Biological communities are connected through dispersal, which regulates diversity across local and regional scales. However, dispersal is difficult to measure directly, limiting what is known about dispersal's impact on species composition in complex communities. One method to measure dispersal employs the Neutral Community Model (NCM) to quantify how a local community is influenced by the immigration of individuals from a larger source community. Conveniently, the immigration rate NTm of the NCM can be fit from biological sequence abundance datasets, which are plentiful. Yet it is neither known if these estimated values reflect the ground truth, nor what sampling effort is required to yield accurate estimates. In this study, we introduce two inference methods, a variance-based and a Dirichlet-multinomial log-likelihood (DM-LL) method, to complement the established occupancy-based inference method. In simulations of communities that resemble activated sludge microbiomes, all inference methods were capable of estimating NTm within 10% of ground-truth, with the variance-based and DM-LL methods requiring less sampling effort. Accurate inferences require read depths greater than NTm in each sample. The three methods agree in their inferred NTm in simulations of communities experiencing weak non-neutral effects (e.g., selection) and in applications to abundance datasets from wastewater activated sludge, tropical trees, and coral reefs. Based on these findings, we propose practical sampling and methodological guidelines for quantifying immigration between highly diverse, complex communities using the NCM.

We report the first complete mitochondrial genome of the palecheek parrotfish, Chlorurus japanensis. The 16,694 bp circular genome contains the standard vertebrate gene complement: 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and one non-coding control region (D-loop). As is typical, most genes are located on the H-strand, with only the nd6 gene and eight tRNAs encoded on the L-strand. A tRNA gene rearrangement pattern conserved among parrotfishes was also identified. Phylogenetic analysis placed C. japanensis within the tribe Scarini, where it formed a well-supported clade with other Chlorurus species. This phylogenetic relationship reflects their shared ecological specialization in coral reef environments.

Outbreaks of the Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci, CoTS) severely threaten coral reef ecosystems, and manual removal is a practical control method. However, the ecological effects of burying captured CoTS remain unclear. This study, as a pioneer investigation on CoTS remains disposal, evaluated the nutrient release and microbial dynamics during soil burial, which is a research gap overlooked in previous pest control studies and addresses the urgent need for eco-friendly management of CoTS biomass. The results showed that CoTS muscle tissues decomposed within 28 days, releasing C, N, and P nutrients, with no obvious adverse environmental impacts. The dominant bacterial genera were Pseudochrobatrum, Psychrobacter, Brevundimonas, Lysobacter, Vicinamibacteraceae, Vagococcus, Streptococcus, Gemmatimonas, Aequorivita, and Sphingomonas, which are involved in organic matter degradation, nutrient mineralization, and protein decomposition during CoTS remains decomposition. The decomposition of buried CoTS remains is relatively slow, facilitating a sustained release of nutrients. Importantly, small-scale burial of CoTS remains has negligible adverse environmental impacts. Consequently, soil burial represents a cost-effective and eco-friendly strategy for managing CoTS outbreaks and valorizing the resulting biomass.

Genetic modification in dinoflagellate algae: Some successes, many failures.

Coral mucus input promotes sedimentary organic matter degradation: Evidence from a typical coral reef area, northern South China Sea.

High thermotolerance to extreme marine heatwaves for four New Caledonian sponges.

Multi-scale approach for coral condition assessment and Drupella sp. identification using a versatile low-cost camera system and point cloud semantic segmentation.

Fine-scale thermal heterogeneity within intertidal and subtidal microhabitats could drive divergence in organismal heat tolerance. Reef corals from the extreme intertidal may hold optimism for the future of coral reefs and give insights into the mechanisms by which coral may persist under future conditions. Here, we compared the thermal sensitivities of intertidal and subtidal Acropora digitifera and evaluated their bleaching phenotypes, transcriptomes, host genetic differentiation and bacterial communities. Results showed that only heat-exposed subtidal corals displayed significantly reduced photochemical efficiency, symbiont densities, pigment and host protein concentrations, suggesting bleaching and host starvation. Despite being genetically similar, heat-exposed subtidal corals mounted stronger immune activation and amino acid degradation but downregulated monocarboxylate transport and calcification compared to intertidal corals. In contrast to the prevalence of Cladocopium in subtidal corals, intertidal corals were dominated by Durusdinium, whose transcriptional signature was characterised by lineage-specific and constitutively high transcript abundance of orthologs involved in stress response, metabolism, photosynthesis, cell cycle and symbiotic interactions. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrated an origin-dependent bacterial composition, with Endozoicomonas being more abundant and important in co-occurrence networks of intertidal corals. Our findings suggest that distinction in Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities and Symbiodiniaceae lineage-specific transcriptional footprint largely underpin the exceptional thermotolerance of intertidal Acropora. Although these corals provide promising avenues for restoration, such a mechanism may bring attention to the risk of using them in selective breeding, particularly given the horizontal transmission of algal symbionts in Acropora.

