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Williamson MJ, Tebbs EJ, Curnick DJ, Ferretti F, Carlisle AB, Chapple TK, Schallert RJ, Tickler DM, Block BA, Jacoby DMP. Environmental stress reduces shark residency to coral reefs. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1018. [PMID: 39251811 PMCID: PMC11385207 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06707-3] [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: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are highly threatened and can be extremely sensitive to the effects of climate change. Multiple shark species rely on coral reefs as important habitat and, as such, play a number of significant ecological roles in these ecosystems. How environmental stress impacts routine, site-attached reef shark behavior, remains relatively unexplored. Here, we combine 8 years of acoustic tracking data (2013-2020) from grey reef sharks resident to the remote coral reefs of the Chagos Archipelago in the Central Indian Ocean, with a satellite-based index of coral reef environmental stress exposure. We show that on average across the region, increased stress on the reefs significantly reduces grey reef shark residency, promoting more diffuse space use and increasing time away from shallow forereefs. Importantly, this impact has a lagged effect for up to 16 months. This may have important physiological and conservation consequences for reef sharks, as well as broader implications for reef ecosystem functioning. As climate change is predicted to increase environmental stress on coral reef ecosystems, understanding how site-attached predators respond to stress will be crucial for forecasting the functional significance of altering predator behavior and the potential impacts on conservation for both reef sharks and coral reefs themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Williamson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK.
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Emma J Tebbs
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David J Curnick
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Aaron B Carlisle
- School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, USA
| | - Taylor K Chapple
- Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | | | - David M Tickler
- Marine Futures Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Barbara A Block
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - David M P Jacoby
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
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2
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Steibl S, Steiger S, Wegmann AS, Holmes ND, Young HS, Carr P, Russell JC. Atolls are globally important sites for tropical seabirds. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02496-4. [PMID: 39147843 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Seabirds play critical roles on islands. By catalysing terrestrial and marine productivity through guano nutrient input, seabirds support natural island functioning. In the Indo-Pacific, atolls comprise one-third of all islands but only ~0.02% of island area. The importance of atolls as seabird nesting grounds has been historically neglected except on a few key atolls. We compiled a global dataset of seabird surveys on atolls and modelled seabird distribution and nutrient deposition on all Indo-Pacific atolls. We found that atolls are breeding sites for 37 species, ranging from a few dozen to more than 3 million individuals per atoll. In total, an estimated 31.2 million seabirds nest on atolls, or ~25% of the tropical seabirds of the world. For 14 species, more than half of their global populations nest on atolls. Seabirds forage more than 10,000-100,000 km² around an atoll and deposit, on average, 65,000 kg N and 11,000 kg P per atoll per year, thus acting as major nutrient pumps within the tropical Indo-Pacific. Our findings reveal the global importance of atolls for tropical seabirds. Given global change, conservation will have to leverage atoll protection and restoration to preserve a relevant fraction of the tropical seabirds of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Steibl
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Simon Steiger
- Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Hillary S Young
- Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Peter Carr
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - James C Russell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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3
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Dunn RE. Atolls are vital for seabirds and vice versa. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02518-1. [PMID: 39147842 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02518-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E Dunn
- The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
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4
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Cumming GS, James NL, Chua CM, Huertas V. A framework and review of evidence of the importance of coral reefs for marine birds in tropical ecosystems. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70165. [PMID: 39170051 PMCID: PMC11336204 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
As global heating and other anthropogenic influences alter tropical marine environments, it is unclear how marine bird populations will be impacted and whether their current roles in tropical marine ecosystems will change. Although marine birds roost and breed on tropical islands in large numbers, the direct trophic interactions between these birds and their prey across the tropics are poorly documented. We present a first framework for evaluating the dependence on and contributions of marine birds to tropical coral reef ecosystems and use it to examine the evidence for different kinds of interaction, focusing primarily on avian diets. We found 34 publications between 1967 and 2023 that presented a total of 111 data sets with enough detail for quantitative dietary analysis of tropical marine birds. Only two bird species out of 37 (5.4%) had diets of >50% coral reef fishes and only one, the Pacific Reef Egret, appeared to depend almost entirely on reef-based production. Marine birds are also prey for other marine organisms, but insufficient data are available for quantitative analysis. Evidence for indirect effects of birds in tropical marine environments is stronger than for direct dependence on coral reefs, particularly in relation to nutrient concentration and the fertilisation impacts of guano on corals. Dispersal of propagules (e.g. seeds, spores, invertebrate eggs) by bathing, drinking, resting or foraging birds is under-studied and poorly documented. Although the degradation of coral reefs appears unlikely to have a significant direct impact on food availability for most marine bird populations, indirect effects involving marine birds may be disrupted by global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme S. Cumming
