Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
A. M. De Biasi, L. Pacciardi, M. Pertusati, C. Pretti, L. Piazzi
Summary: The study evaluated the impact of benthic mucilaginous aggregates on a Mediterranean coral species and found that it may pose a serious threat to the coral's survival.
Article
Limnology
Chloe Carbonne, Nuria Teixido, Billy Moore, Alice Mirasole, Thomas Guttierez, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Steeve Comeau
Summary: The study shows that the Mediterranean corals, Cladocora caespitosa and Astroides calycularis, are able to survive in future ocean acidification conditions for at least 6 months, regardless of their environmental history, pH treatment, and trophic strategy.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
D. K. Kersting, M. E. Cefali, J. Movilla, M. J. Vergotti, C. Linares
Summary: Information on the distribution, population traits, and conservation status of the endangered coral Cladocora caespitosa is lacking in most of its distribution area. This study assessed these topics in the main populations of C. caespitosa in UNESCO's Menorca Biosphere Reserve (MBR). The main threats to this species in the MBR are warming-related mortality and potential impacts from human activity. The study provides a baseline for implementing conservation and management actions, including long-term monitoring, in the MBR.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
H. Baris Ozalp, Volkan Demir, Alper Evcen, Senem Onen-Tarantini, Federica Montesanto, Sevil Erdogan, Mehmet Culha, Ferah Kocak
Summary: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their management have become increasingly important due to the growing impacts of pollution, overfishing, and illegal hunting activities in marine environments. This study conducted a pre-assessment of invertebrate assemblages living in a hard coral (Cladocora caespitosa) reef in the marine protected area (Dardanos Cladocora Reefs) of the Canakkale Strait. The study reported 62 benthic invertebrate species belonging to eight taxonomic groups, five of which were newly recorded for the Turkish coasts.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ananya Agarwal, Orly Levitan, Helena Cruz de Carvalho, Paul G. Falkowski
Summary: Unlike most plants, unicellular algae can adapt to changes in irradiance within a few hours to days through an enigmatic signaling pathway that coordinates changes in plastid and nuclear gene expression. Functional studies on the model diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, identified two potential signal transduction molecules responsible for photoacclimation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mar Repulles, Violeta Lopez-Marquez, Jose Templado, Marco Taviani, Annie Machordom
Summary: Population connectivity studies are important for managing and conserving highly threatened or endangered species. In the Mediterranean Sea, we evaluated the genetic structure and connectivity pattern of the endangered coral Cladocora caespitosa. We found population differentiation and genetic structure according to main sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea, with occasional dispersal events maintaining the species' genetic diversity.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Margarida Travesso, Madalena Missionario, Sonia Cruz, Ricardo Calado, Diana Madeira
Summary: Marine heatwaves are causing mass bleaching events in tropical coral reef ecosystems. Research on the effects of heat stress and high light on corals has mainly focused on scleractinian corals, while less is known about tropical symbiotic soft corals. This study evaluated the cellular stress response and photophysiological performance of the soft coral Sarcophyton cf. glaucum under different global change scenarios. The results showed that the coral was particularly sensitive to the combination of heat and high light stress, experiencing a decrease in photosynthetic efficiency. Heat stress led to bleaching via zooxanthellae loss and high light stress resulted in pigment loss. The antioxidant defenses and protein degradation of the coral were particularly enhanced under heat stress. It is important to direct conservation efforts to protect soft corals in intertidal areas with high light intensity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
M. Bonnanfant, H. Marec, B. Jesus, J. -L. Mouget, J. Pruvost
Summary: Efficient use of light is crucial for microalgae cultivation systems, which exhibit various mechanisms to optimize light use efficiency. This study investigates the photosynthetic response of Chlorella vulgaris cultures under controlled light conditions, exploring short-term and long-term responses with different characteristic times. The findings reveal varied mechanisms involved in increasing and decreasing light transitions, with the mean rate of photon absorption being a valuable parameter to relate light effects to biological responses.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Monica Michel-Rodriguez, Sebastien Lefebvre, Muriel Crouvoisier, Xavier Meriaux, Fabrice Lizon
Summary: The study focused on how natural phytoplankton adjust their photosynthetic properties in response to underwater light conditions, with particular attention to blue light wavelengths. The results showed that phytoplankton were in a photoprotective state for blue light, but not for other wavelengths, indicating a wavelength-specific response to light quality.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sulochana Pitawala, Zlatan Trifunovic, Joel R. Steele, Han-Chung Lee, Nicholas D. Crosbie, Peter J. Scales, Gregory J. O. Martin
Summary: This study compared the cellular responses and composition of filamentous algae Oedogonium acclimated to summer and winter conditions. The study found that the summer acclimated algae had lower chlorophyll content but higher photosynthetic rate compared to the winter acclimated algae. Additionally, the winter acclimated algae showed more severe photoinhibition.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Konstantinos Ganias, Aikaterini Zafeiriadou, Maria Garagouni, Chryssanthi Antoniadou
Summary: This study analyzed the catch profile of gillnets in Mediterranean small-scale fisheries and found that although gillnets have a relatively low discard ratio, they have a significant impact on endangered species such as the Mediterranean-endemic coral Cladocora caespitosa. It is necessary to address this issue.
