Research

Corals reefs worldwide are under threat from a variety of local and global anthropogenic stressors. In the Castillo Lab, we seek to understand how these stressors have impacted corals in the past, how they are affecting corals in the present, and how they will likely shaped future coral reef populations, communities, and ecosystems.

Currently, we conduct research on temperate corals on the North Carolina coast, and on tropical corals in Florida, Belize, Panama, and Curaçao.

Focus Areas

Ocean warming, ocean acidification, and coral reefs

Coral acclimatization and adaptation

Coral response to global change across ecological scales

Coral bleaching in the western Caribbean Sea

Reconstruction of environmental history on coral reefs

Winter warming and temperate corals

Storm impacts on coral reefs

Micro-plastics impact on coral reefs

Research Sites

North Carolina

Florida

Belize

Panama

Curaçao

Ana & Maya are pros at hammering underwater!

Tugboat Reef, Curaçao

RTE Setup, Spaanse Water Bay, Curaçao

Sample collection with collaborators and Castillo lab alumni!

Funded Projects

Funding Agency	Funded Project
	Storm impact and resilience of corals across spatial scales on the Florida Keys
	Investigating the influence of thermal history on coral growth response to recent and predicted end-of-century ocean warming across a cascade of ecological scales
	Using multielement-isotope coral paleothermometry to reconstruct the thermal history of seawater across a Caribbean barrier reef system over the past century and evaluation of its impact on coral extension rates