Ocean Sustainability
Over 70% of the earth is covered in water, which serves as a vital resource human subsistence. Contamination and acidification pose major threats to aquatic health and biodiversity. Microbes offer a promising solution in their ability to breakdown contamination from oil spills and plastics. Applied microbiologists can play a significant part in understanding biodiversity, contributing to solutions, and encouraging stewardship.
Scientists discover a way to reverse coral bleaching at record speed
For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven weeks, the fastest documented recovery to date, according to a study.
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New sequencing tool tracks harmful algal blooms as they emerge
A portable DNA sequencer can detect harmful algae in coastal waters in near real time, including species present at very low levels before blooms become obvious. Researchers also found that several harmful species often appear together, suggesting shared environmental triggers may help drive their growth.
Coral heat tolerance depends on species and location
Not all corals cope with rising ocean temperatures in the same way. New research shows that heat tolerance can vary sharply between species and even between nearby populations, with some corals from cooler, more exposed reefs proving unexpectedly resilient to thermal stress.
Bacteria DNA has evolved to withstand copper
Marine bacteria have evolved to bypass the copper-based coatings placed under ships to stop the growth of barnacles, algae, and other marine life. This necessitates new methods for managing biofouling — the unwanted accumulation of marine organisms — on ship hulls.
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The gooier marine snow is, the better it is at transporting carbon, new study finds
Scientists have revealed that the viscosity of marine snow can have a major impact on how quickly it’s broken down and how far it sinks, factors that influence how much carbon it transports to the deep ocean. They found that gooey marine snow can shuttle more than six times the carbon to the deep ocean than less viscous particles.
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How deep-sea clams and bacteria survive shifting energy supplies
Deep-sea clams living at cold seeps survive in an environment where their main energy source can rise and fall dramatically. New research shows that the clams and their bacterial partners respond together, switching metabolic pathways, adjusting symbiont populations and reallocating resources to remain stable under changing conditions.
Tiny marine worms shop around for bacterial partners
Like shoppers wandering between market stalls, tiny gutless marine worms appear to pick and change the bacterial partners they depend on for survival. A new study suggests this flexibility may help the worms tap into different sources of food and energy and adapt to changing environments.
Tiny organisms play a big role in transporting carbon to the depths of the Baltic Sea
Tiny photosynthetic organisms in the Baltic Sea can contribute substantially to the transport of carbon from surface waters to deeper parts of the sea. A new study shows that their ability to form colonies and aggregates is an important factor determining how much of their biomass sinks.
Reading the ocean’s snowflakes: How AI decodes marine snow
A constant snowfall of tiny particles drifts through the ocean, carrying carbon, nutrients and plastic toward the deep sea. Scientists are now developing AI tools that could reveal what this “marine snow” is made of simply by analyzing underwater images.
Warmer oceans and increasing disease put coral reefs at risk
Disease and heat pose a deadly combination for coral reefs, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that heat stress can increase disease and kill coral. But the new paper found that corals with preexisting disease conditions were particularly vulnerable.
Chinese mangrove sediments reveal scale-dependent assembly of fungal communities
Researchers collected 300 sediment samples from seven representative mangrove wetlands across six national nature reserves along the southeastern coast of China. The team employed dual-amplicon high-throughput sequencing to simultaneously characterize fungal and prokaryotic communities.
How ancient oceans sustained life
A newly uncovered feedback loop between phosphorus, microbes, and oxygen may explain how Earth stayed habitable billions of years ago, with implications for early life, modern oceans, and the search for life beyond Earth.
Groundbreaking research to sequence Antarctic genomes from microbes to whales
A molecular microbial ecologist and biological oceanographer has been awarded $18.4 million to lead a project that will pave the way for the next generation of Antarctic research. This research infrastructure will enable researchers to understand how Antarctic life has evolved and adapted to extreme conditions, while also seeding innovation.
New insights into coral reproductivity could help protect our reefs
Scientists have uncovered an important missing piece in the puzzle of how some coral reefs can recover from climate events, providing critical information that could help guide future conservation and restoration efforts.
Currents in an Arctic sea accelerate the sinking of carbon-carrying phytoplankton
Documenting the seasonal fate of these tiny marine organisms is a step toward understanding how ecosystems in the world’s fastest-warming region may change as ice recedes.
Corals show ‘vaccine-like’ responses after pathogen exposure
To boost the resilience of corals in the face of increasing sea temperatures and the spread of disease, researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
New form of plastic pollution discovered on the shores of vulnerable coral reefs
‘Plasticorals’, coral rubble fused with plastic, are long-lasting reminders of human activity and highlight a potential threat to critical marine environments. a new study shows.
Novel database reveals hidden diversity and potential of deep-sea microbes
Scientists have spearheaded Global Ocean Reference Genomes Dark (GORG-Dark), the first global atlas of single-cell microbes living in the aphotic ocean. It contains more than 9,600 genomes from individual microbial cells collected across a broad range of depths and locations, including the Mariana Trench and the Antarctic.
Molecular insight into biological nitrogen fixation close to the boiling point
Scientists have purified a nitrogen-fixing enzyme from a deep-sea microorganism that shows extreme heat-stability and is possibly of ancient origin. The molybdenum-containing enzyme has been captured in a “turnover” state, highlighting a universal mechanistic principle among nitrogenases.
That sinking feeling: Testing for ocean health and carbon storage
Our oceans are in trouble and new research shows how changes in diatoms could further undermine the foundation of aquatic life’s food webs – as well as vital deep-sea carbon capture or sequestration.
Under pressure: How a deep-sea protein adapts to an extreme environment
Researchers have uncovered a molecular strategy that enables a deep-sea protein to remain stable under extreme pressure. As pressure increases, the protein assembles into groups of three, called a trimeric structure, and stabilizes itself through a process known as oligomerization-mediated structural stabilization.
Major investment to unlock the potential of protist research
A new collaboration will tackle major technical challenges currently limiting protist genomics, helping to unlock the potential of protist research for biomanufacturing, sustainable agriculture and environmental applications.
Fertilizers and extreme heat are damaging coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico
Scientists analyzing nitrogen isotopes in the calcareous skeletons of corals have discovered that the high levels of nitrogen in the northern Gulf originate from the Mississippi River and are attributable to the use of fertilizers.