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Despite the great ecological importance of coral reefs, they are under threat due to both natural and anthropogenic causes. When communities are located close to the coast, intensified human activity including pollution, overfishing, indiscriminate extraction, and deforestation of associated terrestrial ecosystems can destabilize a coral ecosystem,...
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Bachtiar I, Hadi TA. 2019. Differential impacts of 2016 coral bleaching on coral reef benthic communities at Sekotong Bay, Lombok Barat, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 570-575. Coral bleaching has been a major causal factor of coral mortality worldwide in the last two decades and it is therefore threaten food security. Understanding post-bleaching re...
The Coral Triangle contains the most species-diverse coral reefs in the world, and at its center is the Raja Ampat archipelago in West Papua, Indonesia. The marine resources of Raja Ampat are an important source of food and livelihood for thousands of people, but overfishing and destructive fishing practices threaten its coral reefs and fisheries....
The carbonate succession cropping out in the Dâmbovicioara Gorges (Cheile Dâmbovicioarei), eastern part of the Getic Carbonate Platform, consists of uppermost Tithonian-lowermost Valanginian limestones. Three distinct packages were distinguished: (i) reef limestones, (ii) intraclastic/bioclastic-dominated shoals and (iii) peritidal lime-stones. The...
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... Due to its high biodiversity value, this coral reef is cataloged as a "Priority Marine Area" by the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO, by its Spanish acronym). In general, this area is considered to have a minimal impact by anthropogenic activity and is not exposed to excessive terrestrial runoff (Liñán-Cabello & Michel-Morfin 2018, Cadena-Estrada et al. 2019. Subsequently, coral fragments were transplanted (details in the section below) into a different reef located 7 km away, called La Boquita (19°06'10"N, 104°23'46"W). ...
... We considered the general health condition as the main environmental difference between locations (transplant environment), being better for Carrizales than for La Boquita. Moreover, at La Boquita, besides the high anthropogenic impacts, there is a continuous process of habitat loss and coral bleaching (Liñán-Cabello et al. 2016, Liñán-Cabello & Michel-Morfin 2018. However, given the lack of in situ measurements of environmental parameters, we used historical oceanographic data to demonstrate that the average water quality between these reefs is different. ...
Understanding the potential of coral to adapt to environmental stressors that cause coral bleaching is urgent. The molecular responses of the coral holobiont to such stress conditions determine the success of symbiosis. Therefore, by characterizing molecular stress responses at the holobiont level, we can develop better tools to diagnose its health and resilience. However, only some genomic-scale resources are available for reef-building corals from the Eastern Tropical Pacific. This study aimed to perform a transcriptomic characterization of the Pocillopora grandis holobiont following transplantation into environments with different health conditions in Colima, Mexico. Healthy specimens of two color morphotypes (green and brown) were collected in Carrizales, a reef in good condition. Coral fragments from the two morphotypes were relocated within the source location (local transplant stress). In contrast, similar fragments were translocated into another reef with a poorer health state, La Boquita. After 24 h, the transplanted fragments were collected, and RNA-seq was performed with the Illumina system. De novo transcriptome assembly, functional annotation, identification of co-expression modules, and enrichment analysis of molecular pathways were performed. The analysis of rRNA LSU, rRNA SSU, and COI sequences confirmed the coral species, whereas analysis of Rubisco, psbA, and psaA transcripts revealed that the dominant endosymbiont was Durusdinium sp. Gene expression patterns observed across samples suggest that the transplantation to a reef with a poorer state of health affected processes such as photosynthesis, calcium homeostasis, and immune response. The transcriptomic indicators proposed here are valuable for further studies examining the adaptation of Pocillopora corals to global changes.
... One example is wastewater discharges from the residential tourist settlement Club Santiago through the Miramar treatment plant, reaching the adjacent ocean through its communication channel. These discharges affect the beach and the adjacent reef area due to the load of suspended solids and the high N and P levels from the interior of the lagoon, causing the whiteness of the coral and a 30% decrease in its abundance [51,52]. According to the analysis carried out in this study, this unfavorable trend will continue in the near future if no mitigation measures are taken and the current regulations are not enforced. ...
Coastal ecosystems are attractive sites for tourism. In the central Pacific coast of Mexico in the La Boquita coastal system (LBCS), consisting of a beach and a coastal lagoon, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model was implemented for the spatial and temporal analysis of socio environmental indicators, aiming to gather information for decision-making and implementation of management strategies. The spatial occupation (umbrellas and tables) of the beach showed a 50-200% increase during the Easter season relative to the low season, while the area containing restaurants (called "ramadas") increased by 396% in 15 years, representing pressure on land use for tourism purposes. The density of beach users ranged from moderate to high (<10 m 2 /user) during the holiday seasons in the tourism area. The Trophic index (TRIX), used as an indicator of trophic status, revealed mesotrophic-to-eutrophic conditions in lagoon water due to the limited water exchange with the adjacent ocean and to DIN and DIP inputs from adjacent tourist areas. The analysis of the environmental legislation showed that law enforcement in the LBCS is poor or nil, with most environmental regulations either ignored or having inadequate enforcement monitoring. This has led to the current state of socio environmental disruption.
