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Objective Research on reefs is highly important for determining sedimentary environments and for oil and gas exploration, but relatively few studies have been conducted on Carboniferous reefs in the Southwest Tarim Basin. Methods Early Carboniferous reefs of the Heshirafu Formation in the Artashi section in the Southwest Tarim Basin formed in the Middle-Late Visean section of the Early Carboniferous. Reef-building organisms and accessory organisms were not quite diversified; the former mainly consisted of colonial corals of different kinds and solitary corals of a small number, and the latter were mostly echinoderms. Results Their growth was suspended due to less supply of terrigenous materials largely related to the frequent sea level changes in the Early Carboniferous in the piedmont structures of the Southwest Tarim Basin. These reefs are among the products of the recovery of metazoan skeleton reefs across the globe after the Late Devonian mass extinction; their occurrence was accompanied by mid- to late-stage Visean climate warming and global sea level rise. These reefs are common in the Early Carboniferous Visean reefs worldwide. In addition, according to the overall sedimentary facies of the Heshirafu Formation in the Artashi section and the adjacent Hantiereke Formation in the Kushanhe section, it is speculated that a transgression occurred from southwest to northeast in the Visean period of the Early Carboniferous in the Southwest Tarim Basin when the global sea level was rising and a passive continental margin was simultaneously forming and beginning to sink. As a result, a narrow platform margin facies belt gradually took shape in the piedmont structure of the Southwest Tarim Basin. This belt was conducive to the development of biological reefs. Then, when the Heshirafu Formation formed, a depositional system of "shore facies-lagoon facies-platform margin facies-slope facies-continental shelf facies" developed in a seaward direction. Conclusion The classification of sedimentary systems can provide a reference for Carboniferous sedimentary environments and oil and gas exploration in the Southwest Tarim Basin.

Abstract Background Supra aortic obstruction in children is uncommon and is seen in certain unique conditions. While intraluminal obstruction due to heavy calcification is seen in older populations, it is not described in pediatric populations. The coral reef aorta is a rare and distinct calcifying disease causing luminal obstruction of the suprarenal aorta in adults. The definition of this diagnosis relies entirely on the unique aspects and consistency of the lesions, which are rock-hard, irregular, gritty plaques with a white luminal surface resembling a coral reef. However, no such case has been described in children. Case presentation We present an adolescent boy who presented with a heavily calcified ascending aortic lesion associated with aortopathy and hypertension, 12 years after an aortic coarctation repair. The investigations included echocardiography, magnetic resonance and computer-tomographic imaging. A 3-D model was printed in order to visualize and plan surgical steps in advance for safe placement of clamps and defining the extent of resection. In addition, it provided an idea about tissue quality, thickness, spatial relationship, and orientation in relation to surrounding structures. Successful resection and replacement of the diseased segment of the aorta were achieved on cardiopulmonary bypass support. Post-operative recovery was uneventful, and at 6-month follow-up, the patient is doing well. In this report, various aspects of such lesions have been discussed, including clinical presentations, complications, planning and conduct of a safe cardiopulmonary bypass, and precautions during surgery for a successful outcome. Conclusion Complicated obstructive aortic lesions in children require careful assessment, appropriate advanced imaging, and the use of 3-D printing technology in order to plan and perform safe and effective surgical management. The etiology of severe calcified aorta in children may be related to metabolic factors, previous surgery, use of a homograft, or an inflammatory process. However, it has yet to be proven.

