Applied Sciences

Editorial

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5 pages, 209 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

New Developments in Reef Coral Biotechnology

by Chiahsin Lin and Sujune Tsai

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(18), 10423; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810423 - 18 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1552

Abstract

The increasing occurrence of marine heatwaves, and the coral bleaching events they elicit, pose a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

Research

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24 pages, 6708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variable Responses to a Marine Heat Wave in Five Fringing Reefs of Southern Taiwan

by Zong-Min Ye, Anderson B. Mayfield and Tung-Yung Fan

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5554; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095554 - 29 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2320

Abstract

In 2020 marine heatwaves elicited severe bleaching on many of Earth’s coral reefs. We compared coral reef benthic community composition before (April 2020), during (September 2020), and after (December 2020–September 2021) this event at five fringing reefs of Southern Taiwan. The four shallow [...] Read more.

In 2020 marine heatwaves elicited severe bleaching on many of Earth’s coral reefs. We compared coral reef benthic community composition before (April 2020), during (September 2020), and after (December 2020–September 2021) this event at five fringing reefs of Southern Taiwan. The four shallow (3 m) reefs were hard coral-dominated in April 2020 (cover = 37–55%), though non-bleached coral cover decreased to only 5–15% by December 2020. Coral abundance at the two shallow (3 m), natural reefs had failed to return to pre-bleaching levels by September 2021. In contrast, coral cover of two artificial reefs reached ~45–50% by this time, with only a small drop in diversity. This is despite the fact that one of these reefs, the Outlet, was characterized by temperatures >30 °C for over 80 days in a six-month period due not only to the bleaching event but also inundation with warm-water effluent from a nearby nuclear power plant. Only the lone deep (7 m) reef was spared from bleaching and maintained a coral/algal ratio >1 at all survey times; its coral cover actually increased over the 18-month monitoring period. These data suggest that (1) the natural deep reef could serve as a refuge from thermal impacts in Southern Taiwan, and (2) the remaining corals at the Outlet have either adapted or acclimatized to abnormally elevated temperatures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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18 pages, 2922 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field-Testing a Proteomics-Derived Machine-Learning Model for Predicting Coral Bleaching Susceptibility

by Anderson B. Mayfield and Chiahsin Lin

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1718; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031718 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1708

Abstract

Given the widespread decline of coral reefs, temperature-focused models have been generated to predict when and where bleaching events may occur (e.g., Coral Reef Watch). Although such algorithms are adept at forecasting the onset of bleaching in many areas, they suffer from poor [...] Read more.

Given the widespread decline of coral reefs, temperature-focused models have been generated to predict when and where bleaching events may occur (e.g., Coral Reef Watch). Although such algorithms are adept at forecasting the onset of bleaching in many areas, they suffer from poor predictive capacity in regions featuring corals that have adapted or acclimatized to life in marginal environments, such as reefs of the Florida Keys (USA). In these locales, it may instead be preferred to use physiological data from the corals themselves to make predictions about stress tolerance. Herein proteomic data from both laboratory and field samples were used to train neural networks and other machine-learning models to predict coral bleaching susceptibility in situ, and the models’ accuracies were field-tested with massive corals (Orbicella faveolata) sampled across a 2019 bleaching event. The resulting artificial intelligence was capable of accurately predicting whether or not a coral would bleach in response to high temperatures based on its protein signatures alone, meaning that this approach could consequently be of potential use in delineating O. faveolata climate resilience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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16 pages, 2567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Expediting the Search for Climate-Resilient Reef Corals in the Coral Triangle with Artificial Intelligence

by Anderson B. Mayfield, Alexandra C. Dempsey, Chii-Shiarng Chen and Chiahsin Lin

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12955; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412955 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1970

Abstract

Numerous physical, chemical, and biological factors influence coral resilience in situ, yet current models aimed at forecasting coral health in response to climate change and other stressors tend to focus on temperature and coral abundance alone. To develop more robust predictions of reef [...] Read more.

Numerous physical, chemical, and biological factors influence coral resilience in situ, yet current models aimed at forecasting coral health in response to climate change and other stressors tend to focus on temperature and coral abundance alone. To develop more robust predictions of reef coral resilience to environmental change, we trained an artificial intelligence (AI) with seawater quality, benthic survey, and molecular biomarker data from the model coral Pocillopora acuta obtained during a research expedition to the Solomon Islands. This machine-learning (ML) approach resulted in neural network models with the capacity to robustly predict (R² = ~0.85) a benchmark for coral stress susceptibility, the “coral health index,” from significantly cheaper, easier-to-measure environmental and ecological features alone. A GUI derived from an ML desirability analysis was established to expedite the search for other climate-resilient pocilloporids within this Coral Triangle nation, and the AI specifically predicts that resilient pocilloporids are likely to be found on deeper fringing fore reefs in the eastern, more sparsely populated region of this under-studied nation. Although small in geographic expanse, we nevertheless hope to promote this first attempt at building AI-driven predictive models of coral health that accommodate not only temperature and coral abundance, but also physiological data from the corals themselves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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9 pages, 3603 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Water-Insoluble Black Pigment Released from the Octocoral Sinularia flexibilis

by Fu-Wen Kuo, Yu-Chia Chang and Hsing-Hui Li

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8012; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168012 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1541

Abstract

Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems on earth. The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has cultured more than 35 species of corals for research. When we conducted the asexual propagation of corals, the octocoral Sinularia flexibilis released [...] Read more.

Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems on earth. The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has cultured more than 35 species of corals for research. When we conducted the asexual propagation of corals, the octocoral Sinularia flexibilis released a black pigment that stained the operator’s hands black. This is the first reported case of the skin being dyed black while propagating corals. We quantified the blackness of the stain by using the RGB value of the color. The longer the coral contacted the skin, the darker the skin became. Incubating the tentacles of S. flexibilis in high-salinity filtered seawater increased the amount of the black pigment released. However, collecting 100% of the black pigment was exceedingly challenging because it was very sticky and was constantly entangled with Symbiodiniaceae. Furthermore, we were unable to identify any solvents that could dissolve the pigment. The structure and function of the black pigment merit further study as it has the potential to become a new black dye for human industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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19 pages, 14503 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Development and Growth of Coral Larvae

by Chiahsin Lin, Chia-Ming Kang, Chih-Yang Huang, Hsing-Hui Li and Sujune Tsai

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 5255; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12105255 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3523 | Correction

Abstract

Studies on the early development of corals are required for academic research on coral reefs and applied reef conservation, but the interval between observations is usually weeks or months. Thus, no study has comprehensively explored the development of coral larvae after settlement. This [...] Read more.

Studies on the early development of corals are required for academic research on coral reefs and applied reef conservation, but the interval between observations is usually weeks or months. Thus, no study has comprehensively explored the development of coral larvae after settlement. This study observed Galaxea fascicularis, Mycedium elephantotus, Pocillopora verrucosa, and Seriatopora caliendrum larvae after settlement, including their growth process and the formation of tentacles, skeletons, and polyps. The G. fascicularis and M. elephantotus polyps exhibited the skeleton-over-polyp mechanism, whereas the P. verrucosa and S. caliendrum polyps exhibited the polyp-over-skeleton mechanism. During asexual reproduction, the Symbiodiniaceae species clustered on the coenosarc, resulting in polyp development and skeletal growth. M. Elephantotus was unique in that its tentacles were umbrella-shaped, and its polyp growth and Symbiodiniaceae species performance during asexual reproduction differed from those of the other three corals. Although both P. verrucosa and S. caliendrum have branching morphologies, their vertical development stages were dissimilar. S. caliendrum relied on the mutual pushing of individuals in the colony to extend upward, whereas P. verrucosa had a center individual that developed vertically. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for future research on coral breeding, growth, and health assessments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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Other

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9 pages, 206 KiB

Open AccessConference Report

The 2nd International Symposium on New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology (12 May 2023, Taiwan)

by Chiahsin Lin

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 7318; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13127318 - 20 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1517

Abstract

For the second year in a row, the theme is “reef coral biotechnology”, specifically the interface between basic science and conservation. It has never been more important to attempt to leverage what we know about these beautiful, albeit highly imperiled and fragile, ecosystems [...] Read more.

For the second year in a row, the theme is “reef coral biotechnology”, specifically the interface between basic science and conservation. It has never been more important to attempt to leverage what we know about these beautiful, albeit highly imperiled and fragile, ecosystems towards conserving them. Our invited speakers’ areas of expertise span all levels of biological organization: from molecules within coral cells, to coral tissues, to entire coral colonies, and then up to reef-scale processes. Our goal is to promote communication not only among local Taiwanese marine biologists, but also those within Southeast Asia and farther afield; we especially encourage participation from early-career researchers, including Master’s students, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral researchers. It is our hope that the presentations (and the discussions that follow) will encourage collaboration. As importantly, we envision that the tools and approaches shared amongst us can be tapped into to expedite our collective efforts to better understand, manage, and conserve coral reefs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

16 pages, 259 KiB

Open AccessConference Report

International Symposium on New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology (5 May 2022, Taiwan)

by Chiahsin Lin

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 5758; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115758 - 6 Jun 2022

Viewed by 2299

Abstract

Given the global threats towards coral reefs, this conference’s central theme, “Reef coral biotechnology”, is particularly timely. Our goal is to promote communication and dialogue in this field among marine researchers within and outside of Taiwan, and we have invited experts in the [...] Read more.

Given the global threats towards coral reefs, this conference’s central theme, “Reef coral biotechnology”, is particularly timely. Our goal is to promote communication and dialogue in this field among marine researchers within and outside of Taiwan, and we have invited experts in the fields of coral reef ecology, physiology, conservation, and biotechnology to discuss their recent findings with a cadre of both local and foreign scientists, as well as students (undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. students). We envision that these presentations will segue into discussions and collaborations that stimulate innovation in reef coral biotechnology, and particularly in the development of tools and approaches that improve the odds of conserving coral reefs and biopreserving reef corals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Reef Coral Biotechnology)

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