Download or read book Characterizing the Ecology of Coral Reef Microorganisms Across Different Scales Within the Caribbean written by Laura G. Weber and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microorganisms sustain the high productivity of coral reefs and support one of the most diverse, valuable, and threatened ecosystems on Earth. Despite the importance of reef microorganisms, there is a lack of understanding about their ecology, especially on Caribbean reefs. Furthermore, the hastening degradation of reefs due to anthropogenic stressors has made it difficult to understand natural patterns in microbial communities in the context of larger-scale ecosystem changes. Using genomics and metabolomics approaches paired with biogeochemical and physicochemical measurements as well as quantification of cell abundances, this dissertation provides optimized methods for studying the coral microbiome, investigates potential interactions between corals and seawater microorganisms, measures changes in the composition and diversity of reef seawater microorganisms over different spatial and temporal scales, and provides baseline information about microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and metabolite compositions of a protected and relatively-healthy Cuban coral reef-system to fill these critical knowledge gaps. I found that coral species and reef location influenced the composition of bacteria and archaea within the seawater surrounding coral colonies and this seawater was enriched with microbial colonization and interaction genes, providing evidence of a distinct microbial environment surrounding corals named the coral ecosphere. In a separate study, diel and daily variation superseded spatial variation in terms of influencing shifts in the microbial community. At a larger scale, seawater microbial communities collected from the protected reef-system of Jardines de la Reina, Cuba had higher alpha diversity and community similarity, lower nutrient concentrations, and higher abundances of picocyanobacteria compared to less protected reef-systems within Los Canarreos, Cuba and the Florida Keys, U.S.A and seawater microbial communities collected from each reef-system were influenced by hydrogeography and environmental gradients. Lastly, the extracellular metabolite composition of reef seawater collected across Jardines de la Reina was highly similar, suggesting homogenous environmental and hydrogeographic conditions across these forereefs. Overall, this dissertation characterizes reef seawater microbial communities across different scales and provides novel, baseline information about a protected and understudied Cuban reef-system, offering critical information about the ecology of reef microorganisms within the Caribbean.

Download or read book Examining Coral Reef Ecosystem Dynamics Using Microorganisms and Metabolites written by Cynthia Carroll Becker and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microorganisms and metabolites are foundational to the success and productivity of biodiverse and economically important coral reef ecosystems and are also tightly connected. Metabolites are small organic compounds produced by reef organisms and are the chemical currencies exchanged by unicellular microorganisms (bacteria and archaea) within the seawater. Although central to reef biogeochemical cycling, we still lack fundamental information on the dynamics of these components of reefs. In this dissertation, I analyzed microorganisms in Caribbean coral reef habitats over temporal, spatial and reef health gradients as well as metabolites in a spatial reef study. In Chapter 2, I applied a rapid sequencing methodology to corals afflicted with the lethal stony coral tissue loss disease and identified specific microorganisms which were biological indicators of the disease. In Chapter 3, I investigated the dynamics of microorganisms over short temporal tidal and diurnal cycles, as well as spatially across US Virgin Island (USVI) coastal habitats. In these habitats, I found tidal cycles were driving changes in microbial communities within mangroves, but diurnal patterns were more important in reef habitats. In Chapter 4, I examined reefs over a longer temporal scale by contributing to the building of a 7-year time-series of USVI reef ecology and found that reef water microorganisms were predictive of hurricane and stony coral tissue loss disease impacts. Finally, in Chapter 5, I combined analyses of untargeted and targeted metabolomics, microbial taxa, and functional genes from metagenomics across 300 km of reefs in Florida, in addition to microorganisms in healthy and diseased corals. With this unprecedented combination of 'omics datasets, I found that biogeographic zones, environmental features, and underlying habitat characteristics were related to microbial and metabolite features in the reef ecosystem. Further, I identified microorganisms and metabolites which were characteristic of specific reef biogeographic zones. Collectively, my work advances our understanding into the dynamics of microorganisms and metabolites in biodiverse coral reef habitats across natural temporal and spatial gradients and in the face of unprecedented stress and disturbance.

