As global temperatures continue to rise, shallow coral reef bleaching has become more intense and widespread. Mesophotic coral ecosystems reside in deeper (30-150 m), cooler water and were thought to offer a refuge to shallow-water reefs. Studies now show that mesophotic coral ecosystems instead have limited connectivity with shallow corals but host diverse endemic communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpansion of bivalve aquaculture offshore reports lower environmental impacts compared to inshore farms. Taking a Before-After Control-Impact approach, this study presents the first functional diversity analysis and long-term Biological Trait Analysis (BTA) of infauna functional traits following the development of the United Kingdom's first large-scale, offshore longline mussel farm. Located in an area historically impacted by mobile fishing gear, farm sites had the greatest number of taxa and abundance compared to control sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThree Odontaspis ferox (confirmed by mtDNA barcoding) were found in the English Channel and Celtic Sea in 2023 at Lepe, UK (50.7846, -1.3508), Kilmore Quay, Ireland (52.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManta rays forage for zooplankton in tropical and subtropical marine environments, which are generally nutrient-poor. Feeding often occurs at predictable locations where these large, mobile cartilaginous fishes congregate to exploit ephemeral productivity hotspots. Investigating the zooplankton dynamics that lead to such feeding aggregations remains a key question for understanding their movement ecology.
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