Unlocking fine-scale temporal dynamics of coral reef health: a multi-kingdom microbial fingerprinting approach across seawater and sediment.

Ecosystem services benefits of coral reefs along a biological condition gradient to inform local management.

Deciphering the bioindicator potential and phenotypic plasticity of Eunicidae in coralline reef ecosystems: Global patterns to local observations.

Crossing from shallow inshore to deep continental shelf habitats: Benthic-pelagic coupling and trophic position of the Lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris, in a tropical seascape.

Bio-optical water quality trends and back-reef benthic community structure in southwestern Puerto Rico.

Association of microplastic pollution with coral resilience in the presence of sea surface temperature anomalies.

Micromechanical failure characteristics of coral reef limestone: Insights from combined miniature testing and real-structure-based simulation

What are plastic sinks? A comprehensive framework and functional typology.

Crude awakening: Crude oil exposure under warming scenarios alters escape performance and metabolic enzyme activity in Pomacentrus amboinensis.

Extracellular vesicles and EV-enriched extracellular particles are increasingly recognized as potential mediators of intercellular communication. In coral reef ecosystems, dinoflagellate symbionts of the family Symbiodiniaceae play central roles in host metabolism, environmental acclimation, and stress responses; however, the molecular composition of extracellular particles released by cultured Symbiodiniaceae remains poorly understood. In this study, a host-isolated Symbiodiniaceae culture derived from the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana was established under host-free laboratory conditions for EV-enriched particle isolation and characterization. Physicochemical analysis of the recovered extracellular particle fraction showed an average diameter of 534.1 ± 63.9nm, a polydispersity index of 0.733 ± 0.08, and an average zeta potential of - 14.57 ± 1.55 mV, indicating a heterogeneous and negatively charged extracellular particle suspension. Small RNA analysis showed that the EV-associated RNA fraction contained multiple RNA biotypes, with rRNA- and tRNA-derived reads representing the dominant annotated components, whereas miRNA-like sequences accounted for only a minor fraction of the annotated small RNA pool. Comparison against an antisense Exaiptasia diaphana CDS dataset further identified retained EV-associated small RNAs showing sequence complementarity to host coding transcripts, including cytohesin-1 and EPG5. These matches are interpreted as candidate sequence-level observations rather than evidence of functional host regulation. In parallel, miRNA-oriented analysis identified candidate miRNA-like sequences after downstream filtering. Proteomic profiling by LC-MS/MS generated 4,086 accession-level matches. After removal of uninformative entries and consolidation of duplicate protein names, 834 non-redundant named proteins were retained and classified into nine functional groups, including proteins involved in metabolism and energy production, transport and membrane trafficking, photosynthesis and chloroplast function, and signal transduction and regulation. Representative annotations included 14-3-3-related proteins, Rab/ARF family proteins, Hsp70, Hsp90, and oxygen-evolving enhancer protein. These results provide an initial qualitative molecular characterization of EV-associated molecules released by a host-isolated Symbiodiniaceae culture and serve as a baseline for future studies of algal extracellular communication and cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

Histology and microstructure of the brain and eye in four fish species across different depths.

Tropical coral reefs are threatened by rising seawater temperatures. However, cold-water intrusions to coral reefs by oceanic processes such as upwelling or internal waves, which propagate along the thermocline, can offer refugia from global warming. How reef temperatures and coral responses vary in such locations remains poorly understood due to limited in-situ observations. We present monthly subsurface temperature and coral response records based on coral skeletal geochemistry from the Andaman Sea, a known thermal refugia. Coral Sr/Ca-temperature indicates subsurface reef cooling varied at interannual to decadal timescales, driven by large-scale wind and thermocline changes, and was most pronounced during the combined positive Indian Ocean Dipole and El Niño event of 1997/98. Coral carbon isotopes indicate relative shifts from autotrophy to heterotrophy during most coral bleaching events observed in the Andaman Sea, except during the 1998 event when we found strong and widespread subsurface reef cooling by thermocline shoaling leading to enhanced influence of internal waves. Our results indicate tropical climate modes such as the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation controlled the strength and spatial distribution of thermal stress mitigation by oceanic processes through time, suggesting some coral reef refugia will be variable under future climate change.

Predicting future coral reef responses and climate-driven sea-level rise requires robust historical records of reef vertical accretion rates and their ecological drivers. However, comparable empirical data on past reef growth and framework bioconstruction are often spatiotemporally limited, precluding detection of regional patterns and long-term trends. Here, we compile and evaluate standardized Holocene vertical accretion rates and coral community structure data from 288 Indo-Pacific paleo-reef records across 92 sites to examine intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of accretion. Our findings reveal that reef formation and long-term accretion are determined by a complex interplay between sea-level change and eco-geomorphological factors. Maximum vertical accretion rates indicate that many Indo-Pacific reefs do not have the capacity to keep pace with projected rates of sea-level rise, particularly under high-emissions scenario (76% of reef sites). Critical thresholds suggest that reef accretion is very unlikely (>90% probability) to be maintained when relative sea-level rise rate exceeds 5.3 mm yr-1, a scenario likely to be surpassed within ~35 years. Without substantial reductions in global emissions, many coral reefs face increasing risk of submergence, structural collapse and loss of critical ecosystem services, especially where modern coral communities differ from predominantly competitive Holocene assemblages and are increasingly dominated by weedy taxa.