Background.
Gene expression (GE) plasticity is an acclimation response that allows organisms to adjust rapidly to environmental changes, providing an adaptive advantage. GE biomarkers are emerging as a valuable tool for linking the organism’s physiological plasticity with the synergetic effects of large-scale climatic conditions and local impacts such as temperature and nutrients.
Objectives.
In this study, we investigate the GE plasticity of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (hsp70) and the carbonic anhydrase enzyme (CA) to confirm the ability of those two genes as biomarkers of the Cellular Stress Response and Cellular Homeostasis Response, respectively.
Methods.
Using qPCR, we evaluate the GE plasticity of coral colonies from Pocillopora capitata, Pocillopora damicornis, and Pocillopora verrucosa at the Carrizales reef (Colima coast of Mexico) naturally exposed to environmental changes in the Sea Surface Temperature (SST), productivity and nutrients using the cellular density of Symbiodiniaceae and chlorophyll content as health indices.
Results.
Our results clearly show GE plasticity in the hsp70 for Pocillopora verrucosa and Pocillopora damicornis related to a daily environmental change in temperature and nutrients. On the other hand, the CA gene expression shows no change in response to daily variations. However, there was a significantly high expression of CA and a lower expression of hsp70 in Pocillopora capitata. Furthermore, we found no significant differences in the health indices, suggesting some degree of physiological plasticity in Pocillopora corals like its extensive morphological plasticity that could reflect different adaptation capacities to low temperatures and high nutrients during the spring season in the central Mexican Pacific.
Conclusions.
Evaluating the phenotypic plasticity (morphology and molecular physiology) could help identify coral colonies with a more significant potential to survive environmental stressors. The latter is an essential consideration for managing, conserving, and restoring coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific.
Background. Gene expression (GE) plasticity is an acclimation response that allows organisms to adjust rapidly to environmental changes, providing an adaptive advantage. GE biomarkers are emerging as a valuable tool for linking the organism's physiological plasticity with the synergetic effects of large-scale climatic conditions and local impacts such as temperature and nutrients. Objectives. In this study, we investigate the GE plasticity of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (hsp70) and the carbonic anhydrase enzyme (CA) to confirm the ability of those two genes as biomarkers of the Cellular Stress Response and Cellular Homeostasis Response , respectively. Methods. Using qPCR, we evaluate the GE plasticity of coral colonies from Pocillopora capitata, Pocillopora damicornis, and Pocillopora verrucosa at the Carrizales reef (Colima coast of Mexico) naturally exposed to environmental changes in the Sea Surface Temperature (SST), productivity and nutrients using the cellular density of Symbiodiniaceae and chlorophyll content as health indices. Results. Our results clearly show GE plasticity in the hsp70 for Pocillopora verrucosa and Pocillopora damicornis related to a daily environmental change in temperature and nutrients. On the other hand, the CA gene expression shows no change in response to daily variations. However, there was a significantly high expression of CA and a lower expression of hsp70 in Pocillopora capitata. Furthermore, we found no significant differences in the health indices , suggesting some degree of physiological plasticity in Pocillopora corals like its extensive morphological plasticity that could reflect different adaptation capacities to low temperatures and high nutrients during the spring season in the central Mexican Pacific. Conclusions. Evaluating the phenotypic plasticity (morphology and molecular physiology) could help identify coral colonies with a more significant potential to survive environmental stressors. The latter is an essential consideration for managing, conserving, and restoring coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific.
The present study establishes a new procedure to characterize micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) and identify contaminants adhered to the plastic particles in aquatic environments by applying ultra-high resolution microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. Naturally fragmented microplastics (MPs) were collected from Manzanillo and Santiago Bays, Mexico and analyzed using: Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), μ-RAMAN, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Environmental Electron Scanning Microscopy (ESEM). The information obtained from each of these techniques was integrated to produce a comprehensive profile of each particle. Sample preparation was tested by applying three different rinses (unrinsed, distilled water and alcohol) to untreated MPs collected from Manzanillo Bay, finding that when large impurities are present an alcohol rinse makes it easier to examine the associated contaminants. Based on this emerging methodology, polyethylene and polypropylene MPs were identified with associated contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, and benzene. This study demonstrates the presence of pollutants that may be linked to MNPs in aquatic ecosystems and proposes an accurate relatively fast procedure for their analysis that does not require chemical extraction.