Download or read book The Caribbean Coral Reef written by William K. Sacco and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a visual tour of Caribbean coral reefs between 1968 and 1978. They are the world’s second largest coral reef community and the most threatened. The Caribbean Coral Reef: A Record of an Ecosystem Under Threat offers a priceless historical record made by a photographer who set out to document the major reef species when those reefs were at their prime. Today, coral reefs are under threat as never before and, sadly, most of what is shown in the book's photographs is now gone forever. It is only by comparing the images in this book with what we see now that we are able to fully recognize what we have lost. With its stunning photography and precise, accurate scientific information, this book offers students of coral reefs a wealth of information about this rich, fragile ecosystem. It is also written accessibly for non-academic visitors to the Caribbean reef or anyone interested in the earth’s creatures. Many of the invertebrates will be unfamiliar to most people, and the author reveals fascinating insights into these otherworldly creatures and their lifestyles. Enjoy this field guide to the reefs that were, and savor the beauty of this vanishing environment and its organisms.

Download or read book The Biology of Coral Reefs written by Charles Sheppard and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-24 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reefs represent the most spectacular and diverse marine ecosystem on the planet as well as a critical source of income for millions of people. However, the combined effects of human activity have led to a rapid decline in the health of reefs worldwide, with many now facing complete destruction. Their world-wide deterioration and over-exploitation has continued and even accelerated in many areas since the publication of the first edition in 2009. At the same time, there has been a near doubling in the number of scientific papers that have been written in this short time about coral reef biology and the ability to acclimate to ocean warming and acidification. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, incorporating the significant increase in knowledge gained over the last decade whilst retaining the book's focus as a concise and affordable overview of the field. The Biology of Coral Reefs provides an integrated overview of the function, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of coral reef organisms. Each chapter is enriched with a selection of 'boxes' on specific aspects written by internationally recognised experts. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate this marine environment although pollution, conservation, climate change, and experimental aspects are also included. Indeed, particular emphasis is placed on conservation and management due to the habitat's critically endangered status. A global range of examples is employed which gives the book international relevance.

Download or read book The Biology of Coral Reefs written by Charles R. C. Sheppard and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reefs represent the most spectacular and diverse marine ecosystem on the planet as well as a critical source of income for millions of people. However, the combined effects of human activity have led to a rapid decline in the health of reefs worldwide, with many now facing complete destruction. Their world-wide deterioration and over-exploitation has continued and even accelerated in many areas since the publication of the first edition in 2009. At the same time, there has been a near doubling in the number of scientific papers that have been written in this short time about coral reef biology and the ability to acclimate to ocean warming and acidification. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, incorporating the significant increase in knowledge gained over the last decade whilst retaining the book's focus as a concise and affordable overview of the field. The Biology of Coral Reefs provides an integrated overview of the function, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of coral reef organisms. Each chapter is enriched with a selection of 'boxes' on specific aspects written by internationally recognised experts. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate this marine environment although pollution, conservation, climate change, and experimental aspects are also included. Indeed, particular emphasis is placed on conservation and management due to the habitat's critically endangered status. A global range of examples is employed which gives the book international relevance.

