Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

Tracking demographic changes in individual coral colonies through repeated photogrammetric surveys

This paper develops a workflow combining photogrammetry and machine learning to track demographic changes in coral colonies over time, revealing patterns of survival, mortality, and size structure before, during, and after a marine heatwave.

Life-history traits explain variation in the larval dispersal potential of corals

This study investigates how life-history traits influence larval dispersal in corals, finding that reproductive mode and colony morphology significantly affect larval settlement times.

Acclimatization potential in stress tolerant Caribbean corals - outcomes of a 5 year cross-shelf reciprocal transplant experiment

This study evaluates the long-term acclimatization potential of two stress-tolerant Caribbean corals in different environments, finding differences in resilience to environmental stress.

Heat Waves Promote, but Cyclones Reverse, Coral-to-Seaweed Regime Shifts by Reshaping Reef Resilience

This study shows heat waves promote coral-to-seaweed shifts by leaving skeletal legacies, while cyclones reverse this by removing structures, demonstrating disturbance type and sequence affect ecosystem resilience.

Juveniles exhibit lower heatwave tolerance than adults in a reef-building coral

This study shows that juvenile corals are less heat-tolerant than adults, suggesting their survival advantage during heatwaves may be due to microhabitat conditions rather than intrinsic physiology.

Ubiquitous trophic niche partitioning drives species coexistence and biomass on coral reefs

The paper quantifies trophic niche partitioning in coral reef fishes and shows it drives coexistence and biomass.

Adult corals enhance juvenile recruitment through cumulative ecological niche construction

The paper shows that adult coral abundance and reef structure independently increase juvenile coral recruitment, supporting assemblage-level niche construction.

A miRNA-mediated gene regulatory network supports seasonal plasticity in the temperate coral Astrangia poculata

This study identifies miRNAs in the temperate coral Astrangia poculata and shows they regulate seasonal gene expression and physiological responses to temperature changes.

Self-Organized Pattern Formation of a Common Tropical Alga

The paper observes polygonal patterns in Halimeda algae on coral reefs and proposes a model showing self-organized growth dynamics between Halimeda and corals.

The impacts of light and location on reproductive timing in the Orbicella species complex

The paper analyzes reproductive timing in Orbicella coral species using a dataset of spawning events to show that some aspects are influenced by latitude while others vary with local environmental factors.

Hidden diversity and host specificity of Cladocopium symbionts revealed by phylotranscriptomics in giant sea anemones.

This study identifies novel, host-specific Symbiodiniaceae strains in giant sea anemones using phylotranscriptomics, revealing hidden diversity and cophylogenetic relationships.

Spatially resolved gene expression analysis illuminates location-specific functions in the reef-building coral Pocillopora acuta

The paper uses Laser Capture Microdissection and RNA sequencing to analyze tissue-specific gene expression in the coral Pocillopora acuta, identifying location-specific functions and highlighting the need for spatial resolution in coral research.

The builder's legacy: persistent reef structure creates a window for coral recovery after adult loss

The paper quantifies how adult coral cover and reef structure jointly shape juvenile coral densities, revealing a structural legacy window for recovery after adult loss.

Diverse H2O2-scavenging phenotypes of coral-associated bacteria reveal candidates for bleaching mitigation

The paper screens coral-associated bacteria for H2O2-scavenging traits, finding that genomic predictions poorly correlate with in vitro activity, and identifies Roseovarius and Muricauda as top candidates for bleaching mitigation.

Contributions of human-caused climate change and individual emitters to global coral bleaching

This study quantifies the contribution of human-caused climate change and individual emitters to global coral bleaching using coral monitoring data from 1985-2024.

Genomic characterization reveals high clonal redundancy in two Acropora cervicornis nurseries in the Dominican Republic

The paper uses 2b-RAD sequencing to analyze genetic diversity in two Acropora cervicornis nurseries, finding high clonal redundancy with only three genets representing most colonies.

Stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak altered reef communities of Carrie Bow Cay, Belize

The paper tracks the impact of Stony coral tissue loss disease on coral communities at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, showing significant mortality and shifts in species composition.

Diel thermal variability does little to mitigate bleaching in two endangered coral holobionts

This study shows that diel thermal variability does not improve thermal stress resistance in two endangered corals, despite physiological and gene expression responses to heat challenges.

Bacterial inoculation elicits changes to the coral epigenome

This study shows that bacterial inoculation induces DNA methylation changes in corals, which correlate with gene expression and affect stress resilience.

The CoralAssist Plug: a novel device that enhances outplant rate and survivorship of sexually propagated corals

The CoralAssist Plug (CAP) improves outplant success of sexually propagated corals by enhancing survivorship and reducing labor costs through its design features.

A non-living, microbe-based surface coating promotes tubeworm and coral settlement

This paper introduces ReefTiles, a non-living bacterial coating that induces larval settlement in tubeworms and corals, matching live biofilms in effectiveness while avoiding environmental concerns.

Rapid thermal adaptation in coral photosymbionts draws on standing variation and recombination

This study shows that rapid thermal adaptation in coral symbionts relies on pre-existing genetic variation and recombination rather than new mutations.

Environmental filtering shapes patch dynamics across isolated mesophotic reefs

The paper investigates community assembly in mesophotic coral ecosystems, finding that environmental filtering, particularly turbidity from benthic nepheloid layers, shapes community composition more than geographic distance or dispersal limitation.

CoralBlox: A computationally efficient coral model for decision support

CoralBlox is a computationally efficient coral ecology model that supports rapid scenario exploration and decision making for reef management.

Ruegeria persistens sp. nov., a persistent symbiotic bacterium isolated from coral

This paper describes the isolation and characterization of Ruegeria persistens sp. nov., a coral-associated bacterium that persists in a coral holobiont over eight months.

Proteomic analysis of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease demonstrates coral-algal dysbiosis during disease progression

This study uses proteomic analysis to show that SCTLD in corals involves immune suppression, coral-algal dysbiosis, oxidative stress, and wound-healing responses.

Within-colony color variation in a chalice coral is associated with region-specific pigment expression and higher photoconvertible pigment transcripts

This study identifies region-specific pigment gene expression patterns in a coral colony, showing higher expression of photoconvertible proteins in the orange oral region compared to the green body.

Stepping-stone population structure and widespread clonality of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta in the Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic

This study uses population genomics and larval dispersal modeling to show that Swiftia exserta relies on clonal propagation within mesophotic banks and episodic larval exchange between them.

The genome of the coral model sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana (Aiptasia) strain F003

The paper presents a high-quality genome assembly of the sea anemone Aiptasia strain F003, enhancing its use as a model for studying symbiosis, microbiomes, and thermal stress in cnidarians.

Coral restoration is only practical when local human pressure levels are low

This study shows that coral restoration is effective only when local human pressures are low, requiring less intervention in such conditions.