Publications

CCDC 686956: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Effect of habitat, origin, and herbivory on the survival and growth of recruit-sized S. polycystum fronds from MPAs and non-MPAs when reciprocally transplanted

Raw data on the survival of recruit-sized rammets of Sargassum polycystum originated from marine protected and non-protected areas (MPAs and non-MPAs, respectively) in Fiji, reciprocally transplanted between these areas in two conditions: protected by closed cages or exposed to grazing in partially open cages. Survival data is the average number of days survived by the four MPA rammets and by the four non-MPA rammets in each of the cages. Details in Dell et al. 2016 Plos One. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the supplemental document 'Field_names.pdf', and a full dataset description is included in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: http://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/644035

Palatability and Chemical Defense of Marine Invertebrate Larvae

Risk of larval mortality is a critical component of models and debates concerning the ecology and evolution of the differing reproductive characteristics exhibited by marine invertebrates. In these discussions, predation often is assumed to be a major source of larval mortality. Despite limited empirical support, most marine larvae are thought to be palatable and broadly susceptible to generalist predators. Previous studies of larval-planktivore interactions have focused primarily on larvae that typically feed, grow, and develop for weeks to months in the plankton. Such planktotrophic species commonly produce large numbers of small larvae that disperse over vast distances. In contrast, the nonfeeding lecithotrophic larvae from sessile invertebrates that brood are often large and conspicuous, lack morphological defenses, and have limited dispersal distances because they typically are competent to settle minutes to hours after spawning. Interactions between lecithotrophic larvae and consumers are not well studied. This has limited the ability of previous authors to test broad generalities about marine larvae. We show that brooded larvae of Caribbean sponges (11 species) and gorgonians (three species) as well as brooded larvae of temperate hydroids (two species) and a bryozoan are unpalatable to co-occurring fishes. In contrast, brooded larvae of temperate ascidians (three species), a temperate sponge, and Caribbean hard corals (three species) are readily consumed by fishes, as are larvae from four of six species of synchronous broadcast-spawning gorgonians from the Florida Keys. Frequencies of survivorship for larvae attacked and rejected by fishes were high and statistically indistinguishable from frequencies for unattacked control larvae. Frequency of metamorphosis (when it occurred) of rejected larvae never differed significantly from that of unattacked control larvae. Assays testing for larval vs. adult chemical defenses for five species with distasteful larvae showed that larvae of all five species were chemically distasteful to fishes, whereas only three of five adult extracts deterred fish feeding. A comparison of larval palatability among chemically rich taxa showed that brooded larvae were significantly more likely to be unpalatable (86% of the species tested) than larvae of broadcasters (33%), and that palatable larvae were rarely released during the day (23%) while unpalatable larvae usually were (89%). Additionally, the frequency of bright coloration was high (60%) for unpalatable larvae and low (0%) for palatable larvae, suggesting that unpalatable larvae often may be aposematically colored. Results of this broad survey cast doubt on the widely accepted notion that virtually all marine larvae are suitable prey for most generalized planktivores. Among species that do not chemically or physically protect larvae against fishes, selection appears to favor the release of larvae at night, or the production of smaller more numerous offspring that grow and develop at sea as a way of escaping consumer-rich benthic habitats. Because distasteful larvae are not similarly constrained, distasteful species should exhibit reproductive and larval characteristics selected more by the fitness-related consequences of larval development mode and dispersal distance than by the necessity of avoiding benthic predators.

Tissue-specific induction of herbivore resistance: seaweed response to amphipod grazing

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Higher predation risk for insect prey at low latitudes and elevations.

Biotic interactions underlie ecosystem structure and function, but predicting interaction outcomes is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that biotic interaction strength increases toward the equator, using a global experiment with model caterpillars to measure predation risk. Across an 11,660-kilometer latitudinal gradient spanning six continents, we found increasing predation toward the equator, with a parallel pattern of increasing predation toward lower elevations. Patterns across both latitude and elevation were driven by arthropod predators, with no systematic trend in attack rates by birds or mammals. These matching gradients at global and regional scales suggest consistent drivers of biotic interaction strength, a finding that needs to be integrated into general theories of herbivory, community organization, and life-history evolution.Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science. PMID: 28522532

Seasonal reproduction and abundance of six sympatric species of Gracilaria Grev. (Gracilariaceae; Rhodophyta) on a Caribbean subtidal sand plain

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Effects of eutrophication, grazing, and algal blooms on rocky shores.

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Fossil dermal denticles reveal the preexploitation baseline of a Caribbean coral reef shark community.

