Article
Environmental Sciences
K. U. D. N. Hansani, E. P. D. N. Thilakarathne, J. Bimali Koongolla, W. G. I. T. Gunathilaka, B. G. D. O. Perera, W. M. P. U. Weerasingha, K. P. U. T. Egodauyana
Summary: This study investigated the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in ten coral reef ecosystems in Sri Lanka, revealing their potential threat to the ecosystems. The average abundance of microplastics in corals, water, and sediments were 546.7 items/kg, 9.8 items/m³, and 46.3 items/kg respectively, with blue LDPE fibres being the dominant type. Corals showed the highest amount of microplastics.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Minwei Han, Haolan Li, Yaru Kang, Huanxin Liu, Xueyong Huang, Ruijie Zhang, Kefu Yu
Summary: This study investigated the occurrence, trophic amplification, and transmission of PAHs in various organisms in the South China Sea coral reef regions. The results revealed that PAHs can be accumulated in the mantle tissue of Tridacnidae, and the proportion of mantle tissue increases with latitude. The study also found that PAHs undergo trophic amplification in the food webs of tropical marine ecosystems, further aggravating the negative environmental impact on coral reef ecosystems.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth McLeod, Elizabeth C. Shaver, Maria Beger, Jennifer Koss, Gabriel Grimsditch
Summary: Climate change is causing global decline in coral reef ecosystems. It is crucial to reduce CO2 emissions and implement local management actions to support reef health and recovery. Resilience assessments quantify the context of reefs and help marine managers anticipate changes and prioritize management actions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Michael R. Heithaus, Michelle R. Heupel, M. Aaron MacNeil, Mark Meekan, Euan Harvey, C. Samantha Sherman, Leanne M. Currey-Randall, Jordan S. Goetze, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Matthew J. Rees, Conrad W. Speed, Vinay Udyawer, Mark E. Bond, Kathryn I. Flowers, Gina M. Clementi, Jasmine Valentin-Albanese, M. Shiham Adam, Khadeeja Ali, Jacob Asher, Eva Aylagas, Oceane Beaufort, Cecilie Benjamin, Anthony T. F. Bernard, Michael L. Berumen, Stacy Bierwagen, Chico Birrell, Erika Bonnema, Rosalind M. K. Bown, Edward J. Brooks, J. Jed Brown, Dayne Buddo, Patrick J. Burke, Camila Caceres, Marta Cambra, Diego Cardenosa, Jeffrey C. Carrier, Sara Casareto, Jennifer E. Caselle, Venkatesh Charloo, Joshua E. Cinner, Thomas Claverie, Eric E. G. Clua, Jesse E. M. Cochran, Neil Cook, Jessica E. Cramp, Brooke M. D'Alberto, Martin de Graaf, Mareike C. Dornhege, Mario Espinoza, Andy Estep, Lanya Fanovich, Naomi F. Farabaugh, Daniel Fernando, Carlos E. L. Ferreira, Candace Y. A. Fields, Anna L. Flam, Camilla Floros, Virginia Fourqurean, Laura Gajdzik, Laura Garcia Barcia, Ricardo Garla, Kirk Gastrich, Lachlan George, Tommaso Giarrizzo, Rory Graham, Tristan L. Guttridge, Valerie Hagan, Royale S. Hardenstine, Stephen M. Heck, Aaron C. Henderson, Patricia Heithaus, Heidi Hertler, Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, Robert E. Hueter, Rima W. Jabado, Jean-Christophe Joyeux, Vanessa Jaiteh, Mohini Johnson, Stacy D. Jupiter, Muslimin Kaimuddin, Devanshi Kasana, Megan Kelley, Steven T. Kessel, Benedict Kiilu, Taratau Kirata, Baraka Kuguru, Fabian Kyne, Tim Langlois, Frida Lara, Jaedon Lawe, Elodie J. I. Ledee, Steve Lindfield, Andrea Luna-Acosta, Jade Q. Maggs, B. Mabel Manjaji-Matsumoto, Andrea Marshall, Lucy Martin, Daniel Mateos-Molina, Philip Matich, Erin McCombs, Ashlie McIvor, Dianne McLean, Llewelyn Meggs, Stephen Moore, Sushmita Mukherji, Ryan Murray, Stephen J. Newman, Josep Nogues, Clay Obota, Domingo Ochavillo, Owen O'Shea, Kennedy E. Osuka, Yannis P. Papastamatiou, Nishan Perera, Bradley Peterson, Caio R. Pimentel, Fabian Pina-Amargos, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Alessandro Ponzo, Andhika Prasetyo, L. M. Sjamsul Quamar, Jessica R. Quinlan, Jose Amorim Reis-Filho, Hector Ruiz, Alexei Ruiz-Abierno, Enric Sala, Pelayo Salinas-de-Leon, Melita A. Samoilys, William R. Sample, Michelle Schaerer-Umpierre, Audrey M. Schlaff, Kurt Schmid, Sara N. Schoen, Nikola Simpson, Adam N. H. Smith, Julia L. Y. Spaet, Lauren Sparks, Twan Stoffers, Akshay Tanna, Ruben Torres, Michael J. Travers, Maurits van Zinnicq Bergmann, Laurent Vigliola, Juney Ward, Joseph D. Warren, Alexandra M. Watts, Colin K. Wen, Elizabeth R. Whitman, Aaron J. Wirsing, Aljoscha Wothke, Esteban Zarza-Gonzalez, Demian D. Chapman
