Variance of coral anti-pathogen defense in response to transplantation between coral- and macroalgal-dominated reefs

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are undergoing precipitous decline due to coral bleaching and disease following warming events, with impacted reefs often shifting from coral to macroalgal dominance. We...     

Status of health and conservation classification of tropical coral reefs in Lakshadweep archipelago

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Coral reefs of Lakshadweep perform a range of vital ecosystem functions and sustain the livelihoods of island communities. Coral reefs provide ecosystem services...     

Increasing coral calcification in Orbicella faveolata and Pseudodiploria strigosa at Flower Garden Banks,Gulf of Mexico

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are globally in decline and western Atlantic reefs have experienced the greatest losses in live coral cover of any region. The Flower Garden Banks (FGB) in the Gulf of...     

Heat stress differentially impacts key calcification mechanisms in reef-building corals

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by climate change, mass bleaching events and ocean acidification (OA). Coral calcification, a process that is critical to build and maintain...     

Coral reefs studies and threats in Malaysia: a mini review

Coral reefs in Malaysia are about 4,006 km² with over 550 species contributed to nation’s economy. Coral reefs studies and threats in Malaysia have been reviewed briefly. Perspectives are addressed as coral reefs studies, threats, gaps and future studies. Coral reefs in Malaysia are being damaged at an increasing rate where it faces natural and anthropogenic stresses. Excellent summaries are available in terms of coral reefs cover throughout Malaysia however scarce in terms of qualitative, quantitative and biogeographical data. There are also limited studies on heavy metals concentration in corals skeleton studies. Poor to fair conditions of coral reefs in Peninsular Malaysia is due to increases of sedimentation and tourism impacts. Overfishing and fish blasting were main threats of coral reefs damage in Sabah. In Sarawak, coral reefs are threatened by high sedimentation and sand mining. The 1998–1999 bleaching event also affected coral reefs in Malaysia due to climate change. Gaps in coral reefs studies can be completed by continuous collaborations between local and international researchers as well as research by local universities. Economic valuation, policy analysis and community participation are directions in future coral reefs studies in Malaysia. Future studies are to understand effects of management on coral reefs health and impact of pollution on coral reefs growth with a standard coral reefs methodology. Established legal systems to reduce threats received by coral reefs are also need to be introduced. Role of science-driven management with community participation and media mass are also gaps to be highlighted in future studies.     

Ecological consequences of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are suffering global declines due to climate change, natural disasters, pollution, and diseases. Coral disease events have increased in frequency and severity in the past...     

The reef building coral Stylophora pistillata uses stored carbohydrates to maintain ATP levels under thermal stress

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are on the brink of collapse from global warming and associated coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is the loss of algal symbionts from the coral tissue. The reduction in...     

Sediment addition drives declines in algal turf yield to herbivorous coral reef fishes: implications for reefs and reef fisheries

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs around the world are changing rapidly, with overfishing of herbivorous fishes and increased sediment inputs being two of the major local-scale stressors. We therefore...     

Three decades of recurrent declines and recoveries in corals belie ongoing change in fish assemblages

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are increasingly being altered by a myriad of anthropogenic activities and natural disturbances. Long-term studies offer unique opportunities to understand how multiple...     

Developing best practices for the restoration of massive corals and the mitigation of predation impacts: influences of physical protection,colony size,and genotype on outplant mortality

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs have undergone drastic declines due to anthropogenic and natural disturbances. In response, restoration efforts were developed to recover lost ecosystem services....     

Acoustic and biological trends on coral reefs off Maui,Hawaii

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are characterized by high biodiversity, and evidence suggests that reef soundscapes reflect local species assemblages. To investigate how sounds produced on a given reef...     

High diversity,abundance and distinct fish assemblages on submerged coral reef pinnacles compared to shallow emergent reefs

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs exhibit consistent patterns in biodiversity across multiple spatial scales, from local to global clines in species richness, abundance and community structure. Knowledge...     

