ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3409-8766
Current Organisation
California Academy of Sciences
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Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-12-2013
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 25-01-2019
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-11-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.961106
Abstract: Recent scientific advances in ex situ system design and operation make it possible to complete gametogenic cycles of broadcast spawning corals. Breeding corals in aquaria is a critical advance for population management, particularly genetic rescue and assisted gene flow efforts. Genetic rescue projects for corals are already underway to bring threatened species into ex situ culture and propagation, thereby preserving standing genetic variation. However, while breeding corals is increasingly feasible, the consequences of the aquarium environment on the genetic and phenotypic composition of coral populations is not yet known. The aquarium environment may in itself be a selective pressures on corals, but it also presents relaxed selective pressures in other respects. In 2019 and 2020, gravid Acropora hyacinthus coral colonies were collected from Palauan reefs and shipped to the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) in San Francisco. In both years, gametes were batch-fertilized to produce larvae that were then settled and reared to recruits. As of April 2021, when they were s led for sequencing, 23 corals produced at CAS in 2019 and 16 corals produced at CAS in 2020 had survived for two years and one year, respectively. We sequenced the full genomes of the 39 offspring corals and their 15 potential parents to a median 26x depth of coverage. We find clear differential parentage, with some parents producing the vast majority of offspring, while the majority of parents produced no surviving offspring. After scanning 12.9 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we found 887 SNPs that may be under selection in the aquarium environment, and we identified the genes and pathways these SNPs may affect. We present recommendations for preserving standing genetic variation in aquarium-bred corals based on the results of this pilot project.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 14-02-2013
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/MF14358
Abstract: Human activities are altering the processes that connect organisms within and among habitats and populations in marine and freshwater (aquatic) ecosystems. Connectivity can be quantified using graph theory, where habitats or populations are represented by ‘nodes’ and dispersal is represented by ‘links’. This approach spans discipline and systemic ides, facilitating identification of generalities in human impacts. We conducted a review of studies that have used graph theory to quantify spatial functional connectivity in aquatic ecosystems. The search identified 42 studies published in 2000–14. We assessed whether each study quantified the impacts of (1) habitat alteration (loss, alteration to links, and gain), (2) human movements causing species introductions, (3) overharvesting and (4) climate change (warming temperatures, altered circulation or hydrology, sea-level rise) and ocean acidification. In freshwater systems habitat alteration was the most commonly studied stressor, whereas in marine systems overharvesting, in terms of larval dispersal among protected areas, was most commonly addressed. Few studies have directly assessed effects of climate change, suggesting an important area of future research. Graph representations of connectivity revealed similarities across different impacts and systems, suggesting common strategies for conservation management. We suggest future research directions for studies of aquatic connectivity to inform conservation management of aquatic ecosystems.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/MF14139
Abstract: Compiled abundances of juvenile corals revealed no change over time in the Pacific, but a decline in the Caribbean. Using these analyses as a rationale, we explored recruitment and post-settlement success in determining coral cover using studies in the Caribbean (St John, Bonaire) and Pacific (Moorea, Okinawa). Juvenile corals, coral recruits, and coral cover have been censused in these locations for years, and the ratio of juvenile (J) to recruiting (R) corals was used to measure post-settlement success. In St John and Bonaire, coral cover was stable but different between studies, with the ratio of the density of juveniles to density of recruits (J:R) ~0.10 in Moorea, declines in coral cover were followed by recovery that was related to the density of juvenile corals 3 years before, with J:R ~0.40 and in Okinawa, a decline in coral cover in 1998 was followed by a slow recovery with J/R ~0.01. Coral cover was associated positively with juvenile corals in St John, and in Okinawa, the density of juvenile corals was associated positively with recruits the year before. J:R varied among studies, and standardised densities of juvenile corals declined in the Caribbean, but increased in the Pacific. These results suggest that differences in the post-settlement success may drive variation in coral community structure.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-02-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE17155
