The Octocoral Trait Database: a global database of trait information for octocoral species.

Trait-based approaches are revolutionizing our understanding of high-diversity ecosystems by providing insights into the principles underlying key ecological processes, such as community assembly, species distribution, resilience, and the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In 2016, the Coral Trait Database advanced coral reef science by centralizing trait information for stony corals (i.e.

Decline of a distinct coral reef holobiont community under ocean acidification.

Background: Microbes play vital roles across coral reefs both in the environment and inside and upon macrobes (holobionts), where they support critical functions such as nutrition and immune system modulation. These roles highlight the potential ecosystem-level importance of microbes, yet most knowledge of microbial functions on reefs is derived from a small set of holobionts such as corals and sponges. Declining seawater pH - an important global coral reef stressor - can cause ecosystem-level change on coral reefs, providing an opportunity to study the role of microbes at this scale.

Research priorities for the sustainability of coral-rich western Pacific seascapes.

Nearly a billion people depend on tropical seascapes. The need to ensure sustainable use of these vital areas is recognised, as one of 17 policy commitments made by world leaders, in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 ('Life below Water') of the United Nations. SDG 14 seeks to secure marine sustainability by 2030.

Macroalgal cover on coral reefs: Spatial and environmental predictors, and decadal trends in the Great Barrier Reef.

Macroalgae are an important component of coral reef ecosystems. We identified spatial patterns, environmental drivers and long-term trends of total cover of upright fleshy and calcareous coral reef inhabiting macroalgae in the Great Barrier Reef. The spatial study comprised of one-off surveys of 1257 sites (latitude 11-24°S, coastal to offshore, 0-18 m depth), while the temporal trends analysis was based on 26 years of long-term monitoring data from 93 reefs.

Expanding ocean food production under climate change.

As the human population and demand for food grow, the ocean will be called on to provide increasing amounts of seafood. Although fisheries reforms and advances in offshore aquaculture (hereafter 'mariculture') could increase production, the true future of seafood depends on human responses to climate change. Here we investigated whether coordinated reforms in fisheries and mariculture could increase seafood production per capita under climate change.