Coast to Coral: An introductory guide to coral taxonomy

Join Reef Check Australia and friends on the second Tuesday night of each month in your lounge room/office/comfy chair, for an evening of discovery, inspiration and appreciation of our local marine, coastal and catchment environments.

THE SPEAKER:
This month we will hear from Gail Riches, a Marine science teacher.
Gail Riches created Marine Education in 2018 - a website dedicated to marine science teachers and students across Queensland, to promote the stewardship of the ocean through education and collaboration. She has a bachelor of Marine Science and Management and a Graduate Diploma of Secondary education, working as a teacher at St. Teresa's Catholic College. Prior to school teaching, Gail worked as an education officer at SeaLife and as a PADI Dive Instructor in various locations across Queensland and the Mediterranean.
ABOUT THE TALK:
During the talk, you will be shown how to easily recognise the common features of hard corals that taxonomists use to categorise them to Genus level. Examples include the axial and radial corallites of Acropora, a common branching coral; the tiny corallites on Porites that make massive boulder corals look somewhat smooth; and the meandering ridges and valleys of Platygyra that dubbed it as brain coral. Coral growth rates, abundance and distribution, susceptibility to bleaching and adaptations will also feature throughout the presentation.

Virtual doors (zoom) opens at 6.25pm for a 6:30 pm start.

Stay after the event for networking and nibbles (BYO obviously!) - get your burning questions answered and continue your thoughts, ideas and sea-minded discussions with your local community, all from the comfort of your couch!

Bring a mate and share in the discovery!

At Reef Check Australia we’re all about inspiring our mates and we love to read your thoughts! So, share your favourite parts about the night and tag us! Reef Check Australia #coasttocoral

This initiative is hosted by Reef Check Australia, and proudly supported by oh so many groups including the City of Gold Coast, Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd, Sunshine Coast Council's Environment Levy partnerships grant, and Townsville City Council.

Future talks take place on the second Tuesday night of each month, with a new, interesting and engaging speaker.

For more information contact seqsurveys@reefcheckaustralia.org

WHEN
July 13, 2021 at 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Will you come?