Abstract: Approximately one-quarter of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year is absorbed by the global oceans, causing measurable declines in surface ocean pH, carbonate ion concentration ([CO3(2-)]), and saturation state of carbonate minerals (Ω). This process, referred to as ocean acidification, represents a major threat to marine ecosystems, in particular marine calcifiers such as oysters, crabs, and corals. Laboratory and field studies have shown that calcification rates of many organisms decrease with declining pH, [CO3(2-)], and Ω. Coral reefs are widely regarded as one of the most vulnerable marine ecosystems to ocean acidification, in part because the very architecture of the ecosystem is reliant on carbonate-secreting organisms. Acidification-induced reductions in calcification are projected to shift coral reefs from a state of net accretion to one of net dissolution this century. While retrospective studies show large-scale declines in coral, and community, calcification over recent decades, determining the contribution of ocean acidification to these changes is difficult, if not impossible, owing to the confounding effects of other environmental factors such as temperature. Here we quantify the net calcification response of a coral reef flat to alkalinity enrichment, and show that, when ocean chemistry is restored closer to pre-industrial conditions, net community calcification increases. In providing results from the first seawater chemistry manipulation experiment of a natural coral reef community, we provide evidence that net community calcification is depressed compared with values expected for pre-industrial conditions, indicating that ocean acidification may already be impairing coral reef growth.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE25968
Abstract: Coral reefs feed millions of people worldwide, provide coastal protection and generate billions of dollars annually in tourism revenue. The underlying architecture of a reef is a biogenic carbonate structure that accretes over many years of active biomineralization by calcifying organisms, including corals and algae. Ocean acidification poses a chronic threat to coral reefs by reducing the saturation state of the aragonite mineral of which coral skeletons are primarily composed, and lowering the concentration of carbonate ions required to maintain the carbonate reef. Reduced calcification, coupled with increased bioerosion and dissolution, may drive reefs into a state of net loss this century. Our ability to predict changes in ecosystem function and associated services ultimately hinges on our understanding of community- and ecosystem-scale responses. Past research has primarily focused on the responses of in idual species rather than evaluating more complex, community-level responses. Here we use an in situ carbon dioxide enrichment experiment to quantify the net calcification response of a coral reef flat to acidification. We present an estimate of community-scale calcification sensitivity to ocean acidification that is, to our knowledge, the first to be based on a controlled experiment in the natural environment. This estimate provides evidence that near-future reductions in the aragonite saturation state will compromise the ecosystem function of coral reefs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-01-2021
DOI: 10.1002/LOM3.10410
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-12-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 09-01-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 21-05-2015
DOI: 10.1002/2015GL063488
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-06-2008
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 04-07-2019
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS12980
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 08-11-2010
Abstract: Ocean acidification (OA) refers to the ongoing decline in oceanic pH resulting from the uptake of atmospheric CO 2 . Mounting experimental evidence suggests that OA will have negative consequences for a variety of marine organisms. Whereas the effect of OA on the calcification of adult reef corals is increasingly well documented, effects on early life history stages are largely unknown. Coral recruitment, which necessitates successful fertilization, larval settlement, and postsettlement growth and survivorship, is critical to the persistence and resilience of coral reefs. To determine whether OA threatens successful sexual recruitment of reef-building corals, we tested fertilization, settlement, and postsettlement growth of Acropora palmata at p CO 2 levels that represent average ambient conditions during coral spawning (∼400 μatm) and the range of p CO 2 increases that are expected to occur in this century [∼560 μatm (mid-CO 2 ) and ∼800 μatm (high-CO 2 )]. Fertilization, settlement, and growth were all negatively impacted by increasing p CO 2 , and impairment of fertilization was exacerbated at lower sperm concentrations. The cumulative impact of OA on fertilization and settlement success is an estimated 52% and 73% reduction in the number of larval settlers on the reef under p CO 2 conditions projected for the middle and the end of this century, respectively. Additional declines of 39% (mid-CO 2 ) and 50% (high-CO 2 ) were observed in postsettlement linear extension rates relative to controls. These results suggest that OA has the potential to impact multiple, sequential early life history stages, thereby severely compromising sexual recruitment and the ability of coral reefs to recover from disturbance.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2011
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-01-2014
DOI: 10.1371/ANNOTATION/B03DC5D7-0CFD-4182-B39D-FB9299275D5C
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/REC.13913
Abstract: Reversing coral reef decline requires reducing environmental threats while actively restoring reef ecological structure and function. A promising restoration approach uses coral breeding to boost natural recruitment and repopulate reefs with genetically erse coral communities. Recent advances in predicting spawning, capturing spawn, culturing larvae, and rearing settlers have enabled the successful propagation, settlement, and outplanting of coral offspring in all of the world's major reef regions. Nevertheless, breeding efforts frequently yield low survival, reflecting the type III survivorship curve of corals and poor condition of most reefs targeted for restoration. Furthermore, coral breeding programs are still limited in spatial scale and species ersity. Here, we highlight four priority areas for research and cooperative innovation to increase the effectiveness and scale of coral breeding in restoration: (1) expanding the number of restoration sites and species, (2) improving broodstock selection to maximize the genetic ersity and adaptive capacity of restored populations, (3) enhancing culture conditions to improve offspring health before and after outplanting, and (4) scaling up infrastructure and technologies for large‐scale coral breeding and restoration. Prioritizing efforts in these four areas will enable practitioners to address reef decline at relevant ecological scales, re‐establish self‐sustaining coral populations, and ensure the long‐term success of restoration interventions. Overall, we aim to guide the coral restoration community toward actions and opportunities that can yield rapid technical advances in larval rearing and coral breeding, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and ultimately achieve the ecological restoration of coral reefs.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1155/2011/473615
