), The National Science Foundation, Zoological Studies

 

CERTIFICATIONS

AAUS scientific diver (master diver, rescue diver), O2 administration, First Aid, CPR, Radiation and Chemical safety, small boat operation and safety

 

RECENT COLLABORATORS

Ruth Gates, Sam Kahng, Mike Stat, Xavier Pochon, Madeline van Oppen, Steve Karl, Theirry Work, Theresa Lewis, Greta Aeby, Ross Shaw, Greg Concepcion, Doug Fenner, Jim Maragos, Allen Chen, Buki Rinkevich, Charles Birkeland, Daniel Barshis, Sterling Keeley, Kevin Foster, David Gulko, Hector Guzman, Janet Butel, John Lednicky

 

STUDENTS (70% minority, 81% female)

Graduate student supervision:

Olga Olberu (funded R.A.), Nadiera Sukhraj (funded R.A.), Toby Daly-Engel, Patricia Marti-Puig (M.S. thesis advisor), Daniel Luck (M.S. thesis committee), Yuka Irei (visiting scholar).

Undergraduate supervision:

Nnecka Nebeuihe, Anne Konshak, Adam Baker (funded), Lauren Ho (funded), William Misa (funded), Sonoko Sakurai (thesis), Yasuhiro Fujiwara (thesis), Julius Lucky (thesis), Nikita Aidachi (thesis), Pauleen Fredrick (thesis), Pauleno Blagot (thesis), Molly Jean Martin, Carrie Pederson, Megan Deagle, Andrea Rivera, Kelsey Fees (work-study)  

Lab Technician supervision:

                Pakki Reath (funded), Roxanne Haverkort

High School Honors thesis supervision:

Cary Colbert, Jaslynne Chang, Kekainani Lucero, Noelle Victoria, Anuhea Lym 

 

GRADUATE ADVISORS: Dr. Garrard M. Wellington, Dr. Gorge E. Fox, University of Houston,TX

POSTDOCTORAL ADVISORS: Dr. Gorge E. Fox, University of Houston, TX; Dr. Cynthia L. Hunter, University of Hawaiʻi; Dr. Robert J. Toonen, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology