The structural complexity of coral reefs plays a major role in the biodiversity, productivity, and overall functionality reef ecosystems. Conventional metrics with 2-dimensional properties are inadequate for characterization complexity. A 3-dimensional (3D) approach can better quantify topography, rugosity other characteristics that play an important ecology communities. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) is emerging low-cost photogrammetric method high-resolution 3D topographic reconstruction....

Many scleractinian corals must acquire their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) anew each generation from environmental pools, and exchange between pools of Symbiodinium (reef waters sediments) has been proposed as a mechanism for optimizing coral physiology in the face change. Our understanding diversity spp. is poor by comparison to that engaged endosymbiosis, which reflects challenges visualizing genus against backdrop complex diverse micro-eukaryotic communities found...

Endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium are fundamentally important to biology of scleractinian corals, as well a variety other marine organisms. The is genetically and functionally diverse taxonomic nature union between corals implicated key trait determining environmental tolerance symbiosis. Surprisingly, question how diversity partitions within species across spatial scales meters kilometers has received little attention, but understanding intrinsic biological scope given...

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsTheme Sections 377:149-156 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07834 Exposure sediment enhances primary acquisition of Symbiodinium by asymbiotic coral larvae Lisa M. Adams1,*, Vivian R. Cumbo2, Misaki Takabayashi1 1Marine Science Department, University Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kawili St., 96720, USA 2School and...

Abstract. The structural complexity of coral reefs profoundly affects the biodiversity, productivity, and overall functionality reef ecosystems. Conventional survey techniques utilize 2-dimensional metrics that are inadequate for accurately capturing quantifying intricate scleractinian corals. A 3-dimensional (3D) approach improves capacity to measure architectural complexity, topography, rugosity, volume, other characteristics play a significant role in habitat facilitation ecosystem...

The compounds responsible for the pink and blue colors of two families hermatypic corals (Pocilloporidae, Acroporidae) from southern Great Barrier Reef were isolated biochemically characterized. Isolation pigment Pocillopora damicornis (named pocilloporin, {lambda}max = 560 nm, 390 nm) revealed that it was a hydrophilic protein dimer with native molecular weight approximately 54 kD subunits 28 kD. are not linked by disulfide bonds. Attempts to dissociate chromophore proved unsuccessful....

We determined the effects of temperature and nutrients on chain length a diatom, Skeletonema costatum, in batch culture enclosure experiments with estuarine water from San Francisco Bay, USA, using recently developed CytoBuoy flow cytometer. Determination number cells per diatom by cytometer associated software correlated well but was much more precise time efficient than microscopic quantification. Increasing temperatures (from 6, 8 to 17°C) nutrient concentrations induced high growth rates...

The rice coral, Montipora capitata, is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and comprises one of most important reef-building species in Hawaiian Islands. Here, we describe a de novo assembly its genome based on linked-read sequencing approach developed by 10x Genomics. final draft consisted 27,870 scaffolds with N50 size 186 kb contained fairly complete set (81%) metazoan benchmarking (BUSCO) genes. Based haploid (615 Mb) read k-mer profiles, estimated to fall between 600 700 Mb,...

Symbiotic dinoflagellates belonging to the genus Symbiodinium (Freudenthal) are found worldwide in association with shallow‐water tropical and subtropical marine invertebrates. Most phylogenetic studies of have used nuclear rRNA (nrDNA) genes infer relationships among members genus. In this report, we present first phylogeny based on DNA sequences from a mitochondrial protein‐coding gene (cytochrome oxidase subunit I [ cox 1]). Two principal groups, one comprised clade A second encompassing...

Growth anomalies (GAs) affect the coral, Montipora capitata, at Wai'ōpae, southeast Hawai'i Island. Our histopathological analysis of this disease revealed that GA tissue undergoes changes which compromise anatomical machinery for biological functions such as defense, feeding, digestion, and reproduction. exhibited significant reductions in density ova (66.1–93.7%), symbiotic dinoflagellates (38.8–67.5%), mesenterial filaments (11.2–29.0%), nematocytes (28.8–46.0%). Hyperplasia basal body...

To understand the enhanced ability of marine diatoms to assimilate nitrogen (N), we measured changes in transcript abundance and enzyme activity glutamine synthetase (GS), one key enzymes that link carbon (C) N metabolism, common diatom Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve. Transcript glnII (the gene encodes GSII isoenzyme), by quantitative reverse transcriptase‐PCR, total GS increased 2 3.5 times above background cells taking up nitrate (NO 3 − ) but not ammonium (NH 4 + ). A level mRNA...

Scleractinian corals are a vital component of coral reef ecosystems, and significant cultural economic value worldwide. As anthropogenic natural stressors contributing to global decline reefs, understanding health is critical help preserve these ecosystems. Growth anomaly (GA) disease that has negative impacts on biology, yet our its etiology pathology lacking. In this study we used RNA-seq along with de novo metatranscriptome assembly homology assignment identify genes expressed in three...

Growth anomaly (GA) is a commonly observed coral disease that impairs biological functions of the affected tissue. GA prevalent at Wai 'ōpae tide pools, southeast Hawai 'i Island. Here two distinct forms this disease, Type A and B, affect coral, Montipora capitata. While effects on biology ecology host are beginning to be understood, impact photophysiology dinoflagellate symbiont, Symbiodinium spp., has not been investigated. The clearly alters tissue structure skeletal morphology density....

Abstract Reef‐building corals may harbor genetically distinct lineages of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium , which have been shown to affect important colony properties, including growth rates and resilience against environmental stress. However, molecular processes underlying these differences are not well understood. In this study, we used whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA‐seq) assess gene expression between 27 samples coral Montipora capitata predominantly hosting...

Growth anomaly (GA) is a coral disease characterized by enlarged skeletal lesions. Although negative effects of GA on several coral's biological functions have been determined, the etiology and molecular pathology this very poorly understood. We studied expression 5 genes suspected to play role in pathological development endemic Hawaiian Montipora capitata, which particularly susceptible disease. Transcript abundances target healthy tissue, GA-affected unaffected tissue (apparently adjacent...

The Hawaiʻi Coral Disease database (HICORDIS) houses data on colony-level coral health condition observed across the Hawaiian archipelago, providing information to conduct future analyses reef in an era of changing environmental conditions. Colonies were identified lowest taxonomic classification possible (species or genera), measured and assessed for visual signs condition. Data recorded 286,071 colonies surveyed 1819 transects at 660 sites between 2005 2015. contains observations 60...