MEDITERRANEAN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Briac Monnier, Lea Lehmann, Stephane Sartoretto, Christine Pergent-Martini, Miguel Angel Mateo, Gerard Pergent
Summary: The study focuses on the discovery of a dead scleractinian coral bank within a Posidonia oceanica matte core sampled during a coring survey in the northwestern Mediterranean. It provides insights into the stratigraphic sequence since the mid-Holocene, revealing the settlement, coexistence, and death of the coral bank over the past 4750 years. The analysis also suggests semi-millennial to millennial oscillations in annual growth rates of the coral, possibly influenced by climatic changes during different historical periods.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
T. L. Bercel, S. A. Kranz
Summary: The recent advancement in LED technology has led to many incubator manufacturers and research labs switching to these more efficient, yet spectrally restricted, light sources. The study investigated the effects of different LED lights on phytoplankton growth, productivity, and cellular composition, showing changes in underlying cellular metabolism and acclimation responses to different light environments. The results suggest that LED light spectra can have implications on ecophysiological responses of phytoplankton species and should be considered when designing laboratory-based incubation experiments.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Romy Leger-Daigle, Fanny Noisette, Simon Belanger, Mathieu Cusson, Christian Nozais
Summary: Water quality deterioration from human activities can worsen light conditions in shallow coastal waters, affecting the physiology, productivity, and survival of seagrasses. This study investigates the photosynthetic adjustments and physiological responses of eelgrass exposed to different light intensities. Results show evidence of photosynthetic adjustments under lower light conditions, with sustained maximal photosynthetic rates even at higher light treatments. Additionally, an important package effect was observed in terms of chlorophyll content. These findings have important implications for the conservation and restoration of eelgrass meadows.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Violeta Lopez-Marquez, Carlos Lozano-Martin, Louis Hadjioannou, Ivan Acevedo, Jose Templado, Carlos Jimenez, Marco Taviani, Annie Machordom
Summary: Genetic variability of Cladocora caespitosa populations in the eastern Mediterranean reflects a scenario of isolation by environment. Local-scale oceanographic factors influence dispersal of larvae between nearby populations, playing a crucial role in genetic structure. Despite limited dispersal, large-scale migration occurs, and localized differences in reproduction mode suggest adaptations to environmental perturbations.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christine Ferrier-Pages, Lucie Sauzeat, Vincent Balter
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucile Courtial, Victor Planas Bielsa, Fanny Houlbreque, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jean-Pierre Fel, Catherine Lacherez, Alaa Bensetra, Sakina Mezzache, Eric Beraud, Marc Leonard, Denis Allemand, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Louis Hadjioannou, Carlos Jimenez, Cecile Rottier, Spyros Sfenthourakis, Christine Ferrier-Pages
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chloe A. Pupier, Maoz Fine, Vanessa N. Bednarz, Cecile Rottier, Renaud Grover, Christine Ferrier-Pages
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Laura Fernandes de Barros Marangoni, Miguel Mies, Arthur Z. Guth, Thomas N. S. Banha, Alex Inague, Juliana Silva Fonseca, Camila Dalmolin, Samuel Coelho Faria, Christine Ferrier-Pages, Adalto Bianchini
Article
Microbiology
Stephane Roberty, Eric Beraud, Renaud Grover, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Article
Biology
Laura Fernandes de Barros Marangoni, Cecile Rottier, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: The study found that cold stress can cause coral bleaching and mortality, related to oxidative stress, and that hosts expelling a significant portion of symbiont population is an acclimation mechanism to avoid oxidative stress. Additionally, upwelling conditions may provoke a more severe oxidative stress condition in corals.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Christine Ferrier-Pages, Stephane Martinez, Renaud Grover, Jonathan Cybulski, Eli Shemesh, Dan Tchernov
