Article
Environmental Sciences
Nadiezhda Santodomingo, Chris Perry, Zarinah Waheed, Muhammad Ali Bin Syed Hussein, Allia Rosedy, Kenneth G. Johnson
Summary: This study documented the magnitude, types, sources, and potential impacts of marine litter on six coral reefs in East Sabah. The research found that plastics dominate the litter, primarily single-use items, with discarded fishing gear also making up a significant portion. Litter pollution is more severe closer to urban developments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jeremy Carlot, Heloise Rouze, Diego R. Barneche, Alexandre Merciere, Benoit Espiau, Ulisse Cardini, Simon J. Brandl, Jordan M. Casey, Gonzalo Perez-Rosales, Mehdi Adjeroud, Laetitia Hedouin, Valeriano Parravicini
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between physiological rates and colony size in coral colonies, and finds that calcification rates increase with decreasing colony size in different coral taxa. However, photosynthesis and respiration rates remain constant across different sizes of coral colonies. The study also reveals a correlation between the demographic dynamics of coral genera and the ratio between net primary production and calcification rates.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew G. Bauman, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, Aaron Teo, Peter A. Todd
Summary: The increasing incidence of severe coral bleaching caused by climate change is leading to significant coral losses and declines in the physical structure of coral reef ecosystems. Understanding the relationship between coral composition and structural complexity is vital for maintaining ecosystem functions and processes. This study examines the impacts of the 2016 global coral bleaching event on seven coral reefs in Singapore and highlights the importance of structural complexity for reef stability.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Verena Schoepf, Justin H. Baumann, Daniel J. Barshis, Nicola K. Browne, Emma F. Camp, Steeve Comeau, Christopher E. Cornwall, Hector M. Guzman, Bernhard Riegl, Riccardo Rodolfo-Metalpa, Brigitte Sommer
Summary: The worldwide decline of coral reefs has led to renewed interest in coral communities at the edge of environmental limits. These communities have potential to function as resilience hotspots and climate change refugia, providing insights into future coral reef conditions. However, inconsistent definitions and usage of terms like "marginal" and "extreme" have posed challenges for categorizing and synthesizing data about these poorly studied communities. Therefore, a new conceptual framework is proposed to redefine marginal and extreme coral communities based on environmental conditions and ecological criteria.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kimberley Mills, Eleanor H. John, Duncan D. Muir, Nadiezhda Santodomingo, Kenneth G. Johnson, Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein, Sindia Sosdian
Summary: Increasing evidence suggests that nearshore turbid coral reefs may mitigate bleaching of reef building calcifiers and play a critical role in marine biodiversity in coastal areas. This study focuses on the growth characteristics of the mixotrophic giant clam Tridacna squamosa, across a gradient of less turbid to turbid reefs in the Coral Triangle. The findings indicate that light-enhanced calcification is important in less turbid reefs, while heterotrophic feeding is more important in turbid reefs, highlighting the trophic plasticity of T. squamosa and the importance of these habitats for reef building taxa.
Article
Ecology
Mike McWilliam, Joshua S. Madin, Tory J. Chase, Mia O. Hoogenboom, Tom C. L. Bridge
Summary: This study shows that coral species undergo consistent intraspecific changes as they cross into warm and acidic environments. These changes contribute to species adaptation and persistence.
Article
Limnology
Russell J. Schmitt, Sally J. Holbrook, Andrew J. Brooks, Thomas C. Adam
Summary: This study explores the dynamics between coral and macroalgae as alternative attractors in benthic communities, highlighting the crucial role of herbivores in controlling macroalgae and maintaining a coral-invadable state. Results from Moorea show that the abundance of grazing herbivores directly influences the bistability of coral and macroalgae states, providing insights into the long-term persistence and transition of reef communities.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanna R. Koch, Bailey Wallace, Allyson DeMerlis, Abigail S. Clark, Robert J. Nowicki
Summary: The translation highlights the importance of using microfragmentation technology for coral restoration and describes the method of quantifying growth rates using a structured-light 3D scanner, along with its advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional 2D methods.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hillary A. Smith, Stella E. Fulton, Ian M. Mcleod, Cathie A. Page, David G. Bourne
Summary: Manual removal of macroalgae can promote the recovery of inshore coral reefs and improve the composition of benthic reef organisms.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bing Lin, Yiwen Zeng, Gregory P. P. Asner, David S. S. Wilcove
Summary: By combining Instagram data from tourists and live coral cover maps in Hawaii, this study reveals that coral reefs both attract and suffer from coastal tourism. Higher live coral cover attracts more visitors, but their visitation contributes to subsequent reef degradation. This finding highlights the economic value of coral reefs and the importance of effective conservation management.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena Bollati, Yaeli Rosenberg, Noa Simon-Blecher, Raz Tamir, Oren Levy, Danwei Huang
Summary: Urbanized coral reefs are often impacted by sedimentation and reduced light levels, but many coral species can still thrive under these disturbed conditions. A study on the transcriptomic response to sediment stress in corals found that exposure to sediment induced upregulation of genes related to energy metabolism and immune response, with anaerobic glycolysis and glyoxylate bypass enzymes being significantly affected. This suggests that hypoxia may be a driving factor for the molecular response of corals to sediment stress.
