Declines in coral cover are generally associated with increases in the abundance of fleshy
algae. In many cases, it remains unclear whether algae are responsible, directly or indirectly, …

Microbes are key players in both healthy and degraded coral reefs. A combination of
metagenomics, microscopy, culturing, and water chemistry were used to characterize microbial …

Microbialization refers to the observed shift in ecosystem trophic structure towards higher
microbial biomass and energy use. On coral reefs, the proximal causes of microbialization are …

Bacteriophages (phages) defend mucosal surfaces against bacterial infections. However,
their complex interactions with their bacterial hosts and with the mucus-covered epithelium …

Space limitation leads to competition between benthic, sessile organisms on coral reefs. As
a primary example, reef-building corals are in direct contact with each other and many …

The health of the coral reefs of the Abrolhos Bank (southwestern Atlantic) was characterized
with a holistic approach using measurements of four ecosystem components: (i) inorganic …

Benthic primary producers in tropical reef ecosystems can alter biogeochemical cycling and
microbial processes in the surrounding seawater. In order to quantify these influences, we …

The majority of the world's coral reefs are in various stages of decline. While a suite of
disturbances (overfishing, eutrophication, and global climate change) have been identified, the …

The natural beauty of coral reefs attracts millions of tourists worldwide resulting in substantial
revenues for the adjoining economies. Although their visual appearance is a pivotal factor …

On coral reefs, microorganisms are essential for recycling nutrients to primary producers
through the remineralization of benthic-derived organic matter. Diel investigations of reef …