Physiological responses of corals to ocean acidification and copper exposure.

Acidification and land-based sources of pollution have been linked to widespread declines of coral cover in coastal reef ecosystems. In this study, two coral species, Acropora cervicornis and Pocillopora damicornis were exposed to increased copper at two CO levels for 96 h. Copper accumulation and anti-oxidant enzyme activities were measured.

The effects of Symbiodinium (Pyrrhophyta) identity on growth, survivorship, and thermal tolerance of newly settled coral recruits.

For many coral species, the obligate association with phylogenetically diverse algal endosymbiont species is dynamic in time and space. Here, we used controlled laboratory inoculations of newly settled, aposymbiotic corals (Orbicella faveolata) with two cultured species of algal symbiont (Symbiodinium microadriaticum and S. minutum) to examine the role of symbiont identity on growth, survivorship, and thermal tolerance of the coral holobiont.

Age-associated bidirectional modulation of gene expression in single identified R15 neuron of Aplysia.

Background: Despite the advances in our understanding of aging-associated behavioral decline, relatively little is known about how aging affects neural circuits that regulate specific behaviors, particularly the expression of genes in specific neural circuits during aging. We have addressed this by exploring a peptidergic neuron R15, an identified neuron of the marine snail Aplysia californica. R15 is implicated in reproduction and osmoregulation and responds to neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, serotonin and glutamate and is characterized by its action potential bursts.

Zinc hyperaccumulation in squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscenscionis) and its role in embryo viability.

Female squirrelfish (Fam. Holocentridae) can accumulate and temporarily sequester copious amounts of zinc (Zn) in their livers. There, it is initially compartmentalized before a subsequent, estrogen-triggered redistribution to the ovaries.

The effects of dietary silver on larval growth in the echinoderm Lytechinus variegatus.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the euryhaline copepod Acartia tonsa is extremely sensitive to dietborne silver (Ag) exposure, with a 20 % inhibition (EC(20)) of survival occurring when copepods are fed algae with 1.6 μg g(-1) dry weight (dw) Ag, corresponding to a waterborne Ag concentration of 0.46 μg l(-1) Ag.