Sunlight Badrun Nesa1, Andrew H Baird2, Saki Harii3, Irina Yakovleva4, and Michio Hidaka1,* 1Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Univ. of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan 2ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia 3Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, Univ. of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 905-0227, Japan...

Stony corals (Scleractinia) are marine invertebrates that form the foundation and framework upon which tropical reefs are built. The coral animal associates with a diverse microbiome comprised of dinoflagellate algae and other protists, bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. Using a metagenomics approach, we analysed the DNA and RNA viral assemblages of seven coral species from the central Great...

Palytoxin (PTX) is a potent marine toxin that was originally found in soft corals from tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Soon after, its occurrence was observed in numerous other marine organisms from the same ecological region. More recently, several analogs of PTX were discovered, remarkably all from species of the dinoflagellate genus Ostreopsis. Since these dinoflagellates are also found...

Coral reef ecosystems provide many functions, services and goods to coastal populations, especially in the developing world. A variety of anthropogenic practices threatens reef health and therefore jeopardises the benefits flowing from these services and goods. These threats range from local pollution, sedimentation, destructive fishing practices and coral mining to global issues like coral ble...

Marine ecosystems cover about 70% of the planet surface and are still an underexploited source of useful metabolites. Among microbes, filamentous fungi are captivating organisms used for the production of many chemical classes of secondary metabolites bound to be used in various fields of industrial application. The present study was focused on the collection, isolation, screening and genotypin...

Distinguishing management effects from the inherent variability in a system is a key consideration in assessing reserve efficacy. Here, we demonstrate how seascape heterogeneity, defined as the spatial configuration and composition of coral reef habitats, can mask our ability to discern reserve effects. We then test the application of a landscape approach, utilizing advances in benthic habitat ...

J. T. Nelson and J. L. Peters, Dept of Biological Sciences, Wright State Univ., Dayton, OH, USA. – R. E. Wilson ([email protected]), U. S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, USA. – K. G. McCracken and REW, Inst. of Arctic Biology, Dept of Biology and Wildlife, and Univ. of Alaska Museum, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA. KGM also at: Dept of Biology and Dept o...

Due to their unusual living environment as compared with terrestrial organisms, marine organisms, such as sponge, octocoral, tunicate and bryozoan, metabolite and produce a variety of substances which often have various unprecedented chemical structures and exhibit significant biological activities. These bioactive constituents may offer interesting subjects of studies in view of bioorganic che...

Dinoflagellates are ubiquitous marine and freshwater protists. As free-living photosynthetic plankton, they account for ~50% of the primary productivity of oceans and lakes. As photosynthetic symbionts, they provide essential nutrients to most corals and numerous other marine invertebrates, supporting coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth, a rich food source, and a potential ...

The Coral Triangle is the global center of marine biodiversity; however, its coral reefs are critically threatened. Because of the bipartite life history of many marine species with sedentary adults and dispersive pelagic larvae, designing effective marine protected areas requires an understanding of patterns of larval dispersal and connectivity among geographically discrete populations. We use...