Results 11 to 20 of about 102 (91)

Soft coral reproductive phenology along a depth gradient: Can "going deeper" provide a viable refuge? [PDF]

Ecology, 2022
Abstract Many species across a wide range of taxa and habitats display phenological shifts and differences in response to both environmental gradients and climate change. Moreover, the wide‐scale decline of numerous ecosystems is leading to increasing efforts to identify zones that might serve as natural refuges from various disturbances, including ...
Liberman R, Shlesinger T, Loya Y, Benayahu Y.   +3 more
europepmc   +2 more sources

Vulnerability of tropical fish communities across depth in the central Indian Ocean. [PDF]

Conserv Biol
Abstract Coral reefs and their fish communities below scuba diving depth (>30 m), in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) (∼30–150 m), in rariphotic (150–300 m), and in upper bathyal waters (300–500 m) are often underexplored, especially in the Indian Ocean.
Stefanoudis PV, de Villiers NM, Afzal MS, Amir H, Amjad F, Hashim AS, Jauharee AR, Palmer R, Rogers AD, Shimal M, Naeem S, Ahusan M, Woodall LC.   +12 more
europepmc   +2 more sources

Predicting the Distribution of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago. [PDF]

Ecol Evol
This study aims to map and predict the distribution of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, using high‐ and low‐resolution bathymetry data. The models, developed using environmental and topographical variables, showed excellent predictive performance, revealing extensive, previously undocumented MCEs; though ...
Diaz C, Howell KL, Graves KP, Bolton A, Hosegood P, Robinson E, Foster NL.   +6 more
europepmc   +2 more sources

Novel Gene Clusters for Secondary Metabolite Synthesis in Mesophotic Sponge-Associated Bacteria. [PDF]

Microb Biotechnol
The mesophotic coral ecosystem harbours a vast array of sponge species. Our metagenomic analysis reveals the bacterial diversity of mesophotic coral ecosystem sponges and their biosynthetic gene clusters of secondary metabolites, emphasising an underexplored resource for bioactive compounds.
Chen N, Liu L, Wang J, Mao D, Lu H, Shishido TK, Zhi S, Chen H, He S.   +8 more
europepmc   +2 more sources

Light and temperature drive the distribution of mesophotic benthic communities in the Central Indian Ocean

Diversity and Distributions, Volume 29, Issue 12, Page 1578-1593, December 2023., 2023
Abstract Aim Research on mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) has increased exponentially in recent decades, and the significance of this ecosystem has been recognised both in terms of biodiversity and distribution. However, this research has mostly focussed on corals and is globally sporadic, with the Indian Ocean remaining largely unexplored and ...
Clara Diaz, Kerry L. Howell, Edward Robinson, Philip Hosegood, Adam Bolton, Peter Ganderton, Peter Arber, Martin J. Attrill, Nicola L. Foster   +8 more
wiley   +1 more source

Structure‐from‐motion photogrammetry demonstrates that fine‐scale seascape heterogeneity is essential in shaping mesophotic fish assemblages

Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8, Issue 6, Page 904-920, December 2022., 2022
To investigate the influence of benthic seascape structure on MCE fish assemblages in Seychelles, this study surveyed benthic structure and fish assemblages using submersible video transects at mesophotic depths. Spatial pattern metrics measuring benthic habitat composition, configuration and terrain structure were extracted from Structure‐from‐Motion ...
Denise J. B. Swanborn, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Veerle A. I. Huvenne, Simon J. Pittman, Lucy C. Woodall, Kylie Scales, Alice Jones   +6 more
wiley   +1 more source

Light and photoacclimatization drive distinct differences between shallow and mesophotic coral communities

Ecosphere, Volume 13, Issue 8, August 2022., 2022
Abstract The ecological distribution of coral species from shallow to mesophotic reefs is dependent on light, which varies drastically among local environments. Current definitions of mesophotic coral ecosystems primarily rely on a 30‐m recreational SCUBA boundary to define the upper limits of the community; however, this boundary does not consider ...
Gaby E. Carpenter, Alex D. Chequer, Sabrina Weber, Tali Mass, Gretchen Goodbody‐Gringley   +4 more
wiley   +1 more source

Mesophotic coral ecosystems of French Polynesia are hotspots of alpha and beta generic diversity for scleractinian assemblages

Diversity and Distributions, Volume 28, Issue 7, Page 1391-1403, July 2022., 2022
Abstract Aim Revealing how diversity varies across the depth gradient is key for understanding the role of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the functioning of coral reefs. We quantitatively examined how alpha and beta generic diversity of scleractinian coral assemblages vary across a wide depth gradient for coral reefs.
Gonzalo Pérez‐Rosales, Michel Pichon, Héloïse Rouzé, Sébastien Villéger, Gergely Torda, Pim Bongaerts, Jérémy Carlot, Under The Pole Consortium, Valeriano Parravicini, Laetitia Hédouin, G Bardout, J Fauchet, A Ferucci, F Gazzola, G Lagarrigue, J Leblond, E Marivint, A Mittau, N Mollon, N Paulme, E Périé‐Bardout, R Pete, S Pujolle, G Siu   +23 more
wiley   +1 more source

Hidden in the deep: Distinct benthic trajectories call for monitoring of mesophotic reefs

Conservation Letters, Volume 15, Issue 2, March/April 2022., 2022
Abstract Coral reef conservation management depends on long‐term monitoring efforts for a sound understanding of ecosystem structuring, functioning, and dynamics. However, ongoing monitoring programs are almost exclusively focused on shallow depths, and it remains unclear to what extent those represent the whole ecosystem.
Alejandra Hernandez‐Agreda, Francesca Marina Sahit, Norbert Englebert, Ove Hoegh‐Guldberg, Pim Bongaerts   +4 more
wiley   +1 more source

Illuminating Deep Reef Refugia: Horizontal and Vertical Genomic Connectivity of Seriatopora hystrix in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Molecular Ecology, Volume 35, Issue 10, May 2026.
ABSTRACT Shallow coral reefs are under threat from anthropogenic stress and climate change. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), found in deeper, cooler and less impacted waters, are proposed as potential refugia or larval sources for shallow reefs. However, this hypothesis of such deep‐reef refugia is now controversial because their effectiveness is ...
Kenji Takata, Yuji Narita, Nanami Noguchi, Satoshi Nagai, Taisei Kikuchi, Yoshihisa Suyama, Frederic Sinniger, Saki Harii, Nina Yasuda   +8 more
wiley   +1 more source