Connectivity and the development of population genetic structure in Indo‐West Pacific coral reef communities

Aim To identify connectivity patterns among coral reefs of the Indo‐West Pacific. Projecting connectivity forward in time provides a framework for studying long‐term source–sink dynamics in the region, and makes it possible to evaluate the manner in which migration shapes population genetic structure at regional scales. This information is essential for addressing critical gaps in knowledge for conservation planning efforts in one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth. Location Coral reefs of the Indo‐West Pacific, ranging from 15° S to 30° N and 95° E to 140° E. Methods Individual‐based biophysical dispersal models were used in conjunction with matrix projection to identify the expected patterns of exchange between coral reefs over time. Results Present‐day oceanographic conditions lead to the transport of larvae from the South China Sea into the Coral Triangle region via the Sulu Sea, and from northern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands via Halmahera. The directionality of the system leads to the expected accumulation of organisms from outlying areas into the Coral Triangle region over time, particularly in the vicinity of the Maluku Islands and eastern Sulawesi. Coral reefs in Papua New Guinea, the Sulu Archipelago and areas within the Philippines are expected to be areas of high diversity as well. Main conclusions Biophysical dispersal models, used in conjunction with matrix projection, provide an effective means of simulating connectivity structure across the Indo‐West Pacific and thereby evaluating the directionality of genetic diversity. Migration appears to have a significant influence on population genetic structure in the region. Based on present‐day ocean currents, coral reefs in the South China Sea, northern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are contributing to high levels of diversity in the Coral Triangle.     

Oxygen: the universal currency on coral reefs

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are suffering unprecedented declines worldwide. Most studies focus on stressors such as rising temperatures, nutrient pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification as...     

Structure of gorgonian epifaunal communities in Ecuador (eastern Pacific)

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs have high biodiversity and are important as ecosystem engineers, providing microhabitats for a large number of organisms. This study examines the patterns of diversity,...     

Capitalizing on an ecological process to aid coral reef ecosystem restoration: Can gastropod trophodynamics enhance coral survival?

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs in the Florida Keys have degraded in recent decades, prompting efforts to re-establish populations of staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, to restore structure and...     

Microhabitats of sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae) cleaning stations and their links with cleaning behaviour

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are renowned for the complexity of their habitat structures and their resulting ability to host more species per unit area than any another marine ecosystem. Dedicated...     

Two offshore coral species show greater acclimatization capacity to environmental variation than nearshore counterparts in southern Belize

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are enduring decline due to the intensifying impacts of anthropogenic global change. This widespread decline has resulted in increased efforts to identify resilient coral...     

Investigating the heat shock protein response involved in coral bleaching across scleractinian species in the central Red Sea

Coral Reefs - Coral bleaching represents the most serious threat to contemporary coral reefs. In response, focus is being laid on understanding the cellular processes involved in the response of...     

Patterns in the distribution of sponge populations across the central Great Barrier Reef

Coral reef sponge populations were surveyed at two spatial scales: different depths and different reef locations across the continental shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef. The surveys were conducted on the forereef slopes of 12 reefs from land-influenced, inner-shelf reefs to those in the oligotrophic waters of the Coral Sea. Few sponges occur in shallow waters and the largest populations are found between 10 and 30 m depth. Sponges are apparently excluded from shallow waters because of excessive turbulence and possibly by high levels of damaging light. Sponge biomass is highest on the innershelf reefs and decreases away from the coast, whereas abundance is generally higher on middle-shelf reefs. There are considerable overlaps in the species composition on middle-, outer-shelf and Coral Sea reefs, but those on inner-shelf reefs are significantly different. The nature and size of sponge populations reflect environmental conditions across the continental shelf. The larger inner-shelf populations probably reflect higher levels of organic and inorganic nutrients and reduced amounts of physical turbulence, whereas sponges on reefs further from shore may be able to resist greater turbulence but appear more sensitive to the effects of fine sediments. These latter populations are smaller, reflecting the reduced availability of organic matter, however, many of these sponges rely on cyanobacterial symbionts to augment nutrition in these clearer, more oligotrophic waters.Contribution no. 487 from the Australian Institute of Marine Science