Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
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    Genetic differentiation and host usage of coral and fire coral-associated barnacles (Cirripedia: Pyrgomatinae and Wanellininae) across the Indian and Pacific Oceans
    (2023-12-01)
    Yu, Meng Chen
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    Tsao, Yao Feng
    ;
    Chan, Benny K.K.
    Using two molecular markers (COI and 12S) collected from seven genera and 20 species of coral associated and fire coral-associated barnacles, we examined whether genetic differentiation occurs between the Indian (total 261 sequences) and Pacific populations (195 sequences). Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed pyrgomatinid barnacles formed two major sister-clades: the Cantellius clade and the major clade. Most of the species in the Cantellius clade did not show Indo-Pacific genetic divergence, except Cantellius sextus, which formed sister Indian and Pacific Ocean clades. Within the major clade, Darwiniella angularis, Galkinius maculosus, Nobia grandis, and Hiroa stubbingsi were composed of well-supported clades corresponding to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The fire coral-associated barnacles Wanella milleporae have molecular clades corresponding to the populations in the Red Sea, Phuket waters, and Pacific Ocean. Species delimitation analyses and haplotype network supported the divergence of sequences in some coral barnacle species and fire coral barnacle between Indian and Pacific populations. Indo-Pacific genetic differentiation in some species appears to have resulted from Pleistocene glaciations. Life-history traits, length of larval development period, and host specificity appear can further affect the differentiation of coral barnacles across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
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    Timing metabolic depression: Predicting thermal stress in extreme intertidal environments
    (2020-10-01)
    Hui, Tin Yan
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    Dong, Yun Wei
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    Han, Guo Dong
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    Lau, Sarah L.Y.
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    Cheng, Martin C.F.
    Anticipatory changes in organismal responses, triggered by reliable environmental cues for future conditions, are key to species’ persistence in temporally variable environments. Such responses were tested by measuring the physiological performance of a tropical high-shore oyster in tandem with the temporal predictability of environmental temperature. Heart rate of the oyster increased with environmental temperatures until body temperature reached ∼377C, when a substantial depression occurred (∼60%) before recovery between ∼427 and 477C, after which cardiac function collapsed. The sequential increase, depression, and recovery in cardiac performance aligned with temporal patterns in rock surface temperatures, where the risk of reaching temperatures close to the oysters’ lethal limit accelerates if the rock heats up beyond ∼377C, coinciding closely with the body temperature at which the oysters initiate metabolic depression. The increase in body temperature over a critical threshold serves as an early-warning cue to initiate anticipatory shifts in physiology and energy conservation before severe thermal stress occurs on the shore. Cross-correlating the onset of physiological mechanisms and temporal structures in environmental temperatures, therefore, reveals the potential role of reliable real-time environmental cues for future conditions in driving the evolution of anticipatory responses.
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    Living in a growing host: growth pattern and dwelling formation of the scallop Pedum spondyloideum in massive Porites spp. corals
    (2020-07-01)
    Chan, Benny K.K.
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    Tan, James C.H.
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    Pedum spondyloideum is a byssally attached scallop in the Indo-Pacific that lives in deep fan-shaped dwellings within live scleractinian and hydrozoan corals, with the ventral edges of the scallops’ valves protruding slightly from the dwellings. Juvenile scallops have rounded, oval shells and live in shallow depressions. Complete scallop dwellings are formed by the growth of the host and allometric growth of the scallop, and by chemical and physical interactions between the scallop and its host. Scallops were extracted intact from their dwellings within massive corals in the genus Porites in Thailand (7°36′32″ N, 98°21′55″ E; in May 2019) and Malaysia (2°45′17″ N, 104°13′30″ E; in November 2019) to examine the relationship between shell height (SH) and shell width (SW). The slope of the regression of SH on SW within the first 2 years of settlement was 0.79–0.9, indicating that SW increased slightly faster than SH during this period. As the scallop grew further, the slope of the SH on SW was 1.29–1.54, indicating that SH increased faster than SW. A histological study on scallop pallial tissue, including the tentacles, and SEM observations of the dwelling walls suggested that the scallop has secretions that damage coral tissue and widen the dwelling during growth. Thus, the distinctive fan-shaped dwellings of the adult scallops are caused by a combination of allometric scallop growth and erosion of the host tissue and dwelling walls.
