Many Caribbean reefs have shifted from coral dominance to macroalgal dominance, often by brown algae such as Dictyota and Lobophora. However, the north side of Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands is dominated seasonally by the green macroalga Microdictyon (percent cover of Microdictyon is 4% in the winter and ~40% of the reef in the summer), although it is absent from the south side of the island and

Globally, baleen whales were severely depleted by historic whaling. Recovering populations have been observed to alter their behaviour. These changes have been attributed to climate change in some cases and raise concerns over the successful recovery of baleen whale populations. Current data‐driven statistical habitat and behavioural models have proven useful for addressing questions of whale distribution

Recolonization patterns of benthic assemblages after relict sand dredging were investigated in an area offshore of Capo d’Anzio (central Tyrrhenian Sea). Surveys were performed before, during, and after dredging in 2007. Sampling stations were located within and outside the dredging site in water depths between 40 and 56 m. Defaunation due to sand extraction was the main impact observed in the inner

The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration in the last few decades has resulted in a decrease in oceanic pH. In this study, we assessed the natural variability of pH in coastal waters off Goa, eastern Arabian Sea. pHT showed large variability (7.6–8.1) with low pH conditions during south‐west monsoon (SWM), and the variability is found to be associated with upwelling rather than freshwater runoff

Ocean acidification and warming are likely to affect the structure and functioning of marine benthic communities. This study experimentally examined the effects of ocean acidification and warming on trophic interactions within a maerl bed community by using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Two three‐month experiments were conducted in winter and summer seasons with four different combinations

Deep‐sea ecosystems are fragile yet diverse habitats that are sensitive to disturbance. In the northern Gulf of Mexico deepwater extraction of hydrocarbons led to the accidental release of four million barrels of oil from the Macondo wellhead in 2010. The release of oil combined with the addition of dispersant at depth and the resulting delivery of oiled “marine snow” led to dramatic disruptions of

The inflow of terrestrial groundwater into the ocean is increasingly recognized as an important local source of nutrients and pollutants to coastal ecosystems. Although there is evidence of a link between fresh submarine groundwater discharge (SGD)‐derived nutrients and primary producer and primary consumer abundances, the effects of fresh SGD on the productivity of higher trophic levels such as ichthyofaunal

This study was motivated by the data about a Rimapenaeus constrictus population from Ubatuba Bay, obtained in the 1990s, and by the establishment of a marine protected area (MPA) in the same region in 2008. We obtained comparable data about the distribution and abundance of this species collected 20 years apart, to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPA, for its preservation and possible changes in

The benthic assemblage of reefs provides an important resource of food and habitat for reef fishes. However, how benthic composition mediates reef fishes' biotic interactions at isolated environments such as oceanic islands remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of four different reef microhabitats over biological interactions of fishes in an understudied oceanic island, Príncipe

Broad‐scale movements (10s–100s km) of highly migratory species, such as sharks, present unique management challenges as fish migrate across international boundaries, thereby exposing them to different levels of anthropogenic pressure. Lemon sharks and blacktip sharks are well‐studied throughout their range in the western North Atlantic, but broad‐scale movements in the Caribbean region are largely

This study reported the mass mortality events (MMEs) of Pinna nobilis based on diving surveys in Turkey. Data were collected across 12 sites in the Aegean Sea, and one site in the Sea of Marmara, within the period of June‐September 2019. The results showed that a low mortality rate of 10% was found in the Sea of Marmara, and a MME was not detected for this area. In contrast, 97% mortality was recorded

The Brazilian coast is home to two species of Majoid crabs: Libinia ferreirae and Libinia spinosa, with similar habits, as they live in symbiosis with the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna during their juvenile stage and dwell on the bottom of the ocean near the coast when adults. This study investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of L. ferreirae and L. spinosa during different ontogenic phases

The variability of some population (demo) parameters of the gammarid amphipod Melita palmata was associated with contrasting habitat structures created by the non‐indigenous reef‐builder polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus in the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37°40 S, 57°23 W, Argentina). Sampling of M. palmata was conducted biweekly during the reproductive period in F. enigmaticus reefs and sediment

The structure, diversity, spatial and seasonal distributions of amphipod assemblages associated with intertidal Zostera (Zosterella) noltei meadows were studied around the Kneiss Islands (central Mediterranean Sea). This site represents a site of international interest in terms of its ornithological diversity (Important Bird Area, Ramsar Site and SPAMI). The amphipod fauna was sampled at 32 stations

Bohai Bay, a representative semi‐enclosed bay of China, has been severely impacted in recent decades by rapid human development. Although the mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria plays an important role in the Bohai Bay ecosystem and fishery, its feeding ecology and the impact of habitat changes on its feeding habits are poorly known. In this study, we sought to identify its feeding strategy through