Article
Biology
Dustin W. Kemp, Kenneth D. Hoadley, Allison M. Lewis, Drew C. Wham, Robin T. Smith, Mark E. Warner, Todd C. Lajeunesse
Summary: Symbiotic mutualisms are crucial for ecosystems and species, including reef-building corals. The benefits and nutrient exchange between corals and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates are influenced by environmental conditions. This study found that corals associated with Durusdinium trenchii or Cladocopium spp. exhibited similar nutrient exchange under normal temperatures, but heat-exposed colonies with D. trenchii experienced less physiological stress while maintaining high carbon assimilation and nutrient transfer. Contrary to prevailing notions, this suggests that high-functioning mutualisms can occur in host-symbiont combinations adapted to high-temperature environments.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Sterling B. Tebbett, David R. Bellwood, Tahlia Bassett, Michael V. W. Cuttler, Molly Moustaka, Shaun K. Wilson, Helen F. Yan, Richard D. Evans
Summary: Herbivorous fishes and algal turfs are important for the functioning of coral reefs, but their nature on turbid reefs is limited. High turbidity reefs have low herbivorous fish abundance and limited nutritional resources, resulting in reduced productivity compared to clear-water reefs in the Indo-Pacific. This suggests bottom-up nutrient resource limitation due to reduced light levels and sediment-laden conditions on turbid reefs.
REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Tessa E. Hall, Andrew S. Freedman, Andre M. De Roos, Peter J. Edmunds, Robert C. Carpenter, Kevin Gross
Summary: Understanding the complex interplay among chronic environmental stressors, mass-mortality events, and population size structure sharpens our ability to manage and to restore coral-reef ecosystems in an increasingly disturbed future. Our study reveals that the impact of chronic stressors is amplified in highly disturbed environments, as disturbance weakens the buffering effect of space competition and size structure mediates the extent and pace of coral population recovery following a large-scale mortality event.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alexandre C. C. Siqueira, Pooventhran Muruga, David R. R. Bellwood
Summary: The biodiversity of tropical reefs is characterized by the interaction between fishes and corals. However, only a minority of fish species strongly associate with live corals, and there is no coevolutionary pattern between the fish and coral lineages. The expansion of reef structures, rather than coral association, is more likely responsible for the Miocene fish diversification.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amelia S. Wenger, Christopher A. Rawson, Shaun Wilson, Stephen J. Newman, Michael J. Travers, Scott Atkinson, Nicola Browne, Douglas Clarke, Martial Depczynski, Paul L. A. Erftemeijer, Richard D. Evans, Jean-Paul A. Hobbs, Jennifer L. McIlwain, Dianne L. McLean, Benjamin J. Saunders, Euan Harvey
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eliza C. Heery, Bert W. Hoeksema, Nicola K. Browne, James D. Reimer, Put O. Ang, Danwei Huang, Daniel A. Friess, Loke Ming Chou, Lynette H. L. Loke, Poonam Saksena-Taylor, Nadia Alsagoff, Thamasak Yeemin, Makamas Sutthacheep, Si Tuan Vo, Arthur R. Bos, Girley S. Gumanao, Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein, Zarinah Waheed, David J. W. Lane, Ofri Johan, Andreas Kunzmann, Jamaluddin Jompa, Suharsono, Daisuke Taira, Andrew G. Bauman, Peter A. Todd
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hedwig Krawczyk, Jens Zinke, Nicola Browne, Ulrich Struck, Jennifer McIlwain, Michael O'Leary, Dieter Garbe-Schoenberg
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Shannon Dee, Michael Cuttler, Michael O'Leary, Jorg Hacker, Nicola Browne
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Katie Moon, Nicola K. Browne
Summary: Understanding complex systems is crucial for their conservation and management. Modeling helps in understanding complex ecological systems, but it is constrained by individual mental models and system complexity. To address these challenges, a novel approach was developed to create a shared qualitative complex system model.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tahlia J. Newnham, Nicola K. Browne, Joshua Bumbak, Luke Loudon, Harry Wellington, George Shedrawi, Jorg Hacker, Michael O'Leary
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joshua Louis Bonesso, Michael V. W. Cuttler, Nicola Browne, Jorg Hacker, Michael O'Leary
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael V. W. Cuttler, Kilian Vos, Paul Branson, Jeff E. Hansen, Michael O'Leary, Nicola K. Browne, Ryan J. Lowe
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katie Moon, Christopher Cvitanovic, Deborah A. Blackman, Ivan R. Scales, Nicola K. Browne
