Article
Environmental Sciences
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Rob R. Ruzicka
Summary: SCTLD has had an unprecedented impact on the western Atlantic coral-reef ecosystems, causing a decline in reef-accretion potential and altering the composition of coral assemblages. The loss of reef-building corals has significantly decreased carbonate production, leading to a decline in their capacity for growth.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Selena A. Kupfner Johnson, Robert R. Ruzicka
Summary: Coral-reef degradation is causing reductions in reef-building capacity and its associated functions. The persistence of these functions depends on coral-reef management's ability to balance reef accretion and erosion. This study reconstructs the carbonate budgets of Florida Keys reefs from 1996 to 2019 and finds that most reefs had positive budgets historically, but declines in coral populations caused a shift to negative budgets. The study also suggests that coral restoration has the potential to mitigate declines in reef accretion.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Graham Kolodziej, Michael S. Studivan, Arthur C. R. Gleason, Chris Langdon, Ian C. Enochs, Derek P. Manzello
Summary: Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease has spread throughout Florida's coral reef tract and the Caribbean, reaching the upper Florida Keys by 2016. Despite the presence of the disease at Cheeca Rocks, the impact on coral cover and community structure has been relatively low compared to other sites on Florida's coral reef tract, highlighting the potential role of this site in coral resilience.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John P. Rippe, Groves Dixon, Zachary L. Fuller, Yi Liao, Mikhail Matz
Summary: The study revealed that two common coral species in the Florida Keys are each composed of four genetically distinct lineages, with two lineages specialized for deep habitats. Furthermore, corals migrating across reef zones are more likely to die before reaching adulthood.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sara D. Williams, Cory S. Walter, Erinn M. Muller
Summary: The study on SCTLD epidemiology in the lower Florida Keys revealed that the disease first appeared in offshore and mid-channel reef sites, and showed a negative correlation with thermal stress. Additionally, it was found that the prevalence and tissue loss associated with SCTLD were higher in areas with more Montastraea cavernosa and Orbicella faveolata colonies.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth Ann Lenz, Lucy A. Bartlett, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
Summary: This study evaluated the physiological characteristics of Porites astreoides corals at different geographic locations and seasons in the Florida Keys reef tract, finding significant differences in bleaching severity among sites and highlighting the better adaptation of colonies at the Dry Tortugas site to high temperature events. The results contribute to the selection of candidate sites for adaptive coral management strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kayelyn R. Simmons, DelWayne R. Bohnenstiehl, David B. Eggleston
Summary: This study characterizes the changes in abiotic and biotic features of coral reefs in the Florida Keys, USA, and finds that protected sites generally have higher live coral cover compared to fished sites with complex physical features. The study also highlights the importance of within-site variation in driving site separation.
Article
Limnology
Daniel P. Owen, Matthew H. Long, William K. Fitt, Brian M. Hopkinson
Summary: This study estimated the contribution of different primary producers to the overall primary production on coral reefs, finding that the main producers varied between degraded and intact reef sites. By using a bottom-up approach, the researchers were able to provide more accurate estimates of production rates and validate the method's reliability through comparison with in situ measurements.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zoi Thanopoulou, Jacob Patus, Kathleen Sullivan Sealey
Summary: This study examines the patterns of occurrence of stony corals in nearshore waters of Florida Keys. It finds that the diversity of coral species is low and that certain species, such as Siderastrea radians and Porites divaricata, exhibit higher tolerance to eutrophic conditions. The study also shows significant differences in water quality parameters between sites with and without corals. These findings highlight the impacts of coastal eutrophication on the Florida Keys ecosystem and suggest the need for more conservative water quality thresholds to improve nearshore biodiversity and ecological functioning.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yip Hung Yeung, James Y. Xie, Yu Zhao, Hiu Yan Yu, Chong Chen, William Weijia Lu, Jian-Wen Qiu
Summary: A 2-year study in subtropical Hong Kong waters revealed that external erosion caused by sea urchin grazing is the primary factor contributing to coral skeletal loss. Controlling the sea urchin population density is crucial to reducing coral erosion.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
William Leggat, Scott F. Heron, Alexander Fordyce, David J. Suggett, Tracy D. Ainsworth
