Marine Species Research Articles

An overview on the production, management and impact of microplastic contamination on marine species and marine environments: A review

The purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate published literature on the production, management and impact of microplastic contamination on marine species and marine environments. A systematic method was utilized to access research works of literature on “production, management and impact of microplastic contamination on marine species and marine environments”. A total of Sixty-two (62) research papers published between the years 1972 to 2022 was accumulated and used for this review. A subjective approach was used to select the topics: production, management and impact of microplastic contamination. In this paper, four (4) effects of microplastics on organisms and the environment was assessed. Additionally, the formation and classification of microplastics were evaluated. Subsequently, the paper delves into the production and the management of global plastic production as well as the sources of contamination. Further, this review assessed the quantity of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract and edible muscles of various fish species. A mini checklist of sixty-one (61) fish species from thirty (30) families dwelling in nine (9) different marine habitats, all contaminated by microplastics was also presented in this review. Moreover, possible solutions to overcome the impact of microplastics on organisms and aquatic environments were also mentioned in this article. The published works of literature established that the global plastic production is constantly increasing with a growing world population thus leading to mismanagement of plastic resources and introducing them to the environment. Microplastics can cause serious complications in humans, marine organisms such as fishes, crustaceans, marine mammals and sea birds and even contribute to the degradation of mangrove forests and the coastal environment. This review highlights the fact that more extensive studies on the impact of microplastic contamination in organisms and the environment should be done in neotropical countries since there is a dearth and gaps of such information on research and published data in these biodiversity rich regions.

The impact of climate change on the ecology, reproduction and distribution of marine mammals and the possible legislation, conservation and management approaches to protect these marine mammal species: A systematic review

The impact of climate change on the ecology, reproduction and distribution of marine mammals and the possible legislation, conservation and management approaches to protect these marine mammal species: A systematic review

Population genetics of the freshwater red alga Batrachospermum gelatinosum (Rhodophyta) I: Frequent intragametophytic selfing in a monoicous, haploid-diploid species.

Life cycles with a prolonged haploid phase are thought to be correlated with greater rates of selfing and asexual reproduction. In red algae, recent population genetic studies have aimed to test this prediction but have mostly focused on marine species with separate sexes. We characterized the reproductive system of the obligately monoicous (i.e., hermaphroditic) freshwater red alga Batrachospermum gelatinosum and predicted that we would find genetic signatures of uniparental reproduction because of its haploid-diploid life cycle. We sampled 18 sites and genotyped 311 gametophytes with 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci to describe the reproductive system. Genotypic richness was low (<0.5) and pareto β values (describing clonal membership) were <0.7 for most sites. In taxa with separate sexes, these patterns are typically indicative of asexual reproduction. However, the genetic consequences of selfing in monoicous gametophytes are indistinguishable from those caused by asexual processes. Since we sampled gametophytes and have not yet genotyped the chantransia (i.e., the diploid phase), we interpretedlow diversity as a signature of intragametophytic selfing. Additionally, to understand the factors that drive selfing, we tested latitude and several other environmental variables, but none was significantly correlated with the genetic variation we observed. Nevertheless, future studies should genotype the chantransia to measure observed heterozygosity among other summary statistics to disentangle the effects of selfing versus asexual reproduction. Together, these data, coupled with further characterization of abiotic factors that influence population genetic patterns, will allow us to test potential drivers of reproductive system evolution.

The effect of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the microbiome of the sponge, Halichondria panicea, at three coastal sites with different bathing water quality in North east England

