Karyotype analysis was performed on the scleractinian coral Coelastrea aspera Verrill, 1866, commonly found along temperate coasts in Japan (30-35°N) and in coastal waters in the Indian and Pacific oceans. G-banding of Coelastrea aspera was successfully performed, although the banding pattern was not as clear as that in mammals. The karyogram clearly revealed that this coral had a homogeneously...

The coral reefs at the northernmost tip of Sabah, Borneo will be established under a marine protected area: the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) by the end of 2015. This area is a passage where the Sulu Sea meets the South China Sea and it is situated at the border of the area of maximum marine biodiversity, the Coral Triangle. The TMP includes fringing and patch reefs established on a relatively shallo...

For my parents, for introducing me to the wonders of coral reefs from an early age and for their everlasting support " Coral reefs are threatened, not doomed – if we can avoid extreme climate change, runoff and over-fishing. Prevention is better than cure, but recovery is possible. The decisions we make now, or don't make, will have profound long-term consequences. " und Alex, die mich zu jeder...

A cDNA (named LGfact) encoding actin was identified in planular larvae of the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis, using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques. RNA from the adult coral that was inhabited by symbiotic dinophytes was subjected to a similar RT-PCR, and a cDNA fragment, named AGfact-p, was found to e...

The success of coral reef ecosystems largely depends on mutualistic symbiosis between scleractinian corals and the dinoflagellate photosymbiont Symbiodinium spp. However, further investigation is needed to elucidate the flexibility of coral-algae associations in response to environmental changes. In this study, we applied a molecular method (high-throughput internal transcribed spacer 2 region ...

23 24 Coral cell cultures made from reef-building scleractinian corals have the potential to aid in the pursuit 25 of understanding of the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Various methods have previously been 26 described for the production of cell cultures in vitro with a range of success and longevity. In this 27 study, viable tissue spheroids containing host tissue and symbionts (coral ex...

Coral mortality has increased in recent decades, making coral recruitment more important than ever in sustaining coral reef ecosystems and contributing to their resilience. This review summarizes existing information on ecological factors affecting scleractinian coral recruitment. Successful recruitment requires the survival of coral offspring through sequential life history stages. Larval avai...

Nutrient loading is one of the strongest drivers of marine habitat degradation. Yet, the link between nutrients and disease epizootics in marine organisms is often tenuous and supported only by correlative data. Here, we present experimental evidence that chronic nutrient exposure leads to increases in both disease prevalence and severity and coral bleaching in scleractinian corals, the major h...

Corallimorpharia is a small Order of skeleton-less animals that is closely related to the reef-building corals (Scleractinia) and of fundamental interest in the context of understanding the potential impacts of climate change in the future on coral reefs. The relationship between the nominal Orders Corallimorpharia and Scleractinia is controversial-the former is either the closest outgroup to t...

Given the previously documented importance of lipid concentration and composition in the successful cryopreservation of gorgonian corals, these parameters were assessed in oocytes of five species of scleractinian coral; Platygyra daedalea, Echinopora gemmacea, Echinophyllia aspera, Oxypora lacera and Astreopora expansa. Wax esters, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and fatty acids ...