Article
Ecology
Susanne Bahr, Sancia E. T. van der Meij, Tullia Terraneo, Tao Xu, Francesca Benzoni
Summary: Coral reefs are home to a diverse range of species, with decapod crustaceans being a significant part of the associated fauna. Cryptochirid crabs are obligately associated with scleractinian corals, creating dwellings and only residing there. This study reports the first observation of gall crabs associated with two different Porites species in the Red Sea. The crabs were identified as belonging to the Opecarcinus genus, which is known to inhabit Agariciidae corals. The findings suggest that cryptochirid crabs can adapt to new microenvironments provided by different coral hosts and survive competition for space on coral reefs.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jacob G. D. Rogers, Eva E. Plaganyi
Summary: This study uses multispecies modelling to show that the management of a coral predator, the crown-of-thorns starfish, could help corals recover following bleaching events. They show that management was most effective when heat stress severity for corals was low to moderate, when corals had lower heat sensitivity and when the recruitment rate of starfish was high.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher Page, Riley Perry, Claire V. A. Lager, Jonathan Daly, Jessica Bouwmeester, E. Michael Henley, Mary Hagedorn
Summary: Anthropogenic stressors pose a threat to reefs globally, and natural coral reproduction may not be sufficient to address this challenge. Land-based culture using different algal fouling communities can enhance coral growth, particularly with microfragments. Our study examined the effects of culture methods with varying algal fouling communities on the growth and health metrics of Hawaiian coral microfragments. The Green Film method during winter demonstrated the highest growth and health scores. Time-efficient and standardized land-based culture methods are crucial for large-scale restoration efforts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara E. Cannon, Erietera Aram, Toaea Beiateuea, Aranteiti Kiareti, Max Peter, Simon D. Donner
Summary: Coral reefs in the Gilbert Islands of Kiribati have experienced multiple acute disturbances in the past fifteen years, including coral bleaching and outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns sea stars. The study shows that coral communities have adapted to heat stress events by shifting to more temperature-tolerant taxa and individuals. In addition, recovery from acute disturbances varies across different levels of human influence, with densely populated areas showing different response compared to less populated areas.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kylie M. Smith, Devon M. Pharo, Colin P. Shea, Brian A. Reckenbeil, Kerry E. Maxwell, William C. Sharp
Summary: Corals in the Caribbean have been experiencing major declines since the 1970s, leading to conservation and restoration efforts focused on outplanting nursery-grown coral fragments onto degraded reefs. Predation on newly outplanted corals was found to be high initially, but overall survival at 12 weeks post-outplanting was 96%, suggesting that initial predation may not significantly impact coral survival.
BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Gemma F. Galbraith, Benjamin J. Cresswell, Mark I. McCormick, Geoffrey P. Jones
Summary: Hydrodynamic processes play a crucial role in marine environments and coral reefs, influencing patterns of habitat zonation, community structure, and biodiversity. This study focused on comparing fish communities among different reef types in Papua New Guinea, finding that submerged pinnacle reefs had higher fish biomass, abundance, and species richness compared to fringing and offshore emergent reefs. The study also highlighted the significant influence of reef-scale hydrodynamics, particularly average current speed, current speed variability, and reef area, on fish biodiversity. These findings emphasize the ecological importance of small, submerged coral reefs that are often overlooked in coral reef ecology.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica Bouwmeester, Jonathan Daly, Nikolas Zuchowicz, Claire Lager, E. Michael Henley, Mariko Quinn, Mary Hagedorn
Summary: Coral reefs worldwide are under threat from climate change, which leads to an increase in coral bleaching. Even the surviving corals can experience temporary reproductive failure for several years. We conducted long-term experiments in aquaria to study the impact of temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the spawning patterns and reproductive physiology of the Hawaiian mushroom coral Lobactis scutaria. The results showed that warmer temperatures and filtering UVR altered the timing of spawning, warmer temperatures caused a drop in fertilisation success, and warmer temperatures and higher PAR negatively affected sperm and egg physiology. These findings highlight the urgent need for similar reproductive data to predict future trends in other coral species and emphasize the importance of addressing thermal stress from climate change to ensure the survival of reef-building corals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
John K. Keesing
Summary: The study showed that crown-of-thorns sea stars exhibit strong preferences for certain types of coral prey, especially Acropora and pocilloporid corals, leading to higher growth rates and selectivity.
BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dana E. Williams, Allan J. Bright, Olivia M. Williamson, Amelia Moura, Mark C. Ladd
Summary: This article provides the first reports of spawning activity by outplanted Acropora palmata colonies on reefs in Florida, USA. The observation of light spawning from A. palmata colonies in 2021 and 2022 indicates that restoration efforts for A. palmata may be close to achieving self-sustaining populations that can produce viable larvae. The gametes collected from the outplanted colonies yielded high fertilization rates and viable larvae, suggesting the potential for an increase in the population's genotypic diversity upon successful recruitment to the reef.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
K. S. Tkachenko
Summary: The coral reefs of Nha Trang City in southern Vietnam have been significantly degraded due to human activities, such as tourism development, dredging, mariculture, and overfishing. This has led to the decline of more than half of the coral reefs in the bay. Additionally, an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish, aided by eutrophication and depletion of natural predators, has caused the death of over 90% of the remaining healthy reefs. The future recovery of coral reefs in this area is not optimistic.
ZHURNAL OBSHCHEI BIOLOGII
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dione J. Deaker, Maria Byrne
Summary: Crown of thorns starfish (COTS) are infamous for their destructive consumption of coral reefs. Their populations can rapidly increase, causing drastic changes to benthic communities and reducing species diversity. The drivers of outbreaks remain unclear, but the success of COTS is closely tied to their biological traits, especially in early life stages.
EMERGING TOPICS IN LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)