The breadcrumb sponge, Halichondria panicea, is a cosmopolitan marine species. Life functions, such as feeding, metabolism and defence, are maintained through microbial symbiosis. As such, perturbations to the symbiotic balance can be expected to affect the health and survival of the sponge. Although generally tolerant of environmental variables, such as temperature, pH and salinity, responses to anthropogenic factors are poorly understood. In this study, the microbial community of the H. panicea was examined over the course of 1 year. Sponge and seawater samples were collected in January, April, July and October 2022, from three locations with different levels of bathing water quality, according to the UK’s Environment Agency. Samples were sequenced using the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, and amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were inferred from the generated data. Differences in bacterial diversity and abundance among sponge samples from the three locations were examined. A correlation test was used to study the effect of physical and chemical environmental factors along with faecal indicator bacteria on the abundance of the top ten most abundant bacterial phyla. Environmental factors (determined from seawater physicochemical properties) and pollution (determined from trace metals, nutrients and faecal bacteria levels) were found to play an important role in shaping the microbial community of this sponge. The sponge microbiome showed a noticeable seasonal shift, with some species flourishing in January and others emerging in April, notably the faecal and coliform bacteria. Sponge microbiomes from sites with poor-quality bathing water were generally less diverse and had lower microbial abundance, resulting in a greater range of intra-species dispersion than those of sponges living in excellent–good quality waters.

KiNext: a portable and scalable workflow for the identification and classification of protein kinases

BackgroundProtein kinases are a diverse superfamily of proteins common to organisms across the tree of life that are typically involved in signal transduction, allowing organisms to sense and respond to biotic or abiotic environmental factors. They have important roles in organismal physiology, including development, reproduction, acclimation to environmental stress, while their dysregulation can lead to disease, including several forms of cancer. Identifying the complement of protein kinases (the kinome) of any organism is useful for understanding its physiological capabilities, limitations and adaptations to environmental stress. The increasing availability of genomes makes it now possible to examine and compare the kinomes across a broad diversity of organisms. Here we present a pipeline respecting the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) that facilitates the search and identification of protein kinases from a predicted proteome, and classifies them according to group of serine/threonine/tyrosine protein kinases present in eukaryotes.ResultsKiNext is a Nextflow pipeline that regroups a number of existing bioinformatic tools to search for and classify the protein kinases of an organism in a reproducible manner, starting from a set of amino acid sequences. Conventional eukaryotic protein kinases (ePKs) and atypical protein kinases (aPKs) are identified by using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) generated from the catalytic domains of kinases. Furthermore, KiNext categorizes ePKs into the eight kinase groups by employing dedicated Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) tailored for each group. The performance of the KiNext pipeline was validated against previously identified kinomes obtained with other tools that were already published for two marine species, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the unicellular green alga Ostreoccocus tauri. KiNext outperformed previous results by finding previously unidentified kinases and by attributing a large proportion of previously unclassified kinases to a group in both species. These results demonstrate improvements in kinase identification and classification, all while providing traceability and reproducibility of results in a FAIR pipeline. The default HMM models provided with KiNext are most suitable for eukaryotes, but the pipeline can be easily modified to include HMM models for other taxa of interest.ConclusionThe KiNext pipeline enables efficient and reproducible identification of kinomes based on predicted amino acid sequences (i.e. proteomes). KiNext was designed to be easy to use, automated, portable and scalable.

Innovative use of depth data to estimate energy intake and expenditure in Adélie penguins.

Energy governs species' life histories and pace of living, requiring individuals to make trade-offs. However, measuring energetic parameters in the wild is challenging, often resulting in data collected from heterogeneous sources. This complicates comprehensive analysis and hampers transferability within and across case studies. We present a novel framework, combining information obtained from eco-physiology and biologging techniques, to estimate both energy expended and acquired on 48 Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) during the chick-rearing stage. We employ the machine learning algorithm random forest (RF) to predict accelerometry-derived metrics for feeding behaviour using depth data (our proxy for energy acquisition). We also build a time-activity model calibrated with doubly labelled water data to estimate energy expenditure. Using depth-derived time spent diving and amount of vertical movement in the sub-surface phase, we accurately predict energy expenditure (R2=0.68, RMSE=344.67). Movement metrics derived from the RF algorithm deployed on depth data were able to accurately (accuracy=0.82) detect the same feeding behaviour predicted from accelerometry. The RF predicted accelerometry-estimated time spent feeding more accurately (R2=0.81) compared to historical proxies like number of undulations (R2=0.51) or dive bottom duration (R2=0.31). The proposed framework is accurate, reliable, and simple to implement on data from biologging technology widely-used on marine species. It enables coupling energy intake and expenditure, which is crucial to further assess individual trade-offs. Our work allows us to revisit historical data, to study how long-term environmental changes affect animals' energetics.

