TY - JOUR T1 - V Factor: Volunteers as a bridge between museum scientists and the public JF - Journal of Natural Science Collections Y1 - 2013 A1 - Renee Miller A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - Ali L. Thomas A1 - Lyndsey G. Douglas A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Yoke Shum Broom A1 - Therese Avedillo A1 - Cassandra Murray A1 - Theresa Sadler AB -

V Factor is a new programme at the Natural History Museum in London. It offers volunteers the chance to work in public view alongside Museum scientists on collection-based research and curation projects, taking them from visitor to proactive volunteer. It aims to involve a volunteers project manager, scientists, curators, volunteers and the public in the museum’s research. Volunteers work alongside scientists on a research project whilst benefiting from a unique, informal and fun learning experience. Visitors are able to observe the processing of samples and interact with those involved. The management of this volunteer programme is described in this paper. The pilot project was ‘Throughflow’; an international study of Southeast Asian fossil corals as a means to describe the high biodiversity of their ecosystem and the effects of environmental change. Volunteers have successfully assisted with the cleaning of specimens so that they may be curated. At the same time, they have been discussing with experts project-related information, collections care, and the role of museums today. The programme has been continuously evaluated and changed as felt necessary. By March 2013, 45 volunteers were involved. Outcomes have included improved volunteer talent and education management, excellent assistance with scientific work and novel means of attracting the public to the museum’s work.

VL - 1 ER - TY - Generic T1 - On the origins of the coral diversity in Southeast Asia T2 - 12th International Coral Reef Symposium Y1 - 2012 A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - Willem Renema AB -

Evidences from palaeontological and molecular studies suggest that the formation of the SE Asian ancestral centre of diversity occurred during the Miocene. Under the umbrella of the Throughflow project, delta-front patch reefs from 42 outcrops were studied in East Kalimantan (Indonesia), including extensive collections of tens of thousands of specimens within 265 samples. This research aims to answer how diverse were corals during the Miocene and which environmental factors played a role in their diversification on both, temporal and spatial scales. Coral morphologies seem to respond to the gradient of siliciclastic input created by the Mahakan Delta system. Platy-coral assemblages were common in the vicinity of the delta, characterized by a higher turbid-water regime, and mainly from the Early to Middle Miocene (up to Serravallian age). On the other hand, communities of branching corals mixed with scattered massive coral heads were more frequent during the Late Miocene (Tortonian to Messinian age) in settings located towards the north, far-off the delta influence. Although preliminary (<10% of samples examined), species diversity was high in both platy and branching coral assemblages, and comparable to modern coral settings living under similar environmental conditions. A total of 51 morphospecies (36 genera) have been identified so far, from which only three genera are considered as extinct, Dictyaraea, Anisocoenia, and Fungophyllia. Whether the observed species turnover is due to major global environmental changes after the Middle Miocene, or it is merely explained by switching of the Mahakan Delta gradient, or a combination of both, is an aspect to be examined in further integrated analysis including geochemistry and sedimentology.

JF - 12th International Coral Reef Symposium ER - TY - CONF T1 - Origins of coral diversity in Southeast Asia T2 - 5 International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals Y1 - 2012 A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - Willem Renema AB -

Southeast Asia hosts the maximum centre of coral diversity. Evidence from palaeontological and molecular studies suggests that the Miocene was an important period for diversification in the region. However, the fossil record is markedly undersampled. Of the \~{}200 species of azooxanthellate corals present in the region, only 49 species are known in the fossil record. As part of the Throughflow ITN project, we are collecting new data to document the Miocene diversity of zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate scleractinians from shallow and deep-water habitats preserved in outcrops of East Kalimantan (5-20 Million years old). This project has completed two five-week long field seasons and is currently processing samples. So far, we have identified the azooxanthellate taxa Caryophyllia, Stephanocyathus, Flabellum, Heterocyathus, and Madrepora. Preservation can be excellent allowing geochemical analysis to understand the paleoenviromental conditions in which these species were living. In combination with parallel studies on shallow water ecosystems, these new data provide insights to the origins of the high diversity in this region.

JF - 5 International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CONF T1 - Digging on the origins of the Coral Triangle T2 - 8th International Conference on Coelenterate Biology (ICCB) Y1 - 2013 A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson KW - East Kalimantan KW - Fossil corals KW - Miocene AB -

Reefs in the Coral Triangle host the richest coral diversity today, and palaeontological and molecular evidence suggest that the Miocene (5-23 Ma) was an important period for diversification in this region. As part of the Throughflow ITN, the aims of this study are to determine which coral species occurred during this period and to understand how environmental factors controlled coral diversification on both temporal and spatial scales. Our new collections include tens of thousands of specimens from the rich and well-preserved Miocene fossil record of small patch reefs that developed in turbid habitats that are now preserved in the sediments of the Kutai Basin of East Kalimantan (Indonesia). Preliminary results suggest that species diversity was high and comparable to modern coral settings living under turbid environmental conditions. A total of 150 morphospecies from 70 genera have been identified, including nine genera known as extinct. Our findings have revealed that some lineages that were previously known from the Plio-Pleistocene record were already present during the Miocene time. These discoveries have a profound impact on our understanding of the origins of today’s diversity in the Coral Triangle. Further research will focus on the incorporation of these fossils into phylogenetic analyses in order to estimate divergence times and explore the relationship of evolutionary trends with environmental changes at biogeographic scale.

JF - 8th International Conference on Coelenterate Biology (ICCB) CY - Eilat, Israel ER - TY - JOUR T1 - A diverse patch reef from turbid habitats in the Middle Miocene (East Kalimantan, Indonesia) JF - Palaios Y1 - Submitted A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Vibor Novak A1 - Vedrana Pretković A1 - Nathan Marshall A1 - Anja Rösler A1 - Emanuela Di Martino A1 - Elena LoGiudice A1 - Sonja Reich A1 - Juan Carlos Braga A1 - Willem Renema A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson ER - TY - CONF T1 - Understanding the murky origins of coral diversity in the Coral Triangle T2 - Reef Conservation UK - 15th Annual Meeting Y1 - 2012 A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson JF - Reef Conservation UK - 15th Annual Meeting CY - Zoological Society of London, UK UR - http://static.zsl.org/files/rcuk-abstract-booklet-and-programme-2051.pdf ER - TY - CONF T1 - Towards a synthesis of Cenozoic pantropical paleontology T2 - 12 ICRS Y1 - 2012 A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - James Klaus A1 - Willem Renema A1 - Jonathan A. Todd JF - 12 ICRS CY - Cairns, Australia UR - http://www.icrs2012.com/Downloads/ICRS2012_Book_of_Abstracts.pdf ER - TY - CONF T1 - Origins of coral diversity in Southeast Asia T2 - 5th International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals 2012 Y1 - 2012 A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - Willem Renema A1 - the Throughflow Project JF - 5th International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals 2012 CY - Amsterdam, The Netherlands ER - TY - CONF T1 - Southeast Asian and Caribbean Cenozoic Reef-coral diversity and the importance of large new collections T2 - 11th Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Sponges Y1 - 2011 A1 - Kenneth G. Johnson A1 - Brian R. Rosen A1 - Nadiezhda Santodomingo A1 - Willem Renema JF - 11th Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Sponges PB - M. aretz, S. Delculee, J. Denayer, And E. Poty (Eds.) ER -