Assessing the performance of a coupled wave–current model in coral reef systems

A ratiometric electrochemical DNA biosensor for the detection of crown-of-thorns starfish eDNA.

Study on fracture evolution laws and mechanisms of banded texture coral reef limestone under Brazilian splitting test

Gut microbiome succession and cultivation-based functional screening during intestinal regeneration in Stichopus monotuberculatus.

Genomic insights into natural and restored populations of Acropora palmata: implications for genetic diversity and conservation strategies.

Safer solutions for sea: Montipora capricornis coral responses to naturally-derived versus copper-based antifouling agents.

Coral reef aorta (CRA) is a rare, calcified aortic lesion observed primarily in adults and elderly patients. This condition can lead to resistant hypertension and impaired organ perfusion. Although surgical treatment remains the predominant approach, endovascular intervention is emerging as an alternative for suitable cases. We present a 16-year-old male patient with a history of kidney transplantation who was admitted due to hypertension. Imaging revealed severe stenosis at the isthmus level caused by a calcific lesion characteristic of CRA. Given the complexity of the lesion and the surgical challenges, an endovascular approach was chosen. A covered stent was successfully implanted, resulting in significant hemodynamic improvement. At the sixth month follow-up, the patient remained normotensive, and antihypertensive medications were discontinued. To our knowledge, this case represents the first pediatric patient reported to have undergone endovascular treatment for severe aortic coarctation associated with CRA. Our findings suggest that endovascular intervention using a covered stent may provide a viable alternative to surgery in selected pediatric cases, minimizing morbidity and mortality. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term outcomes of this approach.

Wave dissipation and structural stability performances of a novel assembled artificial reef located on a coral reef profile

The global decline of coral reefs underscores the urgency of understanding how corals enhance resilience in stressful environmental conditions. As metaorganisms, or holobionts, corals rely on dynamic interactions with their associated microbial communities, with bacterial restructuring proposed as a potential mechanism of holobiont adaptation. Here, we reconstructed coral symbiosis in the bleached tissues of Acropora hyacinthus by introducing beneficial bacteria and thermally domesticated Symbiodiniaceae to assess their roles in bleaching recovery. Raman spectroscopy metabolomics (RS metabolomics) enables insitu detection, providing temporal evidence of metabolic exchange within the tripartite relationship among corals, Symbiodiniaceae, and associated bacteria. This study highlights the potential of acclimation-based approaches in the development of thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae strains. Furthermore, by manipulating this bacterial community, we identified a bacterium that enhances the thermal and light tolerances of acclimated Symbiodiniaceae, offering new insights into coral reef homeostasis strategies. Our results also indicate that the introduction of beneficial bacterial strains and thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae, including proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, increased nutrient levels in the coral host. This work introduces a microbial-assisted holobiont reconstitution framework that advances understanding of cross-kingdom metabolic integration and offers a mechanistic basis for engineering coral resilience under climate stress. The findings could provide insights into leveraging beneficial microbiota to mitigate thermal-induced coral bleaching, ultimately informing conservation strategies for marine ecosystems. Video Abstract.