Using eDNA to Supplement Population Genetic Analyses for Cryptic Marine Species: Identifying Population Boundaries for Alaska Harbour Porpoises.

Isolation by distance and biogeographical boundaries define patterns of population genetic structure for harbour porpoise along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. Until recently, inadequate sample sizes in many regions constrained efforts to characterise population genetic structure throughout the coastal waters of Alaska. Here, tissue samples from beachcast strandings and fisheries bycatch were supplemented with targeted environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in key regions of Alaska coastal and inland waters. Using a geographically explicit, hierarchical approach, we examined the genetic structure of Alaska harbour porpoises, using both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data and multilocus SNP genotypes. Despite a lack of evidence of genetic differentiation from nuclear SNP loci, patterns of relatedness and genetic differentiation from mtDNA suggest natal philopatry at multiple geographic scales, with limited gene flow among sites possibly mediated by male dispersal. A priori clustering of sampled areas at an intermediate scale (eastern and western Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Southeast Alaska) best explained the genetic variance (12.37%) among regions. In addition, mtDNA differentiation between the Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea, and among regions within the Gulf of Alaska, indicated significant genetic structuring of harbour porpoise populations in Southeast Alaska. The targeted collection of eDNA samples from strata within Southeast Alaska was key for elevating the statistical power of our mtDNA dataset, and findings indicate limited dispersal between neighbouring strata within coastal and inland waters. These results provide evidence supporting a population boundary within the currently recognised Southeast Alaska Stock. Together, these findings will prove useful for ongoing management efforts to reduce fisheries conflict and conserve genetic diversity in this iconic coastal species.

Exploring novel North Water Polynya ecosystems under climate change

Climate change is rapidly reshaping species distributions in the Arctic, which could profoundly impact ecosystem structure and function. While considerable effort has focused on projecting future species distributions, assessing the impacts of range-shifting species on recipient communities and subsequent disruptions to food webs remains largely unstudied. Here, we address this gap by combining species distribution models and ecosystem models to explore the emergence of novel ecosystems in the North Water Polynya. The North Water Polynya is an open-water area between Greenland and Canada, surrounded by sea ice and one of the world’s most productive ocean ecosystems. Using existing literature and projections from species distribution models of four marine species, we develop six plausible future ecosystem scenarios for the North Water Polynya. These scenarios include changing biomass of primary producers, changing biomass and size structure of copepods, shifting abundances of forage fish species, and the establishment of killer whales. We find that the biomass of higher trophic levels show pronounced decreases in response to the decrease in pelagic primary producers, with polar bear biomass halving compared to present conditions. Changes in the copepod size structure has the largest impact on the entire ecosystem compared to the other novel ecosystem scenarios, suggesting a strong reliance of higher trophic levels on large, lipid-rich copepods. We further show that increasing capelin with a simultaneous decrease in Arctic cod biomass causes large decreases in the biomass of marine mammals such as polar bear, beluga and ringed seal. Finally, we show the establishment of killer whales as a key novel predator could have cascading top-down effects on the North Water Polynya ecosystem. The framework presented here provides an approach for exploring the emergence of novel ecosystems and highlights how climate change could disrupt a high Arctic ecosystem.

Public preferences for edible invasive alien marine species - The Atlantic blue crab in southern Italy

