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Coral Collectors

WHOI scientists Amy Apprill (left) and Matthew Neave collect tissue samples from corals off Woleai Atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia. Members of Apprill’s lab are looking at reefs around the world to study the symbiotic relationships between corals and microbes. Apprill is further investigating whether coral reefs are “superorganisms,” with various members living together in a web of interactions that contribute to the function and health of the entire ecosystem. This month, her team makes a return trip to Cuba to collaborate with scientists there in studying reefs in one of Cuba’s largest gulfs.(Photo courtesy of Alyson Santoro, University of Maryland)