Background: Supra aortic obstruction in children is uncommon and is seen in certain unique conditions. While intraluminal obstruction due to heavy calcification is seen in older populations, it is not described in pediatric populations. The coral reef aorta is a rare and distinct calcifying disease causing luminal obstruction of the suprarenal aorta in adults. The definition of this diagnosis relies entirely on the unique aspects and consistency of the lesions, which are rock-hard, irregular, gritty plaques with a white luminal surface resembling a coral reef. However, no such case has been described in children. Case presentation: We present an adolescent boy who presented with a heavily calcified ascending aortic lesion associated with aortopathy and hypertension, 12 years after an aortic coarctation repair. The investigations included echocardiography, magnetic resonance and computer-tomographic imaging. A 3-D model was printed in order to visualize and plan surgical steps in advance for safe placement of clamps and defining the extent of resection. In addition, it provided an idea about tissue quality, thickness, spatial relationship, and orientation in relation to surrounding structures. Successful resection and replacement of the diseased segment of the aorta were achieved on cardiopulmonary bypass support. Post-operative recovery was uneventful, and at 6-month follow-up, the patient is doing well. In this report, various aspects of such lesions have been discussed, including clinical presentations, complications, planning and conduct of a safe cardiopulmonary bypass, and precautions during surgery for a successful outcome. Conclusion: Complicated obstructive aortic lesions in children require careful assessment, appropriate advanced imaging, and the use of 3-D printing technology in order to plan and perform safe and effective surgical management. The etiology of severe calcified aorta in children may be related to metabolic factors, previous surgery, use of a homograft, or an inflammatory process. However, it has yet to be proven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid origination and diversification of major animal body plans during the early Cambrian coincide with the rise of Earth's first animal‐built framework reefs. Given the importance of scleractinian coral reefs as ecological facilitators in modern oceans, we investigate the impact of archaeocyathan (Class Archaeocyatha) reefs as engineered ecosystems during the Cambrian radiation. In this study, we present the first high‐resolution, three‐dimensional (3D) reconstructions of branching archaeocyathide (Order Archaeocyathida) individuals from three localities on the Laurentian paleocontinent. Because branched forms in sponges and corals display phenotypic plasticity that preserve the characteristics of the surrounding growth environment, we compare morphological measurements from our fossil specimens to those of modern corals to infer the surface conditions of Earth's first reefs. These data demonstrate that archaeocyaths could withstand and influence the flow of water, accommodate photosymbionts, and build topographically complex and stable structures much like corals today. We also recognize a stepwise increase in the roughness of reef environments in the lower Cambrian, which would have laid a foundation for more abundant and diverse coevolving fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplinary focus, where specimens are collected, preserved, and archived in ways that are not always conducive to further downstream analyses by specialists in other disciplines. This approach may prevent the full utilization of unexpended specimens, leading to siloed research, duplicative efforts, unnecessary loss of additional corals to research endeavors, and overall increased costs. A recent US National Science Foundationsponsored workshop set out to consolidate our collective knowledge across the disciplines of Omics, Physiology, and Microscopy and Imaging regarding the methods used for coral sample collection, preservation, and archiving. Here, we highlight knowledge gaps and propose some simple steps for collecting, preserving, and archiving coral-bleaching specimens that can increase the impact of individual coral bleaching and restoration studies, as well as foster additional analyses and future discoveries through collaboration. Rapid freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen or placing at -80 °C to -20 °C is optimal for most Omics and Physiology studies with a few exceptions; however, freezing samples removes the potential for many Microscopy and Imaging-based analyses due to the alteration of tissue integrity during freezing. For Microscopy and Imaging, samples are best stored in aldehydes. The use of sterile gloves and receptacles during collection supports the downstream analysis of host-associated bacterial and viral communities which are particularly germane to disease and restoration efforts. Across all disciplines, the use of aseptic techniques during collection, preservation, and archiving maximizes the research potential of coral specimens and allows for the greatest number of possible downstream analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplinary focus, where specimens are collected, preserved, and archived in ways that are not always conducive to further downstream analyses by specialists in other disciplines. This approach may prevent the full utilization of unexpended specimens, leading to siloed research, duplicative efforts, unnecessary loss of additional corals to research endeavors, and overall increased costs. A recent US National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop set out to consolidate our collective knowledge across the disciplines of Omics, Physiology, and Microscopy and Imaging regarding the methods used for coral sample collection, preservation, and archiving. Here, we highlight knowledge gaps and propose some simple steps for collecting, preserving, and archiving coral-bleaching specimens that can increase the impact of individual coral bleaching and restoration studies, as well as foster additional analyses and future discoveries through collaboration. Rapid freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen or placing at −80 °C to −20 °C is optimal for most Omics and Physiology studies with a few exceptions; however, freezing samples removes the potential for many Microscopy and Imaging-based analyses due to the alteration of tissue integrity during freezing. For Microscopy and Imaging, samples are best stored in aldehydes. The use of sterile gloves and receptacles during collection supports the downstream analysis of host-associated bacterial and viral communities which are particularly germane to disease and restoration efforts. Across all disciplines, the use of aseptic techniques during collection, preservation, and archiving maximizes the research potential of coral specimens and allows for the greatest number of possible downstream analyses.