Since 2014, the provision of the aquatic ecosystem services has been gradually affected due to the biological invasion of Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896, Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae), commonly known as Atlantic blue crab, across several lagoon-like locations in Italy. In addition, this serious aquatic invasive species, native of North American coasts, has already inflicted economic damage of about EUR 100 million to the Italian fishing and farming communities over the past year. To counter their severe and rapid spread, the Italian Government has encouraged the fishing communities to catch as many as possible and commercially exploit them for human consumption in an attempt to manage their expansion. Since there is an ongoing promotion for the consumption of blue crab by forging novel food businesses in Italy, this paper aims to predict the public preferences and their willingness to pay (WTP) towards this biological invader. For this purpose, a discrete choice experiment approach is used, by means of a multinomial logit model (MNL) and latent class model (LCM). The social field survey involves a representative sample of 440 valid respondents in Apulia Region, southern Italy. The descriptive statistics results reveal that 67.50% of the local citizens interviewed know about the blue crab invasion, while 29.09% of them have already consumed this seafood species. In addition, the MNL results show that the most appreciated attributes of the blue crabs by respondents are freshness and large size. Further, the LCM findings reveal two representative classes of Apulian consumers; the first group of citizens (70.9% of total respondents) expresses positive appreciation for consuming blue crabs, while the second group (29.1% of total respondents) is not willing to pay a premium price regarding this potential commercial activity. Furthermore, the econometric results show that the average value that Apulian’s (i.e. those belonging to Class/Group I of respondents) WTP for blue crabs’ consumption is about EUR 18 per kilogram. In this regard, this research has public and private implications and may reasonably promote the commercial exploitation of blue crabs, enhancing the reduction of its population density through human consumption as a promised management control strategy and forging a novel profitable business mainly for local small-scale artisanal fisheries.

Enormous diversity of RNA viruses in economic crustaceans.

The study delves into the largely uncharted territory of RNA viruses in crustaceans, which are not only vital for global food supply but also play a pivotal role in marine ecosystems. Focusing on economic crustaceans, the research uncovers 90 RNA viruses, with 69 being potentially new to science, highlighting the vast unknown viral diversity within these marine organisms. The findings reveal that these viruses are often related to those found in other invertebrates and tend to share close relationships with viruses from species within the same food web or habitat. This suggests that viruses may move between different marine species more frequently than previously thought. The discovery of such a wide variety of viruses, particularly the diverse genome structures of newly identified picornaviruses, is a significant leap forward in understanding the crustacean virology. This knowledge is crucial for managing disease risks in aquaculture and maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.

Using Benford's Law to Detect Possible Biases in Reported Catches of Tropical Tuna From the Indian Ocean

ABSTRACTAccuracy of catch landing data reported by captains of commercial vessels is crucial in the assessment of marine species stocks and in fisheries policy and management. However, this data can be subject to estimation biases, such as a tendency to inflate some catches (to the detriment of others) and refusal to fill in logbooks. We assessed the accuracy of catch reports from the Spanish tropical tuna purse seine fleet (which accounts for 26% of catches in the Indian Ocean) using Benford's law, a mathematical principle effective for detecting irregularities across multiple datasets. During 2013–2020, including periods before and after the implementation of total allowable catch (TAC) limits in 2017, reported catches differed from Benford's expected distribution, especially for bigeye tuna, indicating potential inaccuracies in reported catches. Changes in data reporting after TAC limits were imposed in 2017 suggested modifications in fishing operations and reporting practices. Use of Benford's law highlighted its potential as an auditing tool in fisheries management and provided insights into data integrity that are crucial for sustainable fisheries governance.

Comparative analysis of biofilm bacterial communities developed on different artificial reef materials.

Artificial reefs play a vital role in restoring and creating new habitats for marine species by providing suitable substrates, especially in areas where natural substrates have been degraded or lost due to declining water quality, destructive fishing practices, and coral diseases. Artificial reef restoration aimed at coral larval settlement is gaining prominence and initially depends on the development of biofilms on reef surfaces. In this study, we hypothesized that different artificial reef materials selectively influence the composition of biofilm bacterial communities, which in turn affected coral larval settlement and the overall success of coral rehabilitation efforts. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the impact of six different reef made materials (porcelain, granite, coral-skeleton, calcium-carbonate, shell-cement, and cement) on the development of biofilm bacterial communities and their potential to support coral larval settlement. The biofilm bacterial communities were developed on different artificial reef materials and studied using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and analysis. The bacterial species richness and evenness were significantly (P<0.05) low in the seawater, while these values were high in the reef materials. At the phylum level, the biofilm bacterial composition of all materials and seawater was majorly composed of Pseudomonadota, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, however, significantly (P<0.05) low Bacteroidetes were found in the seawater. At the genus level, Thalassomonas, Glaciecola, Halomicronema, Lewinella, Hyphomonas, Thalassospira, Polaribacter, and Tenacibaculum were significantly (P<0.05) low in the coral-skeleton and seawater, compared to the other reef materials. The genera Pseudoaltermonas and Thalassomonas (considered potential inducers of coral larval settlement) were highly abundant in the shell-cement biofilm, while low values were found in the biofilm of the other materials. The biofilm bacterial community composition can be selective for different substrate materials, such as shell-cement exhibited higher abundances of bacteria known to facilitate coral larval settlement, highlighting their potential in enhancing restoration outcomes.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Hippocampus abdominalis Larvae Under High Temperature Stress.