Background Environmental DNA (eDNA) has transformed biodiversity monitoring, but its application for long-term ecological assessment remains limited by uncertainty in the temporal stability and consistency of eDNA signals, as well as by specialized workflows that limit accessibility for community-led programs. Expanding participation in biomonitoring requires approaches that are both logistically feasible and scientifically robust. Here, we evaluated eDNA tools for coral reef monitoring in Hawai'i by comparing (1) coral-specific genetic markers for tracking benthic community dynamics through time, and (2) passive eDNA samplers (PEDS) as a low-effort alternative to active filtration. This research was conducted with local stewardship organizations on O'ahu, Hawai'i, positioning eDNA as a complementary tool to place-based ecological knowledge that can inform conservation strategies and enhance ecological monitoring. Results Across five broad taxonomic markers, we detected diverse reef communities spanning 17 phyla, with consistent regional differences in community composition, including clear differentiation in algal assemblages. Passive samplers recovered comparable taxonomic richness to active filtration when sampling effort was standardized, but showed greater variability among replicates, whereas active methods more consistently detected rare and transient taxa. Despite this, passive samplers captured similar broad-scale community patterns with reduced logistical effort. For coral monitoring, all three markers (12S, 16S, ITS2) showed strong correlations with visual cover and detected more genera than visual surveys. Among these, 16S showed the strongest and most consistent performance across temporal replicates, while ITS2 showed greater temporal variability. Conclusions Accessible eDNA approaches can generate ecologically meaningful data for reef monitoring when matched to specific objectives. Passive samplers provide a scalable, low-barrier option for widespread community biomonitoring, while active filtration remains important for detecting rare taxa. A multimarker approach enabled detection of native, endemic, and nuisance taxa, offering an ecosystem-level perspective for management. Given the relatively slow pace of change in coral assemblages, periodic eDNA surveys may provide a useful and practical longer-term complement to rapid visual assessments of coral cover. Integrating these tools with local stewardship efforts can expand participation in eDNA biomonitoring while supporting conservation in urbanized, culturally significant reef systems.

Life in colour: The influence of habitat colouration on the recruitment of coral reef fish.

Reef fish functional trait responses to wastewater-driven environmental gradients.

Coral reef aorta (CRA) is defined by the presence of heavily calcified exophytic plaques that protrude into the aortic lumen. Open surgery remains the standard treatment but is associated with substantial morbidity, particularly in high-risk patients. Endovascular approaches, including intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), have emerged as less invasive alternatives. This case series aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and hemodynamic impact of IVL combined with fractional flow reserve (FFR) in the treatment of calcified aortic stenoses. We present a case series of three patients with severe calcified abdominal aortic stenosis treated with IVL under FFR guidance. Pre- and post-procedural FFR measurements were used to assess lesion hemodynamic significance and treatment efficacy. All procedures were technically successful, with significant improvement in FFR values following IVL, indicating restoration of hemodynamic flow. One case was complicated by an aortic dissection, successfully managed with stent placement. In the remaining cases, IVL achieved adequate luminal gain without the need for stenting. At follow-up (up to 12 months), all patients demonstrated sustained clinical improvement and maintained vessel patency. IVL combined with FFR appears to be a feasible and effective minimally invasive approach for the management of heavily calcified aortic lesions. This strategy allows both morphological plaque modification and objective physiological assessment, potentially reducing the need for stent implantation. Larger studies are required to validate these findings.

This study systematically integrates acoustic methods and machine learning (ML) into marine ecosystem management, developing a comprehensive ML framework that combines passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data with ecological survey observations to predict key coral reef ecological indicators, including fish abundance, fish species richness, and live coral cover. The framework extracts features from multiple acoustic frequency bands and deploys a complete ML workflow covering seven algorithms across three categories: tree-based models (Random Forest, LightGBM, Gradient Boosting), neural networks (Multilayer Perceptron, Recurrent Neural Networks, Bayesian Neural Networks), and an ensemble strategy (Voting Regressor). Evaluated on ten coral reef sites in Sanya, China, the framework was comprehensively compared in terms of predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. Results indicate that the LightGBM model achieves the highest predictive performance of these biological indicators, providing a more efficient, scalable, and non-invasive solution for marine fish monitoring, which can support decision-making in marine ecosystem management. The proposed machine learning-based framework has the potential to be integrated into decision-support tools for ecosystem management, enabling more efficient monitoring of coral reef ecosystems worldwide.

Environmental drivers of microplastic distribution within a highly urbanized reef system.

In the last decade, marine structures have impacted biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. As a mitigation effort, artificial coral reef structures have been designed to dissipate wave energy through turbulence, creating microhabitats that attract marine organisms to interact and thrive. A biomimetic design adopted from coral reefs, called porous pile cone breakwater (PPCB), has been introduced, combining a porous pile with a conical pile head (CPH). Breakwater piles and CPHs have proven effective in protecting shorelines and maintaining water quality for marine life. The CPH design reduces wave energy and velocity, enhancing the abundance of marine life. This study investigated wave velocity (Vx) characteristics around PPCBs using the mesoscopic Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) within a CFD application. Three-dimensional fluid motion was modeled for Series-1 (emerged type) and Series-2 (submerged type) with porosity p=0.4, wave steepness 0.058–0.068 in a 30m wide numerical basin. Both configurations reduced Vx in the structure area by over 90%, with the submerged PPCB achieving up to 11.3% greater reduction and maintaining 80–88% lower Vx behind the structure. These findings indicate the submerged PPCB offers superior shoreline protection, while both designs maintain maximum velocity and Froude Number values suitable for sustaining coastal ecosystems.