The induction of larval attachment and metamorphosis of benthic marine invertebrates is widely considered to rely on habitat specific cues. While microbial biofilms on marine hard substrates have received considerable attention as specific signals for a wide and phylogenetically diverse array of marine invertebrates, the presumed chemical settlement signals produced by the bacteria have to date...

Coral reefs are one of the most important marine ecosystems, providing habitat for approximately a quarter of all marine organisms. Within the foundation of this ecosystem, reef-building corals form mutualistic symbioses with unicellular photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium. Exposure to UV radiation (UVR) (280 to 400 nm) especially when combined with thermal stress has been ...

Dongsha Atoll (also known as Pratas) in Taiwan is the northernmost atoll in the South China Sea and a designated marine national park since 2007. The marine park's scope of protection covers the bio-resources of its waters in addition to uplands, so it is important to have data logging information and analyses of marine flora and fauna, including their physiology, ecology, and genetics. As part...

Quantifying shark distribution patterns and species-specific habitat associations in response to geographic and environmental drivers is critical to assessing risk of exposure to fishing, habitat degradation, and the effects of climate change. The present study examined shark distribution patterns, species-habitat associations, and marine reserve use with baited remote underwater video stations...

ALASDAIR J. EDWARDS *, SUSAN CLARK , HUSSEIN ZAHIRà, ARJAN RAJASURIYA§, ABDULLA NASEERà and JASON RUBENS Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK àMarine Research Centre, Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Male', Maldives §Coral Reef Research Programme, National Aquatic Resources Research & Development A...

Department of Biology, 221 Morrill Science Center, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem, Science and Policy, University of Miami, Co...

Neil Hammerschlag*, Austin J. Gallagher, Julia Wester, Jiangang Luo and Jerald S. Ault Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149, USA; Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami, PO Box 248203, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA; and RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program, Uni...

Roughly 240 million years ago (Ma), scleractinian corals rapidly expanded and diversified across shallow marine environments. The main driver behind this evolution is uncertain, but the ecological success of modern reef-building corals is attributed to their nutritional symbiosis with photosynthesizing dinoflagellate algae. We show that a suite of exceptionally preserved Late Triassic (ca. 212 ...

Karimunjawa archipelago, marine national park, has been considered to be a relatively pristine area that have more than 90 species of corals. This study was conducted to detect any concentrations heavy metal levels in the tissues of eight coral species. Based on life-forms, selected coral species are classified as massive (Porites lutea and Goniastrea retiformis), submassive (Galaxea fascicular...

The unanticipated impacts of consumers in fragmented habitats are frequently a challenge for ecosystem management. On Indo-Pacific coral reefs, crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster spp.) are coral predators whose outbreaks cause precipitous coral decline. Across large spatial scales, Acanthaster densities are lower in large no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and reefs subject to limited hu...