Acute temperature stress was explored in Hippocampus abdominalis through a comprehensive RNA-seq analysis. RNA-seq was conducted on 20-day-old H. abdominalis after 24 h of temperature stress. Four experimental conditions were established: a control group (18 °C) and three temperature treatment groups (21, 24, and 27 °C). Seahorse larvae were found to be unaffected by 21 °C and 24 °C and were able to survive for short periods of time during 24 h of incubation, whereas mortality approached 50% at 27 °C. The sequencing process produced 75.63 Gb of high-quality clean data, with Q20 and Q30 base percentages surpassing 98% and 96%, respectively. A total of 141, 333, and 1598 differentially expressed genes were identified in the 21, 24, and 27 °C groups vs. a control comparison group, respectively. Notably, the number of up-regulated genes was consistently higher than that of down-regulated genes across all comparisons. Gene Ontology functional annotation revealed that differentially expressed genes were predominantly associated with metabolic processes, redox reactions, and biosynthetic functions. In-depth KEGG pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that down-regulated genes were significantly enriched in pathways related to steroid biosynthesis, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, spliceosome function, and DNA replication. Up-regulated genes were enriched in pathways associated with the FoxO signaling pathway and mitophagy (animal). The results indicated that temperature stress induced extensive changes in gene expression in H. abdominalis, involving crucial biological processes such as growth, biosynthesis, and energy metabolism. This study provided key molecular mechanisms in the response of H. abdominalis to temperature stress, offering a strong basis for future research aimed at understanding and mitigating the effects of environmental stressors on marine species.

ODP-DASHBOARD: Enhancing Marine Species Conservation in the South Atlantic through Linked Open Data Integration

This paper presents the development of a Cloud-based dashboard called ODP-DASHBOARD (Ocean Data Platform), to manage information from the Marine Biodiversity domains and Oceanography. In this context, the Linked Open Data (LOD) paradigm has emerged as a set of best practices for connecting, sharing and exposing data and knowledge. A central part of this paradigm are ontologies, which allow the definition of shared vocabularies and conceptual models that help integrate this information. These considerations provide a strong motivation to formulate a system that takes into account geospatial characteristics that can provide answers to questions such as the following: (i) How can we define spatial regions for our studies? (ii) How are species distributed in a given region? (iii) Given a particular georeference, what geographic region does it belong to? (iv) How to relate species occurrences to environmental variables within a specific region?. This system is composedof (i) Architecture; (ii) Conceptual model and (iii) Linked data set for exploitation through a SPARQL endpoint. The evaluation was carried out from two approaches, the first of which consists of validating the dashboard using real data extracted from Marine Biodiversity and Oceanography repositories and then validating the proposed conceptual model using competency questions. The second approach has to do with validation through case studies defined together with researchers from the Scientific and Technological Center (CENPAT-CONICET).