Download or read book Investigating the Drivers of Microbial Community Dynamics in Caribbean Reef building Corals written by Courtney Dunphy and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Coral-associated microbial communities (microbiomes) have been increasingly recognized as important contributors to key functions that promote the health and persistence of their hosts. Rapid global climate change can impact the coral microbiome symbiosis and lead to negative shifts in microbial community structure that can ultimately lead to coral disease and the destruction of the coral reef. Conversely, microbes may contribute positively to coral resistance and resilience by rapidly adapting to varying environmental conditions. This dissertation uses a combination of survey, experimental, and theoretical methods to (i) define the characteristics of a healthy coral microbiome, (ii) identify the underlying mechanisms generating variability in coral microbiomes, and (iii) evaluate how processes operating at multiple levels of biological organization interact to regulate the microbiome in response to external perturbations and disease incidence. Chapter 2 describes a field survey in which I examined the natural microbiome variability associated with six Caribbean coral species (Acropora cervicornis, A. palmata, Diploria labyrinthinformis, [Pseudodiploria] D. strigosa, Porites astreoides, and P. furcata) from three genera at multiple reef sites over a period of one year. I identified differences in microbiome composition between coral genera and species that persisted across geographic and temporal scales, indicating that local processes such as coral host identity likely plays a strong role in microbiome structure. In addition, utilizing network analysis, I demonstrated that the strength of host identity over microbiome composition varied across coral genera. I further identified ubiquitous bacterial phylotypes (i.e., core microbiome) for each coral genus, and revealed that bacterial communities in corals show taxonomical, and potentially functional, redundancy in both the whole community and the core coral microbiome. Chapter 3 builds on this finding by assessing whether natural variability across coral genera is indicative of resistance to external disturbances. Using a common-garden field experiment, I identified and quantified the microbial community response after exposing three coral genera (A. cervicornis, D. strigosa, and P. astreoides) to a pulse perturbation consisting of a large dose of broad-spectrum antibiotics. I showed that all coral host microbiomes exhibited a high degree of resistance to the disturbance, however, the stability of their microbial communities varied across coral host species. Coral species that previously displayed the highest variability and community turnover (Chapter 2), here, exhibited the greatest resistance to the experimental perturbations. To resolve this apparent paradox, I developed a novel stage- structured mathematical model of host-microbial dynamics that showed post-disturbance stability depended on whether microbiome control (via antimicrobial compounds) was regulated by the coral host or within the microbiome itself. These results highlight that understanding how processes operate across multiple levels of biological organization interact to regulate microbiomes is critical to both predict and mitigate the effects of environmental variation. Finally, host-microbiome interactions play an important role in a host's susceptibility to disease, therefore, predicting when and how healthy microbiome symbioses break down represents an essential challenge for coral disease ecology. To address this issue, Chapter 4 utilized a tank-based transmission experiment using White Band Disease (WBD) on the staghorn coral A. cervicornis. This chapter compares the effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics and two rounds of exposure from healthy and diseased coral tissue homogenates on microbiome diversity and structure over time. This exposure treatment allowed me to test key factors associated with deterministic and stochastic microbial community assembly. I identified a positive legacy effect of antibiotics on coral-microbiome diversity and health that persisted through time. I determined there was a weak probiotic effect, and that a more specific and targeted exposure to beneficial microbes is necessary to potentially establish a positive probiotic effect. I further determined there was no evidence of a priority effect, as microbes from healthy hosts were unable to suppress the invasion of microbes from diseased hosts purely by colonizing first. Thus, the outcome of competition does not depend on initial conditions and is therefore more predictable"--Author's abstract.

Download or read book Coral Reefs at the Crossroads written by Dennis K. Hubbard and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, contributors from diverse backgrounds take a first step toward an integrated view of reefs and the significance of their recent decline. More than any other earth system, coral reefs sit at a disciplinary crossroads. Most recently, they have reached another crossroads - fundamental changes in their bio-physical structure greater than those of previous centuries or even millennia. Effective strategies to mitigate recent trends will require an approach that embraces the myriad perspectives from across the scientific landscape, but will also need a mechanism to transform scientific understanding into social will and political implementation.

Download or read book The Great Barrier Reef written by Pat Hutchings and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2008-11-07 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is 344 400 square kilometres in size and is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. This comprehensive guide describes the organisms and ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as the biological, chemical and physical processes that influence them. Contemporary pressing issues such as climate change, coral bleaching, coral disease and the challenges of coral reef fisheries are also discussed. In addition,the book includes a field guide that will help people to identify the common animals and plants on the reef, then to delve into the book to learn more about the roles the biota play. Beautifully illustrated and with contributions from 33 international experts, The Great Barrier Reef is a must-read for the interested reef tourist, student, researcher and environmental manager. While it has an Australian focus, it can equally be used as a baseline text for most Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Winner of a Whitley Certificate of Commendation for 2009.

Download or read book Coral Reefs An Ecosystem in Transition written by Zvy Dubinsky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-12-02 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers in one volume materials scattered in hundreds of research articles, in most cases focusing on specialized aspects of coral biology. In addition to the latest developments in coral evolution and physiology, it presents chapters devoted to novel frontiers in coral reef research. These include the molecular biology of corals and their symbiotic algae, remote sensing of reef systems, ecology of coral disease spread, effects of various scenarios of global climate change, ocean acidification effects of increasing CO2 levels on coral calcification, and damaged coral reef remediation. Beyond extensive coverage of the above aspects, key issues regarding the coral organism and the reef ecosystem such as calcification, reproduction, modeling, algae, reef invertebrates, competition and fish are re-evaluated in the light of new research and emerging insights. In all chapters novel theories as well as challenges to established paradigms are introduced, evaluated and discussed. This volume is indispensible for all those involved in coral reef management and conservation.

