Anthony’s primary research interest is in the adaptation and acclimatization of tropical scleractinian corals to thermal stress. In the light of global climate change, bleaching is a significant concern, and it is important to understand the capacity for adaptation when considering the future of coral reefs. He is currently exploring sequence evolution in heat shock proteins in regionally diverse samples of Acropora millepora . Anthony will be searching for more genes involved in resistance to thermal stress in A. millepora using cDNA microarrays.

Anthony completed his B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of New England (Biddeford, Maine) in 2006. His previous research experiences include work on a Hydra aging project in Daniel Martinez’s lab at Pomona College, as well ecology of juvenile American lobsters with Richard Wahle (Senior Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences).

Publications:

Bellantuono AJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Rodriguez-Lanetty M (2011) Resistance to thermal stress in corals without changes in symbionts composition. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (in press)