Sessile organisms exploit a life-history strategy in which adults are immobile and their growth position is determined at settlement. The morphological strategy exploited by these organisms has strong selective value, because it can allow beneficial matching of morphology to environmental and biological conditions. In benthic marine environments, a 'sheet-tree' morphology is a classic mechanism exploited by select sessile organisms, and milleporine hydrocorals provide one of the best examples of this strategy. Using 30-year analysis of Millepora sp. on the reefs of St. John, US Virgin Islands, I tested for the benefits of a sheet-tree morphology in mediating the ecological success of an important functional group of benthic space holders. The abundance of Millepora sp. chaotically changed from 1992 to 2021 in concert with hurricanes, bleaching and macroalgal crowding. Millepora sp. responded to these disturbances by exploiting their morphological strategy to increase the use of trees when their sheets were compromised by bleaching and spatial competition with macroalgae, and the use of sheets when their trees were broken by storms. Together, these results reveal the selective value of a plastic sheet-tree morphology, which can be exploited by sessile organisms to respond to decadal-scale variation in environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territoriality plays a key role in the survival and reproduction of many species. Damselfish (Family: Pomacentridae), reef-dwelling fish found in tropical locations, are territorial and competitively engage both intra- and interspecific fish in order to protect their algal lawns. While damselfish territoriality has been examined as it relates to attack distance in con- and hetero-specifics, aggression in damselfish has not yet been related to fish density and proximity. The Gala'pagos yellowtail damselfish, Stegastes arcifrons, was selected for analysis of the factors that affect its behavioral aggression. Yellowtail damselfish individuals (n=31) were observed in the wild in 5-minute counts for aggressive interactions toward con- and hetero-specifics. The average location of the observed damselfish, including the locations of its nearby neighbors, was noted and dive markers were placed at these locations following the 5-minute count. Photographs of the average locations of the damselfish during the test, as shown by the dive markers, were taken and imaging software was used to determine damselfish density and an approximation of controlled territory through conversion into Voronoi diagrams. Aggression rates toward conspecific encounters, measured in aggressive attacks/minute, were positively correlated with damselfish density and inversely correlated with controlled territory size (p, 0.001 for both correlations, R2 = 0.52 and 0.35 respectively). There were no significant correlations between aggression rates toward heterospecific encounters and any measured variables (p. 0.05 for all correlations). The number of nearby neighbors was also not significantly correlated with aggression (p. 0.05). Damselfish aggression is a direct function of both controlled area and conspecific density, but not of the number of nearby neighbors nor heterospecific individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic climate change threatens corals globally and both high and low temperatures are known to induce coral bleaching. However, coral stress responses across wide thermal breadths remain understudied. Disentangling the role of symbiosis on the stress response in obligately symbiotic corals is challenging because this response is inherently coupled with nutritional stress. Here, we leverage aposymbiotic colonies of the facultatively symbiotic coral, Astrangia poculata, which lives naturally with and without its algal symbionts, to examine how broad thermal challenges influence coral hosts in the absence of symbiosis. A. poculata were collected from their northern range limit and thermally challenged in two independent 16‐day common garden experiments (heat and cold challenge) and behavioural responses to food stimuli and genome‐wide gene expression profiling (TagSeq) were performed. Both thermal challenges elicited significant reductions in polyp extension. However, there were five times as many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under cold challenge compared to heat challenge. Despite an overall stronger response to cold challenge, there was significant overlap in DEGs between thermal challenges. We contrasted these responses to a previously identified module of genes associated with the environmental stress response (ESR) in tropical reef‐building corals. Cold challenged corals exhibited a pattern consistent with more severe stressors while the heat challenge response was consistent with lower intensity stressors. Given that these responses were observed in aposymbiotic colonies, many genes previously implicated in ESRs in tropical symbiotic species may represent the coral host's stress response in or out of symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are a biodiversity hotspot, 1,2 and the association between coral and intracellular dinoflagellates is a model for endosymbiosis. 3,4 Recently, corals and related anthozoans have also been found to harbor another kind of endosymbiont, apicomplexans called corallicolids. 