Department of Zoology, University of Hawai`i 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 152 Honolulu, HI 96822 fax: (808) 956-9812
The symbiosis between reef building corals and their symbiotic algae is the energetic foundation for reef structure and function. We have been studying the photobiology of reef corals with particular emphasis of ultraviolet radiation. The levels of ultraviolet radiation currently received in tropical areas like Hawai'i surpasses that predicted for higher latitudes under most projections based on decreased atmospheric ozone protection. The possibility that there may be several different algae in symbiosis with reef corals is also of great interest. We have several of these algae in culture allowing a range of experimental approaches to questions relating to algal nutrition, photobiology and host-specificity. Coral reproductive biology is another focus in our laboratory.
Freshwater systems in volcanic terrains such as the Hawaiian Islands are dominated by steep streams with highly variable flow and little seasonal variation, markedly different from the temperate streams that have formed the basis for many widely held generalization about stream ecology. The fauna of Hawaiian streams is dominated by endemic species with strong evolutionary and ecological connections to the sea. The endemic fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks are typically diadromous, presenting a suite of organisms with unique life history patterns. We are currently studying Hawaiian streams both from the ecosystem perspective and at the population level with emphasis on reproductive biology and life history patterns.
Ha P, Kinzie III RA. 1996. Reproductive biology of Awaous guamensis, an amphidromous Hawaiian goby. Environ Biol Fishes 48:383-396.
Radtke RL, Kinzie III RA. 1996. Evidence of a marine larval stage in endemic Hawaiian stream gobies from isolated high-elevation localities. Trans Am Fish Soc125:613-621.
Kinzie III RA, Buddemeier RW. 1996. Reefs happen. Global Change Biol 2:479-494.
Kinzie III RA. 1993. Effects of ambient levels of solar ultraviolet radiation on zooxanthellae and photosynthesis of the reef coral Montipora verrucosa. Mar Biol 116:319-327.
Kinzie III RA. Spawning in the reef corals Pocillopora verrucosa and P. eydouxi at Sesoko Island, Okinawa. Galaxea 11:93-105.
Kinzie III RA. 1993. Reproductive biology of an endemic, amphidromous goby Lentipes concolor in Hawaiian streams. Environ Biol Fishes 37:257-268.
Kinzie III RA. 1992. Predation by the introduced carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea (Ferussac) on endemic aquatic lymnaeid snails in Hawai'i. Biol Conserv 60:149-155.