Dominance of the coral around Phuket Island in the Andaman Sea, Thailand.

(Linnaeus, 1758), a species complex, consists of several genetic lineages, some of which likely represent reproductively isolated species, including the species Lamarck, 1816. can exhibit similar morphological characteristics as , thus making it difficult to identify species-level taxonomic units. To determine whether the -like colonies on the reefs in the Andaman Sea (previously often identified as ) consist of different species, we sampled individual colonies at five sites along a 50 km coastal stretch at Phuket Island and four island sites towards Krabi Province, Thailand.

Population genetic differentiation of the ubiquitous brooding coral Pocillopora acuta along Phuket Island reefs in the Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Background: The widespread Indo-Pacific coral species Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 displays varying levels of asexual versus sexual reproduction, with strong repercussions on genetic diversity, connectivity and genetic structuring within and among populations. For many geographic regions, baseline information on genetic diversity is still lacking, particularly in the Andaman Sea. The region suffered a massive heat-induced bleaching event in 2010 with high coral cover loss of branching coral species such as P.

Towards enhancing coral heat tolerance: a "microbiome transplantation" treatment using inoculations of homogenized coral tissues.

Background: Microbiome manipulation could enhance heat tolerance and help corals survive the pressures of ocean warming. We conducted coral microbiome transplantation (CMT) experiments using the reef-building corals, Pocillopora and Porites, and investigated whether this technique can benefit coral heat resistance while modifying the bacterial microbiome. Initially, heat-tolerant donors were identified in the wild.

The Indian Ocean Dipole and El Niño Southern Oscillation as major drivers of coral cover on shallow reefs in the Andaman Sea.

Shallow reefs are a major feature of coral assemblages in the Andaman Sea. At Phuket, Thailand sheltered reefs are dominated by massive corals, together with an increasing abundance of branching species during favourable growth conditions. The growth of coral on these reefs is moderated by long-term increases in sea temperature and relative sea level but fluctuating decadal/intradecadal climate processes of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which modulate sea level and temperature, are the main drivers of coral cover.

Heat-induced shift in coral microbiome reveals several members of the Rhodobacteraceae family as indicator species for thermal stress in Porites lutea.

The coral holobiont is a complex ecosystem consisting of coral animals and a highly diverse consortium of associated microorganisms including algae, fungi, and bacteria. Several studies have highlighted the importance of coral-associated bacteria and their potential roles in promoting the host fitness and survival. Recently, dynamics of coral-associated microbiomes have been demonstrated to be linked to patterns of coral heat tolerance.