5 Apicomplexans are a diverse lineage of obligate intracellular parasites 6 that include human pathogens such as the malaria parasite, Plasmodium. 7 Global environmental sequencing shows corallicolids are tightly associated with tropical and subtropical reef environments, 5,8,9 where they infect diverse corals across a range of depths in many reef systems, and correlate with host mortality during bleaching events. 10 All of this points to corallicolids being ecologically significant to coral reefs, but it is also possible they are even more widely distributed because most environmental sampling is biased against parasites that maintain a tight association with their hosts throughout their life cycle. We tested the global distribution of corallicolids using a more direct approach, by specifically targeting potential anthozoan host animals from cold/temperate marine waters outside the coral reef context. We found that corallicolids are in fact common in such hosts, in some cases at high frequency, and that they infect the same tissue as parasites from topical coral reefs. Parasite phylogeny suggests corallicolids move between hosts and habitats relatively frequently, but that biogeography is more conserved. Overall, these results greatly expand the range of corallicolids beyond coral reefs, suggesting they are globally distributed parasites of marine anthozoans, which also illustrates significant blind spots that result from strategies commonly used to sample microbial biodiversity. • Coral parasites are found in cold-water ecosystems • They infect animals related to corals, such as anemones and corallimorphs • Biogeography is a major factor in parasite evolution • Current strategies for sampling microbial diversity overlook important parasites Corallicolids are coral parasites that were thought to be restricted to coral reef ecosystems. Trznadel et al. show that they are widely distributed, infecting related hosts, such as anemones, in cold marine environments. This shows that corallicolids are globally relevant parasites and raises questions about biases in microbial diversity surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two introduced invasive red macroalgae, Eucheuma denticulatum (Burman) Collins & Hervey and Gracilaria salicornia C. Ag., progressively declined in abundance in Ka-ne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i, following ~30 years of increase since their introduction in the mid-1970s. The declines were not the result of biological control or mechanical control efforts, but instead were the result of grazing by native herbivores, probably fishes, as demonstrated by field experiments conducted in 2014 with algal thalli exposed to, and protected from grazing. Two long-term time-series of the abundance of herbivorous fishes at Ka-ne'ohe Bay patch and fringing reef sites indicated that the abundance of herbivorous fishes increased from 2007 through 2014 over the period when these macroalgae declined in cover. Analyses of data of algal cover from surveys of Ka-ne'ohe Bay reefs carried out between 1996 and 2018 indicate that the declines in E. denticulatum and G. salicornia began in approximately 2008, several years before control programs commenced on some of the reefs in the bay. In addition to intense herbivory, high summer water temperatures in 2014 and 2015 may have contributed to the decline in E. denticulatum. Naturally occurring declines in the abundance of alien invasive marine algal species have rarely been reported in the literature. These reductions in macroalgal abundance are the second instance of decline in invasive macroalgae in Ka-ne'ohe Bay since 2006, and have reduced competition between macroalgae and corals on reef flats and reef slopes across the bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are an important source of sediment for reef-lined coasts and help to maintain beaches by providing protection though dissipation of wave energy. Understanding the mechanisms that deliver sediment to the coast from coral reefs and quantifying the total volume of sediment generated at coral reefs are critical for projecting future coastal change. A month-long hydrodynamics and sediment transport study on a fringing reef/lagoon complex in Western Australia indicates that lower frequency wave energy constituents are important to the total bedload transport of sediment across the reef flat and lagoon to the shoreline. The reef flat and the lagoon are characterized by distinctly different transport regimes, resulting in an offset in the timing of bedform migration between the two. Short-term storage of sediment occurs on the reef flat, which is subsequently transported into the lagoon when offshore wave heights increase and strong currents due to wave breaking at the reef crest develop. This sudden influx of sediment is correlated with an increase in bedform migration rates in the lagoon. Infragravity wave energy on the reef flat and lagoon make an important contribution to the migration of bedforms and resultant bedload transport. Given the complexity of the hydrodynamics of fringing reefs, the transfer of energy to lower frequency bands, as well as accurate estimates of sources and sinks of sediment, must but considered in order to correctly model the transport of sediment from the reef to the coast.

