Role Of Corals Research Articles

The Growth Rate of Cyphastrea Coral Fragment Under Controlled Condition

The role of corals was very important in coastal and marine ecosystems, whether in terms of education, ecology, and socio-economy. Coral growth can be used as an indicators of marine ecosystem health. This study was aimed to observed survival rate and the growth rate of Cyphastrea coral fragments. Cyphastrea coral fragments growth rate was observed in ex-situ sites and was conducted over a period of 3 months. The micro-fragmentation method was applied in this study. Several factors such as water temperature, light levels, and nutrient concentrations were measured and controlled throughout the study. The growth rate of Cyphastrea coral fragments was measured using ImageJ software. Result of this study exhibited that survival rate of Cyphastrea was 100% and the growth rate of Cyphastrea was 0.012 cm2/month. This study provides important information on the factors that affect the growth rate of Cyphastrea coral fragments in ex-situ sites. The result of this study can be used to develop more effective strategies for coral reef restoration.

Pengenalan Ekosistem Terumbu Karang Terhadap Amgpm Cabang Elim 1 – Amahusu Ambon

The coral reef ecosystem in Amahusu village has been damaged, resulting in reduced production of fisheries and other animal products. This damage is continuously caused by natural and unnatural factors, so that it can disrupt the economy of fishing communities who depend on marine products for their daily lives. The purpose of this activity is to equip the Maluku Protestant Church Youth Troops (AMGPM) Nusaniwe sub- district, the basics of coral conservation through coral reef restoration activities. Coral transplantation is a method of restoring the condition of coral reefs to restore and restore the natural ecosystem of coral reefs. The methods include: introduction of coral transplantation, preparation and process of coral transplantation. The introduction of coral biota is the most basic thing that the public must know in order to understand the potential and role of corals in the coral reef ecosystem. In addition, the community is gradually being taught how to use the correct transplant method, hopefully in the future they will be independent and able to do it themselves. Coral transplantation is one method of coral reef restoration in Amahusu Village. This presentation is a deep understanding of the community that with significant assistance they are expected to be independent in protecting coral reefs.

The tropical coral Pocillopora acuta displays an unusual chromatin structure and shows histone H3 clipping plasticity upon bleaching.

Background: Pocillopora acuta is a hermatypic coral with strong ecological importance. Anthropogenic disturbances and global warming are major threats that can induce coral bleaching, the disruption of the mutualistic symbiosis between the coral host and its endosymbiotic algae. Previous works have shown that somaclonal colonies display different levels of survival depending on the environmental conditions they previously faced. Epigenetic mechanisms are good candidates to explain this phenomenon. However, almost no work had been published on the P. acuta epigenome, especially on histone modifications. In this study, we aim at providing the first insight into chromatin structure of this species. Methods: We aligned the amino acid sequence of P. acuta core histones with histone sequences from various phyla. We developed a centri-filtration on sucrose gradient to separate chromatin from the host and the symbiont. The presence of histone H3 protein and specific histone modifications were then detected by western blot performed on histone extraction done from bleached and healthy corals. Finally, micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestions were undertaken to study nucleosomal organization. Results: The centri-filtration enabled coral chromatin isolation with less than 2% of contamination by endosymbiont material. Histone sequences alignments with other species show that P. acuta displays on average ~90% of sequence similarities with mice and ~96% with other corals. H3 detection by western blot showed that H3 is clipped in healthy corals while it appeared to be intact in bleached corals. MNase treatment failed to provide the usual mononucleosomal digestion, a feature shared with some cnidarian, but not all; suggesting an unusual chromatin structure. Conclusions: These results provide a first insight into the chromatin, nucleosome and histone structure of P. acuta. The unusual patterns highlighted in this study and partly shared with other cnidarian will need to be further studied to better understand its role in corals.

