A5019713432- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Marine and fisheries research
- Water Quality and Pollution Assessment
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Fecal contamination and water quality
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
Cawthron Institute
2020-2025
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
2014-2024
Victoria University of Wellington
2021-2024
GNS Science
2021
University of Auckland
2020-2021
Norwegian Institute of Marine Research
2021
University of Otago
2020
Curtin University
2019
Australian Museum
2019
University of Warwick
2010-2011
Marine environmental monitoring has tended to focus on site-specific methods of investigation. These traditional have low spatial and temporal resolution are relatively labour intensive per unit area/time that they cover. To implement the Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), European Member States required improve marine design networks. This can be achieved by developing testing innovative cost-effective systems, as well indicators status. Here, we present several recently developed...
Abstract Coral reefs harbor diverse assemblages of organisms yet the majority this diversity is hidden within three dimensional structure reef and neglected using standard visual surveys. This study uses Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) amplicon sequencing methodologies, targeting mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I 18S rRNA genes, to investigate changes in cryptic biodiversity. ARMS, deployed at 11 sites across a near- off-shore gradient Red Sea were dominated by Porifera...
Coral reefs harbor the most diverse assemblages in ocean, however, a large proportion of diversity is cryptic and, therefore, undetected by standard visual census techniques. Cryptic and exposed communities differ considerably species composition ecological function. This study compares three different coral reef assessment protocols: i) benthic surveys: ii) Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) plates; iii) metabarcoding techniques ARMS (including sessile, 106–500 μm 500–2000 size...
In an era of coral reef degradation, our knowledge ecological patterns in reefs is biased towards large conspicuous organisms. The majority biodiversity, however, inhabits small cryptic spaces within the framework reef. To assess this biodiverse community, which we term ‘reef cryptobiome’, deployed 87 autonomous monitoring structures (ARMS), on 22 across 16 degrees latitude Red Sea. Combining ARMS with metabarcoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene, reveal a rich including...
Abstract In a world of declining biodiversity, monitoring is becoming crucial. Molecular methods, such as metabarcoding, have the potential to rapidly expand our knowledge supporting assessment, management, and conservation. marine environment, where hard substrata are more difficult access than soft bottoms for quantitative ecological studies, Artificial Substrate Units ( ASU s) allow standardized sampling. We deployed s within five regional seas (Baltic Sea, Northeast Atlantic Ocean,...
Abstract The semi-enclosed nature of the Red Sea (20.2°N–38.5°N) makes it a natural laboratory to study influence environmental gradients on microbial communities. This investigates composition and structure prokaryotes eukaryotes using molecular methods, targeting ribosomal RNA genes across different regions seasons. interaction between spatial temporal scales results in scenarios turbulence nutrient conditions allowing for testing ecological theory that categorizes response plankton...
Abstract We investigated the influence of seagrass canopies on benthic biodiversity bacteria and macroinvertebrates in a Red Sea tropical lagoon. Changes abundance, number taxa assemblage structure were analyzed response to densities (low, SLD; high, SHD; seagrasses with algae, SA), compared unvegetated sediments. Biological environmental variables examined these four habitats (hereafter called treatments), both underlaying sediments overlaying waters, at three randomly picked locations...
Marine sediments contain a high diversity of micro- and macro-organisms which are important in the functioning biogeochemical cycles. Traditionally, anthropogenic perturbation has been investigated by identifying macro-organism responses along gradients. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses have recently advocated as rapid cost-effective approach to measuring ecological impacts efforts underway incorporate eDNA tools into monitoring. Before these methods can replace or complement existing...
Abstract Analyses of sedimentary DNA ( sed DNA) have increased exponentially over the last decade and hold great potential to study effects anthropogenic stressors on lake biota time. Herein, we synthesise literature that has applied a approach track historical changes in biodiversity response impacts, with an emphasis past c. 200 years. We identified following research themes are particular relevance: (1) eutrophication climate change as key drivers limnetic communities; (2) increasing...
Abstract Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) have been applied worldwide to describe eukaryotic cryptic reef fauna. Conversely, bacterial communities, which are critical components of coral ecosystem functioning, remain largely overlooked. Here we deployed 56 ARMS across the 2,000‐km spread Red Sea assay biodiversity, composition and inferred underlying functions reef‐associated communities via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that community structure diversity aligned with...
The diversity of microbial plankton has received limited attention in the main basin Red Sea. This study investigates changes community composition and structure prokaryotes eukaryotes at extremes Sea along cross-shelf gradients between surface deep chlorophyll maximum. Using molecular methods to target both 16S 18S rRNA genes, it was observed that dominant prokaryotic classes were Acidimicrobiia, Alphaproteobacteria Cyanobacteria, regardless region depth. Syndiniophyceae Dinophyceae them...
ABSTRACT Lake surface sediments are dominated by microorganisms that play significant roles in biogeochemical cycling within lakes. There is limited knowledge on the relative importance of local environmental factors and altitude bacterial microeukaryotic community richness composition lake sediments. In present study, sediment samples were collected from 40 lakes along an gradient (2–1215 m). Microbial communities characterized using 16S (bacteria) 18S (microeukaryotes) rRNA gene...
Abstract Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) have been applied worldwide to characterize the critical yet frequently overlooked biodiversity patterns of marine benthic organisms. In order disentangle relevance environmental factors in patterns, here, through standardized metabarcoding protocols, we analyse sessile and mobile (<2 mm) organisms collected using ARMS deployed across six regions with different conditions (3 sites × 3 replicates per region): Baltic, Western...
Abstract Environmental genomics is a promising field for monitoring biodiversity in timely fashion. Efforts have increasingly been dedicated to the use of bacteria DNA derived data develop biotic indices benthic monitoring. However, substantial debate exists about whether bacteria‐derived using metabarcoding should follow, example, taxonomy‐based or taxonomy‐free approach marine bioassessments. Here, we showcase value DNA‐based impact fish farming as an example anthropogenic disturbances...
Abstract The frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial blooms is increasing worldwide. Multiple factors are implicated, most which anthropogenic. New Zealand provides a useful location to study the impacts human settlement on lake ecosystems. first humans (Polynesians) arrived about 750 years ago. Following their settlement, there were marked landscape modifications intensified after European 150 aims this reconstruct communities in six lakes over last 1000 explore key drivers change....
Two gene regions commonly used to characterise the diversity of eukaryotic communities using metabarcoding are 18S ribosomal DNA V4 and V9 regions. We assessed effectiveness these two for characterising diverisity coastal microalgae (EMCs) from tropical temperate sites. binned amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) into high level taxonomic groups: dinoflagellates, pennate diatoms, radial centric polar chlorophytes, haptophytes 'other microalgae'. When generated ASV abundances were compared,...
Coral reefs are considered among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, yet little is known about diversity of plankton in surrounding water column. Moreover, few studies have utilised genomic methods to investigate zooplankton any habitat. This study investigated taxa by sampling 45 stations around three reef systems central/southern Red Sea. The metazoan was targeting 18S rRNA gene and clustering OTUs at 97% sequence similarity. A total 754 854 were observed data set for 1380F 1389F primer...