Summary: Developing solutions for complex marine and coastal social-ecological issues requires new forms of knowledge production and integration. While progress has been made in producing integrated marine research and connecting that knowledge to decision-makers, challenges remain that hinder successful implementation of integrated research practices. Understanding and reconciling different epistemologies in various disciplines is identified as a key barrier to successful integrative marine research.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher E. Cornwall, Steeve Comeau, Niklas A. Kornder, Chris T. Perry, Ruben van Hooidonk, Thomas M. DeCarlo, Morgan S. Pratchett, Kristen D. Anderson, Nicola Browne, Robert Carpenter, Guillermo Diaz-Pulido, Juan P. D'Olivo, Steve S. Doo, Joana Figueiredo, Sofia A. V. Fortunato, Emma Kennedy, Coulson A. Lantz, Malcolm T. McCulloch, Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero, Verena Schoepf, Scott G. Smithers, Ryan J. Lowe
Summary: Ocean warming and acidification pose a significant threat to the future growth of coral reefs, with projected declines in coral reef net carbonate production rates under different emission scenarios. Bleaching events leading to reduced coral cover are the main drivers of these declines, emphasizing the urgent need for stabilization of atmospheric CO2 emissions to ensure the functional roles of coral reefs are maintained.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paula J. Cartwright, Peter R. C. S. Fearns, Paul Branson, Michael V. W. Cuttler, Michael O'Leary, Nicola K. Browne, Ryan J. Lowe
Summary: Turbidity impacts marine benthic habitats by limiting light penetration, with factors such as El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events influencing turbidity levels. Over an 18-year period, an upward trend in turbidity in Exmouth Gulf was observed, associated with winds from adjacent terrestrial regions.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Adi Zweifler (Zvifler), Michael O'Leary, Kyle Morgan, Nicola K. Browne
Summary: This review highlights the importance of turbid reefs in coral reef conservation efforts, discussing their resilience to climate change impacts and the need for improved understanding of their responses to environmental change. Turbid reefs are classified based on turbidity regime and sources of sediment input, with natural and anthropogenic turbid reefs identified as distinct types with different conservation status. As the geographic range of turbid reefs is expected to expand, efforts to enhance our knowledge of their composition, function, and resilience will be crucial for global coral reef conservation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shannon Dee, Thomas DeCarlo, Ivan Lozic, Jake Nilsen, Nicola K. Browne
Summary: Bioerosion on inshore reefs is expected to increase with global climate change reducing reef stability and accretionary potential. Most studies investigating bioerosion have focused on external grazers, such as parrotfish and urchins, whose biomass is more easily measured. Yet, cryptic endolithic bioeroders such as macroboring (worms, sponges and bivalves) and microboring taxa (fungus and algae) have the potential to be the dominant source of reef erosion, especially among inshore reef systems exposed to increased nutrient supply.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Paula J. Cartwright, Nicola K. Browne, David Belton, Iain Parnum, Michael O'Leary, Jurgen Valckenaere, Peter Fearns, Ryan Lowe
Summary: Globally, coral reefs are facing threats, such as degradation and algal dominance, due to marine heatwaves and other disturbance events. Marginal coral reefs in extreme environments, like turbid water reefs, may be more resilient and provide insights into future reefs under climate change. This study examined benthic habitats in the Exmouth Gulf region of north Western Australia to understand the influence of environmental drivers, such as turbidity and temperature, on benthic communities and coral morphology. The results showed that long-term turbidity and temperature variability were connected to macroalgal colonization, while coral cover was negatively associated with temperature variability and positively associated with depth and wave power. Coral morphology diversity was positively associated with turbidity. Moderate turbidity appeared to raise the threshold for coral bleaching and macroalgal dominance, while regions with higher temperature variability had already reached this threshold. The least turbid and temperature variable region experienced severe coral bleaching from a recent heatwave, suggesting that moderate levels of these variables may confer resilience to coral reefs.
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicola K. Browne, Andrew G. Bauman
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)