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
- Marine Biology and Aquaculture, College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
- Oceans InstituteUniversity of Western AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Nicholas L. James
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
- Marine Biology and Aquaculture, College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
| | - Chia Miin Chua
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
- O2 MarineSouth TownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
| | - Victor Huertas
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
- Marine Biology and Aquaculture, College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
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5
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Dunn RE, Benkwitt CE, Maury O, Barrier N, Carr P, Graham NAJ. Island restoration to rebuild seabird populations and amplify coral reef functioning. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14313. [PMID: 38887868 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Mobile organisms like seabirds can provide important nutrient flows between ecosystems, but this connectivity has been interrupted by the degradation of island ecosystems. Island restoration (via invasive species eradications and the restoration of native vegetation) can reestablish seabird populations and their nutrient transfers between their foraging areas, breeding colonies, and adjacent nearshore habitats. Its diverse benefits are making island restoration increasingly common and scalable to larger islands and whole archipelagos. We identified the factors that influence breeding seabird abundances throughout the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean and conducted predictive modeling to estimate the abundances of seabirds that the archipelago could support under invasive predator eradication and native vegetation restoration scenarios. We explored whether the prey base exists to support restored seabird populations across the archipelago, calculated the nitrogen that restored populations of seabirds might produce via their guano, and modeled the cascading conservation gains that island restoration could provide. Restoration was predicted to increase breeding pairs of seabirds to over 280,000, and prey was predicted to be ample to support the revived seabird populations. Restored nutrient fluxes were predicted to result in increases in coral growth rates, reef fish biomasses, and parrotfish grazing and bioerosion rates. Given these potential cross-ecosystem benefits, our results support island restoration as a conservation priority that could enhance resilience to climatic change effects, such as sea-level rise and coral bleaching. We encourage the incorporation of our estimates of cross-ecosystem benefits in prioritization exercises for island restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E Dunn
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Olivier Maury
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, Sète, France
| | - Nicolas Barrier
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, Sète, France
| | - Peter Carr
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
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6
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Walter JA, Emery KA, Dugan JE, Hubbard DM, Bell TW, Sheppard LW, Karatayev VA, Cavanaugh KC, Reuman DC, Castorani MCN. Spatial synchrony cascades across ecosystem boundaries and up food webs via resource subsidies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2310052120. [PMID: 38165932 PMCID: PMC10786303 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310052120] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cross-ecosystem subsidies are critical to ecosystem structure and function, especially in recipient ecosystems where they are the primary source of organic matter to the food web. Subsidies are indicative of processes connecting ecosystems and can couple ecological dynamics across system boundaries. However, the degree to which such flows can induce cross-ecosystem cascades of spatial synchrony, the tendency for system fluctuations to be correlated across locations, is not well understood. Synchrony has destabilizing effects on ecosystems, adding to the importance of understanding spatiotemporal patterns of synchrony transmission. In order to understand whether and how spatial synchrony cascades across the marine-terrestrial boundary via resource subsidies, we studied the relationship between giant kelp forests on rocky nearshore reefs and sandy beach ecosystems that receive resource subsidies in the form of kelp wrack (detritus). We found that synchrony cascades from rocky reefs to sandy beaches, with spatiotemporal patterns mediated by fluctuations in live kelp biomass, wave action, and beach width. Moreover, wrack deposition synchronized local abundances of shorebirds that move among beaches seeking to forage on wrack-associated invertebrates, demonstrating that synchrony due to subsidies propagates across trophic levels in the recipient ecosystem. Synchronizing resource subsidies likely play an underappreciated role in the spatiotemporal structure, functioning, and stability of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A. Walter
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Kyle A. Emery
- Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Jenifer E. Dugan
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - David M. Hubbard
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Tom W. Bell
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA02543
| | - Lawrence W. Sheppard
- Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, PlymouthPL1 2PB, United Kingdom
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS66047
| | - Vadim A. Karatayev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS66047
| | - Kyle C. Cavanaugh
- Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | - Daniel C. Reuman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS66047
| | - Max C. N. Castorani
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
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7