Summary: Despite decades of research into coral bleaching, a standardized metric for comparing ecological observations and experimental simulations is still lacking. The introduction of the experimental Degree Heating Week (eDHW) metric aims to standardize the variable thermal conditions employed in experimental studies of coral bleaching.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Heather N. Page, Clay Hewett, Hayden Tompkins, Emily R. Hall
Summary: This experiment assessed the impact of acidification on coral-algal, coral-sponge, and algal-sponge interactions. Results showed that sponges grew more volumetrically under acidification conditions and fleshy macroalgae had increased biomass when paired with a sponge.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Meixia Zhao, Yu Zhong, Shuqi Zhang, Haiyang Zhang, Hongqiang Yang, Qi Shi, Hongqiang Yan, Haoya Tong, Weihai Xu, Wen Yan
Summary: This study analyzed the NK-1 core from Meiji Reef in the South China Sea, revealing the development model of Holocene coral reefs and the impact of coral community diversity on reef growth. Acropora corals were identified as the main reef builders during the Holocene, with their growth rate and dispersion method playing a crucial role in the vertical accumulation of reefs.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Romain Chaput, Pierre Sochala, Philippe Miron, Vassiliki H. Kourafalou, Mohamed Iskandarani, David M. Kaplan
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of seven uncertain biological parameters on larval connectivity in the Florida Keys using Polynomial chaos surrogates. The results show that the biological input parameters have different influences on connectivity depending on dispersal distance and release location. The dominant contributors to settlement uncertainty are found to be the interactions between detection distance threshold, orientation ontogeny, and orientation accuracy, while uncertainties in swimming speed and mortality contribute less to dispersal uncertainty.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriel A. Delgado, William C. Sharp
Summary: The study suggests that the survival of Diadema antillarum is not size-specific, but providing artificial shelter can significantly increase survival rates, while sheltering behavior decreases with increasing stocking density.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Geology
Pamela Hallock, Mona Seddighi
Summary: The text discusses the prevalence of biostromes and low-relief bioherms in Palaeogene and Miocene carbonates, as well as the reproductive strategies of larger benthic foraminifera. It also describes how algal symbiosis played a role in the slow growth and survival of these organisms in specific oceanic conditions, leading to the formation of unique fossil evidence in sedimentary structures.
Article
Ecology
Fiona M. Seaton, Sabine Reinsch, Tim Goodall, Nicola White, Davey L. Jones, Robert I. Griffiths, Simon Creer, Andy Smith, Bridget A. Emmett, David A. Robinson
Summary: The study found significant changes in soil microbial communities in response to long-term climate manipulation, likely influenced by soil pH and electrical conductivity. Changes in microbial communities were more pronounced after an extended period of climate treatment, especially in deeper soil layers. Shifts in plant cover played a key role in influencing the microbial communities, particularly through impacts on soil physicochemical properties like pH.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Matthew J. Wade, Anna Lo Jacomo, Elena Armenise, Mathew R. Brown, Joshua T. Bunce, Graeme J. Cameron, Zhou Fang, Kata Farkas, Deidre F. Gilpin, David W. Graham, Jasmine M. S. Grimsley, Alwyn Hart, Till Hoffmann, Katherine J. Jackson, David L. Jones, Chris J. Lilley, John W. McGrath, Jennifer M. McKinley, Cormac McSparron, Behnam F. Nejad, Mario Morvan, Marcos Quintela-Baluja, Adrian M. I. Roberts, Andrew C. Singer, Celia Souque, Vanessa L. Speight, Chris Sweetapple, David Walkers, Glenn Watts, Andrew Weightman, Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented pressure on global public health resources, prompting the development of National wastewater surveillance programmes in the UK to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This work highlights the unique importance of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for public health protection, with potential value beyond COVID-19 for monitoring a range of health markers.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Liang Wei, Tida Ge, Zhenke Zhu, Rongzhong Ye, Josep Penuelas, Yuhong Li, Tin Mar Lynn, Davey L. Jones, Jinshui Wu, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Research shows that microbial biomass content in paddy soils is higher than in upland soils due to factors such as higher root C input by rice plants, lower oxygen availability, higher microbial C assimilation efficiency, and additional C stabilization on iron (oxyhydr)oxides in paddy soils. Despite higher temperatures and better water availability, microbial turnover is slower in paddy soils due to oxygen limitation, leading to nearly double the microbial biomass content compared to upland soils.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Ahmed Mohamed Badreldin, Mohamed Mohamed Abdu Makbool, Mohamed Abdu Elsabrouti, Pamela Hallock
Summary: Studying foraminiferal species in the Red Sea is crucial for understanding their migration to the Mediterranean Sea. Al-Bawadi is an ideal location for this research.