Download or read book Trophic Interactions in Caribbean Coral Reefs written by Dr. Silvia Opitz and published by WorldFish. This book was released on 1996 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Pisces Guide to Caribbean Reef Ecology written by William S. Alevizon and published by Lonely Planet. This book was released on 1993 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here's a delightful guide for anyone who loves the beauty and wonder of coral reefs and the marine life they support. Packed with color photos throughout, it simply and clearly describes the fascinating interplay - the ecology - of creatures, natural forces, and biological processes that make coral reefs so fascinating to behold. Focusing on coral reefs of the Caribbean, this enlightening and entertaining book goes beyond the who's and what's of these marvelous marine environments. It reveals the why's and how's of the complex roles, behaviors, and interrelationships of the creatures that inhabit coral reefs. To protect coral reefs, we must understand them. This handy guide clarifies the seemingly random chaos that characterizes coral reefs, and accurately portrays them as well-organized, highly interdependent ecosystems that require our care and attention. All who cherish the oceans' wonders will enjoy this illuminating look into the magical world of Caribbean Reef Ecology.

Download or read book Advances in 3D Habitat Mapping of Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation written by Renata Ferrari and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-02-16 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Coral Health and Disease written by Eugene Rosenberg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book opens with case studies of reefs in the Red Sea, Caribbean, Japan, Indian Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef. A section on microbial ecology and physiology describes the symbiotic relations of corals and microbes, and the microbial role in nutrition or bleaching resistance of corals. Coral diseases are covered in the third part. The volume includes 50 color photos of corals and their environments

Download or read book Environmental Regimes in the Caribbean and Implications for the Dynamics and Distribution of Its Coral Reefs written by Iliana Carolina Chollett Ordaz and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over evolutionary time coral reefs have been exposed to the influence of diverse environmental forces which have determined their structure and function. However, the climate of the earth is changing, affecting many biological systems, including coral reefs. Through this thesis the static and dynamic environment of the Caribbean basin was characterized using remote sensing and in situ data sources. This information was used to understand how present environmental conditions have shaped reef ecosystems and how the changing climate might jeopardize them. Focusing on physical constraints that drive many aspects of coastal ecology, a region-wide categorisation of the Physical Environments of the Caribbean Sea (PECS) was developed. The classification approach is hierarchical; including a first level of 16 physicochemical provinces based on sea surface temperature, turbidity and salinity data; and a second level considering mechanical disturbance from wave exposure and hurricanes. The PECS categorisation will facilitate comparative analyses and inform the stratification of studies across environmental provinces in the region. Montastraea spp. forereef habitats have the highest biodiversity and support the largest number of ecosystem processes and services in the Caribbean. One of the aspects of the physical environment, wave exposure, was used to predict the distribution of these habitats in the Caribbean basin with high accuracy (79%). The distribution of the habitat is constrained in environments of high exposure, a pattern likely to be driven by high rates of chronic sediment scour that constrain recruitment. This approach constitutes a fast and inexpensive alternative to traditional habitat mapping and complements global efforts to map reef extent. Recent changes in temperature have impacted ecosystem function across the globe. However, the nature of the responses has depended upon the rate of change of temperature and the season when the changes occur, which are spatially variable. In the Caribbean Sea, temperature trends are highly variable in space (ranging from -0.20 to 0.54°C decade-1) and most of the warming has been due to increases in summer temperatures. The highly detailed spatial and temporal patterns assessed can be used to elucidate observed ecological responses to climatic change in the region. In the face of increased temperatures it has been suggested that reefs may become increasingly restricted to locations of naturally low thermal stress, such as upwelling areas. However, when analysing the degree to which seasonal upwelling reduces the local thermal stress experienced by corals, it is clear that upwelling areas do not always offer meaningful protection. Hypothesised areas need to be assessed individually in order to evaluate their capacity as a refuge against climate change. In this thesis large progress has been made in assessing the ocean climate of the Caribbean basin by quantifying spatial patterns and their rate of change. Although some insight into the consequences of these seascape patterns to the function and distribution of marine systems has been provided, more can be done to fully exploit the datasets produced.

