Tag: coral reefs

Behind the paper

Juliano Morais: What is the fate of coral colonies after death? An Investigation into the erosion of dead coral colonies

In our latest post, Juliano Morais—a PhD candidate at James Cook University, Australia—presents his new work ‘On the fate of dead coral colonies’. In this blogpost, Juliano discusses the importance of erosion for coral reef survival and encourages non-native language speakers to be bold and start a career in ecology.   About the paper Carbonate budgets dynamically balance production and loss of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) … Continue reading Juliano Morais: What is the fate of coral colonies after death? An Investigation into the erosion of dead coral colonies

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Behind the paper

Felipe de Vargas Ribeiro: Kelps As Gatekeepers Of Temperate Reefs

In our latest post, Felipe de Vargas Ribeiro presents his latest article “Shield wall: Kelps are the last stand against corals in tropicalized reefs.” He discusses his group’s results from studying Australian Kelp forests, the importance of biotic interactions in novel communities, and encourages his Brazilian fellows to endure in science. About the paper Coastal ecosystems provide food and shelter to many species, along with … Continue reading Felipe de Vargas Ribeiro: Kelps As Gatekeepers Of Temperate Reefs

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Behind the paper

Benjamin Mueller: Bringing light into the dark – Night-DOM release by turf algae

In this new post, Benjamin Mueller, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA, discusses his recently accepted paper, “Nocturnal dissolved organic matter release by turf algae and its role in the microbialization of reefs,” and warns against discarding results that go against expectations. About the paper Our paper sheds light on the role of … Continue reading Benjamin Mueller: Bringing light into the dark – Night-DOM release by turf algae

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Behind the paper

Vianney Denis: Trophic plasticity of corals

Vianney Denis, Associate Professor at National Taiwan University in Taiwan, discusses his recently accepted paper, “Trophic plasticity of mixtrophic corals under contrasting environments.” About the paper To be picky or to not be picky? That is an important question when it comes to corals’ diet. Our paper explored the trophic plasticity of important mixotrophs -organisms able to blend autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition- at the base … Continue reading Vianney Denis: Trophic plasticity of corals

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Study co-authors conducting fieldwork in The Bahamas. Counterclockwise from left is Allison Stringer with a live lionfish (Pterois volitans), Robert Lamb conducting a transect survey, and Lillian Tuttle observing cleaning stations at a coral patch reef. Photo credits: Lillian Tuttle, Tim Pusack, and Severin Vaillancourt, respectively.
Behind the paper

Lillian Tuttle: Coral-reef predators must learn that the cleaner goby is a friend, not food

Lillian Tuttle of NOAA’s Pacific Island Regional Office in Honolulu, Hawai‘i talks about the inspiration behind her new research “Differential learning by native versus invasive predators to avoid distasteful cleaning mutualists” and the privilege we have to be able to observe the natural world. About the paper What’s your paper about?My co-authors and I studied the behaviours of invasive lionfish and cleaning mutualists on coral … Continue reading Lillian Tuttle: Coral-reef predators must learn that the cleaner goby is a friend, not food

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The studied reef has lost most of its coral cover due to two cyclones and two coral bleaching events. Despite some hard and soft coral colonies, most of the reef surface is covered in algal turfs, the favourite food of herbivorous reef fishes. Photo by Renato Morais.
Behind the paper

Renato Morais: An unexpected (PhD project) journey

Renato Morais of James Cook University presents his 2020 Haldane Prize shortlisted research ‘Severe coral loss shifts energetic dynamics on a coral reef‘ and talks about his PhD experience where he learned that catastrophe doesn’t mean that all is lost. If I was asked to provide advice for someone starting a (PhD) project in Ecology, it would be don’t get emotionally attached to your project. … Continue reading Renato Morais: An unexpected (PhD project) journey

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Dr. Fox sampling coral. Photo credit: Brian Zgliczynski
Behind the paper

Michael Fox: variable diets of coral reefs

Michael Fox is a postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research interests revolve around the interactions between oceanography and coral reef ecology. He recently published a paper highlighting a new method for quantifying heterotrophic nutrition in reef-building corals, which revealed that coral diets might be more variable than we thought.

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