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    Biodiversity and host specificity of sponge-associated barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica) in Thailand
    (2020-11-01)
    Yu, Meng Chen
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    Chan, Benny K.K.
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    Kolbasov, Gregory A.
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    We examined the diversity and host use of sponge-associated barnacles of Thailand (Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand) using a combined morphological and molecular approach. Eight barnacle species (including two new species) were collected from 12 host sponges. Host-specific barnacle species includes Acasta lappa sp. nov., which exclusively inhabits the sponge Mycale sp. Acasta milkae sp. nov. was only collected from the sponge Callyspongia cf. diffusa (Ridley, 1884). Multatria filigranus (Broch, 1916) were found in the encrusting soft sponges Monanchora unguiculata (Dendy, 1922) and Clathria sp. Pyrgospongia stellula (Rosell, 1975) inhabits the sponges Spheciospongia vagabunda (Ridley, 1884). Generalist barnacle species includes Euacsta ctenodentia (Rosell, 1972), E. porata (Nilsson-Cantell, 1921), E. zuiho (Hiro, 1936), and Acasta cyathus Darwin, 1854, which inhabit a wide range of sponges with various textures.
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    Two Routes to Land: Genomic Underpinnings of Parallel Aerial Egg Deposition in Aquatic Old-World Pila and New-World Pomacea (Ampullariidae)
    (2026-01-01)
    Zhou, Yufei
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    Mu, Huawei
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    Nie, Xueying
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    Gao, Yue
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    Wang, Hui
    The evolution of aerial oviposition in Old-World Pila and New-World Pomacea apple snails—diverged since the Gondwanan breakup—offers a powerful model for probing genomic adaptations underpinning key evolutionary innovations. We generate a chromosomal-level genome for Pila celebensis and a scaffold-level genome for Pila pesmei, revealing a genus-specific doubling in genome size driven by transposable element expansions. Analyses of macrosynteny and topologically associating domains (TAD) identified lineage-specific chromosomal rearrangements associated with positive selection in gene blocks enriched for environmental sensing, metabolism, and stress response. Breakpoints in aerial egg layers preferentially are localized within TADs, suggesting convergent rewiring of gene regulation. Gene family evolution revealed parallel expansions in cellulases, β-D-xylosidases, and immune genes, alongside convergent positive selection in aquaporins critical for aerial osmoregulation. Perivitelline fluid (PVF) proteomics uncovered the central role of PVF1, likely acquired via ancient horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from viruses in the Ampullariidae ancestor in the Jurassic. Subsequent duplications enabled lineage-specific adaptation; PVF1 in aerial eggs shows parallel increases in hydrophobicity and aromatic residues (notably phenylalanine), enhancing desiccation resistance. Collectively, these convergent genomic mechanisms—structural rearrangement, gene family dynamics, and HGT-driven innovation—underpin the independent evolution of aerial oviposition in Pila and Pomacea, providing a multi-layered blueprint for understanding key ecological transitions.
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    Thermal fluctuations independently modulate physiological plasticity and the dynamics of the gut microbiome in a tropical rocky shore oyster
    (2024-04-01)
    Arromrak, Bovern Suchart
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    Wong, Adrian Tsz Chun
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    Hui, Tin Yan
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    Leung, Kin Sum
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    Williams, Gray A.
