{"id":15046,"date":"2023-07-21T12:45:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T16:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eckerd.edu\/news\/?p=15046"},"modified":"2023-08-08T12:44:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T16:44:55","slug":"florida-coral-reefs-stone-crabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eckerd.edu\/news\/blog\/florida-coral-reefs-stone-crabs\/","title":{"rendered":"Eckerd College marine science professors and students race to help save Florida\u2019s coral reefs and stone crabs"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extraa-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”] [image_with_animation image_url=”15047″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][vc_column_text]Connor Dempsey ’24 stands over a holding tank of corals in the Florida Keys. Photo: Penh Alicandro ’22<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]\n

\u201cA sudden marine heat wave off the coast of Florida has surprised scientists and sent water temperatures soaring to unprecedented highs, threatening one of the most severe coral bleaching events the state has ever seen.\u201d CNN headline, July 16, 2023<\/a><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”32″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Cory Krediet, Ph.D.<\/a>, associate professor of marine science<\/a> and biology<\/a> at Eckerd College, had seen the warning signs and anticipated what was coming. But even he was surprised at how fast and how early it was unfolding.<\/p>\n

Coral and dinoflagellate algae are an example of one of nature\u2019s most successful symbiotic relationships. They depend on each other to survive, Krediet explains, but if stressed by increased ocean temperatures or pollution, the coral will expel the algae. Without the algae, the coral loses its major food source and its color, leaving the coral eerily bleached and vulnerable to disease, starvation and death.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”48″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”15050″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][vc_column_text]Left to right: Connor Dempsey, Cory Krediet, Cara DeLacluyse in the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences; photo by Penh Alicandro ’22<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”32″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Within the last several months, sea surface temperatures around Florida have reached the highest levels on record\u2014close to 97 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas around the Keys\u2014according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a>. The warming isn\u2019t just extreme\u2014it\u2019s happening much earlier than normal. Water temperatures around Florida don\u2019t usually peak until late August and September.<\/p>\n

This is no small problem. Not only do Florida\u2019s reefs generate billions of dollars through activities such as fishing and tourism, Krediet says more than 25% of marine species depend on coral reefs at some point in their lives. A NOAA study published last year found that climate-change-fueled coral disease and bleaching had already reduced Florida\u2019s reefs by 70%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoral reefs are essential to the ocean ecosystem,\u201d Krediet adds. \u201cWe have the potential to devastate the marine environment. It\u2019s up to us to take action now.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is exactly what Krediet and his students are doing. He has been working in his lab on campus to try to expose different types of algae to temperature variations and see which is more resilient.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” top_margin_tablet=”32″ column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”15059″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”skip-lazy-load” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][vc_column_text]Senior Cara DeLacluyse studies pathogenic resistance in anemones. Photo: Penh Alicandro ’22<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”48″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”15061″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][vc_column_text]Anemone polyps in the lab at Eckerd College; photo by Cory Krediet<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”16″ bottom_padding=”16″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” el_class=”lg_text” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]\u201cWe can mimic what\u2019s going on in the Caribbean right now,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to introduce beneficial microbes to corals that don\u2019t already have them, to improve their resilience and enable them to handle stress a little better.\u201d<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”32″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Working alongside him are senior marine science students Cara DeLacluyse, from Grayslake, Illinois, and Victoire Litre, from Harrison, New York. \u201cMy research focuses on how acclimation to environmental stressors, such as high salinity, improves pathogenic resistance in anemones,\u201d Cara points out. \u201cCorals currently face many compounding stressors, one of which is disease. Any tool we can use to possibly improve their survival is worth studying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like a race against the clock,\u201d Krediet adds. \u201cAll the work we\u2019re doing needs to happen faster. It\u2019s not just the water getting warmer. The oceans are also acidifying, and that also increases the risk of coral disease and makes them more vulnerable. So it\u2019s this one-two punch of stressors that can be too much for the coral to handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to gather data and present it so that the public, and the people in power, can make the right decisions. It\u2019s not too late. But it\u2019s a global problem; no one country can solve this.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”48″ bottom_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”15063″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][vc_column_text]Stone crab; photo by Philip Gravinese<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”32″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Krediet and another of his students, Connor Dempsey, a senior marine science major from Babylon, New York, will be spending several weeks in late July and early August at the Mote Marine Laboratory\u2019s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration<\/a> in the Florida Keys. Along with a fully equipped marine science laboratory, the center has dormitories; a field support staff; and easy access to reefs, sea-grass meadows and mangrove forests.<\/p>\n

They aren’t the only representatives of Eckerd College at the center working to save marine life. Philip Gravinese, Ph.D.<\/a>, assistant professor of marine science at Eckerd, also is conducting research at the Mote Marine Lab this summer along with four of his students. Using a grant from the National Science Foundation<\/a> and a collaboration with Louisiana State University, Gravinese and his team are studying the stone crab fishery<\/a>\u2014a multimillion-dollar industry in Florida.<\/p>\n

Gravinese and his collaborators at LSU hypothesize that future climate change could result in stone crabs moving north or into deeper waters, and stone crab populations in Florida may be susceptible to community fragmentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are collecting stone crabs and raising their larvae in present day, mid-century and end-of-century temperature and pH conditions\u201d Gravinese explains. \u201cThe goal is to identify what the larval-crab swimming behaviors are under ambient conditions and then see if those swimming behaviors change when they grow up in the different climate scenarios.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe swimming behavior data we collect will then be used by colleagues at LSU to create the first population model for the stone crab fishery that incorporates how the population may become fragmented with future climate change. The hope is that this model will inform managers of how the population may shift with climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gravinese adds that students working on this research also gain outreach experience as they present their work to middle school and high school students. The students also will be invited to contribute as co-authors when the research is compiled for publication.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Dr. Krediet and I are excited to provide opportunities for our students to work on answering important and novel research questions,\u201d Gravinese says, \u201cwhich is a perfect example of Eckerd\u2019s dedication and commitment to hands-on research experiences.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” top_margin_tablet=”32″ column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”15051″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”skip-lazy-load” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][image_with_animation image_url=”15049″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Right” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”skip-lazy-load” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][image_with_animation image_url=”15053″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”skip-lazy-load” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”16″][vc_column_text]Top to bottom: Seniors studying stone crabs in the Florida Keys include <\/em>Rebecca Meberg<\/em>, Eliza Patty and <\/em>Thomas White<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extraa-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":15047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,45,68,85,86,159],"tags":[579,874,338,766,996,995,185,252,997,765,858],"class_list":{"0":"post-15046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-biology","9":"category-marine-science","10":"category-research","11":"category-student-research","12":"category-students","13":"tag-climate-change","14":"tag-coral","15":"tag-cory-krediet","16":"tag-crab","17":"tag-florida","18":"tag-keys","19":"tag-noaa","20":"tag-nsf","21":"tag-ocean-temperature","22":"tag-phillip-gravinese","23":"tag-stone-crab"},"yoast_head":"\nEckerd College marine science professors and students race to help save Florida\u2019s coral reefs and stone crabs - 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