Article
Biodiversity Conservation
K. S. Tkachenko, V. V. Dung, V. T. Ha
Summary: Coral reefs in Vietnam are highly threatened, but the Con Dao Islands still have diverse and healthy coral communities, suggesting the need for conservation efforts. Surveys conducted in the Con Dao National Park revealed high coral cover and diversity, with dominant coral taxa showing no significant decrease despite thermal anomalies and bleaching events. The high diversity and potential resilience of coral communities in the Con Dao Archipelago emphasize the importance of paying special attention and expanding conservation efforts in this area.
Article
Ecology
Helen F. Yan, David R. Bellwood
Summary: Under current trajectories, the coral reefs of the future are unlikely to resemble those of the past. Understanding the changes in ecosystem functioning is crucial for protecting key ecosystem services as various stressors impact coral reefs.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Aiyou Huang, Hejing Shi, Ruoxuan Cui, Xiaoni Cai, Zhenyu Xie
Summary: A study has found that taurine can significantly promote the growth and photosynthesis efficiency of Symbiodinium sp., as well as positively affect its biomass and major metabolites. Taurine may also influence the metabolic pathways and transcription processes of Symbiodinium sp. through various mechanisms, while controlling the population density and initiating a series of response mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alison C. Bennett, Juergen Knauer, Lauren T. Bennett, Vanessa Haverd, Stefan K. Arndt
Summary: Climate change will have an impact on GPP, NPP, and carbon storage in Australian wooded ecosystems. The effects will be influenced by the thermal acclimation of photosynthesis, with varying effects across different ecosystems. Projected simulations show an increase in annual carbon uptake in most ecosystems, and thermal acclimation has a positive impact on tropical ecoregions. Mediterranean and temperate ecosystems are predicted to have minimal effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Clinton A. Oakley, Grace Newson, Lifeng Peng, Simon K. Davy
Summary: Coral bleaching is caused by high sea surface temperatures and nutrient enrichment can weaken coral's resilience to thermal stress and ecological degradation. Excess inorganic nitrogen compared to phosphate can make corals more susceptible to thermal bleaching.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sophie Clowez, Christian Renicke, John R. Pringle, Arthur R. Grossman
Summary: The study showed that the growth and photosynthesis of the dinoflagellate Breviolum minutum were compromised at 100 or 300 uM menthol, but the impact gradually decreased under continuous light conditions. Prolonged exposure to 300 uM menthol led to algal death.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Qingsong Yang, Ying Zhang, Manzoor Ahmad, Juan Ling, Weiguo Zhou, Yanying Zhang, Junde Dong
Summary: The study revealed significant changes in the coral microbial community during a natural bleaching event in the South China Sea, highlighting potential roles of specific bacterial groups in association with the symbiotic algae Symbiodinium during coral bleaching process and supporting the beneficial microorganisms theory for corals.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Saskia Jurriaans, Mia O. Hoogenboom, Christine Ferrier-Pages
Summary: Contrary to expectations, tropical and temperate coral species exhibited similar performance breadths in photosynthesis and electron transport rates, with thermal optima generally below local average temperature. This suggests that corals have adapted to cope with temperature variation, but current temperatures are pushing the boundaries of coral thermal tolerance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sanaz Hazraty-Kari, Masaya Morita, Parviz Tavakoli-Kolour, Takashi Nakamura, Saki Harii
Summary: As global temperatures rise, the impact of heat stress on coral remains poorly understood. In this study, Acropora tenuis juveniles were exposed to varying temperatures over three consecutive years. The results showed that while survival rates initially remained high, they gradually declined over time, particularly in groups exposed to heat stress multiple times. Symbiotic algal density and photosynthetic activity also decreased. Overall, this study highlights the vulnerability of juvenile corals to heat stress and the potential long-term consequences for reef ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ji-Ying Pei, Wen-Feng Yu, Jing-Jing Zhang, Ting-Hao Kuo, Hsin-Hsiang Chung, Jun-Jie Hu, Cheng-Chih Hsu, Ke-Fu Yu
Summary: This study investigates the physiological responses of Pavona decussata coral species under thermal stress using untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. The findings reveal enhanced lipid hydrolysis and aminolysis, improved energy production efficiency, strengthened immune response, and disrupted holobiont homeostasis as the physiological adaptations of the coral to high-temperature stress.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kalyan De, Mandar Nanajkar, Sambhaji Mote, Baban Ingole
Summary: This study reveals the negative impact of consecutive thermal bleaching events and local stressors on marginal coral reef habitats, leading to a significant decline in coral cover and an increase in algal dominance. The results emphasize the importance of mitigating local stressors and implementing global efforts to address climate change in order to protect these unique coral reefs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Leon L. L. Tran, Jacob L. L. Johansen
Summary: Climate change projections indicate more frequent and severe tropical marine heat waves (MHWs) and accompanying hypoxia year-round. However, this study challenges the assumption that annual maximum temperatures will induce the greatest physiological consequences by characterizing seasonal MHWs and comparing metabolic traits of winter-and summer acclimatized convict tang (Acanthurus triostegus) to the combined effects of MHWs and hypoxia. The results reveal heightened sensitivity to the deleterious effects of winter MHWs and suggest that seasonal acclimatization to warmer summer conditions may bolster metabolic resilience to warming and hypoxia.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alyx P. Terrell, Emma Marangon, Nicole S. Webster, Ira Cooke, Kate M. Quigley
