Publications by authors named "J K Pearman"
Photosynthetic eukaryotic microalgae are key primary producers in the Antarctic sea ice environment. Anticipated changes in sea ice thickness and snow load due to climate change may cause substantial shifts in available light to these ice-associated organisms. This study used a laboratory-based experiment to investigate how light levels, simulating different sea ice and snow thicknesses, affect fatty acid (FA) composition in two ice associated microalgae species, the pennate diatom Nitzschia cf.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFaecal contamination of freshwater and marine environments represents a significant risk for public health, recreational activity and food safety, and tools for evaluating complex multi-source contamination remain largely in the development phase. We evaluated the efficacy of the Fast Expectation Maximization (FEAST) microbial source tracking (MST) algorithm to apportion sources of faecal contamination among four mammalian species of interest in coastal waters in New Zealand. Using 16S ribosomal DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples from cows, fur seals, and sheep, as well as human wastewater, we aimed to differentiate and quantify the contribution of these sources in mixed faecal samples.
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- The Arabian Peninsula has about 6% of the world's coral reefs, some of which thrive in extreme conditions.
- A study used 51 Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) to examine the diversity of cryptobenthic organisms across four ecoregions in the region, finding greater diversity in the Red Sea compared to the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
- Results indicated that both geographic distance and environmental factors play significant roles in shaping the distribution of these communities, highlighting concerns about their vulnerability to coastal development, emphasizing the need for careful ecosystem management.
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- Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a dangerous neurotoxin found in contaminated seafood, particularly in Pacific oysters in Europe, and its source remains unclear despite extensive research.
- This study aimed to identify potential organisms contributing to TTX contamination in French coastal oysters by using various techniques, including microscopy, metabarcoding, and droplet digital PCR.
- Over three weeks, the study found that TTX levels in oysters exceeded European guidance, with microalgal blooms and specific bacterial communities noted as possible contributors to the toxin's presence.
An essential component of the coral reef animal diversity is the species hidden in crevices within the reef matrix, referred to as the cryptobiome. These organisms play an important role in nutrient cycling and provide an abundant food source for higher trophic levels, yet they have been largely overlooked. Here, we analyzed the distribution patterns of the mobile cryptobiome (>2000 μm) along the latitudinal gradient of the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea.
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