Article
Environmental Sciences
Alice C. A. Blanckaert, Renaud Grover, Maria-Isabelle Marcus, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: Coral growth is limited by low concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) in reef waters, but corals can access organic phosphorus (DOP) through enzymatic conversion. Nitrogen enrichment can hinder the coral's ability to rely on DOP, leading to imbalanced nutrient ratios and increased susceptibility to bleaching.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Arah Narida, Sujune Tsai, Wen-Chung Hsieh, Zhi-Hong Wen, Li-Hsueh Wang, Cheng-Liang Huang, Chiahsin Lin
Summary: Coral reefs are declining worldwide due to greenhouse gas concentrations and anthropogenic pressure, leading to unprecedented coral bleaching. Restoring coral reefs through cryopreservation is crucial for the survival of corals. This study aimed to vitrify and laser-warm Stylophora pistillata planulae to promote settlement, post-settlement survival, and adult coral production. The results showed that VS1-treated larvae had higher vitrification, swimming, settlement, and post-settlement survival rates compared to VS2-treated larvae. Seasonal variations also influenced the cryopreservation, with VS1 being more effective in spring. Although laser-warmed larvae developed slower morphologically, the production of adult S. pistillata corals from cryopreserved larvae was successful. This technique can enhance coral cryopreservation and conservation efforts for endangered coral species.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Walter A. Rich, Susana Carvalho, Michael L. Berumen
Summary: Ocean warming leads to more frequent coral bleaching events, but cold stress can also induce bleaching. A rare boreal winter bleaching event was observed in the central Red Sea in January 2020, possibly caused by low tide, low temperatures, and seasonal sea level fluctuations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Federica Scucchia, Assaf Malik, Paul Zaslansky, Hollie M. Putnam, Tali Mass
Summary: This research reveals that under decreased pH conditions, coral recruits undergo extensive physiological, morphological, and transcriptional changes, with stimulation of photosynthesis and endosymbiont growth, potentially linked to gene expression associated with photosynthates translocation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guilhem Banc-Prandi, Julia M. B. Cerutti, Maoz Fine
Summary: The study found that recovery time may be more important than exposure time for recovering from copper contamination, with Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba showing better recovery during a 28-day depuration period compared to an 11-day depuration period.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dor Shefy, Gabrielle Guerrini, Nir Marom, Nadav Shashar, Baruch Rinkevich
Summary: This study investigates the settlement patterns of the brooding coral Stylophora pistillata, showing that larval settlement is mainly influenced by the number of larval donors and tends to aggregate. Aggregated settlement carries disadvantages but can also have benefits such as enhanced fertilization and ecological advantages.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Robert E. Jinkerson, Joseph A. Russo, Casandra R. Newkirk, Andrea L. Kirk, Richard J. Chi, Mark Q. Martindale, Arthur R. Grossman, Masayuki Hatta, Tingting Xiang
Summary: Photosynthesis is not necessary for symbiosis establishment, but its impact depends on specific cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae relationships. UV mutagenesis can generate photosynthetic mutants capable of infecting hosts in the absence of photosynthesis.
Article
Biology
Fiorella Prada, Silvia Franzellitti, Erik Caroselli, Itay Cohen, Mauro Marini, Alessandra Campanelli, Lorenzo Sana, Arianna Mancuso, Chiara Marchini, Alessia Puglisi, Marco Candela, Tali Mass, Franco Tassi, Todd C. LaJeunesse, Zvy Dubinsky, Giuseppe Falini, Stefano Goffredo
Summary: Ocean acidification caused by increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations is threatening calcifying organisms such as corals. This study examined the adaptation of Mediterranean coral Balanophyllia europaea to low pH/high pCO(2) conditions. It found that the coral's dinoflagellate endosymbiont density increased at lower pH sites, along with changes in the distribution of symbiont haplotypes. The results also suggested an increase in autotrophy and diazotroph N-2 fixation in the coral tissue under ocean acidification. Overall, this study highlights the ability of some corals to adapt to predicted future ocean acidification scenarios.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Dor Shefy, Nadav Shashar, Baruch Rinkevich
Summary: The potential use of neutral red (NR) dye as an identification marker for Stylophora pistillata coral planulae was examined. The study found that there were no differences in settlement rates between stained and unstained larvae, with the dye not diffusing to other larvae and remaining stable for over a week under still water conditions. Staining with NR may serve as a useful experimental tool for studying larval settlement patterns in sessile marine organisms.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel D. Conley, Erin N. R. Hollander
Summary: This study compared the method of collecting coral surface area data using photogrammetry and wax dipping, finding similar accuracy when measuring objects of known surface area with both methods. The study also proposed two predictive models for estimating surface area from weight measurements.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Federica Scucchia, Assaf Malik, Hollie M. Putnam, Tali Mass
Summary: The study found that mesophotic and shallow S. pistillata corals are genetically distinct and possess different symbiont types, with the former showing a greater capacity to cope with ocean acidification. Mesophotic corals were able to maintain unaltered metabolic rates under exposure to acidification conditions, showcasing their resilience to future OA challenges. Additionally, enhanced symbiont photochemical efficiency under high pCO(2) levels in mesophotic corals could contribute to preventing acidosis of host cells and supporting greater energy availability.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica Bellworthy, Maoz Fine
Summary: Global climate change is leading to more variable and extreme weather patterns worldwide, impacting coral reefs. This study found that corals in the Gulf of Aqaba showed significant declines in physiological parameters when exposed to colder than average winter temperatures. However, this cold stress did not increase their vulnerability to warmer temperatures in the following summer, highlighting the importance of heat-tolerant genotypes in coral reef resilience.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephane Martinez, Jessica Bellworthy, Christine Ferrier-Pages, Tali Mass
Summary: The study discusses the vertical migration of the Mediterranean coral Oculina patagonica to deeper reefs as a response to rapidly warming sea surface temperatures on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline. Despite some depth-specific differences, the shallow colonies' phenotype aids their colonization of the mesophotic zone. This observation highlights the potential for other marine species to vertically migrate.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Enrico Montalbetti, Tom Biscere, Christine Ferrier-Pages, Fanny Houlbreque, Ivan Orlandi, Matilde Forcella, Paolo Galli, Marina Vai, Davide Seveso
Summary: The study analyzed the effects of heat stress and manganese, iron enrichments on coral cells and found that iron did not seem to mitigate cellular damages and coral bleaching, while manganese may help mitigate the negative cellular effects produced by thermal stress.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Jacob Douek, Elad Nehoray Rachmilovitz, Baruch Rinkevich
Summary: Nineteen microsatellite loci obtained from whole genome sequencing were validated for Stylophora pistillata, a widespread Indo Pacific branching coral species. Genotyping of 40 colonies collected in the northern Gulf of Eilat, the Red Sea, revealed consistently reproducible and suitable outcomes for population genetic studies. These 19 new microsatellite loci showed high polymorphism and will be used to identify genotypic distribution within S. pistillata chimeras.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)