- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Crustacean biology and ecology
- Marine and fisheries research
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Offshore Engineering and Technologies
- Skin Protection and Aging
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
Tel Aviv University
2013-2024
American Museum of Natural History
2022
Museo de Historia Natural
2022
Natural History Museum Vienna
2016-2019
In Metazoa, mitochondrial markers are the most commonly used targets for inferring species-level molecular phylogenies due to their extremely low rate of recombination, maternal inheritance, ease use and fast substitution in comparison nuclear DNA. The control region (CR) is main non-coding area genome contains origin replication transcription. While sequences cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) 16S rRNA genes prime phylogenetic studies, highly variable CR typically ignored not targeted such...
Echinoids are key components of modern marine ecosystems. Despite a remarkable fossil record, the emergence their crown group is documented by few specimens unclear affinities, rendering early history uncertain. The origin sand dollars, one its most distinctive clades, also due to an unstable phylogenetic context. We employ 18 novel genomes and transcriptomes build phylogenomic dataset with near-complete sampling major lineages. With it, we revise phylogeny divergence times echinoids, place...
Constraints on organisms possessing a unitary body plan appear almost absent from colonial organisms. Like organisms, however, coral colonies seemingly delay reproduction until reaching critical size. Elucidating ontogenetic processes, such as puberty and aging are complicated by corals' modular design, where partial mortality fragmentation lead to distortions in colony size-age relationships. We explored these enigmatic relations their influence fragmenting sexually mature of five species...
The sea urchin
Abstract Coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.) are major contributors to the coral reef crises across Indo-Pacific region. Until recently, CoTS throughout were regarded be a single species, planci . However, genetic and morphological analyses demonstrated that there at least four distinct species: benziei in Red Sea, mauritiensis A. Indian Ocean, cf. solaris western Pacific. ellisii eastern Pacific needs more taxonomic attention. Here, we review biological knowledge...
Abstract As global warming and climate-change proceeds ever more rapidly, organisms depending on seasonal cues to synchronize reproduction face an unclear future. Reproduction in Diadema setosum the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) is seasonal, with mature individuals occurring from July October. Gonad indexes (GI), contrast, indicate that spawning occurs August through December suggests two main events. Histological analysis, however, second peak GI values cannot be related spawning, but rather...
Assembly of publically available next-generation sequence data facilitated the generation three camarodont echinoid mitogenomes: two for Green Urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) and one Red (Mesocentrotus franciscanus). The generated are exploited in a phylogenomic analysis superfamily Odontophora, originally proposed echinoids with tooth supports on epiphyses jaw. highly this taxon its current subdivision into families: Echinometridae, Toxopneustidae, Strongylocentrotidae. furthermore implies...
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsTheme Sections 367:163-171 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07579 Population dynamics of a coral reef ascidian in deteriorating environment N. Shenkar*, O. Bronstein, Y. Loya Department Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Israel *Email: levinn@post.tau.ac.il ABSTRACT: In...
Sesoko Station, Okinawa, has been the site of many significant advances in coral reproductive research and it continues to be a preferred destination for both Japanese international researchers. Consequently, there are decades spawning observations, which we present explore here with aim making easier predict when species spawn at Station. The data include over 700 observations from 87 reef-building hermatypic corals. Almost all occurred between dusk dawn, most activity concentrated 2 4...
The number of valid species in the genus Echinometra (Echinodermata, Echinoidea) and their associated identification keys have been debated scientific literature for more than 180 years. As phylogeny dispersal patterns these widely used as a prominent model marine speciation, new insights into taxonomy potential to deepen our understanding speciation processes. In this study we examine taxonomy, combining morphology molecular tools. We present Red Sea Western Indian Ocean Echinometra....
Species of the genus Spirobranchus, commonly known as Christmas tree worms, are abundant throughout tropical Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Information on species inhabiting Red Sea in general Gulf Eilat (Gulf Aqaba) particular, has so far been very limited. Here we present a multigene phylogenetic analysis, examining both mitochondrial (Cyt-b) nuclear (ITS2 18S) markers, to support presence four distinct Spirobranchus Eilat: S. corniculatus (including three taxa previously regarded full...
Morphologic and molecular data often lead to different hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships. Such incongruence has been found in the echinoderm class Echinoidea. In particular, status order Clypeasteroida is not well resolved. Complete mitochondrial genomes are currently available for 29 echinoid species, but no clypeasteroid had sequenced date. DNA extracted from a single live individual Sinaechinocyamus mai was with 10× Genomics technology. This first complete genome (mitogenome)...
Abstract Background Population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci sensu lato; COTS), a primary predator reef-building corals in Indo-Pacific Ocean, are major threat to coral reefs. While biological and ecological knowledge COTS has been accumulating since 1960s, little is known about its associated bacteria. The aim this study was provide fundamental information on dominant COTS-associated bacteria through multifaceted molecular approach. Methods A total 205...
Abstract Classification of the Class Echinoidea is under significant revision in light emerging molecular phylogenetic evidence. In particular, sister-group relationships within superorder Luminacea (Echinoidea: Irregularia) have been considerably updated. However, placement many families remains largely unresolved due to a series incongruent evidence obtained from morphological, paleontological, and genetic data for majority extant representatives. this study, we investigated 25 taxa,...
Tripneustes is one of the most abundant and ecologically significant tropical echinoids. Highly valued for its gonads, wild populations are commercially exploited cultivated stocks a prime target fisheries aquaculture industry. Here we examine from Kermadec Islands, remote chain volcanic islands in southwest Pacific Ocean that mark boundary genus' range, by combining morphological genetic analyses, using two mitochondrial (COI Control Region), nuclear (bindin) marker. We show new species...
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsTheme Sections 583:163-178 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12348 On distribution of invasive long-spined echinoid Diadema setosum and its expansion in Mediterranean Sea Omri Bronstein1,*, Elisavet Georgopoulou1,2, Andreas Kroh1 1Natural History Museum Vienna, Geological-Paleontological Department, Burgring 7, 1010...
Abstract The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) is a coral predator that widely distributed in Indo-Pacific Oceans. A previous phylogenetic study using partial mitochondrial sequences suggested COTS had diverged into four distinct species, but nuclear genome-based analysis to confirm this was not conducted. To address this, species genome were analysed here, sequencing Northern Indian Ocean (NIO) and Red Sea (RS) genomes for the first time, followed by comparative with Pacific (PO) species....
Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are light-dependent coral-associated communities found at 30–150 m depth. Corals inhabiting these deeper reefs often acclimatized to a limited and blue-shifted light environment, enabling them maintain the relationship with their photosynthetic algal symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) despite seemingly suboptimal conditions. Among others, fluorescent proteins produced by host may play role in modulation of quality spectral distribution irradiance within...