This project aims to explore the drivers of cryptofauna diversity in tropical coral reefs. Much of coral reef biodiversity is comprised of small cryptic organisms that live on or in the reef matrix, and although these communities play a key functional role within their ecosystem, they are poorly studied. This PhD will study such communities within the Chagos Marine Reserve (a reference site for Indian Ocean coral reefs) using a combination of genetic approaches along with the use of ARMS (Autonomous Reef Monitoring Systems).
