Garrett Fundakowski 

Broadly speaking, the objective of my PhD research is to identify and quantify patterns of niche construction in corals. I will attempt to address this by focusing on the physical structure that corals create and the effects of this structure on the size and shape of other corals. To quantify coral morphology, I will utilize photogrammetry and laser scanning technology to create 3D reconstructions of living coral structure. Through observational studies, I will look at how coral morphological phenotype develops over time and the influence of the surrounding reefscape, including the presence and shape of neighbouring coral colonies, on coral growth. Then through a manipulative experiment, I will examine if and how this morphological phenotype is ecologically inherited. Together, by determining the extent to which corals physically change the reefscape by building their 3D structure and how that structure affects nearby corals, I hope to add to mounting evidence for the role of corals as niche constructors.