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Nguyen HM, Hong UVT, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Marín-Guirao L, Pernice M, Procaccini G. Thermo-priming triggers species-specific physiological and transcriptome responses in Mediterranean seagrasses. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 210:108614. [PMID: 38626655 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Heat-priming improves plants' tolerance to a recurring heat stress event. The underlying molecular mechanisms of heat-priming are largely unknown in seagrasses. Here, ad hoc mesocosm experiments were conducted with two Mediterranean seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. Plants were first exposed to heat-priming, followed by a heat-triggering event. A comprehensive assessment of plant stress response across different levels of biological organization was performed at the end of the triggering event. Morphological and physiological results showed an improved response of heat-primed P. oceanica plants while in C. nodosa both heat- and non-primed plants enhanced their growth rates at the end of the triggering event. As resulting from whole transcriptome sequencing, molecular functions related to several cellular compartments and processes were involved in the response to warming of non-primed plants, while the response of heat-primed plants involved a limited group of processes. Our results suggest that seagrasses acquire a primed state during the priming event, that eventually gives plants the ability to induce a more energy-effective response when the thermal stress event recurs. Different species may differ in their ability to perform an improved heat stress response after priming. This study provides pioneer molecular insights into the emerging topic of seagrass stress priming and may benefit future studies in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung Manh Nguyen
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Uyen V T Hong
- La Trobe University, AgriBio Building, Bundoora, 3086, VIC, Australia; Department of Plant Biotechnology & Biotransformation, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 700000, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Seagrass Ecology Group, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), C/Varadero, San Pedro del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy
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Beca-Carretero P, Winters G, Teichberg M, Procaccini G, Schneekloth F, Zambrano RH, Chiquillo K, Reuters H. Climate change and the presence of invasive species will threaten the persistence of the Mediterranean seagrass community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 910:168675. [PMID: 37981144 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea has been experiencing rapid increases in temperature and salinity triggering its tropicalization. Additionally, its connection with the Red Sea has been favouring the establishment of non-native species. In this study, we investigated the effects of predicted climate change and the introduction of invasive seagrass species (Halophila stipulacea) on the native Mediterranean seagrass community (Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa) by applying a novel ecological and spatial model with different configurations and parameter settings based on a Cellular Automata (CA). The proposed models use a discrete (stepwise) representation of space and time by executing deterministic and probabilistic rules that develop complex dynamic processes. Model applications were run under two climate scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) projected from 2020 to 2100 in four different regions within the Mediterranean. Results indicate that the slow-growing P. oceanica will be highly vulnerable to climate change, suffering vast declines in its abundance. However, the results also show that western and colder areas of the Mediterranean Sea might represent refuge areas for this species. Cymodocea nodosa has been reported to exhibit resilience to predicted climate scenarios; however, it has shown habitat regression in the warmest predicted regions in the easternmost part of the basin. Our models indicate that H. stipulacea will thrive under projected climate scenarios, facilitating its spread across the basin. Also, H. stipulacea grew at the expense of C. nodosa, limiting the distribution of the latter, and eventually displacing this native species. Additionally, simulations demonstrated that areas from which P. oceanica meadows disappear would be partially covered by C. nodosa and H. stipulacea. These outcomes project that the Mediterranean seagrass community will experience a transition from long-lived, large and slow-growing species to small and fast-growing species as climate change progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany; Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel.
