Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tessa S. Hill, Mia O. Hoogenboom
Summary: This manuscript provides an overview of the physiological effects of acidification on reef-building corals and the indirect effects resulting from altered species interactions. The direct effects of acidification have consistently negative impacts at larger spatial scales, and the indirect effects also contribute to declines in coral cover. The abundance of crustose coralline algae and bioeroders may play a particularly important role in these effects. There are still significant knowledge gaps regarding the indirect effects of acidification.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mary Nguyen, Bernd Wemheuer, Patrick W. Laffy, Nicole S. Webster, Torsten Thomas
Summary: Viruses, including bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, found in marine sponges have diverse and active auxiliary metabolic genes that contribute to the metabolic capabilities of their hosts and potential enhance infected cell survival. These viruses play an important role in regulating the abundance and activities of sponge holobiont members.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shashank Keshavmurthy, Morgan Beals, Hernyi Justin Hsieh, Kwang-Sik Choi, Chaolun Allen Chen
Summary: The study suggests that corals living in high-latitude and non-reefal environments may have thermal plasticity to survive in future climate change scenarios.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Sara Campana, Celine Demey, Kathrin Busch, Ute Hentschel, Gerard Muyzer, Jasper M. de Goeij
Summary: Marine sponges play a crucial ecological role in recycling resources on coral reef ecosystems, with stable bacterial communities showing host-specificity and resilience to environmental changes. Host identity and HMA-LMA status are stronger traits than habitat in shaping the bacterial community composition of sponges. Long-term microbial monitoring, along with assessments of benthic biomass and water quality, are necessary to identify ecosystem tolerance ranges and tipping points in ongoing coral reef phase shifts.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Cynthia B. Silveira, Antoni Luque, Andreas F. Haas, Ty N. F. Roach, Emma E. George, Ben Knowles, Mark Little, Christopher J. Sullivan, Natascha S. Varona, Linda Wegley Kelly, Russel Brainard, Forest Rohwer, Barbara Bailey
Summary: This study reveals the importance of viral predation of bacteria for coral cover and health, and proposes that combined predation pressures from bacteria and fishes control energy fluxes in coral ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antonio Punzon, Lucia Lopez-Lopez, Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Irusta, Izaskun Preciado, Manuel Hidalgo, Alberto Serrano, Elena Tel, Raquel Somavilla, Julia Polo, Marian Blanco, Susana Ruiz-Pico, Olaya Fernandez-Zapico, Francisco Velasco, Enric Massuti
Summary: Most demersal species in the Northeast Atlantic are experiencing shifts in distribution due to global warming, leading to profound changes in demersal communities. The Community Weighted Mean Temperature (CWMT) index is used to link the thermal preference of demersal fish communities and temperature, showing potential to explore and anticipate climate change effects on demersal communities under different warming scenarios.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sasha D. Giametti, Christopher M. Finelli
Summary: Plastic waste is a common form of marine pollution that poses threats to wildlife. A method to detect plastic-associated compounds in sponge tissue was developed and applied to samples from the Florida Keys.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Chao-Qun Li, Qin-Yuan Ma, Xiu-Zhen Gao, Xuan Wang, Bei-Li Zhang
Summary: Inflammation is the body's defense reaction, but chronic inflammation is undesirable and can lead to diseases. The ocean harbors unique and diverse bioactive substances, which are important for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andrew A. Shantz, Mark C. Ladd, Leila Ezzat, Russell J. Schmitt, Sally J. Holbrook, Emily Schmeltzer, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Deron E. Burkepile
Summary: By the end of the century, many tropical seas will exceed the thermal tolerance of most coral species, and their persistence in these regions will depend on their ability to tolerate thermal stress. In this study, it was found that interactions with damselfish can enhance the thermal tolerance of corals, indicating that positive interactions play a critical role in maintaining some coral species in warming regions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kelly E. Speare, Thomas C. Adam, Erin M. Winslow, Hunter S. Lenihan, Deron E. Burkepile
Summary: The study in French Polynesia found that a marine heatwave in 2019 caused widespread coral bleaching and mortality, disproportionately affecting the largest individuals of key coral genera. Heat stress from the event significantly reduced overall fecundity of corals and led to a decline in survivorship of newly-settled coral recruits. The findings highlight the potential long-term impacts of marine heatwaves on coral reef ecosystems.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Satoshi Hiraoka, Tomomi Sumida, Miho Hirai, Atsushi Toyoda, Shinsuke Kawagucci, Taichi Yokokawa, Takuro Nunoura
