Posted By
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Posted By
An international team of scientists, led by Prof David Miller and Dr Amin Mohamed, has found that the coral-associated alga Chromera, despite being a near-relative of Symbiodinium (the photosynthetic symbiont essential for the survival of reef-building corals), is not beneficial to corals. Previously it had been assumed that Chromera was an alternative coral photosymbiont that was more tolerant of heat stress than is Symbiodinium. The new study, published in Nature’s ISME Journal, comprehensively debunks the myth that Chromera is beneficial to corals. Rather than being greeted as a friend, corals mount a hostile response when exposed to Chromera.
To better understand the coral-Chromera association, the researchers investigated the response of every gene in the coral genome from the moment the juvenile coral first interacts with Chromera. The team compared this with the typical response of a coral larva to the known ally, Symbiodinium sp, and saw very different responses from those typical for beneficial types of Symbiodinium.
Read full paper here.
Squid will survive and may even flourish under even the worst-case ocean acidification scenarios, according to a new study published this week. Dr Blake Spady, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for C
Scientists have revealed the torrid, adulterous love lives of the mouth-brooding cardinalfish, with cuckoldry going hand-in-hand with cannibalism of the young.“This is a small and unassuming cor
A new study published today in Nature Climate Change finds coral reefs are under threat from ocean acidification.The study was led by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef S
New research has revealed that the short lives and violent deaths of some of coral reefs’ smallest tenants may be vital to the health of reef systems, including the iconic Great Barrier Reef.Dr
China’s extraordinary economic development over recent decades has had enormous impacts on coastal marine ecosystems, including extensive, coastal coral reefs in the southern provinces. With around
Pesticides (particularly herbicides and insecticides) are detected ubiquitously in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region waterways. This is largely as the GBR has relatively comprehensive long-term moni
In 2016, JCU joined the pilot of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena SWAN program. This program aims to move towards gender equity in STEMM at universities and research institutes acr
Most of the world's coral reefs are periodically exposed to heavy seas generated by tropical cyclones which can cause major structural damage to corals that, over time, can play a key role in shaping
Anthropogenic global heating has emerged as a major driver of the trajectory of the world’s coral reefs. Pan-tropical coral bleaching (affecting >94% of coral reefs) has now occurred three times
Corals and sponges are morphologically simple organisms, playing key roles in the ecosystems they build and maintain, providing habitats for other species of animals, plants and microbes: branching st
This seminar will provide an overview of our recent adventures into bio-imaging and analysis with particular focus toward understanding structure and interaction at the scale of a single cell and/or i
Adaptation to climate change has been traditionally studied at the scale of the individual, with studies either looking at vulnerability or focusing on specific adaptation actions and the potential of
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au