    Extreme high thermal conditions on tropical rocky shores are challenging to the survival of intertidal ectotherms. Yet, many species are highly successful in these environments in part due to their ability to regulate intrinsic mechanisms associated with physiological stress and their metabolic demand. More recently, there has been a growing awareness that other extrinsic mechanisms, such as animal-associated microbial communities, can also influence the tolerance and survival of ectotherms under stressful conditions. However, the extent to which the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms are functionally linked as part of the overall adaptive response of intertidal animals to temperature change and stress is poorly understood. Here, we examined the dynamics and potential interactions of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms in the tropical high-supratidal oyster, Isognomon nucleus. We found that oysters modulate their internal biochemistry (oxidized PUFA products, including 5-F<inf>2t</inf>-IsoP, 10-F<inf>4t</inf>-NeuroP, 13-F<inf>4t</inf>-NeuroP, and 16-F<inf>1t</inf>-PhytoP) as part of their adaptive regulation to cope with physiological stress during periods of extreme high temperatures when emersed. However, while we detected variation in alpha diversity (ASV richness and Shannon diversity index), dominant microbial taxa and microbial functions across time, no association was found with the host biochemical profiles. The findings here suggest that the thermal condition within oysters can independently influence their intrinsic biochemical responses and extrinsic microbiome profiles. Together, these mechanisms may contribute to the thermal tolerance and survival of the oysters in the challenging conditions of the tropical high-supratidal zone.
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    Use of a filamentous green alga (Chaetomorpha sp.) and microsnail (Stenothyra sp.) as feed at an early stage of intensive aquaculture promotes growth performance, artificial feed efficiency, and profitability of giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon)
    (2020-12-01)
    Tsutsui, Isao
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    Pinphoo, Piyarat
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    Thuamsuwan, Worachet
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    Janeauksorn, Kittipong
    With the worldwide demand for tropical penaeid prawn increasing in recent decades, more research on shrimp culture methods is needed to enhance efficiency and profitability for shrimp farmers. The objective of this study was to develop a technique to boost the productivity, feed efficiency, and profitability of the giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon). To accomplish this, a novel culture setup was established in which two benthic organisms, a filamentous green alga (Chaetomorpha sp.) and a microsnail (Stenothyra sp.), were propagated together with P. monodon post-larvae during an early culture stage and then offered to shrimp as supplementary live feeds in intensive aquaculture ponds. For the experiment, shrimp post-larvae (density: approximately 33 individuals m<sup>-2</sup>) were cultured in outdoor concrete ponds (9 × 9 × 1.2 m) under either control (fed only artificial feed, n = 3) or experimental (fed artificial feed and benthic organisms, n = 3) conditions until they reached marketable size (15 weeks). Apparent green algae consumption was 6.81 kg (8.4% green alga to total feed consumption), whereas microsnail consumption was 1.96 kg (2.4% microsnail to total feed consumption). Compared with the control group of giant tiger prawn, the experimental group showed significantly higher productivity (total number of shrimp produced: 118%; total shrimp production: 133%), feed efficiency (feed conversion ratio of artificial shrimp feed: 89%), and profitability (shrimp sales: 139%; balance between shrimp sales and costs: 146%), while labor and financial costs were kept minimal. These results can be explained by the enhanced growth of shrimp at the early stages of culture. The techniques developed in this study will help to advance the efficiency of intensive aquaculture operations for giant tiger prawn and also improve profitability for shrimp farmers.
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    Spatial Variation in Thermal Stress Experienced by Barnacles on Rocky Shores: The Interplay Between Geographic Variation, Tidal Cycles and Microhabitat Temperatures
    (2020-07-29)
    Wang, Hui Yu
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    Tsang, Ling Ming
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    Lima, Fernando P.
