Publications by authors named "Anna M Knochel"

The ability to identify individual animals can provide valuable insights into the behaviour, life history, survivorship, and demographics of wild populations. Photo-identification (photo-ID) uses unique natural markings to identify individuals and can be effective for scalable and non-invasive research on marine fauna. The successful application of photo-ID requires that chosen distinguishing markings are unique to individuals and persist over time.

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Article Synopsis
  • Filamentous viruses may contribute to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) by infecting the dinoflagellates that live symbiotically with corals, specifically those in the Symbiodiniaceae family.
  • A study using transmission electron microscopy showed that over 60% of certain Symbiodiniaceae cells from Pacific corals contain filamentous virus-like particles (VLPs), especially in stressed coral colonies.
  • Although the presence of these VLPs in SCTLD-affected corals is noted, the study calls for more research to understand their relationship with Symbiodiniaceae and the disease, suggesting they are widespread and not limited to specific coral genera.
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Background: Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) populations along the Northeastern African coastline are poorly studied. Identifying critical habitats for this species is essential for future research and conservation efforts. Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island National Park (DMNP), a component of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sudan, hosts the largest known M.

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Plastic marine debris (PMD) affects spatial scales of life from microbes to whales. However, understanding interactions between plastic and microbes in the "Plastisphere"-the thin layer of life on the surface of PMD-has been technology-limited. Research into microbe-microbe and microbe-substrate interactions requires knowledge of community phylogenetic composition but also tools to visualize spatial distributions of intact microbial biofilm communities.

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