Dr. Kim Ritchie of Mote Marine Laboratory and Dr. Maoz Fine of the The Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel handle biological samples.

The Mote Marine Laboratory has been awarded a three-year grant of $300,000  by the Dart Foundation for research on coral reefs, climate change and ocean acidification.

The money will support two international studies that include collaborators from Israel and Saudi Arabia and field research in Italy and the United States led by Dr. Kim Ritchie, manager of Mote’s Marine Microbiology Program.

Mote scientists are internationally known for their research on coral reef health, especially focusing on the relationships among corals and two types of microbes: beneficial bacteria that support reef health and symbiotic algae living within coral tissues.

The Dart Foundation was established in 1984 by William A. and Claire T. Dart in Mason, Mich. and is the third major grant to Mote from the Dart Foundation.

Learn more http://www.mote.org/index.php?src=news&submenu=NEWS&srctype=detail&category=Newsroom&refno=744