| | | | - Mirta Teichberg
- The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabian Schneekloth
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ramon H Zambrano
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, University of Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Kelcie Chiquillo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hauke Reuters
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
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3
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Vivanco-Bercovich M, Sandoval-Gil JM, Bonet-Meliá P, Cabello-Pasini A, Muñiz-Salazar R, Montoya LR, Schubert N, Marín-Guirao L, Procaccini G, Ferreira-Arrieta A. Marine heatwaves recurrence aggravates thermal stress in the surfgrass Phyllospadix scouleri. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 199:115943. [PMID: 38176159 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The surfgrass Phyllospadix scouleri grows in highly productive meadows along the Pacific coast of North America. This region has experienced increasingly severe marine heatwaves (MHWs) in recent years. Our study evaluated the impact of consecutive MHWs, simulated in mesocosms, on essential ecophysiological features of P. scouleri. Overall, our findings show that the plants' overall physiological status has been progressively declining. Interestingly, the indicators of physiological stress in photosynthesis only showed up once the initial heat exposure stopped (i.e., during the recovery period). The warming caused increased oxidative damage and a decrease in nitrate uptake rates. However, the levels of non-structural carbohydrates and relative growth rates were not affected. Our findings emphasize the significance of incorporating recovery periods in this type of study as they expose delayed stress responses. Furthermore, experiencing consecutive intense MHWs can harm surfgrasses over time, compromising the health of their meadows and the services they offer to the ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Vivanco-Bercovich
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Jose Miguel Sandoval-Gil
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
| | - Paula Bonet-Meliá
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Cabello-Pasini
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Raquel Muñiz-Salazar
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico; Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Leonardo Ruiz Montoya
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Nadine Schubert
- CCMAR - Center of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Seagrass Ecology Group, C/Varadero s/n, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
| | - Alejandra Ferreira-Arrieta
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas (IIO), Marine Botany Research Group, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
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Santillán-Sarmiento A, Pazzaglia J, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Ambrosino L, Winters G, Marin-Guirao L, Procaccini G. Gene co-expression network analysis for the selection of candidate early warning indicators of heat and nutrient stress in Posidonia oceanica. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 877:162517. [PMID: 36868282 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The continuous worldwide seagrasses decline calls for immediate actions in order to preserve this precious marine ecosystem. The main stressors that have been linked with decline in seagrasses are 1) the increasing ocean temperature due to climate change and 2) the continuous inputs of nutrients (eutrophication) associated with coastal human activities. To avoid the loss of seagrass populations, an "early warning" system is needed. We used Weighed Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), a systems biology approach, to identify potential candidate genes that can provide an early warning signal of stress in the Mediterranean iconic seagrass Posidonia oceanica, anticipating plant mortality. Plants were collected from both eutrophic (EU) and oligotrophic (OL) environments and were exposed to thermal and nutrient stress in a dedicated mesocosm. By correlating the whole-genome gene expression after 2-weeks exposure with the shoot survival percentage after 5-weeks exposure to stressors, we were able to identify several transcripts that indicated an early activation of several biological processes (BP) including: protein metabolic process, RNA metabolic process, organonitrogen compound biosynthetic process, catabolic process and response to stimulus, which were shared among OL and EU plants and among leaf and shoot apical meristem (SAM), in response to excessive heat and nutrients. Our results suggest a more dynamic and specific response of the SAM compared to the leaf, especially the SAM from plants coming from a stressful environment appeared more dynamic than the SAM from a pristine environment. A vast list of potential molecular markers is also provided that can be used as targets to assess field samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Ambrosino
- Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Gidon Winters
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, Mount Masada 8698000, Israel.; Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Hatmarim Blv, Eilat 8855630, Israel
| | - Lázaro Marin-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy.
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Pazzaglia J, Dattolo E, Ruocco M, Santillán-Sarmiento A, Marin-Guirao L, Procaccini G. DNA methylation dynamics in a coastal foundation seagrass species under abiotic stressors. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222197. [PMID: 36651048 PMCID: PMC9845983 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) has been intensively studied in terrestrial plants in response to environmental changes, but its dynamic changes in a temporal scale remain unexplored in marine plants. The seagrass Posidonia oceanica ranks among the slowest-growing and longest-living plants on Earth, and is particularly vulnerable to sea warming and local anthropogenic pressures. Here, we analysed the dynamics of DNAm changes in plants collected from coastal areas differentially impacted by eutrophication (i.e. oligotrophic, Ol; eutrophic, Eu) and exposed to abiotic stressors (nutrients, temperature increase and their combination). Levels of global DNAm (% 5-mC) and the expression of key genes involved in DNAm were assessed after one, two and five weeks of exposure. Results revealed a clear differentiation between plants, depending on environmental stimuli, time of exposure and plants' origin. % 5-mC levels were higher during the initial stress exposure especially in Ol plants, which upregulated almost all genes involved in DNAm. Contrarily, Eu plants showed lower expression levels, which increased under chronic exposure to stressors, particularly to temperature. These findings show that DNAm is dynamic in P. oceanica during stress exposure and underlined that environmental epigenetic variations could be implicated in the regulation of acclimation and phenotypic differences depending on local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Alex Santillán-Sarmiento
