A5077516099- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Marine and fisheries research
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Marine animal studies overview
- Food Industry and Aquatic Biology
- Nematode management and characterization studies
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Plant and fungal interactions
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
University of Konstanz
2020-2025
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
2018-2021
Red Sea University
2018-2020
National Oceanography Centre
2013-2018
University of Southampton
2013-2018
Genoscope
2018
Coral reefs are in rapid decline on a global scale due to human activities and changing climate. Shallow water depend the obligatory symbiosis between habitat forming coral host its algal symbiont from genus Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae). This association is highly sensitive thermal perturbations temperatures as little 1°C above average summer maxima can cause breakdown of this symbiosis, termed bleaching. Predicting capacity corals survive expected increase seawater depends strongly our...
Abstract We present SymPortal (SymPortal.org), a novel analytical framework and platform for genetically resolving the algal symbionts of reef corals using next‐generation sequencing (NGS) data ITS2 rDNA. Although marker is widely used to characterize taxa within family Symbiodiniaceae (formerly genus Symbiodinium) , multicopy nature complicates its use. Commonly, intragenomic diversity resultant from this collapsed by approaches, thereby focusing on only most abundant sequences. In...
Significance Reef corals in the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG) withstand exceptionally high salinity and regular summer temperatures of ∼35 °C that kill conspecifics elsewhere. These thermotolerant communities established themselves within only ∼6,000 y under pressure rapid climate change can therefore inform how other coral reefs may respond to global warming. One key thermotolerance PAG is their symbiosis with Symbiodinium thermophilum . Phylogeographic evidence indicates this symbiont...
Abstract Coral bleaching is one of the main drivers reef degradation. Most corals bleach and suffer mortality at just 1–2°C above their maximum monthly mean temperatures, but some species genotypes resist or recover better than others. Here, we conducted a series 18‐hr short‐term acute heat stress assays side‐by‐side with 21‐day long‐term experiment to assess ability both approaches resolve coral thermotolerance differences reflective in situ temperature thresholds. Using suite physiological...
Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels organization. In dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians ( e.g ., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates e.g. , sponges, molluscs, flatworms), protists foraminifera), molecular...
The Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) rRNA gene is a commonly targeted genetic marker to assess diversity of Symbiodinium, dinoflagellate genus algal endosymbionts that pervasively associated with marine invertebrates, and notably reef-building corals. Here we tested three used ITS2 primer pairs (SYM_VAR_5.8S2/SYM_VAR_REV, ITSintfor2/ITSReverse, ITS-DINO/ITS2Rev2) regard amplification specificity sensitivity towards as well sub-genera taxonomic bias. We these primers over range sample...
Corals from the northern Red Sea, in particular Gulf of Aqaba (GoA), have exceptionally high bleaching thresholds approaching >5℃ above their maximum monthly mean (MMM) temperatures. These elevated are thought to be due historical selection, as corals passed through warmer Southern Sea during recolonization Arabian Sea. To test this hypothesis, we determined thermal tolerance GoA versus central (CRS) Stylophora pistillata using multi-temperature acute stress assays determine thresholds....
Reef-building corals are at risk of extinction from ocean warming. While some can enhance their thermal limits by associating with dinoflagellate photosymbionts superior stress tolerance, the extent to which symbiont communities will reorganize under increased warming pressure remains unclear. Here we show that in hottest reefs world Persian Gulf maintain associations same symbionts across 1.5 years despite extreme seasonal and acute heat (≥35°C). predominantly associated Cladocopium (clade...
Abstract Health and resilience of the coral holobiont depend on diverse bacterial communities often dominated by key marine symbionts Endozoicomonadaceae family. The factors controlling their distribution functional diversity remain, however, poorly known. Here, we study ecology at an ocean basin-scale sampling specimens from three genera ( Pocillopora , Porites Millepora ) 99 reefs 32 islands across Pacific Ocean. analysis 2447 metabarcoding 270 metagenomic samples reveals that each genus...
Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They support high biodiversity of multicellular organisms that strongly rely associated microorganisms for health and nutrition. However, extent coral reef microbiome diversity its distribution at oceanic basin-scale remains to be explored. Here, we systematically sampled 3 morphotypes, 2 fish species, planktonic communities in 99 from 32 islands across Pacific Ocean, assess composition biogeography. We show a very large richness...