Summary: The symbiotic relationship between coral and its endosymbiotic algae greatly affects their ability to withstand environmental stress. Most studies have focused on adult corals, but it is important to understand the effects of stress on the establishment of symbiosis in early life stages to predict coral's response to climate change.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lulu Dai, Yansen Xu, Harry Harmens, Honglang Duan, Zhaozhong Feng, Felicity Hayes, Katrina Sharps, Alan Radbourne, Lasse Tarvainen
Summary: The study found that the optimum temperature of A(sat) increased significantly with warming, but the thermal acclimation capacity was reduced by O-3 exposure, leading to decreased T-optA, T-optV, and T-optJ under EO3. Changes in leaf nitrogen content and N use efficiency were closely correlated with the responses of A(sat), V-cmax, and J(max) to warming and EO3.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Yihua Lyu, Zihua Zhou, Yangmei Zhang, Zhiqiang Chen, Wei Deng, Ronggui Shi
Summary: In August to September 2020, a severe anomaly in sea surface temperature in the South China Sea led to a mass coral bleaching event in Hainan Island and the Beibu Gulf. Field surveys found that a majority of surveyed sites experienced bleaching, with western Hainan Island and Weizhou Island being the most affected. The results also showed a strong correlation between sea surface temperature anomalies and bleaching percentage, with lower diversity and coral cover associated with higher anomalies. Different coral taxa exhibited varying levels of resistance to heat stress.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kennedy Wolfe, Dione J. Deaker, Alexia Graba-Landry, Curtis Champion, Sophie Dove, Raymond Lee, Maria Byrne
Summary: Tropical calcium carbonate sediments are predicted to be more sensitive to ocean acidification, potentially impacting the abundance of infaunal organisms. Research suggests that the deposit-feeding sea cucumber, S. herrmanni, may influence surface-sediment meiofauna and microphytes under current and future ocean pH conditions, affecting the functioning of coral reef ecosystems.
Article
Limnology
Kristen T. Brown, Dorothea Bender-Champ, Michelle Achlatis, Rene M. van Der Zande, Andreas Kubicek, Storm B. Martin, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Sophie G. Dove, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Summary: The study quantified biogenic carbonate production, erosion, and dissolution within five distinct geomorphological habitats on Heron Reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Results showed significant spatial variations in carbonate budgets among different habitats, improving our understanding of carbonate cycling in coral reef ecosystems.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Lena Roelfer, Hauke Reuter, Sebastian C. A. Ferse, Andreas Kubicek, Sophie Dove, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Dorothea Bender-Champ
Summary: Competition between coral Porites lobata and macroalga Chlorodesmis fastigiata was studied under temperature increase and ocean acidification in the RCP2.6 scenario. Results showed a decrease in coral net photosynthesis, an increase in dark respiration, and negative dark calcification rates under RCP2.6 conditions. Light calcification rates were negatively affected by macroalgal contact in the RCP2.6 scenario.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Clinton A. Oakley, Stefanie Pontasch, Paul L. Fisher, Shaun P. Wilkinson, Robert A. Keyzers, Thomas Krueger, Sophie Dove, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, William Leggat, Simon K. Davy
Summary: This study investigated the composition and response of thylakoid fatty acids of dinoflagellate symbionts to high- and low-temperature stress in the southernmost coral reef. The results showed genotype-specific differences in fatty acid quality and a similar fatty acid adjustment response to temperature changes. However, fatty acid saturation was not a reliable predictor of photosystem efficiency under thermal stress in dinoflagellate symbionts.
Article
Limnology
Michaela Rathbone, Kristen T. Brown, Sophie Dove
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of ocean warming and acidification on coral survivorship and calcification rates from different reef habitats. It found that corals from variable environments may have increased protein densities but reduced densification, and that under future climate stress, energetic investment in skeletal expansion becomes unsustainable. Increasing temperature and CO2 levels were shown to reduce calcification rates, regardless of coral origin, suggesting that exposure to greater environmental variability may not benefit coral calcification.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alejandra Hernandez-Agreda, Francesca Marina Sahit, Norbert Englebert, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Pim Bongaerts
Summary: This study compared the benthic communities of shallow and mesophotic depths in the Great Barrier Reef and the Western Coral Sea. It found initially a positive relationship between shallow and mesophotic coral cover, but this relationship became insignificant after multiple disturbances, with a significant decline in coral cover only at shallow depths. The study also revealed the dynamic nature of mesophotic communities, with their coral cover reflecting a balance between growth and mortality. The results highlight the urgency to expand coral reef monitoring efforts into mesophotic depths for better conservation management strategies.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Veronica Z. Radice, Brian Fry, Kristen T. Brown, Sophie Dove, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Summary: The recovery of corals from oceanic thermal stress is correlated to their susceptibility to bleaching and their trophic strategy. Corals from different depths exhibit varied recovery characteristics, with shallow corals experiencing more severe stress while corals in mesophotic environments facing lower cumulative warming impacts.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vanessa Clark, Matheus A. Mello-Athayde, Sophie Dove
Summary: Coral reefs are being heavily impacted by ocean warming and acidification caused by human activities. Research has shown that coral survival may no longer be linked to their ability to calcify efficiently, as protein density and calcification rates may be sacrificed for coral genet survival.
