This research will examine the importance of biological and physical causes of variation in the production of bioactive secondary metabolites by coral reef invertebrates. The research has important biomedical consequences since it will focus on understanding what factors affect the yields of biomedically important marine natural products. First, differences in types and concentrations of secondary metabolites within and among individuals, at different life history stages, and among populations of selected invertebrates will be examined. Facultative changes in chemical defenses will be examined for.sponges, ascidians, and soft corals exposed to: l) increased grazing by fishes and specialist predators; 2) different environmental levels of light and nutrients; and 3) known chemical elicitors of induced defenses. The proposed research will provide information on chemical variation and its causes and the ability and timing of different coral reef invertebrates to change their allocation of chemical defenses. The study will contribute to our limited knowledge of the chemical interactions of marine invertebrates and their predators and the relationship between natural adaptive functions of secondary metabolites and their biomedical potential. Bioactive metabolites will be incorporated into established testing programs (Univ. of Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, Wayne State University Medical School, Virginia Tech, and Univ. of Mississippi School of Pharmacy) to determine their pharmacological activities in specific assays. This research program will provide educational opportunities for a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student, and undergraduate students at the University of Guam, a predominantly undergraduate and minority institution.