Abstract Global habitat degradation heightens the need to better understand patterns of genetic connectivity and diversity marine biota across geographical ranges guide conservation efforts. Corals Red Sea are subject pronounced environmental differences, but studies so far suggest that animal populations largely connected, excepting evidence for a break between northern‐central southern regions. Here, we investigated population structure holobiont assemblage two common pocilloporid corals,...
Repeat marine heat wave-induced mass coral bleaching has decimated reefs in Seychelles for 35 years, but how coral-associated microbial diversity (microalgal endosymbionts of the family Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities) potentially underpins broad-scale dynamics remains unknown. We assessed microbiome composition during 2016 wave peak at two contrasting reef sites (clear vs. turbid) Seychelles, key species considered sensitive (Acropora muricata, Acropora gemmifera) or tolerant...
Abstract Widespread coral bleaching occurred in the central Red Sea 2010 and 2015. During both events, a cross-shelf depth gradient of severity was identified within Thuwal reef system, Sea, Saudi Arabia. While survival taxa were monitored, neither situ temperatures nor coral-associated algal communities (family Symbiodiniaceae) characterized. Here, we determined host-associated Symbiodiniaceae monitored along same on six reefs 2017 to better understand role these factors observed patterns...
Abstract Exposure to deoxygenation from climate warming and pollution is emerging as a contributing factor of coral bleaching mortality. However, the combined effects heating on susceptibility remain unknown. Here, we employed short-term thermal stress assays show that deoxygenated seawater can lower limit an Acropora by much 1 °C or 0.4 based index scores dark-acclimated photosynthetic efficiencies, respectively. Using RNA-Seq, similar responses heat with without seawater, both activating...
Tropical coral reefs are among the most affected ecosystems by climate change and face increasing loss in coming decades. Effective conservation strategies that maximize ecosystem resilience must be informed accurate characterization of extant genetic diversity population structure together with an understanding adaptive potential keystone species. Here we analyzed samples from Tara Pacific Expedition (2016-2018) completed 18,000 km longitudinal transect Ocean sampling three widespread...
Abstract The Tara Pacific expedition (2016–2018) sampled coral ecosystems around 32 islands in the Ocean and ocean surface waters at 249 locations, resulting collection of nearly 58 000 samples. was designed to systematically study warm-water reefs included corals, fish, plankton, seawater samples for advanced biogeochemical, molecular, imaging analysis. Here we provide a complete description sampling methodology, explain how explore access different datasets generated by expedition....
Abstract Coral reef science is a fast-growing field propelled by the need to better understand coral health and resilience devise strategies slow loss resulting from environmental stresses. Key are symbiotic interactions established within complex holobiont, i.e . multipartite assemblages comprising host organism, endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses. Tara Pacific an ambitious project built upon experience of previous Oceans expeditions, leveraging...
Abstract Aim The aim of the study was to assess diversity algal symbionts family Symbiodiniaceae associated with coral genus Porites in Red Sea, and test for host‐specificity environmental variables driving biogeographical patterns symbiont distribution. Location Saudi Arabian Sea. Taxon Endosymbiotic dinoflagellates association reef‐building . Methods Eighty specimens were collected along Sea coast. Species boundaries assessed morphologically genetically (putative Control Region – mtCR; ITS...
Abstract Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer insight into the evolutionary histories and hosts of contemporary viruses. This study leveraged DNA metagenomics genomics to detect infer host a non-retroviral dinoflagellate-infecting +ssRNA virus (dinoRNAV) common in coral reefs. As part Tara Pacific Expedition, this surveyed 269 newly sequenced cnidarians their resident symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae), associated metabarcodes, publicly available metagenomes, revealing 178...
Heat waves are causing declines in coral reefs globally. Coral thermal responses depend on multiple, interacting drivers, such as past exposure, endosymbiont community composition, and host genotype. This makes the understanding of their relative roles adaptive and/or plastic crucial for anticipating impacts future warming. Here, we extracted DNA RNA from 102 Pocillopora colonies collected 32 sites 11 islands across Pacific Ocean to characterize host-photosymbiont fidelity investigate...
Corals in the Arabian/Persian Gulf (PAG) survive extreme sea temperatures (summer mean: >34°C), and it is unclear whether these corals have genetically adapted or physiologically acclimated to conditions. In order elucidate processes involved thermal tolerance of PAG corals, essential understand connectivity between reefs within outside PAG. To this end, study set out investigate genetic structure coral, Platygyra daedalea, its symbiotic algae neighbouring Oman. Using nuclear markers (the...