My group's research interests include general coral reef and fish ecology especially as applied to restoration, assessment and monitoring. I currently manage two southeast Florida reef monitoring projects which include assessing and monitoring reef benthic and fish communities and sedimentation.

My group is also assessing the success of several reef restoration projects and investigating methods to improve restoration success. My interests and past experiences include examining processes that affect coral reef fish recruitment and artificial reef design and function.

Currently Broward County, Florida, USA has installed and maintains a system of 110 mooring buoys located in many popular fishing and diving locations along the reef. This research will determine how often private and commercial boaters are currently using the mooring buoys and how effective the buoys are at protecting the reef. The latter will be determined by conducting benthic community transects within the mooring buoy sites and at permanent reef monitoring sites in Broward County. Additionally, a comprehensive list of mooring buoy programs around the world is being complied. This list will include information such as mooring buoy maintenance procedures, reef monitoring procedures, and effectiveness.

• Jamie Monty: Scleractinian coral of opportunity survivorship and growth, and the use of corals of opportunity, coral nurseries, and integrated stakeholder involvement in coral reef restoration, with applications for coral reef management
• Lauren Shuman: Shallow-water gorgonian abundance and distribution in Broward County, Florida
• Shaun Gill: Comparison of stony coral coverage data obtained by in situ measurements and image analysis
• Nicole Stephens: Sources of Donor Stony Corals for Coral Reef Restoration
• Lindsey Habakuk: The Effectiveness of Using Mooring Buoys to Reduce Coral Reef Damage
• Nicolle Cushion: Determining Indicators and Methods to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Port Honduras Marine Reserve, Southern Belize

  
  

Selected Publications (Complete publication list)

Fahy, E.G., T.P. Quinn, D.P. Fahy, R.E. Dodge, R.E. Spieler, and D.S. Gilliam. 2005. Growth and Survivorship of Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa Coral Core Transplants and Effectiveness of Plugging Core Holes in Transplant Donor Colonies. Proc. 10th International Coral Reef Symp., Okinawa, Japan. In press.

Feingold, J.S., S.L. Thornton, K.W. Banks, N.J. Gasman, D.S. Gilliam, P. Fletcher, and C. Avila. 2003. A rapid assessment of coral reefs near Hopetown, Abaco Islands, Bahamas (stony corals and algae). Pp. 58-75 in J.C. (ed), Status of Coral Reefs in the western Atlantic: results of initial Surveys, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program. Atoll Research Bulletin 496.

Thornton, S.L., D.S. Gilliam, R.E. Dodge, R.E. Fergen, and P. Cooke. 2002. Success and growth of corals transplanted to cement armor mat tiles in Southeast Florida: Implications for reef restoration. Proc. 9th International Coral Reef Symp., Bali, Indonesia Vol. 1. pp 955-962.

Sherman, R.L., D.S. Gilliam and R.E. Spieler. 2001. Site-dependent differences in artificial reef function: Implications for coral reef restoration. Bulletin of Marine Science 69(2): 1053-1056.

Spieler, R.E., D.S. Gilliam and R.L. Sherman. 2001. Artificial substrate and coral reef restoration: What do we need to know to know what we need. Bulletin of Marine Science 69(2): 1013-1030.