Abstract: Ocean acidification (OA) is a relatively young yet rapidly developing scientific field. Assessing the potential response(s) of marine organisms to projected near-future OA scenarios has been at the forefront of scientific research, with a focus on ecosystems (e.g., coral reefs) and processes (e.g., calcification) that are deemed particularly vulnerable. Recently, a heightened emphasis has been placed on evaluating early life history stages as these stages are generally perceived to be more sensitive to environmental change. The number of acidification-related studies focused on early life stages has risen dramatically over the last several years. While early life history stages of corals have been understudied compared to other marine invertebrate taxa (e.g., echinoderms, mollusks), numerous studies exist to contribute to our status of knowledge regarding the potential impacts of OA on coral recruitment dynamics. To synthesize this information, the present paper reviews the primary literature on the effects of acidification on sexual reproduction and early stages of corals, incorporating lessons learned from more thoroughly studied taxa to both assess our current understanding of the potential impacts of OA on coral recruitment and to inform and guide future research in this area.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 28-10-2013
Abstract: Abstract. Ocean acidification is projected to shift coral reefs from a state of net accretion to one of net dissolution this century. Presently, our ability to predict global-scale changes to coral reef calcification is limited by insufficient data relating seawater carbonate chemistry parameters to in situ rates of reef calcification. Here, we investigate diel and seasonal trends in carbonate chemistry of the Davies Reef flat in the central Great Barrier Reef and relate these trends to benthic carbon fluxes by quantifying net ecosystem calcification (nec) and net community production (ncp). Results show that seawater carbonate chemistry of the Davies Reef flat is highly variable over both diel and seasonal cycles. pH (total scale) ranged from 7.92 to 8.17, pCO2 ranged from 272 to 542 μatm, and aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) ranged from 2.9 to 4.1. Diel cycles in carbonate chemistry were primarily driven by ncp, and warming explained 35% and 47% of the seasonal shifts in pCO2 and pH, respectively. Daytime ncp averaged 37 ± 19 mmol C m−2 h−1 in summer and 33 ± 13 mmol C m−2 h−1 in winter nighttime ncp averaged −30 ± 25 and −7 ± 6 mmol C m−2 h−1 in summer and winter, respectively. Daytime nec averaged 11 ± 4 mmol CaCO3 m−2 h−1 in summer and 8 ± 3 mmol CaCO3 m−2 h−1 in winter, whereas nighttime nec averaged 2 ± 4 mmol and −1 ± 3 mmol CaCO3 m−2 h−1 in summer and winter, respectively. Net ecosystem calcification was highly sensitive to changes in Ωarag for both seasons, indicating that relatively small shifts in Ωarag may drive measurable shifts in calcification rates, and hence carbon budgets, of coral reefs throughout the year.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-10-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.18.512587
Abstract: Recent scientific advances in ex situ system design and operation make it possible to complete gametogenic cycles of broadcast spawning corals. Breeding corals in aquaria are critical advances for population management, particularly genetic rescue and assisted gene flow efforts. Genetic rescue projects for corals are already underway to bring threatened species into ex situ culture and propagation, thereby preserving standing genetic variation. However, while breeding corals is increasingly feasible, the consequences of the aquarium environment on the genetic and phenotypic composition of coral populations is not yet known. The aquarium environment may in itself be a selective pressure on corals, but it also presents relaxed selective pressure in other respects. In 2019 and 2020, gravid Acropora hyacinthus coral colonies were collected from Palauan reefs and shipped to the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) in San Francisco. In both years, gametes were batch-fertilized to produce larvae that were then settled and reared to recruits. As of April 2021, when they were s led for sequencing, 23 corals produced at CAS in 2019 and 16 corals produced at CAS in 2020 had survived for two years and one year, respectively. We sequenced the full genomes of the 39 offspring corals and their 15 potential parents to a median 26x depth of coverage. We find clear differential parentage, with some parents producing the vast majority of offspring, while the majority of parents produced no surviving offspring. After scanning 12.9 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we found 887 SNPs that may be under selection in the aquarium environment, and we identified the genes and pathways these SNPs may affect. We present recommendations for preserving standing genetic variation in aquarium-bred corals based on the results of this pilot project.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/LNO.11722
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-07-2018
DOI: 10.1002/LNO.10952
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 28-04-2016
DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068723
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2016.07.038