Surface sediment samples were collected from sixteen sites of the southern Chinese coastline in this study. Diversity of eukaryotic microalgae was examined using high‐throughput sequencing of 18S rDNA to understand the community structure and geological distribution of microalgal resting stages. A total of 218 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected for eukaryotic algae, and only 75 OTUs (34

The California market squid is ecologically and economically important to the California Current Ecosystem and coastal communities. However, the population undergoes periodic and large‐scale fluctuations on the order of magnitudes, largely as a result of warm ocean temperature and reduced ocean productivity related to cycles in El Niño Southern Oscillation. These fluctuations can lead to cascading

Our study aimed to identify possible relationships between the structure of the benthic macrofauna and the intense use of vehicles in Cassino Beach. Physical changes in the sediment were identified, with high compaction in the sector most affected by the vehicles, especially during the summer. The benthic macrofauna was significantly affected by vehicles, with lower densities observed in the most impacted

Climate change causes shifts in the geographical distribution boundaries of many organisms. Modelling techniques predict the distribution of species by relating climatic and physical factors with species' presence records, including potential extinction areas and new potential areas of colonization, under predicted climatic scenarios. In this study, we initially explored which environmental variables

In Korean coastal waters (KCW), nutrient loading from the four major rivers usually peaks in summer, probably due to the large amount of water discharge in rainy seasons, but little is known about the responses of the bacterial community composition to inorganic nutrient loading. To gain deeper understanding of variations in marine microbial biodiversity and function with inorganic nutrient loading

The detection of light intensity and subsequent phototaxis are essential for the fitness of sea urchins in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters, where light intensity varies in accordance with the depth and other hydrographic conditions. The molecular basis of photoresponse, however, remains largely unknown. We compared the expression of SiOpsin4, SiPax6, and SiOpsin5 among tube feet, coelomocytes

Research in aquatic ecology requires adequate sampling designs if the underlying processes that govern population and community dynamics are to be understood. Adequate sampling design is particularly important for organisms inhabiting environments such as mangroves. Thus, collecting quantitative ecological data remains a major challenge. Here, we analysed the structural and temporal dynamics of a tidal

Abundance and assemblages of dinoflagellates and ciliates were studied in water samples collected from three different depths at five locations in the Kongsfjorden, during summer (June 14–21, 2011) and fall (September 15–27, 2012). Generally, athecate dinoflagellates were ubiquitously dominant during both seasons. Surface dinoflagellates abundance ranged from 1.87 × 103 cells/L (KF1) to 11.62 × 103 cells/L

Marine hardground bottom (subtidal) benthic (sessile) communities (HBBC) are subjected to various biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors that can vary over space and time and interact with one another. To evaluate the main drivers of the structure of HBBC in a large tropical bay in the southwest Atlantic (Ilha Grande Bay, Brazil), a total of 98 HBBC were sampled using visually estimated quadrats

The rapid appearance of Ramicrusta spp. is described and analyzed from 40 permanent monitoring coral reef stations in Puerto Rico. Before 2016, Ramicrusta had not been observed from any of the reef monitoring stations. By 2018, it was present at 76% of all the monitoring stations. Ramicrusta was the dominant substrata type at all of the shallow reef sites sampled on the east coast (e.g., Fajardo, Culebra

The Veracruz Reef System, in the southern Gulf of Mexico, is a suitable area for the study of the temporal and spatial variability of macroalgae abundance, at reef settings influenced by the fluvial discharge of the Jamapa River, and by human activities in the city and port of Veracruz. With this purpose, the bottom cover of each morpho‐functional group of benthic macroalgae (frondoses, turf, and crustose

In recent decades, the high introduction rate of alien species (AS) has been mainly due to the increasingly widespread human movements, which often compromise natural barriers, facilitating the invasion of new geographic areas and environments. Being completely new in the recipient habitat, alien invasive species can often have strongly negative impacts on native communities, sometimes causing substantial

Sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus) is a major marine resource of Sanriku off the Pacific Coast, Japan, that includes Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi Prefectures. Using six microsatellites and three mitochondrial DNA regions, we aimed to characterize genetic diversity of M. nudus before and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Sanriku's Touni and Okirai Bays. Although mass death during the Tohoku disaster likely

To understand the importance of picoeukaryotes in the biogeochemical cycle in the subtropical Kuroshio Current, a year‐round survey of the hydrography and the distribution of picoeukaryotes were conducted in four oceanographic cruises from October 2012 to July 2013. In comparison with other seasons, the highest abundancy of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, with concentrations >104 cells/ml, was observed

Juvenile nursery habitats are a critical requirement for the maintenance of some fish populations. Snapper in northern New Zealand is hypothesised to fit this nursery habitat model; however, nursery habitat association and dependency are poorly understood for New Zealand's largest snapper population in the Hauraki Gulf. To better understand habitat usage by post‐settlement snapper and identify potential