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Genetic effects of captive breeding cause a rapid, cumulative fitness decline in the wild.

Seaweed Allelopathy Against Coral: Surface Distribution of a Seaweed Secondary Metabolite by Imaging Mass Spectrometry

Benthic data collected in and out of MPA borders in Viti Levu, Fiji from 2010-2012

Bromophycoic Acids: Bioactive Natural Products from a Fijian Red Alga <i>Callophycus</i> sp.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of extracts from a Fijian red alga in the genus Callophycus resulted in the isolation of five new compounds of the diterpene-benzoate class. Bromophycoic acids A-E (1-5) were characterized by NMR and mass spectroscopic analyses and represent two novel carbon skeletons, one with an unusual proposed biosynthesis. These compounds display a range of activities against human tumor cell lines, malarial parasites, and bacterial pathogens including low micromolar suppression of MRSA and VREF.

Appendix B. A figure showing a Polychaeta cladogram of the families we investigated.

A figure showing a Polychaeta cladogram of the families we investigated.

Effects of storage and extraction procedures on yields of lipophilic metabolites from the brown seaweeds Dictyota ciliolata and D. menstrualis

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 119:265-273 (1995) - doi:10.3354/meps119265 Effects of storage and extraction procedures on yields of lipophilic metabolites from the brown seaweeds Dictyota ciliolata and D. menstrualis Cronin, G., Lindquist, N., Hay, M. E., Fenical, W. Investigations focused on the ecological roles of marine secondary metabolites have become common, but marine ecologists have rarely assessed how methodologies used in sample preparation affect the extractability and stability of secondary metabolites and, thus, measurements of intraspecific and interspecific compound variance. We assessed various procedures for storing, drying, and extracting samples of 2 chemically defended brown seaweeds Dictyota ciliolata and D. menstrualis. These plants contain the diterpenoid alcohols pachydictyol A, dictyol B acetate, and dictyol E that are relatively stable under all test conditions. In contrast, the related diterpenoid dialdehyde, dictyodial, decomposed when plant tissues or crude extracts were stored at -25*C for 13 to 27 wk or when tissues or extracts were freeze-dried or subjected to high vacuum (<0.01 torr), methods that are commonly used in studies of marine chemical ecology. The stability of dictyodial was species-specific, degrading more in D. ciliolata than in D. menstrualis. During a few extractions, dictyodial reacted with methanol (MeOH) to yield an artifact resulting from the addition of 2 molecules of MeOH per molecule of dictyodial. A mixture of 2:1 dichloromethane (DCM) and MeOH tended to extract the lipophilic secondary metabolites better than MeOH or DCM alone. Metabolites were also afforded some protection against degradation when fresh tissue was submerged in 2:1 DCM:MeOH during storage at -25*C. Results of this investigation indicate that storage, extraction, and quantification methods need to be optimized for analyses of individual compounds and that even identical compounds can behave differently when they occur in different species. Chemical ecology . Dictyols . Dictyota . Extraction . HPLC . Methods . Secondary metabolites . Terpenes Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 119. Publication date: March 23, 1995 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1995 Inter-Research.

Seaweed-coral competition in the field: effects on coral growth, photosynthesis and microbiomes require direct contact

A number of tropical reefs have transitioned from coral to macroalgal dominance, but the role of macroalgal competition in coral decline is debated. There is a need to understand the relative roles of direct coral-algal effects versus indirect, microbially mediated effects shaping these interactions, as well as the relevant scales at which interactions operate under natural field, as opposed to laboratory, conditions. We conducted a manipulative field experiment investigating how direct contact versus close proximity (approx. 1.5 cm) with macroalgae ( Galaxaura rugosa , Sargassum polycystum ) impacted the growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and prokaryotic microbiome of the common Indo-Pacific coral Acropora millepora . Both coral growth and photosynthetic efficiency were suppressed when in direct contact with algae or their inert mimics––but not when in close proximity to corals without direct contact. Coral microbiomes were largely unaltered in composition, variability, or diversity regardless of treatment, although a few uncommon taxa differed in abundance among treatments. Negative impacts of macroalgae were contact dependent, accounted for by physical structure alone and had minimal effects on coral microbiomes. The spatial constraints of these interactions have important implications for understanding and predicting benthic community dynamics as reefs degrade.

Marine chemical ecology: what's known and what's next?

Preface: The Next Wave in Aquatic Chemical Ecology

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Does the red tide dinoflagellate &lt;i&gt;Karenia brevis&lt;/i&gt; use allelopathy to outcompete other phytoplankton?