JOURNAL OF FORAMINIFERAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Abduljamiu O. Amao, Michael A. Kaminski, Carla Bucci, Pamela Hallock, Eqbal Al-Enezi, Amr S. Zaky, Fabrizio Frontalini
Summary: This study evaluates the biodiversity of benthic foraminifera in the Arabian Gulf using a regional-synoptic approach. The analysis reveals 753 species belonging to 236 genera, 99 families, 43 superfamilies, and 11 orders, which is surprisingly high considering the extreme conditions of the Gulf. However, these figures may underestimate the actual diversity due to sampling limitations and taxonomic difficulties.
MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Min Meng, Kefu Yu, Pamela Hallock, Guoquan Qin, Wei Jiang, Tianlai Fan
Summary: This study provides a detailed analysis of foraminiferal faunas from the CK2 core in Xisha Islands, South China Sea, and demonstrates the significance of foraminiferal morphology and assemblage composition in interpreting paleobathymetry and paleo-depositional environments. The study reveals the biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the study area, covering a period from the Early Miocene to the present.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ahmed M. BadrElDin, Pamela M. Hallock
Summary: Benthic foraminifers have diversified to inhabit various habitats, including epiphytic species on algal fronds. This study examined the presence of benthic foraminifers on common algal species in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. The majority of the foraminiferal assemblage consisted of epiphytic species, with two algal species hosting nearly 70% of the specimens.
EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Editorial Material
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Claire E. E. Reymond, Pamela Hallock, Hildegard Westphal
JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Natalia B. Lopez-Figueroa, Tina L. Walters, Abdiel E. Laureano-Rosario, Sebastian P. Digeronimo, Pamela Hallock, Marc E. Frischer, Aurea E. Rodriguez-Santiago, Deidre M. Gibson
Summary: The responses of zooplankton communities in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) to physical dynamics were evaluated monthly at two sites between December 2015 and December 2017. The study found that zooplankton abundance varied significantly due to factors such as ocean mixing induced by hurricanes and river runoff. It also discovered the largest bloom of Dolioletta gegenbauri in the SAB middle shelf region.
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Savannah Hartman, Pamela Hallock, Frank Muller-Karger
Summary: The distributions of many sea- and shorebird species are ideal for monitoring ecosystem changes and long-term environmental trends. This study examined whether a global open-access data archive, OBIS, contains enough temporal and spatial data to support detailed investigations into multi-decadal-scale responses in bird distributions. Over 680,000 occurrence records of 210 species collected from 1965 to 2018 were compiled and evaluated by marine ecoregion. The majority of the records were from North American marine ecoregions, and additional observations are encouraged to allow comprehensive analyses of marine and shore-bird communities and biodiversity.
Article
Engineering, Marine
Luis Pomar, Pamela Hallock, Guillem Mateu-Vicens, Juan Baceta
Summary: Calcium carbonate precipitation associated with biotic activity in Archaean rocks is studied, and the advantages of carbonates precipitation for photosynthesizing aquatic prokaryotes and algae are explained. The study proposes the Phosphate Extraction Mechanism (PEM) to explain the benefits of biomineralization and the prolific production of carbonates during times of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Ahmed Mohamed BadrElDin, Pamela Hallock
Summary: This study found new introduced and alien foraminiferal species, particularly in areas where natural conditions have changed. The presence of these species has significant impacts on sedimentation and microenvironments, which becomes increasingly urgent with climate change and rising water temperatures.
MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Inia M. Soto Ramos, Benjamin Crooke, Bridget Seegers, Ivona Cetinic, Mustafa Kemal Cambazoglu, Brandy Armstrong
Summary: During the spring and summer of 2019, a significant cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB) occurred in the Mississippi Sound, leading to beach advisories on 25 beaches for over 3 months. This cyanoHAB coincided with the opening of the Bonnet Carre' Spillway (BCS) for the second time in that year. The study aimed to investigate the spatial and temporal extent of the cyanoHAB using NASA's Cyanobacteria Index (CIcyano) algorithm, analyze the conditions and factors influencing the cyanoHAB, and explore the relationship with the BCS. The findings highlighted the impact of variables such as wind direction, water flow, and persistence of freshwater on the intensity and extent of cyanoHABs, emphasizing the importance of early detection and forecasting using integrated data and satellite imagery.
Article
Paleontology
Kyle E. Amergian, Sean Beckwith, Christian Gfatter, Corday Selden, Pamela Hallock
Summary: The Springs Coast of Florida, USA, has a large system of springs with high alkalinity and calcium concentrations. This study shows that discharge areas from limestone lithofacies may provide refugia for calcifying organisms.
JOURNAL OF FORAMINIFERAL RESEARCH
(2022)