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"Mountains in the Sea: Explorations of Deepwater Fauna on Seamounts in the Western North Atlantic" • Jon Moore, Ph.D. Florida Atlantic University About the Lecture - 2006 This talk will cover recent submersible investigations of several western North Atlantic seamounts. The tops of these seamounts are at depths of 3000 - 9000 ft below the surface and host a diverse array of animals. Discoveries on these previously unexplored seamounts include several new species of soft corals and other invertebrates, unusual distributions and behaviors of fishes, and new information on the ecology of many deepwater animals. Conservation issues include protection of deepwater corals and designation of some of these seamounts as Marine Protected Areas. About the Speaker Dr. Jon Moore is an Associate Professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University's Wilkes Honors College in Jupiter. He received a B.S. in Geosciences and a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. He received his M.S. and Ph. D. in Biology from Yale University. He has studied deep-sea fishes for 20 years. For the last six years, he has explored a number of seamounts off the east coast of the U.S. using the manned submersible Alvin and the unmanned ROV Hercules. Dr. Moore also has a land-based research program studying reptiles and amphibians in southern Florida, including gopher tortoises and a number of invasive lizards. |