Summary: In this study, culture-independent "metaepigenomic" analysis using single-molecule real-time sequencing was conducted on marine microbial communities, revealing diverse unexplored DNA modifications and novel alternative specificities in MTases. These findings are significant for understanding the co-evolutionary history of methylation systems and genomes.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shelby L. Ziegler, Jasmin M. Johnson, Rachel O. Brooks, Erin M. Johnston, Jacklyn L. Mohay, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Richard M. Starr, Grant T. Waltz, Dean E. Wendt, Scott L. Hamilton
Summary: Anthropogenic stressors from climate change can impact individual species, community structure, and ecosystem function. Marine heatwaves (MHWs), characterized by significantly elevated water temperature for five or more days, are projected to increase in frequency and severity. While marine protected areas (MPAs) may mitigate climate impacts on individual species, their ability to address large-scale changes in marine communities caused by MHWs is uncertain.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alli N. Cramer, Stephen L. Katz
Summary: The study aims to develop an effective classification scheme for marine biomes and communities based on patterns and processes in the natural world. Through evaluating candidate predictor variables, it was found that gross primary production and substrate mobility are key factors in sorting and discriminating marine communities.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Yu-De Pei, Nathan William Price, Joseph Heard, Chieh-Hsuan Lee, Hsuan Tsang, Colin Kuo-Chang Wen
Summary: This study investigated the impact of the coral-killing sponge T. hoshinota on coral reef fishes, finding that it had limited effects on the overall fish community but had a significant impact on obligate coral-dependent fishes. Mass outbreaks could potentially lead to affected fish communities being dominated by habitat generalists.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Randi N. N. Honeycutt, Sally J. J. Holbrook, Andrew J. J. Brooks, Russell J. J. Schmitt
Summary: With increasing marine heat waves, it is important to understand their impact on coral reef ecosystems. A study in Moorea, French Polynesia, found that while residing in a farmerfish garden may not reduce the bleaching susceptibility of a coral, it does help buffer the coral against severe outcomes. The findings suggest that farmerfishes may have an important role in maintaining the resilience of branching corals.
Article
Virology
Sandra C. Zainathan, Jeremy Carson, Mark St J. Crane, Lynette M. Williams, John Hoad, Nicholas J. G. Moody, Nicholas Gudkovs, Sandra Crameri, Alex D. Hyatt, John Young, Barbara F. Nowak
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2017)
Article
Fisheries
S. C. Zainathan, J. Carson, M. St J. Crane, B. F. Nowak
JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES
(2013)
Article
Fisheries
S. C. Zainathan, G. Carlile, J. Carson, K. A. McColl, M. St J. Crane, L. M. Williams, J. Hoad, N. J. G. Moody, H. M. Aiken, G. F. Browning, B. F. Nowak
JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES
(2015)
Article
Zoology
Wan Wan Ibrahim Nurhafizah, Kok Leong Lee, Abdul Razzak A. Laith, Musa Nadirah, Muhd Danish-Daniel, Sandra Catherine Zainathan, Musa Najiah
Summary: The global high demand for Pacific white shrimp has led to intensified cultivation and various disease problems, including bacterial diseases caused by vibrios. Three presumptive luminescent Vibrio harveyi strains were isolated from diseased growout Pacific white shrimp. These strains were identified as V. harveyi and shown to be pathogenic to the shrimp, displaying resistance to certain antibiotics.
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Tee Ka Hong, George Bobby, Nurshafiqah Norizan, Nurshuhada Ariff, Siti Nor Khadijah Addis, Najiah Musa, Sandra Catherine Zainathan
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the presence of E. coli in oysters and water samples collected from a fisherman village in southern Malaysia, and whether their levels met the standard for human consumption. The results showed that the MPN of fecal coliforms and E. coli in oyster samples did not meet the standard for human consumption, with 15.38% of E. coli samples showing the presence of the HlyA gene.
MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Che Azarulzaman Che Johan, Sandra Catherine Zainathan
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Nurshuhada Ariff, Azila Abdullah, Mohamed Noor Amal Azmai, Najiah Musa, Sandra Catherine Zainathan
Correction
Virology
Sandra C. Zainathan, Jeremy Carson, Mark St J. Crane, Lynette M. Williams, John Hoad, Nicholas J. G. Moody, Nicholas Gudkovs, Andrew Leis, Sandra Crameri, Alex D. Hyatt, John Young, Barbara F. Nowak
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2017)