The tropical coral Pocillopora acuta displays an unusual chromatin structure and shows histone H3 clipping plasticity upon bleaching

Background: Pocillopora acuta is a hermatypic coral with strong ecological importance. Anthropogenic disturbances and global warming are major threats that can induce coral bleaching, the disruption of the mutualistic symbiosis between the coral host and its endosymbiotic algae. Previous works have shown that somaclonal colonies display different levels of survival depending on the environmental conditions they previously faced. Epigenetic mechanisms are good candidates to explain this phenomenon. However, almost no work had been published on the P. acuta epigenome, especially on histone modifications. In this study, we aim at providing the first insight into chromatin structure of this species. Methods: We aligned the amino acid sequence of P. acuta core histones with histone sequences from various phyla. We developed a centri-filtration on sucrose gradient to separate chromatin from the host and the symbiont. The presence of histone H3 protein and specific histone modifications were then detected by western blot performed on histone extraction done from bleached and healthy corals. Finally, micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestions were undertaken to study nucleosomal organization. Results: The centri-filtration enabled coral chromatin isolation with less than 2% of contamination by endosymbiont material. Histone sequences alignments with other species show that P. acuta displays on average ~90% of sequence similarities with mice and ~96% with other corals. H3 detection by western blot showed that H3 is clipped in healthy corals while it appeared to be intact in bleached corals. MNase treatment failed to provide the usual mononucleosomal digestion, a feature shared with some cnidarian, but not all; suggesting an unusual chromatin structure. Conclusions: These results provide a first insight into the chromatin, nucleosome and histone structure of P. acuta. The unusual patterns highlighted in this study and partly shared with other cnidarian will need to be further studied to better understand its role in corals.

The tropical coral Pocillopora acuta displays an unusual chromatin structure and shows histone H3 clipping plasticity upon bleaching

Background: Pocillopora acuta is a hermatypic coral with strong ecological importance. Anthropogenic disturbances and global warming are major threats that can induce coral bleaching, the disruption of the mutualistic symbiosis between the coral host and its endosymbiotic algae. Previous works have shown that somaclonal colonies display different levels of survival depending on the environmental conditions they previously faced. Epigenetic mechanisms are good candidates to explain this phenomenon. However, almost no work had been published on the P. acuta epigenome, especially on histone modifications. In this study, we aim at providing the first insight into chromatin structure of this species. Methods: We aligned the amino acid sequence of P. acuta core histones with histone sequences from various phyla. We developed a centri-filtration on sucrose gradient to separate chromatin from the host and the symbiont. The presence of histone H3 protein and specific histone modifications were then detected by western blot performed on histone extraction done from bleached and healthy corals. Finally, micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestions were undertaken to study nucleosomal organization. Results: The centri-filtration enabled coral chromatin isolation with less than 2% of contamination by endosymbiont material. Histone sequences alignments with other species show that P. acuta displays on average ~90% of sequence similarities with mice and ~96% with other corals. H3 detection by western blot showed that H3 is clipped in healthy corals while it appeared to be intact in bleached corals. MNase treatment failed to provide the usual mononucleosomal digestion, a feature shared with some cnidarian, but not all; suggesting an unusual chromatin structure. Conclusions: These results provide a first insight into the chromatin, nucleosome and histone structure of P. acuta. The unusual patterns highlighted in this study and partly shared with other cnidarian will need to be further studied to better understand its role in corals.

CPR and DPANN Have an Overlooked Role in Corals' Microbial Community Structure.

Understanding how microbial communities are structured in coral holobionts is important to estimate local and global impacts and provide efficient environment management strategies. Several studies investigated the relationship between corals and their microbial communities, including the environmental drivers of shifts in this relationship, associated with diseases and coral cover loss. However, these studies are often geographically or taxonomically restricted and usually focused on the most abundant microbial groups, neglecting the rare biosphere, including archaea in the group DPANN and the recently discovered bacterial members of the candidate phyla radiation (CPR). Although it is known that rare microbes can play essential roles in several environments, we still lack understanding about which taxa comprise the rare biosphere of corals' microbiome. Here, we investigated the host-related and technical factors influencing coral microbial community structure and the importance of CPR and DPANN in this context by analyzing more than a hundred coral metagenomes from independent studies worldwide. We show that coral genera are the main biotic factor shaping coral microbial communities. We also detected several CPR and DPANN phyla comprising corals' rare biosphere for the first time and showed that they significantly contribute to shaping coral microbial communities.