Abstract: Coral reefs are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to ocean acidification. While our understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems is growing, gaps remain that limit our ability to translate scientific knowledge into management action. To guide solution-based research, we review the current knowledge of ocean acidification impacts on coral reefs alongside management needs and priorities. We use the world's largest continuous reef system, Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR), as a case study. We integrate scientific knowledge gained from a variety of approaches (e.g., laboratory studies, field observations, and ecosystem modelling) and scales (e.g., cell, organism, ecosystem) that underpin a systems-level understanding of how ocean acidification is likely to impact the GBR and associated goods and services. We then discuss local and regional management options that may be effective to help mitigate the effects of ocean acidification on the GBR, with likely application to other coral reef systems. We develop a research framework for linking solution-based ocean acidification research to practical management options. The framework assists in identifying effective and cost-efficient options for supporting ecosystem resilience. The framework enables on-the-ground OA management to be the focus, while not losing sight of CO2 mitigation as the ultimate solution.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.20.453148
Abstract: In many animals, the germline differentiates early in embryogenesis, so only mutations that accumulate in germ cells are inherited by offspring 1 . Exceptions to this developmental process may indicate that other mechanisms have evolved to limit the effects of deleterious mutation accumulation 2 . Stony corals are animals that can live for hundreds of years 3 and have long been thought to produce gametes from somatic tissue 4 . To clarify conflicting evidence about germline-soma distinction in corals, we sequenced high coverage, full genomes with technical replicates for parent coral branches and their sperm pools. We identified post-embryonic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) unique to each parent branch, then checked if each SNV was shared by the respective sperm pool: 26% of post-embryonic SNVs were shared by the sperm but 74% were not. We also identified germline SNVs, those that were present in the sperm but not in the parent. These data suggest that self-renewing stem cells in corals differentiate into germ and soma throughout the adult life of the colony, with SNV rates and patterns differing markedly in stem, soma, and germ lineages. In addition to informing the important place in the evolutionary spectrum from non-Weismannian to Weismmanian animals that corals occupy, these insights inform how corals may generate adaptive ersity necessary in the face of global climate change.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16192
Abstract: The global impacts of climate change are evident in every marine ecosystem. On coral reefs, mass coral bleaching and mortality have emerged as ubiquitous responses to ocean warming, yet one of the greatest challenges of this epiphenomenon is linking information across scientific disciplines and spatial and temporal scales. Here we review some of the seminal and recent coral-bleaching discoveries from an ecological, physiological, and molecular perspective. We also evaluate which data and processes can improve predictive models and provide a conceptual framework that integrates measurements across biological scales. Taking an integrative approach across biological and spatial scales, using for ex le hierarchical models to estimate major coral-reef processes, will not only rapidly advance coral-reef science but will also provide necessary information to guide decision-making and conservation efforts. To conserve reefs, we encourage implementing mesoscale sanctuaries (thousands of km
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 18-01-2023
Abstract: In many animals, the germline differentiates early in embryogenesis, so only mutations that accumulate in germ cells are inherited by offspring. Exceptions to this developmental process may indicate other mechanisms have evolved to limit the effects of deleterious mutation accumulation. Stony corals are animals that can live for hundreds of years and have been thought to produce gametes from somatic tissue. To clarify conflicting evidence about germline-soma distinction in corals, we sequenced high coverage, full genomes with technical replicates for parent coral branches and their sperm pools. We identified post-embryonic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) unique to each parent branch, then checked if each SNV was shared by the respective sperm pool. Twenty-six per cent of post-embryonic SNVs were shared by the sperm and 74% were not. We also identified germline SNVs, those that were present in the sperm but not in the parent. These data suggest that self-renewing stem cells differentiate into germ and soma throughout the adult life of the colony, with SNV rates and patterns differing markedly in stem, soma and germ lineages. In addition to informing the evolution of germlines in metazoans, these insights inform how corals may generate adaptive ersity necessary in the face of global climate change.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 28-03-2023
Abstract: Effective climate policy that addresses carbon dioxide emissions is essential to minimizing and addressing the impacts of ocean acidification (OA). Here we present a framework to assess the readiness of OA policy, using coral reefs as a focal system. Six dimensions encompass comprehensive preparation by ecosystems and societies for the impacts of OA and other anthropogenic hazards: (1) climate protection measures, (2) OA literacy, (3) area-based management, (4) research and development, (5) adaptive capacity of dependent sectors, and (6) policy coherence. We define standardized indicators, identify leading countries, and evaluate the case study of Australia, the country with the largest coral reef system. The framework provides a rubric for a government unit to self- assess strengths and weaknesses in policy preparedness and to prioritize future endeavors.
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Rebecca Albright.