Download or read book Coral Reefs and Climate Change written by Jonathan Turnbull Phinney and published by American Geophysical Union. This book was released on 2006-01-10 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 61. The effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and related climate change on shallow coral reefs are gaining considerable attention for scientific and economic reasons worldwide. Although increased scientific research has improved our understanding of the response of coral reefs to climate change, we still lack key information that can help guide reef management. Research and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems over the past few decades have documented two major threats related to increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2: (1) increased sea surface temperatures and (2) increased seawater acidity (lower pH). Higher atmospheric CO2 levels have resulted in rising sea surface temperatures and proven to be an acute threat to corals and other reef-dwelling organisms. Short periods (days) of elevated sea surface temperatures by as little as 1–2°C above the normal maximum temperature has led to more frequent and more widespread episodes of coral bleaching-the expulsion of symbiotic algae. A more chronic consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 is the lowering of pH of surface waters, which affects the rate at which corals and other reef organisms secrete and build their calcium carbonate skeletons. Average pH of the surface ocean has already decreased by an estimated 0.1 unit since preindustrial times, and will continue to decline in concert with rising atmospheric CO2. These climate-related Stressors combined with other direct anthropogenic assaults, such as overfishing and pollution, weaken reef organisms and increase their susceptibility to disease.

Download or read book Human Impacts on Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems written by Marah Justine Hardt and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fishing is one of the oldest anthropogenic disturbances in the ocean, differing from other impacts in its direct removal of biomass from the ecosystem. Despite the centuries of fishing activities, there is much we still do not understand regarding the effects of fish removal on the benthic community. I use an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the affect of human disturbance, primarily the alteration of fish communities, on major functional groups of coral reefs, over extended temporal and spatial scales. In Chapter 2 , historical analyses reveal that relatively small human populations and simple fishing technologies can negatively impact reef fish communities. Significant declines are evident in Pre Columbian times and by the mid 19 th C. Declines were exacerbated by simple innovations of gear, such as chicken wire, and government subsidies, which expanded degradation to offshore and deeper reefs. In Chapter 3, I identify six major ecological guilds of common Caribbean coral species and show that changes in the abundance of these guilds from the Pleistocene to the present day can be understood in terms of recent human disturbance events. Formerly advantageous life history strategies no longer apply. Instead, guilds with the ability to withstand physical disturbance from storms, sedimentation, and pollution remain present on reefs, while strategies for high recruitment and rapid space colonization increase the relative abundance of another guild. Overall, no guild successfully competes with macroalgae for space and all corals have declined. In Chapter 4, I show that benthic and fish communities across the northwestern Caribbean are largely homogenized as a result of human disturbance. The exception is fish communities in large, no-take marine reserves, which resemble relatively healthy communities of low-impacted reefs in the Pacific. A negative correlation between fish and algal biomass indicate that reserves may facilitate coral recovery, although corals have not yet increased. Chapter 5 describes a novel method for calculating the wet and dry animal tissue mass per unit area of corals. Chapter 6 integrates these findings and demonstrates the importance of increased temporal, spatial, and ecosystem scale in effective research and management of degraded Caribbean coral reefs.

Download or read book Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs V2 written by O.A. Jones and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume II: Biology 1 discusses the major advances made in the biological aspects of coral reef problems. This book is organized into 12 chapters that cover the microbial aspects of coral reefs, the nutrition in corals, and diversity in coral reefs. The opening chapters describe the distribution and role of coral reef microorganisms, as well as the significance of bacterioplankton as a food source for the marine fauna of coral reefs. The following chapter discusses the occurrence of algae in coral reef, their competition with corals for space, and their role in reef construction. Other chapters deal with food and feeding mechanisms of corals, the role of marine antibiotics in coral reef ecology, and some chemical compounds isolated from coral reef organisms, providing evidence for marine pharmacologic activity in coral reef areas. The book also discusses some basic problems relating to the distribution and abundance of hermatypic corals on reefs. It then examines species diversity on coral reefs, variety of reef structure, and the important role of toxic materials produced by holothurians on the general ecology and physiology of coral reefs. The last chapters describe the development, feeding, and behavior of the larval stages of several coral reef asteroids. Particular emphasis is given to the larval and post-larval stages of the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci. The starfish population explosions, the devastating effects on the hard coral cover of coral reefs, and causes and control of population explosions are also covered. This volume will acquaint readers with some of the exciting developments in coral reef biology and will provide information that will enable them to assess the status of research in different fields.