John Stimson

Research Interests

Hawaiian tropical waters have provided the opportunity to study algal/animal interactions which are the key to the construction and maintenance of coral reefs. One of these interactions is the mutualism between corals and their algal symbionts. I have been studying how the population density of these symbionts are regulated within the hosts' cells through altering nutrient levels in sea water and studying how seasonal changes influence algal density. Algal density in turn effects the calcification rate of the host coral and their ability to capture and hold space in the intensely competitive environment on the coral reef. One of the corals principal competitors for space on local reefs is the green algae Dictyosphaeria cavernosa. I am also studying the reasons for its success in out-competing corals in some habitats, concentrating on the influence of a number of anthropogenic influences including overfishing and increased nutrient levels.

Selected Publications

Stimson, J and M. Kasyua 2000 Decline in the frequency of the white morph of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus L., Nymphalidae) on Oahu, Hawaii. J. Lepidopt. Soc. 54:29-32.

Stimson, J. and S. T. Larned 2000 Nitrogen efflux from the sediments of a subtropical bay and the potential contribution to macroalgal nutrient requirements. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 252:159-180.

Stimson, J., S. T. Larned and E. Conklin 2001 Effects of herbivory, nutrient levels, and introduced algae on the distribution and abundance of the invasive macroalga Dictyosphaeria cavernosa in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Coral Reefs 19:343-357.

Stimson, J, K. Sakai and H. Sembali (in press) Interspecific comparison of the symbiotic relationship in corals with high and low rates of bleaching-induced mortality. Coral Reefs

Stimson, J. 1997. The annual cycle of density of zooxanthellae in the tissues of field and laboratory-held Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus) J. Exp. Mar. Biol. And Ecol. 214:35-48.

Larned, S. and J. Stimson. 1996. Nitrogen-limited growth in the coral reef chlorophyte Dictyosphaeria cavernosa and the effect of exposure to sediment-derived nitrogen on growth. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 145:95-108. (I performed about 40% of the research and 50% of the writing.)

Stimson, J., S. Larned, and K. McDermid. 1996. Seasonal growth of the coral reef macroalga Dictyosphaeria cavernosa (Forskal) Borgesen and the effects of nutrient availability, temperature and herbivory on growth rate. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 196:53-67. (I estimate that I performed 50% of the research and wrote the manuscript.)

Stimson, J. 1996. Wave-like outward growth of some table- and plate-forming corals, and a hypothetical mechanism. Bull. Mar. Sci. 58:301-313.

Polacheck, T. and J. Stimson. 1994. Experimental analysis of the basis of the uniform dispersion pattern of Pocillopora meandrina Dana var. nobilis Verrill, 1864. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 181:189-199.

Stimson, J. and R.A. Kinzie III. 1991. The diel pattern of release of zooxanthellae by colonies of Pocillopora damicornis maintained under control and nitrogen-enriched conditions. J. Exptl. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 153:63-74.

Stimson, J. and M. Berman. 1990. Predator induced color polymorphism in Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Hawaii. Heredity 65: 401-406.

Stimson, J. 1990. Stimulation of fat body production in the coral Pocillopora by mutualistic crabs of the genus Trapezia. Mar. Biol. 106: 211-218.

Stimson, J. 1990. Density dependent recruitment in the reef fish Chaetodon miliaris. Env. Biol. Fishes. 29:1-13.

Stimson, J. 1987. The location, quantity and rate of change in quantity of lipids in tissues of Hawaiian hermatypic corals. Bull. Mar. Sci. 41:889-904.