As climate change progresses, reef‐building corals must contend more often with suboptimal conditions, motivating a need to understand coral stress response. Here, we test the hypothesis that there is a stereotyped transcriptional response that corals enact under all stressful conditions, functionally characterized by downregulation of growth, and activation of cell death, response to reactive oxygen species, immunity, and protein folding and degradation. We analyse RNA‐seq and Tag‐Seq data from 14 previously published studies and supplement them with four new experiments involving different stressors, totaling over 600 gene expression profiles from the genus Acropora. Contrary to expectations, we found not one, but two distinct types of response. The type A response was observed under all kinds of high‐intensity stress, was correlated between independent projects and was functionally consistent with the hypothesized stereotyped response. The consistent correlation between projects, irrespective of stress type, supports the type A response as the general coral environmental stress response (ESR), a blanket solution to severely stressful conditions. The distinct type B response was observed under lower intensity stress and was more variable among studies. Unexpectedly, at the level of individual genes and functional categories, the type B response was broadly opposite the type A response. Finally, taking advantage of the breadth of the data set, we present contextual annotations for previously unannotated genes based on consistent stress‐induced differences across independent projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs function as submerged breakwaters providing wave mitigation and flood-reduction benefits for coastal communities. Although the wave-reducing capacity of reefs has been associated with wave breaking and friction, studies quantifying the relative contribution by corals are lacking. To fill this gap, a series of experiments was conducted on a trapezoidal artificial reef model with and without fragments of staghorn coral skeletons attached. The experiments were performed at the University of Miami’s Surge-Structure-Atmosphere-Interaction (SUSTAIN) Facility, a large-scale wind/wave tank, where the influence of coral skeletons on wave reduction under different wave and depth conditions was quantified through water level and wave measurements before and after the reef model. Coral skeletons reduce wave transmission and increase wave-energy dissipation, with the amount depending on the hydrodynamic conditions and relative geometrical characteristics of the reef. The trapezoidal artificial coral reef model was found to reduce up to 98% of the wave energy with the coral contribution estimated to be up to 56% of the total wave-energy dissipation. Depending on the conditions, coral skeletons can thus enhance significantly, through friction, the wave-reducing capability of a reef.

Scleractinian corals are colonial animals with a range of life‐history strategies, making up diverse species assemblages that define coral reefs. We tagged and tracked ~30 colonies from each of 11 species during seven trips spanning 6 years (2009–2015) to measure their vital rates and competitive interactions on the reef crest at Trimodal Reef, Lizard Island, Australia. Pairs of species were chosen from five growth forms in which one species of the pair was locally rare (R) and the other common (C). The sampled growth forms were massive (Goniastrea pectinata [R] and G. retiformis [C]), digitate (Acropora humilis [R] and A. cf. digitifera [C]), corymbose (A. millepora [R] and A. nasuta [C]), tabular (A. cytherea [R] and A. hyacinthus [C]) and arborescent (A. robusta [R] and A. intermedia [C]). An extra corymbose species with intermediate abundance, A. spathulata was included when it became apparent that A. millepora was too rare on the reef crest, making the 11 species in total. The tagged colonies were visited each year in the weeks prior to spawning. During visits, two or more observers each took two or three photographs of each tagged colony from directly above and on the horizontal plane with a scale plate to track planar area. Dead or missing colonies were recorded and new colonies tagged to maintain ~30 colonies per species throughout the 6 years of the study. In addition to tracking tagged corals, 30 fragments were collected from neighboring untagged colonies of each species for counting numbers of eggs per polyp (fecundity); and fragments of untagged colonies were brought into the laboratory where spawned eggs were collected for biomass and energy measurements. We also conducted surveys at the study site to generate size structure data for each species in several of the years. Each tagged colony photograph was digitized by at least two people. Therefore, we could examine sources of error in planar area for both photographers and outliners. Competitive interactions were recorded for a subset of species by measuring the margins of tagged colony outlines interacting with neighboring corals. The study was abruptly ended by Tropical Cyclone Nathan (Category 4) that killed all but nine of the more than 300 tagged colonies in early 2015. Nonetheless, these data will be of use to other researchers interested in coral demography and coexistence, functional ecology, and parametrizing population, community, and ecosystem models. The data set is not copyright restricted, and users should cite this paper when using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bolbometopon muricatum are ecologically unique mega-consumers in coral reef ecosystems. They primarily divide their dietary intake between living scleractinian corals and coral rock, a substrate richly colonized by non-coral biota. Here we examine how the chemical, structural, and energetic content of these two main classes of forage material may