University of Georgia: School of Ecology

William Fitt

Professor
Graduate Faculty
University of Georgia
Room 305, Biological Sciences Bldg.
Athens, GA 30602

Office: (706) 542-3328
Fax: (706) 542-3344
email: fitt@uga.edu

Dr. Fitt is also on the Conservation Ecology faculty and also on the Water Resources faculty.

Education

Ph.D. - University of California, Santa Barbara

Research Interests

Bleaching of reef corals
Seasonal changes in coral tissue accretion and symbiotic alga acquisition
Physiological and genotypic attributes of different zooxanthella-host holobionts Invertebrate biology

Research Projects

Our enduring objectives have been to understand fundamental aspects of symbiotic dinoflagellate (Symbiodinium) distribution, acquisition and functionality in their cnidarian (coral, jellyfish and anemone) hosts. We employ (and in many critical cases have substantially refined) molecular, genetic, biochemical and physiological techniques to resolve how genotypic and geographic differences influence the distribution, host-specificity, environmental specialization of these organisms. We also pursue how changing environmental factors correlate with recent onslaughts of bleaching and death in coral reefs.

Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management, 2007-2009,
World Bank-University of Queensland.

National Science Foundation, 2002-2008, "Reef corals: symbiotic dinoflagellate/host combinations and their physiological response to environmental change", Fitt and Schmidt (Botany), co-PI.

Selected Publications

Lajeunesse, T.C., H. Reyes-Bonilla, M. Wills, G.W. Schmidt, W.K. Fitt. 2006. A case study in the analysis of rDNA by PCR-DGGE: Coral-algal symbioses from the Sea of Cortéz. Mol Ecol, submitted.

Thornhill, D.J., M.W. Daniel, T.C. LaJeunesse, B.U. Bruns, G.W. Schmidt, W.K. Fitt. 2006. Natural infections of aposymbiotic Cassiopea xamachana scyphistomae from environmental pools of Symbiodinium. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. in press.

Thornhill D.J, T.C. LaJeunesse, G.W. Schmidt, W.K. Fitt. 2006. Multi-year seasonal geotypic surveys of coral-dinoflagellate symbioses reveal prevalent stability of postbleaching reversion. Marine Biology 148: 711-722

Todd, B.D., D.J. Thornhill, W.K. Fitt. 2006. Patterns of inorganic phosphate uptake in Cassiopea xamachana: a bioindicator species. Marine Pollution Bull 52:515-521

LaJeunesse, T.C., R. Bhagooli, M. Hidaka, L. deVantier, T. Done, G. W. Schmidt, W. K. Fitt, O. Hoegh-Guldberg. 2004. Closely related Symbiodinium spp. Differ in relative dominance in coral reef host communities across environmental, latitudinal and biogeographic gradients. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 284: 147-161.

LaJeunesse, T.C., D.J, Thornhill, E. Cox, F. Stanton, W.K. Fitt, G.W. Schmidt, 2004.
High diversity and host specificity observed among symbiotic dinoflagellates in reef
coral communities from Hawaii. Coral Reefs 23:596-603.

Wellington, G.M., W.K. Fitt. 2003. Influence of UV radiation on the survival of
larvae from broadcast-spawning reef corals. Marine Biology 143:1185-1192

LaJeunesse, T.C., W.K.W. Loh, R. van Woesik, O. Hoegh-Guldberg, G.W. Schmidt, W.K. Fitt. 2003. Low symbiont diversity in southern Great Barrier Reef corals relative to those of the Caribbean. Limnol. Oceanogr. 48:2046-2054

Warner, M.E., C. Chilcoat, F.K. McFarland, W.K. Fitt. 2002. Seasonal fluctuation in the photosynthetic efficience of photosystem II in symbiotic dinoflagellates within Caribbean reef-building corals. Mar. Biol. 141:31-38

Fitt, W.K., B.E. Brown, M.E. Warner, R.P. Dunne. 2001. Coral bleaching, interpretation of thermal thresholds in tropical corals. Coral Reefs 20:51-65