Investigating the Influence of Microplastics on Marine Biodiversity and Human Health

The main environmental and public health concerns have been the plastic particles that are smaller than 5 millimeters in size. This study paper will therefore investigate how microplastics originate, their prevalence, and the impacts on marine biodiversity and human health. It categorizes microplastics as either primary or secondary in nature, thus explaining their origin from intentional consumer product usage and from the degradation of larger plastic debris. It is estimated that 51 trillion microplastic particles mar the marine ecosystems and endanger organisms as small as plankton and as large as mammals. This ingestion of microplastics can lead to blockages, deficiencies in nutrients, and toxicological effects in the marine species that the impacts of their bioaccumulation and biomagnifications would increase in the food chain for human health. Evidence says microplastics have been present in seafood and drinking water, and even in human tissues, and the potential for such health problems of inflammation, oxidative stress, or chronic problems long term. This paper underlines the critical level of scientific research to full understanding of the impacts that microplastics will have on the environment and health. It also underlines strong policy interventions focusing on reducing plastic production and consumption, improving waste management, and enhancing public awareness. Through such synthesis and combined efforts across sectors, we could ease this overall threat through microplastic pollution together to protect marine ecosystems as well as public health for generations to come.

Comprehensive biodiversity assessment of flora and fauna along the Kedah coastline: Implications for conservation and sustainable management

Preserving the unique ecosystems of specific coastal areas is crucial for environmental health and the welfare of local communities. This study explores the rich biodiversity of flora and fauna along the Kedah state coastline, a 440 km stretch along the Strait of Malacca. Through meticulous site surveys and comprehensive data collection across multiple locations, followed by laboratory analyses, this research reveals a vibrant tapestry of life. The Kedah coastal area boasts a remarkable diversity, with 60 fish species identified, predominantly from the Carangidae (12 %) and Mugilidae (10 %) families. Additionally, five marine mammal species were documented, though turtles and terrapins were notably absent. The condition of coral reefs varied, with "fair" conditions observed at stations St-1 and St-2 (31.67 % and 35.67 % live coral, respectively), and "poor" conditions at St-3 (10.67 % live coral). High densities of phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrobenthos, and seaweed were recorded, whereas seagrass vegetation was absent. The study on Kedah’s coastal flora and fauna revealed a diverse range of species, including fish, marine mammals, corals, phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrobenthos, and seaweed. Coral reefs were found to be in varying conditions, with some needing restoration. The study recommends long-term monitoring, seasonal surveys, and focused research on key species. Habitat protection, community awareness, and sustainable practices are also emphasized to preserve the ecological balance of these marine environments. Moreover, the findings of this study provide a critical understanding of the Kedah coastal ecosystem and offer valuable insights for local authorities to develop effective conservation strategies. This research underscores the importance of preserving biodiversity to maintain ecological balance and support sustainable development in coastal regions.

ICCAT modernization and its implications for Taiwan’s future participation

The purpose of this paper aims to understand how ICCAT was modernized to be in line with contemporary international fisheries legal regime so as to adopt up-to-date CMMs and strengthen their enforcement through its convention amendment process, and its implications for Taiwan’s future participation under the capacity of a “fishing entity” in this organization. This paper found that the enforcement on the high seas fisheries governance in the Atlantic Ocean has been significantly strengthened after the modernization of ICCAT. Particularly, a HSBI scheme has been adopted in the Article XI (4) of the amended ICCAT Convention. In other words, ICCAT will as its own high seas boarding and inspection (HSBI) scheme similar to that of other Tuna RFMOs to ensure that the CMMs adopted by ICCAT will be effectively enforced. In addition, the target species it manages has been expanded from highly migratory species (tunas) to sharks and other relevant marine species, and many important conservation and management principles, such as precautionary approaches, ecological considerations, and best scientific evidence available have been incorporated in the amended Convention texts. However, in relation to Taiwan’s participation, although a fishing entity has been granted certain rights in the amended ICCAT Convention, but some are not, particularly the HSBI scheme. How Taiwan can overcome these disadvantages is therefore a major issue for its participation and negotiation strategies in the near future.