Summary: A global survey of coral reefs highlights the alarming decline in resident shark species due to overfishing, leading to a decrease in diversity among reef elasmobranch assemblages. The study reveals a significant decline of 60 to 73% in population for five common resident reef shark species, with shark absence detected in 34 to 47% of surveyed reefs. As shark populations decline, rays become the dominant species in these assemblages. However, shark-dominated assemblages are still found in wealthy nations with strong governance and highly protected areas, while impoverished regions with weak governance and inadequate shark management have depleted assemblages mainly composed of rays.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gregory P. Asner, Nicholas R. Vaughn, Roberta E. Martin, Shawna A. Foo, Joseph Heckler, Brian J. Neilson, Jamison M. Gove
Summary: Corals are important habitat-building organisms in tropical reefs, supporting a quarter of all ocean species and providing ecosystem services to millions of people. However, marine heat waves threaten coral reefs by killing individual colonies and reducing diversity. This study used aerial imaging spectroscopy to monitor coral mortality during a major heat wave in Hawaii, and found that certain reefs had lower coral loss and therefore may serve as refugia. Human and environmental factors, such as coastal development and sedimentation levels, played a role in differentiating resilient reefs from more vulnerable ones.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Zhang, Yong Sik Ok, Michael S. Bank, Christian Sonne
Summary: The impacts of macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics on coral reef ecosystems are not well understood, but they are known to pose a major sustainability challenge. This study confirms the presence of microplastics in coral reefs worldwide and discusses their potential risks. It emphasizes the urgent need to address this environmental problem and proposes solutions such as raising public awareness, implementing conservation efforts, and reducing plastic use.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cameron Do, Georgia Elizabeth Saunders, Yuriy Kuleshov
Summary: This study attempts to expand the methodology of tropical cyclone risk assessment by focusing on coral reefs and to understand the risk to Australia's natural environment. The study found that the northern Ningaloo Reef and southern Great Barrier Reef regions had the highest risk values. However, the limitations in data quality mean that these results are only estimates at best.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline Belser, Julie Poulain, Karine Labadie, Frederick Gavory, Adriana Alberti, Julie Guy, Quentin Carradec, Corinne Cruaud, Corinne Da Silva, Stefan Engelen, Paul Mielle, Aude Perdereau, Gaelle R. Samson, Shahinaz E. Gas, Christian R. Voolstra, Pierre E. Galand, J. Michel Flores, Benjamin C. C. Hume, Gabriela Perna, Maren Ziegler, Hans-Joachim Ruscheweyh, Emilie Boissin, Sarah Romac, Guillaume A. Bourdin, Guillaume Iwankow, Clementine Moulin, David A. Paz Garcia, Sylvain Agostini, Bernard Banaigs, Emmanuel Boss, Chris Bowler, Colomban de Vargas, Eric Douville, Didier Forcioli, Paola Furla, Eric Gilson, Fabien Lombard, Stephane P. Pesant, Stephanie Reynaud, Shinichi Sunagawa, Olivier Thomas, Romain Trouble, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Didier H. Zoccola, Claude Scarpelli, E' Krame Jacoby, Pedro Oliveira, Jean-Marc Aury, Denis Allemand, Serge Planes, Patrick Wincker
Summary: Coral reef science aims to understand coral health and resilience to combat reef loss caused by environmental stress. The intricate symbiotic interactions within the coral holobiont play a vital role in coral resilience. The Tara Pacific project utilizes advanced sequencing technologies to study the biodiversity and complexity of coral holobionts across the Pacific Ocean, providing valuable insights for future investigations of coral reef dynamics and their future in the Anthropocene.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yin Cheong Aden Ip, Jia Jin Marc Chang, Ren Min Oh, Zheng Bin Randolph Quek, Yong Kit Samuel Chan, Andrew G. Bauman, Danwei Huang
Summary: DNA barcoding and metabarcoding techniques were used to uncover cryptobenthic diversity in Singapore's equatorial reefs. The study found that environmental factors influence the diversity patterns of metazoans and other eukaryotes, but not microbial communities.