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Vandvik V, Halbritter AH, Althuizen IHJ, Christiansen CT, Henn JJ, Jónsdóttir IS, Klanderud K, Macias-Fauria M, Malhi Y, Maitner BS, Michaletz S, Roos RE, Telford RJ, Bass P, Björnsdóttir K, Bustamante LLV, Chmurzynski A, Chen S, Haugum SV, Kemppinen J, Lepley K, Li Y, Linabury M, Matos IS, Neto-Bradley BM, Ng M, Niittynen P, Östman S, Pánková K, Roth N, Castorena M, Spiegel M, Thomson E, Vågenes AS, Enquist BJ. Plant traits and associated data from a warming experiment, a seabird colony, and along elevation in Svalbard. Sci Data 2023; 10:578. [PMID: 37666874 PMCID: PMC10477187 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02467-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Arctic is warming at a rate four times the global average, while also being exposed to other global environmental changes, resulting in widespread vegetation and ecosystem change. Integrating functional trait-based approaches with multi-level vegetation, ecosystem, and landscape data enables a holistic understanding of the drivers and consequences of these changes. In two High Arctic study systems near Longyearbyen, Svalbard, a 20-year ITEX warming experiment and elevational gradients with and without nutrient input from nesting seabirds, we collected data on vegetation composition and structure, plant functional traits, ecosystem fluxes, multispectral remote sensing, and microclimate. The dataset contains 1,962 plant records and 16,160 trait measurements from 34 vascular plant taxa, for 9 of which these are the first published trait data. By integrating these comprehensive data, we bridge knowledge gaps and expand trait data coverage, including on intraspecific trait variation. These data can offer insights into ecosystem functioning and provide baselines to assess climate and environmental change impacts. Such knowledge is crucial for effective conservation and management in these vulnerable regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Aud H Halbritter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Inge H J Althuizen
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- NORCE, Norwegian Research Centre AS, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Jonathan J Henn
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
| | | | - Kari Klanderud
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Marc Macias-Fauria
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Brian Salvin Maitner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Sean Michaletz
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ruben E Roos
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Richard J Telford
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Polly Bass
- Department of Ethnobotany, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Canada
| | | | | | - Adam Chmurzynski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Shuli Chen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Siri Vatsø Haugum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Kai Lepley
- School of Geography, Development and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Yaoqi Li
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Mary Linabury
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Ilaíne Silveira Matos
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | | | - Molly Ng
- Section of Botany, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, USA
| | | | - Silje Östman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Karolína Pánková
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nina Roth
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matiss Castorena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Marcus Spiegel
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eleanor Thomson
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.
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8
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Wiedenmann J, D'Angelo C, Mardones ML, Moore S, Benkwitt CE, Graham NAJ, Hambach B, Wilson PA, Vanstone J, Eyal G, Ben-Zvi O, Loya Y, Genin A. Reef-building corals farm and feed on their photosynthetic symbionts. Nature 2023; 620:1018-1024. [PMID: 37612503 PMCID: PMC10468396 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06442-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems that thrive in nutrient-poor waters, a phenomenon frequently referred to as the Darwin paradox1. The energy demand of coral animal hosts can often be fully met by the excess production of carbon-rich photosynthates by their algal symbionts2,3. However, the understanding of mechanisms that enable corals to acquire the vital nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from their symbionts is incomplete4-9. Here we show, through a series of long-term experiments, that the uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus by the symbionts alone is sufficient to sustain rapid coral growth. Next, considering the nitrogen and phosphorus budgets of host and symbionts, we identify that these nutrients are gathered through symbiont 'farming' and are translocated to the host by digestion of excess symbiont cells. Finally, we use a large-scale natural experiment in which seabirds fertilize some reefs but not others, to show that the efficient utilization of dissolved inorganic nutrients by symbiotic corals established in our laboratory experiments has the potential to enhance coral growth in the wild at the ecosystem level. Feeding on symbionts enables coral animals to tap into an important nutrient pool and helps to explain the evolutionary and ecological success of symbiotic corals in nutrient-limited waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Wiedenmann
- The Coral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
| | - Cecilia D'Angelo
- The Coral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - M Loreto Mardones
- The Coral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Shona Moore
- The Coral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | | | | | - Bastian Hambach
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Paul A Wilson
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - James Vanstone
- The Coral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Gal Eyal
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Marine Palaeoecology Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Or Ben-Zvi
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yossi Loya
- School of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Amatzia Genin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
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