Members of the gammaproteobacterial genus Halomonas are common in marine environments. Halomonas and other members of the Oceanospirillales have recently been identified as prominent members of the surface microbiota of reef-building corals. Halomonas meridiana strain R1t3 was isolated from the surface mucus layer of the scleractinian coral Acropora palmata in 2005 from the Florida Keys. This s...

Coral reefs are suffering unprecedented declines in health state on a global scale. Some have suggested that human assisted evolution or gene flow may now be necessary to effectively restore and pre-condition them for future climate change. An understanding of the key metabolic processes corals, including under stressed conditions, would greatly facilitate effective application such interventio...

In situ growth rates of interstitial ciliates of a sandy hyporheic zone were determined by a modification of the dilution technique. Preconditioned sediment was used as a dilution substrate. Field incubation was conducted in the upper 3 cm sediment layer; samples were taken on 3 days (Days 0, 21 and 35) in October to November 2002. Mean growth rates varied between 0.070 d–1 (Pleuronema spp.) an...

The enhanced ability to direct sexual reproduction may lead to improved restoration outcomes for Acropora cervicornis. Gravid fragments of A. cervicornis were maintained in a laboratory for two sequential trials in the seven days prior to natural spawning in the Florida Keys. Ten replicates of five chemicals known to affect spawning in various invertebrate taxa were tested. Hydrogen peroxide at...

Naturally extreme temperature environments can provide important insights into the processes underlying coral thermal tolerance. We determined the bleaching resistance of Acropora aspera and Dipsastraea sp. from both intertidal and subtidal environments of the naturally extreme Kimberley region in northwest Australia. Here tides of up to 10 m can cause aerial exposure of corals and temperatures...