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Elis Jones
Summary: The value attributed to coral reefs greatly influences the characterization of evidence for their regeneration or degradation, highlighting the necessity of considering the value of an ecosystem in describing processes like regeneration and degradation. This also connects value as studied in socio-ecological and economic research with values as discussed in the philosophy of science literature.
Article
Ecology
Heloise Rouze, Pierre E. Galand, Monica Medina, Pim Bongaerts, Michel Pichon, Gonzalo Perez-Rosales, Gergely Torda, Aurelie Moya, Jean-Baptiste Raina, Laetitia Hedouin
Summary: This study reported the deepest photosymbiotic scleractinian corals collected to date (172 m depth) and identified the associated symbiotic communities using amplicon sequencing. The results expand the reported depth range of photosynthetic scleractinian corals (0-172 m depth) and provide new insights on their symbiotic associations at lower depth extremes of tropical coral reefs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia W. Johnstone, Rhian G. Waller, Robert P. Stone
Summary: Recent studies suggest that deep-water emerged coral populations show fully developed sperm, while shallow-water populations experience premature sperm development halting, likely due to differing temperature regimes. The increased thermal variability and suspected near-lethal temperature spikes in shallow populations may interrupt the production of viable gametes, highlighting potential impacts of environmental conditions on coral reproduction.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Anny Cardenas, Jean-Baptiste Raina, Claudia Pogoreutz, Nils Raedecker, Jeremy Bougoure, Paul Guagliardo, Mathieu Pernice, Christian R. Voolstra
Summary: The structure and function of the endolithic microbiome in corals are linked to bleaching susceptibility. Corals that are resistant to bleaching have endolithic microbiomes with greater functional diversity and redundancy, and lower endolithic primary productivity, possibly due to the dominance of chemolithotrophs. Lower primary production within the skeleton may help maintain nutrient-limiting conditions in the coral-algal symbiosis under heat stress.
Article
Ecology
Amelia A. Desbiens, George Roff, William D. Robbins, Brett M. Taylor, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Alexandra Dempsey, Peter J. Mumby
Summary: In the relatively unfished northern Great Barrier Reef, changes in reef shark density did not have a significant impact on the density or biomass of teleost mesopredators or prey, suggesting a lack of trophic cascading. Instead, many functional groups, including sharks, responded positively to environmental drivers.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Till Roethig, Stacey M. M. Trevathan-Tackett, Christian R. R. Voolstra, Cliff Ross, Samuel Chaffron, Paul J. J. Durack, Laura M. M. Warmuth, Michael Sweet
Summary: Climate change is significantly impacting marine and coastal ecosystems worldwide. While the effects of ocean warming and acidification are well-studied, there is limited research on the impacts of human-induced changes in ocean salinity. These salinity changes have the potential to affect ocean currents, oxygen saturation, and sea level rise, as well as impact marine biodiversity and ecosystem structure. It is crucial to gather comprehensive salinity data in dynamic coastal regions to understand the relationships between salinity and ecosystem functions and to project future changes that can have implications for carbon sequestration and freshwater availability.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefan Woetzel, Marco Andrello, Maria C. Albani, Marcus A. Koch, George Coupland, Felix Gugerli
Summary: This review discusses the emergence of Arabis alpina as a plant model, highlighting its evolutionary history, genomic aspects, and recent progress in studying its developmental traits related to perennial life history and environmental adaptation. The article also presents open questions that could inspire future research in A. alpina, other Brassicaceae species, or more distantly related plant families.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Camille Magneville, Nicolas Loiseau, Camille Albouy, Nicolas Casajus, Thomas Claverie, Arthur Escalas, Fabien Leprieur, Eva Maire, David Mouillot, Sebastien Villeger
Summary: Functional diversity, an important concept in ecology and conservation, has been increasingly studied over the past two decades. The mFD package is a comprehensive tool that utilizes species trait data and assemblage matrices to calculate various FD indices and visualize species distribution in functional spaces. With functions for data summarization, distance calculation, clustering analysis, and graphical representation, mFD provides a user-friendly framework for assessing and understanding functional diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Theophile L. Mouton, Fabrice Stephenson, Leigh G. Torres, Will Rayment, Tom Brough, Matthew McLean, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Camille Albouy, Fabien Leprieur
