ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2237-9261
Current Organisation
Justus Liebig Universitat Giessen
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-06-2022
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS202206.0284.V1
Abstract: Within microeukaryotes, genetic and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine ersity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellies), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic ersity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic ersity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-02-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS14213
Abstract: Ocean warming threatens corals and the coral reef ecosystem. Nevertheless, corals can be adapted to their thermal environment and inherit heat tolerance across generations. In addition, the erse microbes that associate with corals have the capacity for more rapid change, potentially aiding the adaptation of long-lived corals. Here, we show that the microbiome of reef corals is different across thermally variable habitats and changes over time when corals are reciprocally transplanted. Exposing these corals to thermal bleaching conditions changes the microbiome for heat-sensitive corals, but not for heat-tolerant corals growing in habitats with natural high heat extremes. Importantly, particular bacterial taxa predict the coral host response in a short-term heat stress experiment. Such associations could result from parallel responses of the coral and the microbial community to living at high natural temperatures. A competing hypothesis is that the microbial community and coral heat tolerance are causally linked.
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 02-05-2023
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.15023
Abstract: Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine ersity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians ( e.g ., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates ( e.g. , sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists ( e.g ., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic ersity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic ersity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15920
Abstract: The pollution of the marine environment with microplastics is pervasive. However, microplastic concentrations in the seawater are lower than the number of particles entering the oceans, suggesting that plastic particles accumulate in environmental sinks. Yet, the exact long‐term sinks related to the “missing plastic” phenomenon are barely explored. Sediments in nearshore biogenic habitats are known to trap large amounts of microplastics, but also the three‐dimensional structures of coral reefs might serve as unique, living long‐term sinks. The main framework builders, reef‐building corals, have been shown to ingest and overgrow microplastics, potentially leading to a deposition of particles in reef structures. However, little is known about the number of deposited particles and the underlying processes determining the permanent deposition in the coral skeletons. To test whether corals may act as living long‐term sink for microplastic, we exposed four reef‐building coral species to polyethylene microplastics (200 particles L −1 ) in an 18‐month laboratory experiment. We found microplastics in all treatment specimens, with low numbers of particles trapped in the coral tissue (up to 2 particles per cm 2 ) and much higher numbers in the skeleton (up to 84 particles per cm 3 ). The numbers of particles accumulated in the coral skeletons were mainly related to coral growth (i.e., skeletal growth in volume), suggesting that deposition is a regularly occurring stochastic process. We estimate that reef‐building corals may remove 0.09%–2.82% of the bioavailable microplastics from tropical shallow‐reef waters per year. Our study shows for the first time that microplastic particles accumulate permanently in a biological sink, helping to explain the “missing plastic” phenomenon. This highlights the importance of coral reefs for the ecological balance of the oceans and reinforces the need to protect them, not only to mitigate the effects of climate change but also to preserve their ecosystem services as long‐term sink for microplastic.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 19-04-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-09-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15840
Abstract: Our understanding of the response of reef‐building corals to changes in their physical environment is largely based on laboratory experiments, analysis of long‐term field data, and model projections. Experimental data provide unique insights into how organisms respond to variation of environmental drivers. However, an assessment of how well experimental conditions cover the breadth of environmental conditions and variability where corals live successfully is missing. Here, we compiled and analyzed a globally distributed dataset of in‐situ seasonal and diurnal variability of key environmental drivers (temperature, p CO 2 , and O 2 ) critical for the growth and livelihood of reef‐building corals. Using a meta‐analysis approach, we compared the variability of environmental conditions assayed in coral experimental studies to current and projected conditions in their natural habitats. We found that annual temperature profiles projected for the end of the 21st century were characterized by distributional shifts in temperatures with warmer winters and longer warm periods in the summer, not just peak temperatures. Furthermore, short‐term hourly fluctuations of temperature and p CO 2 may regularly expose corals to conditions beyond the projected average increases for the end of the 21st century. Coral reef sites varied in the degree of coupling between temperature, p CO 2 , and dissolved O 2 , which warrants site‐specific, differentiated experimental approaches depending on the local hydrography and influence of biological processes on the carbonate system and O 2 availability. Our analysis highlights that a large portion of the natural environmental variability at short and long timescales is underexplored in experimental designs, which may provide a path to extend our understanding on the response of corals to global climate change.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 12-12-2018
Location: Saudi Arabia
No related grants have been discovered for Maren Ziegler.