The role of coral in art and architecture: An overview

Coral is one of the richest ecosystems in the world and divided into two major groups. First group consist of soft corals living in tropical and semitropical oceans and seas. People in the past used these kinds of coral to make jewelry and decorative objects. Second group contains hard coral which have been used as construction material in coastal zones. This paper presents the role of corals in art and architecture in four southern Islands (Qeshm, Hormoz, Hengam and Larak) of the Persian Gulf by studying objects in some museums around the world and some ancient Iranian jewelry manuscripts. The results showed that despite references made about corals, especially the red one, in jewelry and historical books and in Persian literature, there have never been any traces of an object made by coral in the Persian Gulf. In scientific researchers, there is no report on red coral in the Persian Gulf and studies indicate that red coral as a jewelry and decorative objects were exported to these Islands via India and Africa. Instead three groups of Coral reefs, Lumashell and Coquina were used as construction materials in these Islands mostly in historical, religious, hydraulic and offshore architectures.

Fluorescent proteins in dominant mesophotic reef-building corals

Reef-building corals inhabiting the mesophotic zone (30�150 m) not only survive but thrive in light-limiting environments. Similar to shallow corals, mesophotic corals also exhibit coral fluorescence. Because fluorescent proteins (FPs) absorb high-energy light and emit lower- energy light, FPs could play an important role in mesophotic coral physiology and ecology. For 4 species of the Hawaiian mesophotic reef-building coral Leptoseris (65�125 m), we investigated the abundance of fluorescent morphs, types of FPs, fluorescence emission phenotypes, and the physiological relationship between coral fluorescence and endosymbiotic Symbiodinium (dino - flagellate; Dinophyta). Cyan/green coral fluorescence emission was widespread in mesophotic Leptoseris spp.; more than 70% of corals fluoresced, yet fluorescent and nonfluorescent corals co- occurred at all depths investigated. Coral fluorescence was attributed to 2 proteins, a cyan fluores- cent protein (CFP, λex = 424 nm, λem = 490 nm) and a green fluorescent protein (GFP, λex = 478 nm, λem = 502 nm). The type of FP in Leptoseris colonies was correlated with depth; CFP was dominant in corals from shallower depths (65�85 m), GFP was dominant in corals from deeper depths (96�125 m), and CFP and GFP were present in corals from middle depths (86�95 m). Coral FP emission was primarily localized in the coenosarc and/or the oral disc. Symbiodinium from corals with and without fluorescence emission had similar genotypes, abundances, photosynthetic pigments, photosynthetic efficiencies, photosynthetic rates, and chlorophyll excitation spectra. As such, it is unlikely that these FPs play a significant role in enhancing symbiont photosynthesis. The high abundance of fluorescent morphs (>70%) dominating this energetically limited environ- ment may suggest that FPs play an integral and conserved physiological role in corals.

2nd GICME Workshop: Role of corals, varved sediments and models in understanding global environmental change

The growing need for a geological perspective in studies of the Earth's climate system provided the focus for the 2nd Geological Indicators of Climate From Marine Environments (GICME) Workshop, held at the U.S. Geological Survey's Center for Coastal Geology and Regional Marine Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla., January 18–19, 1990. Sponsors were the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S.G.S. The primary goals of the workshop were to obtain state‐of‐the‐art assessments of how paleoenvironmental data can be extracted from coral and varved sediment data, and how data and models can be used interactively to test model sensitivities and to unravel the causes of climatic change. Without a global record of long paleoenvironmental time series, it may prove impossible to understand decadal to millennial scale climatic variability or to test how realistically we can model this variability.