Research Highlights
Research Interests
Global change effects in corals and coral reefs, particularly ocean warming and acidification.
Coral reefs resilience to interactive local and global stressor.
Genetic bases of coral resistance and resilience to diseases .
Ana Maria Palacio, Ph.D.
NRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division
305.361.4516
4301 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
“Solving the threats that coral reefs face requires that the community of scientists, managers, and stakeholders keep sharing and discussing their research so we can act quickly to protect these ecosystems.”
Dr. Palacio is a biologist interested in the future of our oceans. Her main focus of research has been how ocean warming, acidification, and pollution affect corals, causing coral bleaching and mortality. She also identifies environmental and genetic factors that promote more resistant corals that could survive in our fast changing world. Ana uses a combination of fieldwork and laboratory experiments to better understand corals’ susceptibility and tolerance to these stressors. She collects small coral samples during expeditions and experiments, which she then analyzes with molecular techniques and bioinformatic tools.
Current Work
NRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division
2019, Ph.D. Marine Biology & Ecology, RSMAS, U. Miami, Virginia Key, FL
2010, B.S. Biology, Universidad de Antioquia Colombia
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Palacio-Castro, A.M., S.M. Rosales, C.E. Dennison, and A.C. Baker. Microbiome signatures in Acropora cervicornis are associated with genotypic resilience to elevated nutrients and heat stress. Coral Reefs, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02289-w 2022
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Palacio-Castro, A.M., C.E. Dennison, S.M. Rosales, and A.C. Baker. Variation in susceptibility among three Caribbean coral species and their algal symbionts indicate the threatened staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is particularly susceptible to elevated nutrients and heat stress. Coral Reefs, 40(5):1601-1613, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02159-x 2021
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Fuess, L.E., A.M. Palacio, C.C. Butler, A.C. Baker, and L.D. Mydlarz. Increased algal symbiont density reduces host immunity in a threatened Caribbean coral species, Orbicella faveolata. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8:572942, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.572942 2020
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