Sea urchin is always touted as a promising alternative marine source for dietary essential fatty acids. Often overlooked is that their lipid composition can vary significantly depending on the species and their feeding preferences. Understanding that every sea urchin species, together with their feeding behaviour, may offer unique nutritional benefits helps to optimise the utilisation of sea urchin as a reliable source of marine fatty acids. This study aimed to measure the gonad index, lipid content, and composition in the gonads of two sea urchin species live in coral reef and seagrass habitats in Malaysia. The gonad’s lipid was extracted using the Folch extraction method, followed by the esterification process before being analysed using GC-FID. The gonad index was calculated based on the percentage of gonads relative weight as a proportion of total body weight. The gonad indexes of both Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) 6.74 ± 2.49% and Salmacis sphaeroides (Linnaeus, 1758) 6.68 ± 2.30% were found to be statistically indifferent (p>0.05). Both D. setosum and S. sphaeroides had a negative allometric growth (b < 3). The major saturated fatty acids found in both species were C16:0 and C14:0 while the major unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) were C16:1 and C18:3. In the gonads of both species, n-6 UFAs were the most abundant, followed by n-9 and n-3 UFAs. In D. setosum, n-6 UFAs comprised 74.77%, n-9 UFAs 21.76%, and n-3 UFAs 3.47%. In contrast, S. sphaeroides had 52.13% n-6, 22.48% n-9, and a notably higher proportion of n-3 UFAs at 25.39%. S. sphaeroides lacked two types of fatty acids that were present in D. setosum, specifically C17:1 (heptadecenoic acid) and C20:1n-9 (gondoic acid). This study reveals the different composition of fatty acids in the gonads of D. setosum collected from coral reef areas and S. sphaeroides collected from seagrass areas of Malaysian water. Recognising these differences is crucial when evaluating sea urchins as a promising alternative source of healthy dietary fats.

Sea urchin is always touted as a promising alternative marine source for dietary essential fatty acids. Often overlooked is that their lipid composition can vary significantly depending on the species and their feeding preferences. Understanding that every sea urchin species, together with their feeding behaviour, may offer unique nutritional benefits helps to optimise the utilisation of sea urchin as a reliable source of marine fatty acids. This study aimed to measure the gonad index, lipid content, and composition in the gonads of two sea urchin species live in coral reef and seagrass habitats in Malaysia. The gonad’s lipid was extracted using the Folch extraction method, followed by the esterification process before being analysed using GC-FID. The gonad index was calculated based on the percentage of gonads relative weight as a proportion of total body weight. The gonad indexes of both Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) 6.74 ± 2.49% and Salmacis sphaeroides (Linnaeus, 1758) 6.68 ± 2.30% were found to be statistically indifferent (p>0.05). Both D. setosum and S. sphaeroides had a negative allometric growth (b < 3). The major saturated fatty acids found in both species were C16:0 and C14:0 while the major unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) were C16:1 and C18:3. In the gonads of both species, n-6 UFAs were the most abundant, followed by n-9 and n-3 UFAs. In D. setosum, n-6 UFAs comprised 74.77%, n-9 UFAs 21.76%, and n-3 UFAs 3.47%. In contrast, S. sphaeroides had 52.13% n-6, 22.48% n-9, and a notably higher proportion of n-3 UFAs at 25.39%. S. sphaeroides lacked two types of fatty acids that were present in D. setosum, specifically C17:1 (heptadecenoic acid) and C20:1n-9 (gondoic acid). This study reveals the different composition of fatty acids in the gonads of D. setosum collected from coral reef areas and S. sphaeroides collected from seagrass areas of Malaysian water. Recognising these differences is crucial when evaluating sea urchins as a promising alternative source of healthy dietary fats.

Corals demonstrate vulnerability to environmental changes, exhibiting the capacity to substantially modify coral calcification. In this study, we estimated declines in the density of Pocillopora coral species in the Mexican Pacific. The samples utilized in this study encompass both recently collected corals and those stored in Mexican repositories collected in the northeastern and southern Mexican Pacific regions. Density estimates indicate a 28.6% decline in coral density over the past 23 years (-0.0227 g CaCO3 cm-3 y-1) in the southern Mexican Pacific, while at the entrance to the Gulf of California, density has decreased by 15.4% over the past 20 years (-0.017 g CaCO3 cm-3 y-1). A comprehensive evaluation of environmental data reveals that the observed decline in Pocillopora skeletal density in Mexican Pacific reefs is concomitant with decreases in Ωar and pH, and an increase in ocean temperature on a substantial regional scale. When considered in conjunction with the previously documented reductions in coral growth of Pocillopora spp. skeletons in the eastern Tropical Pacific, our findings indicate a potential decline in CaCO3 production within the region's reef systems. The results of this study underscore the significance of generating long-term series of coral growth parameters for relevant reef-building species and the carbonate system in key and representative coastal areas, particularly those that are already challenging for coral survival and reef maintenance.