Article
Biology
Kristen T. Brown, Matheus A. Mello-Athayde, Eugenia M. Sampayo, Aaron Chai, Sophie Dove, Katie L. Barott
Summary: Ocean acidification poses a growing threat to coral growth and coral reef ecosystems. Corals that have experienced pCO(2) fluctuations may be more resilient to acidification and better able to survive in future reefs.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kristen T. Brown, Gal Eyal, Sophie G. Dove, Katie L. Barott
Summary: Increasing ocean temperatures pose a threat to coral reefs worldwide, and corals in habitats with high thermal variability are believed to be more resilient to climate-induced heat stress. This study used long-term ecological observations and temperature data to examine how temperature dynamics in different reef habitats changed during a marine heatwave and its impact on coral community survival. The findings showed that thermally variable habitats experienced greater heat stress and subsequent declines in hard coral cover compared to stable sites. Interestingly, habitats with greater seawater exchange with the open ocean provided the most protection to corals during severe marine heatwaves.
Article
Limnology
Tania M. M. Kenyon, Christopher Doropoulos, Kennedy Wolfe, Gregory E. E. Webb, Sophie Dove, Daniel Harris, Peter J. J. Mumby
Summary: This article reviews the dynamics of rubble beds on coral reefs, with a focus on the changes expected in the generation, mobilization, binding, and coral recruitment of rubble on future reefs. It predicts that major disturbances, such as storms and coral bleaching, will increase in intensity and frequency, leading to larger quantities of coral rubble. With smaller recovery windows and increased bioerosion, smaller and less complex rubble pieces will be generated more often. The time available for binding will be reduced, and changing ocean chemistry may affect the efficacy of binders. Ultimately, increased rubble cover will negatively impact coral recruitment into rubble beds.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Caleb C. Butler, Kira E. Turnham, Allison M. Lewis, Matthew R. Nitschke, Mark E. Warner, Dustin W. Kemp, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, William K. Fitt, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, Todd C. LaJeunesse
Summary: This study identified five new species in the genus Cladocopium, which are widespread and have diverse hosts. These findings are important for understanding ecological research, genetic research, and conservation efforts in the face of environmental changes.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Robert A. B. Mason, William J. Skirving, Sophie G. Dove
Summary: Photoacclimation is a crucial process that allows photosymbiotic reef corals to thrive in varying light conditions. However, the timing of photoacclimation has not been well characterized. In this study, we investigated the time dynamics of photoacclimation in two coral taxa and found that the light environment within the coral tissue plays a role in the temporal response of photoacclimation.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kristen T. Brown, Amatzia Genin, Matheus A. Mello-Athayde, Ellie Bergstrom, Adriana Campili, Aaron Chai, Sophie G. Dove, Maureen Ho, Devin Rowell, Eugenia M. Sampayo, Veronica Z. Radice
Summary: Back-to-back marine heatwaves in 2016 and 2017 led to severe coral bleaching and mortality in the Great Barrier Reef. However, some surviving corals showed increased bleaching resistance, indicating the presence of thermally tolerant populations. By studying corals in different islands, researchers found that corals that had experienced recent bleaching events had higher survival rates during a subsequent heatwave compared to corals that hadn't experienced significant bleaching in a long time. Additionally, the surviving corals displayed different nutritional strategies and physiological performances, suggesting species-specific trade-offs in response to thermal stress.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Katja J. Geiger, Julio Arrontes, Antonella Rivera, Consolacion Fernandez, Jorge Alvarez, Jose Luis Acuna
Summary: A two-year experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of Pollicipes pollicipes harvest on intertidal community structure and ecological diversity. The study found that intensive exploitation resulted in a decrease in P. pollicipes and Mytilus spp. coverage, while Chthamalus spp. and Corallina spp. increased. The recovery of P. pollicipes aggregations was slow and variable, but their coverage increased under non-extracted conditions.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Daniel Castro Martignago, Leandro Godoy, Amanda Pereira Amaral, Guendalina Turcato Oliveira
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of bleaching on the oocytes of the Mussismilia harttii coral and investigates the strategies employed by these cells to maintain antioxidant balance and cellular homeostasis. The research finds that bleached coral oocytes experience lipid damage, but are still able to maintain their quality and potentially elongate their lifespan and fertilization capability. This response may be linked to an intensification of heterotrophy in bleached corals.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2024)