Summary: This study assesses the biodiversity of cetaceans in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone and their overlap with marine protected areas (MPAs). The results show that taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of cetaceans are poorly matched with MPAs, while functional diversity shows a higher level of congruence. Several species are identified as having significant contributions to biodiversity.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Romane Rozanski, David Eme, Anne Boiron Leroy, Marta M. M. Rufino, Camille Albouy
Summary: The global biodiversity crisis poses a threat to marine ecosystem functioning and services. Assessing community responses to environmental changes involves studying functional diversity, which is related to organism-environment interactions and estimated through biological traits. Although fish are important in marine systems and for human protein supply, knowledge about the intraspecific variability of their functional traits is limited.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Opale Coutant, Celine Jezequel, Karel Mokany, Isabel Cantera, Raphael Covain, Alice Valentini, Tony Dejean, Sebastien Brosse, Jerome Murienne
Summary: Freshwater ecosystems are highly endangered, and understanding the impact of human activities on these ecosystems is crucial. This study used eDNA-based fish inventories and community-level modelling to identify the factors driving fish assembly and map spatial biodiversity. The results showed a mismatch between taxonomic and functional diversity, with environmental and anthropic factors playing a major role in functional assemblages. These findings have important implications for monitoring programs and the establishment of new survey sites to improve representativity of fish diversity.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Maurine Vilcot, Camille Albouy, Giulia Francesca Azzurra Donati, Thomas Claverie, Pagu Julius, Stephanie Manel, Loic Pellissier, Fabien Leprieur
Summary: This study examined the correlation between genetic diversity and species diversity across co-distributed taxa of tropical reef fish species in Western Indian Ocean. The results showed a positive and significant lineage-based SGDC only for the beta component, indicating that families with high species turnover contain species with high genetic differentiation. The study also revealed that the Monsoon Drift and larval dispersal processes play important roles in shaping beta-diversity patterns in tropical reef fishes.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Agnes Duhamet, Camille Albouy, Virginie Marques, Stephanie Manel, David Mouillot
Summary: The study examines the genetic coverage and distribution of deep-sea fish species using environmental DNA metabarcoding. The results show that there is a need for more data collection on deep-endemic species. This method shows promise for better understanding and conserving marine biodiversity in the deep-sea.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Raphael Seguin, David Mouillot, Joshua E. Cinner, Rick D. Stuart Smith, Eva Maire, Nicholas A. J. Graham, Matthew McLean, Laurent Vigliola, Nicolas Loiseau
Summary: This study estimates fish standing biomass, biomass production, and biomass turnover for 1,979 tropical reef sites spanning 39 tropical countries. Based on these metrics, the study proposes a conceptual framework to guide spatial management interventions and optimize conservation efforts. The study finds that high turnover is associated with high human pressure and low primary productivity, while high biomass is associated with low human pressure and high primary productivity.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Laetitia Mathon, Virginie Marques, Stephanie Manel, Camille Albouy, Marco Andrello, Emilie Boulanger, Julie Deter, Regis Hocde, Fabien Leprieur, Tom B. Letessier, Nicolas Loiseau, Eva Maire, Alice Valentini, Laurent Vigliola, Florian Baletaud, Sandra Bessudo, Tony Dejean, Nadia Faure, Pierre-Edouard Guerin, Meret Jucker, Jean-Baptiste Juhel, Kadarusman, Andrea F. Polanco, Laurent Pouyaud, Dario Schworer, Kirsten F. Thompson, Marc Troussellier, Hagi Yulia Sugeha, Laure Velez, Xiaowei Zhang, Wenjun Zhong, Loic Pellissier, David Mouillot
Summary: In this study, environmental DNA analysis was used to investigate the relationship between fish biodiversity and environmental as well as socio-economic factors. The results showed a strong correlation between coastal fish biodiversity and environmental factors worldwide, while also revealing a negative correlation with human dependence on marine ecosystems. Additionally, the study found that a diversity index based on DNA sequences could reliably assess phylogenetic and functional diversity.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biology
James P. W. Robinson, Emily S. Darling, Eva Maire, Mark Hamilton, Christina C. Hicks, Stacy D. Jupiter, M. Aaron MacNeil, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Tim Mcclanahan, Yashika Nand, Nicholas A. J. Graham
Summary: Coral reef fisheries provide nutritious catch to tropical communities, but current management strategies focus on total reef fish biomass rather than individual growth and nutrient content, limiting the sustainability of nutritious catches.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)