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    Seabra, Rui
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    Thermal stress is an important driver of species’ distribution in the intertidal zone and, with the forecasted increasing frequency of extreme high temperatures associated with climate change, is likely to play an even greater role in the future. To better understand the scales at which thermal stress impacts organisms, we used biomimetic temperature loggers (robobarnacles) to measure latitudinal variation in estimated barnacle body temperatures (Tetraclita spp.) and evaluated the influences of large, geographic, and smaller scale, microhabitat variation on temperatures experienced. Robobarnacles were deployed at nine sites along the West Pacific and South China Sea coast (five sites in Taiwan, three in Hong Kong and one in Thailand, spanning 13–25°N) from May to September 2013. Estimated body temperatures did not follow a latitudinal gradient; instead, they revealed a mosaic of hot (e.g., NE Taiwan and Thailand) and cooler sites (e.g., two sites in Hong Kong). The hot sites were characterized by frequent occurrences of “heat stress” events (estimated body temperatures ≥40°C for ≥2 h which would result in ≥50% Tetraclita entering coma). There was a correlation between hourly air temperatures and robo-temperatures, suggesting that air temperature together with solar radiation and thermal radiation re-emitted by the rocky substrate drove the observed spatial robo-temperature variation. Air temperature mediated by solar radiation and rock thermal radiation are, therefore, important contributors affecting the body temperature of sessile intertidal species in the tropical and subtropical W Pacific and South China Sea and can be a good predictor for body temperature and thermal stress of intertidal barnacles.
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    Seasonal growth of the purple sea urchin heliocidaris crassispina revealed by sequential fluorochrome tagging
    (2021-01-01)
    Suarez, Juan Diego Urriago
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    Wong, Jane C.Y.
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    Lui, Gilbert
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    Dumont, Clement P.
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    Qiu, Jian Wen
    Many studies have applied fluorochrome tagging to examine the growth of animals with calcified skeletons, but most of them have used only a single tag to determine the annual growth rate. We used sequential fluorochrome tagging to study the seasonal growth of the purple sea urchin Heliocidaris crassispina in Hong Kong waters from February 2012 to February 2013. Sea urchins ranging from 18.9 to 42.7 mm in test diameter had a yearly growth from 0.6 to 13.0 mm. During that year, the sea urchins grew from 0.6 to 5.0 mm in test diameter during the first six months, and from 0.4 to 10.2 mm in test diameter in the second six months. The seasonal differences in growth were confirmed using the von Bertalanffy model. The growth was clear for young sea urchins, especially for individuals less than 5 years old, but was not evident for sea urchins older than 7 years. The seasonal differences in growth were probably related to the reproductive cycle and the seasonal differences in environmental conditions. Our empirical results provide the first evidence of seasonal changes in growth for H. crassispina, demonstrating the usefulness of sequential fluorochrome tagging in studying the growth of sea urchins in the field. We also identify the problem of low recovery of tagged individuals and provide recommendations to improve the tagging procedure.
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    Integrative taxonomy, larval biology and functional morphology of the little known gall-forming coral endoparasite Petrarca (Thecostraca: Ascothoracida)
    (2023-07-01)
    Kolbasov, Gregory A.
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    Savchenko, Alexandra S.
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    Yu, Meng Chen
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    Tsao, Yao Feng
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    Petrarca is an ascothoracidan endoparasite in scleratinian dendrophyllid corals. Petrarca can stimulate coral growth, forming a gall chamber to house itself inside the coral skeleton. The diversity, molecular phylogeny and feeding ecology of Petrarca are understudied. This is the first study of Petrarca to be based on light and scanning electron microscopy to document the fine-scale external and functional morphology of its trophi and other structures. A combined molecular and morphological approach revealed at least four closely related species of Petrarca, P. goanna, P. morula, Petrarca nozawai sp. nov. and Petrarca rubus sp. nov. in Turbinaria and Astreopora corals in Asia. Carapace shape and fine morphology, ultrastructure of the antennular aesthetasc, morphological characteristics of the trophi and the shape and size of the penis rami are diagnostic characters. Several morphological characters, which are all probably synapomorphies, have been proposed to distinguish the genus Petrarca from other Ascothoracida. Mouthparts morphology of Petrarca are developed for cutting and chewing, rather than for piercing and sucking as in many other Ascothoracida. The external surface of the carapace of Petrarca is ornamented with densely packed secretory papillae used putatively for the chemical dissolution of the substrate necessary for the formation of the gall chamber.