influence B. muricatum feeding behavior and selectivity. We then also examine nutrient content, pH, and alkalinity of the carbonate-rich feces of B. muricatum as a step toward understanding how B. muricatum defecation could affect reef nutrient dynamics and localized seawater chemistry. Our results suggest that by most measures, coral rock constitutes a richer food source than living corals, exhibiting higher levels of eight biologically relevant elements, and containing approximately three times greater caloric value than living corals. Additionally, the two forage types also presented distinct mineralogy, with the coral rock resembling a Mg-enriched carbonate phase in contrast to the primarily aragonitic live corals. Despite the fact that individual B. muricatum excrete tons of macerated coral annually, the low measured concentrations of N and P in feces suggest that this excretion may have relatively minor effects of reef macronutrient budgets. We also observed negligible local-scale impacts of B. muricatum feces on seawater pH and alkalinity. The approaches applied here integrate perspectives from marine biogeochemistry, materials science, and ecology. Collectively, these results provide preliminary insight into how reef chemistry could shape foraging of this dominant and vulnerable coral reef consumer and how it, in turn, might affect the chemistry of these reefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severely degraded condition of many coral reefs worldwide calls for active interventions to rehabilitate their physical and biological structure and function, in addition to effective management of fisheries and no‐take reserves. Rehabilitation efforts to stabilize reef substratum sufficiently to support coral growth have been limited in size. We documented a large coral reef rehabilitation in Indonesia aiming to restore ecosystem functions by increasing live coral cover on a reef severely damaged by blast fishing and coral mining. The project deployed small, modular, open structures to stabilize rubble and to support transplanted coral fragments. Between 2013 to 2015, approximately 11,000 structures covering 7,000 m2 were deployed over 2 ha of a reef at a cost of US$174,000. Live coral cover on the structures increased from less than 10% initially to greater than 60% depending on depth, deployment date and location, and disturbances. The mean live coral cover in the rehabilitation area in October 2017 was higher than reported for reefs in many other areas in the Coral Triangle, including marine protected areas, but lower than in the no‐take reference reef. At least 42 coral species were observed growing on the structures. Surprisingly, during the massive coral bleaching in other regions during the 2014–2016 El Niño–Southern Oscillation event, bleaching in the rehabilitation area was less than 5% cover despite warm water (≥30°C). This project demonstrates that coral rehabilitation is achievable over large scales where coral reefs have been severely damaged and are under continuous anthropogenic disturbances in warming waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroinvertebrates play a critical role in marine processes, are important in global fisheries, and make up the vast majority of ocean biodiversity, yet are largely overlooked in fisheries stock assessment and conservation. Marine reserves are a heavily advocated method for promoting recovery of marine biodiversity, but the design of reserves and the methods for evaluating their performance often neglect invertebrate taxa, instead assessing changes in fish abundance or biomass.The purpose of this study is to (1) measure the impacts of no‐take marine reserves on marine macroinvertebrates, (2) identify the correlates of changes to macroinvertebrate abundance, and (3) determine if the typical taxa used to measure reserve success (finfish) can predict changes in invertebrate abundance.Non‐coral, non‐sponge, macroinvertebrates were sampled inside and outside of 10 community‐managed marine reserves in the Central Philippines and compared with abundances found at distant fished sites.Using generalized linear mixed effects models with multimodel inference, positive reserve effects were found in exploited invertebrate taxa both inside and outside of reserves (1.5–2.3 times greater abundances), but no effect was found in unfished taxa.Habitat composition and complexity were consistently associated with higher invertebrate abundance. Most surprisingly, invertebrate abundance was not consistently predicted by that of fish.These results indicate fish, in isolation, may not be an ideal indicator for biodiversity response to reserves, and habitat considerations are important when creating reserves that support invertebrates. These results are particularly relevant to practitioners in developing regions, where community‐managed reserves are common and invertebrates are important in fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to environmental disturbances, such as rapid shifts in temperature or carbonate saturation. Work on modern reefs has suggested that some corals will fare better than others in times of stress and that their life history traits might correlate with species survival. These same traits can be applied to fossil taxa to assess whether life history traits correspond with coral survival through past intervals of stress similar to future climate predictions. This study aims to identify whether ecological selection (based on physiology, behavior, habitat, etc.) plays a role in the long‐term survival of corals during the late Paleocene and early Eocene. The late Paleocene‐early Eocene interval is associated with multiple hyperthermal events that correspond to rises in atmospheric pCO2 and sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, and increases in weathering and turbidity. Coral reefs are rare during the