Sandy beaches, prime recreational assets that attract more people than other types of shorelines, are the main assets underpinning many coastal economies and developments. However, the intense stressors to the ecology of sandy beaches caused by recreational activities are generally underestimated or ignored. This study was the first to emphasize the ecological characteristics of recreational beaches

Many subtropical fishes spawn multiple batches throughout a year. To understand plasticity in their reproductive output, we evaluated variation in oocyte size and batch fecundity for an exploited subtropical cutlassfish, Trichiurus japonicus, between two temperature periods (warm vs. cold) on the NE and SW coasts of Taiwan, northwestern Pacific. Given greater temperature variability on NE compared

The Mediterranean cave‐dwelling cardinalfish Apogon imberbis shows a surprising panmixia for a brooding species inhabiting a fragmented habitat. This is partly attributed to the plasticity of its aggregative behavior, ranging from solitary to large schools. This plasticity allows this cardinalfish to take advantage of a wide variety of shadowed shelters, ranging from small cracks to large caves, which

Fishery along the west coast of India largely depends on pelagic fish such as oil sardines, which are dominant during the south‐west monsoon. However, the response of sardine population to the warming caused by the climatic events such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is poorly studied. Here, we hypothesize that the ENSO‐related changes in biogeochemistry can adversely

Cooperative behaviours, such as aggregation with neighbouring conspecifics, can enhance resilience in habitats where risks (i.e. predation, physical disturbances) are high, exerting positive feedback loops to maintain a healthy population. At the same time, cooperation behaviours can involve some extra energy expenditures and increasing resource competition. For sessile reefs, like mussels, simulation

In deep‐sea environments, plant remains of several origins are found, including branches, twigs, leaves, and wood pieces, among others. As most of the deep‐sea bottoms are oligotrophic and nutrient‐limited, plant remains provide an oasis of localized organic enrichment and a substrate for colonization. Sunken wood was suggested to play an important evolutionary role in the diversification of chemosynthetic

The taxonomic richness and geographic distribution of sponges stranded along Sardinian shores were investigated in the long term by means of a revisited ancient sampling method in order to support a comprehensive species inventory. Almost all stranded species were Keratosa (n = 20), plus 6 species of other Demospongiae taxa. Dictyoceratida were dominant, with 6 genera and 19 species of the families

We reviewed the geological record of mangroves based on fossil pollen, fruits, and wood evidence of Nypa, Avicennia, Sonneratia, Rhizophoraceae, and mangrove associates to trace the origin, distribution, extinction, and range contraction of paleo‐mangroves during the Late Cretaceous–Miocene time. Our study region covers paleocoastal areas of Indo‐West Pacific (IWP) and Atlantic East Pacific (AEP) region

The effect of harvesting on the diversity and structure of benthic assemblages is nowadays a relevant component of fishery management. Invertebrate harvesting is increasing worldwide and sea urchins are one of the main invertebrate target species. However, current knowledge about the effects of sea urchin harvesting on benthic assemblages is still poor. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence

The level of parental investment for larval nutrition may determine the life cycle in marine invertebrate species laying egg masses or capsules, where the food available for enclosed individuals would determine time and developmental stage of hatching. Most species show a unique type of larval development. However, few species are poecilogonous and combine more than one development type. Poecilogony

The brown mussel, Perna perna, is an ecologically important species which has a great potential for aquaculture in Ghana. Though it is harvested from the wild for consumption locally, there is no information on its population parameters to guide its management and subsequent culturing. The species inhabiting Iture rocky beach near Cape Coast (Ghana) was therefore investigated to elucidate its growth

Seagrass leaf litter decomposition is a key component of marine carbon flow driven by both biotic and abiotic factors, including water movement. In this study, we analyse Posidonia oceanica litter decomposition and invertebrate colonization in three sites with different hydrodynamics in a coastal basin. Litterbags were put on the sea bed along a gradient of distance from the open sea, implying a different

This study investigated the community structure and functional traits of the mollusk fauna associated with macroalgae with different thallus morphologies in a reef environment in Northeastern Brazil. A total of 15 individuals of each species of macroalgae adhered to natural substrate and 15 individuals of Padina gymnospora detached from the substrate were collected. The structural complexity of algal

Sponges alter the proportion of structural and morphological components such as spicule skeleton and number of oscula in response to environment, development and growth. Such mechanisms indicate morphological and physiological variations within populations. We measured the pumping rate of different sized specimens of contractile sponge Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa present in the intertidal rock pools

To elucidate which environmental factors affect lagoonal‐scale sea cucumber distributions in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, intertidal and subtidal areas of three coral reef lagoons were classified into several ground divisions by bottom characteristics, and sea cucumber densities therein were compared with the composition of sediment cover, grain size and organic content, and coverage of macroalgae