Summary: The association between corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates is threatened by global changes, and nutritional exchanges play a critical role in understanding the performance of this symbiosis under stress conditions. The trophic index ranged from 1.1 to 2.3 from autotrophic to heterotrophic symbionts, with significant changes in symbionts compared to the hosts. Symbiont-derived photosynthates are identified as the main carbon source for amino acids synthesis, emphasizing the essential role of symbionts in the capacity of corals to withstand environmental stress.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kerri L. Dobson, Christine Ferrier-Pages, Casey M. Saup, Andrea G. Grottoli
Summary: The research showed that low light and feeding did not have a synergistic or additive effect in mitigating the negative impacts of elevated temperature on coral physiology and carbon budgets. Instead, the effects were species-specific and feeding alone was critical for meeting metabolic demand at elevated temperatures.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Romie Tignat-Perrier, Jeroen A. J. M. van de Water, Dorian Guillemain, Didier Aurelle, Denis Allemand, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: Gorgonians, important habitat-providing species in the Mediterranean Sea, are facing declining populations due to microbial diseases and mass mortality caused by heat waves. This study investigates the biological response of two gorgonian species to thermal stress and found that elevated seawater temperature affects the physiology and bacterial communities of the corals. P. clavata is more sensitive to thermal stress and exhibits greater mortality compared to E. cavolini. The microbiota play a limited role in the thermal acclimation of the corals, but major changes in the microbiota are linked to partial mortality in P. clavata.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alice C. A. Blanckaert, Dario Omanovic, Maoz Fine, Renaud Grover, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: Climate change-induced increase in seawater temperature has caused coral bleaching, but corals in the northern Red Sea show tolerance due to the frequent dust storms that supply essential bioelements. Dust deposition enhances photosynthesis and metal bioaccumulation in corals, highlighting its role in sustaining coral productivity in the Red Sea reefs.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Christine Ferrier-Pages, Vanessa Bednarz, Renaud Grover, Yehuda Benayahu, Jean-Francois Maguer, Cecile Rottier, Joerg Wiedenmann, Maoz Fine
Summary: This study examined the photosynthesis rates and assimilation rates of dissolved inorganic carbon and nitrogen in mesophotic coral ecosystems, revealing limited autotrophic capacities in soft coral symbionts at mid-lower depths. Nitrogen limitation and high carbon to nitrogen ratios in host tissues of certain soft coral species may contribute to their scarcity in deeper waters compared to shallow reefs. Overall, nitrogen availability appears to be significant for the distribution of the Cnidarian- Symbiodiniaceae association in mesophotic depths.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Jeroen A. J. M. van de Water, Romie Tignat-Perrier, Denis Allemand, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: Corals play important ecological and economic roles, providing habitat for species and contributing to coastal protection, fisheries, and tourism. Their biotechnological potential, especially in drug discovery and bioenergy, is increasingly recognized. However, corals are facing threats from climate change and pollution, and researchers are evaluating biotechnological approaches to enhance their resilience.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alice C. A. Blanckaert, Tom Biscere, Renaud Grover, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: A study found that the hard coral Turbinaria reniformis and the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum have different physiological responses to different nitrogen to phosphorus ratios. Hard corals are more sensitive to the ratio, while soft corals only uptake when nitrogen and phosphorus are present simultaneously. This study helps predict how different coral species will respond to nitrogen to phosphorus ratios under eutrophic conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)