late Paleocene and early Eocene, but despite the lack of reef habitat, corals do not experience an extinction at the generic level and there is little extinction at the species level. In fact, generic and species richness increases throughout the late Paleocene and early Eocene. We show that corals with certain traits (coloniality, carnivorous, or suspension feeding diet, hermaphroditic brooding reproduction, living in clastic settings) are more likely to survive climate change in the early Eocene. These findings have important implications for modern coral ecology and allow us to make more nuanced predictions about which taxa will have higher extinction risk in present‐day climate change. Plain Language Summary: Climate change is negatively impacting corals and reefs today. In order for us to plan for future reef survival, we must learn how corals will respond to these stresses. Past intervals of climate change can provide valuable information about what happens to reefs when the environment changes quickly and how, or if, they recover. We explore the Paleocene and Eocene Stages, which contain a series of high‐temperature events called hyperthermals. We look at the specific traits of the corals at this time, for example, what type of food they ate, how they reproduced, whether they could share resources with one another in a colony, and calculate whether these traits made the corals more likely to survive during this time period. Corals have a relationship with algae that photosynthesize food for the coral, which helps the corals build large skeletons. We show that corals that do not depend on these photosymbionts for food are colonial or live in special habitats and have a better chance of surviving climate change events over long timescales. This research is important for future predictions of coral reef response to climate change; past events, like the one studies, can identify the types of corals that will likely perform best. This information can help scientists figure out how to best protect coral reefs. Key Points: There is no extinction of coral genera in the late Paleocene; however, there are extinctions at the species levelDifferences in habitat, reproductive strategy, diet, coloniality, and photosymbiotic ability make some corals more susceptible to extinction than othersThe early Paleogene is an important case study in how coral communities survive extreme environmental perturbations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reefs at Ko Samae San (S), Khao Ma Cho (K), and Ko Tao Mo (T), in the Gulf of Thailand (GoT) represent a biodiversity hotspot, and bacteria play significant roles in maintaining the health of these coral reefs and their biogeochemical cycles. Therefore, this study analyzed bacterial communities (microbiota) from healthy corals and nearby seawater and sediment, using B-RISA and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sampling was done in one dry and one wet season to provide an initial assessment of variation with environmental conditions. The most prevalent coral species were Porites lutea, Platygyra sinensis, Acropora humilis, and Acropora millepora. The B-RISA and the sequencing results were correlated, which increased confidence the results. The microbiota varied among corals, seawater, and sediment and between the wet and dry seasons. Percentages of bacteria with known functions varied among sample types and seasons, and their relative abundances supported previously reported essential functions, such as prevention of disease (e.g., Pseudoalteromonas, Psychrobacter, and Cobetia were more abundant on corals in the dry season). Pearson's correlations and multiple factor regressions identified dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, salinity, and density as significant influences on the microbiota. The equations estimated the relative abundance of a community comprising 147 bacterial genera, as well as the relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Verrucomicrobium, and Epulopiscium (R2 ≥ 0.721). These results represent the first descriptions of microbiota from corals, and surrounding seawater and sediments in the upper GoT.

Connectivity among individual marine protected areas (MPAs) is one of the most important considerations in the design of integrated MPA networks. To provide such information for managers in Hawaii, USA, a numerical circulation model was developed to determine the role of ocean currents in transporting coral larvae from natal reefs throughout the high volcanic islands of the Maui Nui island complex in the southeastern Hawaiian Archipelago. Spatially- and temporally-varying wind, wave, and circulation model outputs were used to drive a km-scale, 3-dimensional, physics-based circulation model for Maui Nui. The model was calibrated and validated using satellite-tracked ocean surface current drifters deployed during coral-spawning conditions, then used to simulate the movement of the larvae of the dominant reef-building coral, Porites compressa, from 17 reefs during eight spawning events in 2010–2013. These simulations make it possible to investigate not only the general dispersal patterns from individual coral reefs, but also how anomalous conditions during individual spawning events can result in large deviations from those general patterns. These data also help identify those reefs that are dominated by self-seeding and those where self-seeding is limited to determine their relative susceptibility to stressors and potential roadblocks to recovery. Overall, the numerical model results indicate that many of the coral reefs in Maui Nui seed reefs on adjacent islands, demonstrating the interconnected nature of the coral reefs in Maui Nui and providing a key component of the scientific underpinning essential for the design of a mutually supportive network of MPAs to enhance conservation of coral reefs.