Revision and phylogenetic placement of one of the earliest freshwater gobies from the Lower Oligocene of Central Europe

ABSTRACT Gobioid fishes (Teleostei) are renowned for their remarkable species diversity in marine and freshwater environments, making their evolutionary history a fascinating study subject. Among their oldest known fossils is the small-sized freshwater goby ‘Gobius’ gracilis from the Lower Oligocene of Central Europe, which has not undergone a detailed investigation since its first description. Here, we present a comprehensive re-analysis of ‘G.’ gracilis using type specimens and new material from museum collections. We show that this species possesses a unique combination of traits, leading to the establishment of a new genus, †Laubeichthys gen. nov. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian Inference (BI) recover †Laubeichthys gen. nov. as a stem member of the extinct family †Pirskeniidae and suggest a sister relationship between the family Thalasseleotrididae (ocean sleepers) and †Laubeichthys gen. nov. + †Pirskeniidae. Maximum parsimony analyses do not contradict such a relationship, but the trees are less resolved. Today, the Thalasseleotrididae includes four marine species that are restricted to the Southwest Pacific. In contrast, †Pirskeniidae and †Laubeichthys gen. nov. inhabited freshwater environments in Central Europe. Our findings provide new insights into the evolutionary history and historical biogeography of gobioid fishes and highlight the dynamic nature of their past diversity and distribution.

Beyond Flexible: Unveiling the Next Era of Flexible Electronic Systems.

Flexible electronics are integral in numerous domains such as wearables, healthcare, physiological monitoring, human-machine interface, and environmental sensing, owing to their inherent flexibility, stretchability, lightweight construction, and low profile. These systems seamlessly conform to curvilinear surfaces, including skin, organs, plants, robots, and marine species, facilitating optimal contact. This capability enables flexible electronic systems to enhance or even supplant the utilization of cumbersome instrumentation across a broad range of monitoring and actuation tasks. Consequently, significant progress has been realized in the development of flexible electronic systems. This study begins by examining the key components of standalone flexible electronic systems-sensors, front-end circuitry, data management, power management and actuators. The next section explores different integration strategies for flexible electronic systems as well as their recent advancements. Flexible hybrid electronics, which is currently the most widely used strategy, is first reviewed to assess their characteristics and applications. Subsequently, transformational electronics, which achieves compact and high-density system integration by leveraging heterogeneous integration of bare-die components, is highlighted as the next era of flexible electronic systems. Finally, the study concludes by suggesting future research directions and outlining critical considerations and challenges for developing and miniaturizing fully integrated standalone flexible electronic systems.

Microbiome flexibility enhances the resilience of the potentially invasive coral Tubastraea aurea to abrupt environmental changes: Insights from a shallow water hydrothermal vent transplantation study

To comprehend the effects of potentially invasive coral Tubastraea aurea on marine ecosystems, it is crucial to understand their adaptive strategies to survive environmental changes and perturbations. Therefore, a cross-transplantation study was conducted to assess the microbiome's role in the resilience of T. aurea to sudden environmental changes.Hydrographic analyses revealed distinct ecological conditions at two sites: a hydrothermal vent (HV) site, characterized by harsh environmental conditions serving as a natural laboratory for future oceanic changes, and a regular coastal site Fulong (FU). Both sites showed significant differences in pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Using Oxford Nanopore Technologies, we examined bacterial dynamics in coral tissue, mucus and ambient sediment samples following cross-transplantation experiments. We observed a rapid shift in dominant bacterial groups post-transplantation with transplanted corals acquiring microbiomes similar to native corals from their respective sites within 16 days. The bacteria Endozoicomonas euniceicola and Ruegeria profundi were dominant in both native and transplanted corals, suggesting their critical role in coral resilience. Furthermore, the enrichment of certain bacterial taxa post-transplantation suggests that opportunistic species also contribute to host acclimatization. Functional profiling data indicated that there was site-specific adaptation because corals had acquired beneficial bacterial assemblages to assist them cope with environmental stressors. More specifically, there was a switch towards sulfur and nitrogen metabolism in corals that moved to high sulfidic environments, while corals transplanted into normal coastal environments showed enriched photoautotrophic processes due to their symbionts. Our study underscored the highly flexible microbiome of T. aurea and its pivotal role in facilitating host resilience to environmental perturbations, particularly in the context of its potential invasiveness. Hence, these findings contribute to the understanding of coral-microbiome dynamics and emphasize the necessity of considering microbially-mediated resilience in managing potentially invasive coral species in marine ecosystems around the world, especially as ocean conditions continue to change.