Feeding behavior of coral reef fishes often determines their species‐specific ecological roles. We studied the two most common Caribbean surgeonfishes (Acanthurus coeruleus and Acanthurus tractus) to examine their species‐specific grazing rates and feeding preferences and how these differed with environmental context. We quantified the feeding activity of both surgeonfishes at four spur and groove

Small rookeries are rarely evaluated for marine turtles worldwide. Two species of sea turtles (Hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricata; Leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea) nest on five main beaches of the northeast coast of the Paria Gulf in Venezuela. Population trends using generalized linear models at this rookery were assessed and compared with other small rookeries. Both species showed significant negative

A survey of the region eastward of Nantucket provided an opportunity to examine the cold temperate–boreal boundary along the high‐energy Great South Channel. Here described are the benthic macroinvertebrate community types encountered, with a focus on the influence of climate change on the range boundaries of the benthic biomass dominants and the potential existence of transient multiple stable states

The assemblage structure and spatial distribution patterns of macrobenthic communities according to environmental conditions were analysed through five samplings carried out at 14 intertidal soft sediment stations in the Oualidia lagoon (NW Morocco). A total of 89 macrobenthic taxa were collected, amounting to 55.188 specimens. Molluscs, polychaetes and arthropods were the most species‐rich groups

Functional groups have become an important tool for characterizing communities of marine and estuarine environments. Their use also holds promise for a better understanding of the temporal dynamics of phytoplankton. This study aimed to evaluate the contributions of phytoplankton size fractions and functional groups characterizing short‐term variation throughout tidal cycles and between dry and rainy

The occurrence of the invasive nonindigenous copepod Oithona davisae Ferrari and Orsi, 1984, is reported for the first time in the Aegean Sea. The data we collected in August 2017 from 14 stations along the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea reveal the spatial distribution of O. davisae between the openning of the Dardanelles Strait in the north and the Izmir Bay in the south. The O. davisae individuals

Barriers to dispersal are recognized to play an important role in the differentiation of populations and ultimately in speciation. In the southeast Pacific, on the northern coast of Peru, a transition zone between the Peruvian and Panamic marine biogeographic provinces exists. Here, the convergence between two contrasting surface currents could generate a barrier effect for the larval dispersal of

Growth is determined by an organism's physiology, physical environment, and biological conditions, including food availability and any intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions that can affect feeding activity. To analyse how all these factors interact to produce final growth in the herbivorous/detritivorous crab Neohelice granulata, we performed field and laboratory experiments with juveniles and adults

Revillagigedo Archipelago and Clipperton atoll are oceanic islands located in the eastern tropical Pacific. The composition and trophic structure of their fish assemblages have never been characterized in detail, and the aim of this study was therefore to analyse the community structure and assess the similarity of fish assemblages between these two areas. Underwater visual fish censuses were conducted

Moon snail predation on clams is a common model system of predator–prey interactions. In this system, the predator bores through the shell of its prey, leaving a distinct and identifiable hole. Some paleoecological and behavioral research on moon snails suggests a trend in predation preference directed toward clams with small shells. Rarely, however, have studies tested relative drilling frequencies

Variations in environmental factors can alter the species distribution pattern in intertidal rocky shores. The Persian Gulf (PG) and the Gulf of Oman (GO) vary substantially with respect to environmental and oceanographic conditions. The abundance and biodiversity of intertidal rocky gastropods in five locations across the northern PG and the GO were compared, and the environmental variables underlying

This study provides an analysis of vesicomyid bivalve–symbiont community distribution across cold seep and hydrothermal vent areas in the Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico). Using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and electronic microscopy observations, vesicomyid clam species and their associated symbionts were characterized

Mangroves are coastal ecosystems, found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. They are found in the transitional zones between land, sea, and rivers. Petroleum hydrocarbons are the most common environmental pollutants, and oil spills pose a great hazard to mangroves forests. This research was focused on the isolation and characterization of crude oil‐degrading bacteria from mangrove

Bioeroding sponges belong to the most dominant bioeroders, significantly contributing to the erosion of coral reefs. Some species are tolerant or even benefit from environmental conditions such as ocean warming, acidification, and eutrophication. In consequence, increases in sponge bioerosion have been observed on some coral reefs over the last decades. The Abrolhos Bank is the largest coral reef system

Harvesting of intertidal grazers such as topshells is known to affect negatively the exploited populations by altering population structure and decreasing abundance. Phorcus sauciatus has a wide geographic distribution in the North‐eastern Atlantic Ocean and is subject to increasing levels of harvesting pressure due to the expansion of human population on coastal areas. The effect of proximity to human