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Faculty of Engineering, National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
| | - Lazaro Marin-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Centre of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
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6
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Plant and Meadow Structure Characterisation of Posidonia oceanica in Its Westernmost Distribution Range. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15010101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic seagrass species from the Mediterranean Sea that provides critical ecological services to coastal environments. This species is distributed from the Turkish to the Spanish coast, where its westernmost record was documented in Punta Chullera, Malaga (36°18′36.45′′ N, 5°14′54.31′′ W). Nevertheless, previous studies suggested that its distribution was even further west, although these populations were never described. In this study, we documented and characterised the only known P. oceanica population on the coast of Cadiz, in Cala Sardina (36°18′38.80′′ N, 5°15′15.13′′ W). The newly documented population of P. oceanica presented a fragmented structure, consisting of nine patches found in a rocky shallow area surrounded by the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae, with a total size of 61.14 m2. Shoots had a relatively small size (21.0 ± 2.9 cm) in comparison with centrally-distributed populations. The relatively small size of the plants, alongside the observed low shoot density (437 ± 42 shoots m−2) and leaf area index (4.8 ± 0.7 m2 m−2), may indicate that this meadow could be exposed to sub-optimal environmental conditions for plant development. By contrast, the meadow showed relatively high production rates (0.03 ± 0.01 leaf day−1 shoot−1) in comparison with other Mediterranean populations. The percentage of carbon in plant leaves was 38.73 ± 1.38%, while the nitrogen and C/N were 1.38 ± 0.37% and 29.93 ± 6.57, respectively. The documentation of this meadow extends the distribution of this species to the Mediterranean coast of Cadiz, making this region the place with the highest seagrass biodiversity (four species) in the Iberian Peninsula, and potentially in Europe. This exploratory study provides a baseline to examine the potential effects of climate change, anthropogenic disturbances or the presence of invasive species.
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7
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De novo assembly and annotation of the transcriptome of the endangered seagrass Zostera capensis: Insights from differential gene expression under thermal stress. Mar Genomics 2022; 66:100984. [PMID: 36116404 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2022.100984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Seagrasses are important marine ecosystem engineers but anthropogenic impacts and climate change have led to numerous population declines globally. In South Africa, Zostera capensis is endangered due to fragmented populations and heavy anthropogenic pressures on estuarine ecosystems that house the core of the populations. Addressing questions of how pressures such as climate change affect foundational species, including Z. capensis are crucial to supporting their conservation and underpin restoration efforts. Here we use ecological transcriptomics to study key functional responses of Z. capensis through quantification of gene expression after thermal stress and present the first reference transcriptome of Z. capensis. Four de novo reference assemblies (Trinity, IDBA-tran, RNAspades, SOAPdenovo) filtered through the EvidentialGene pipeline resulted in 153,755 transcripts with a BUSCO score of 66.1% for completeness. Differential expression analysis between heat stressed (32 °C for three days) and pre-warming plants identified genes involved in photosynthesis, oxidative stress, translation, metabolic and biosynthetic processes in the Z. capensis thermal stress response. This reference transcriptome is a significant contribution to the limited available genomic resources for Z. capensis and represents a vital tool for addressing questions around the species restoration and potential functional responses to warming marine environments.
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Booth MW, Breed MF, Kendrick GA, Bayer PE, Severn-Ellis AA, Sinclair EA. Tissue-specific transcriptome profiles identify functional differences key to understanding whole plant response to life in variable salinity. Biol Open 2022; 11:276025. [PMID: 35876771 PMCID: PMC9428325 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants endure environmental stressors via adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. Studying these mechanisms in seagrasses is extremely relevant as they are important primary producers and functionally significant carbon sinks. These mechanisms are not well understood at the tissue level in seagrasses. Using RNA-seq, we generated transcriptome sequences from tissue of leaf, basal leaf meristem and root organs of Posidonia australis, establishing baseline in situ transcriptomic profiles for tissues across a salinity gradient. Samples were collected from four P. australis meadows growing in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Analysis of gene expression showed significant differences between tissue types, with more variation among leaves than meristem or roots. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed the differences were largely due to the role of photosynthesis, plant growth and nutrient absorption in leaf, meristem and root organs, respectively. Differential gene expression of leaf and meristem showed upregulation of salinity regulation processes in higher salinity meadows. Our study highlights the importance of considering leaf meristem tissue when evaluating whole-plant responses to environmental change. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Differences in seagrass leaf, meristem and root transcriptomes across variable salinities are due to tissue-specific processes. Leaf meristem contained the broadest process range, indicating preferential use for inferring plant-wide activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell W Booth
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Martin F Breed
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Gary A Kendrick
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Philipp E Bayer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Anita A Severn-Ellis
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Aquatic Animal Health Research, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, 6020, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A Sinclair
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, 1 Kattidj Close, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005, Australia
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