24 posts · 28,386 views
Commentary on a range of issues concerning the natural world. Topics discussed here are broadly centered around ecology, biogeography, environmental issues, and anthropogenic impacts, especially in the oceans. Politics and culture enter the fray as well.
Uncharted Atolls
24 posts
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- August 15, 2012
- 08:30 AM
- 275 views
3 million years of a marine latitudinal diversity gradient
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Perhaps the largest, most visible, macroecological trend on this planet is that there are generally more species in the tropics (low latitudes) than the poles (high latitudes). This pattern has been observed in both terrestrial and marine systems, across hugely … Continue reading →... Read more »
Yasuhara, M., G. Hunt, H. J. Dowsett, M. M. Robinson, and D. K. Stoll. (2012) Latitudinal species diversity gradient of marine zooplankton for the last three million years. Ecology Letters. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01828.x
- August 20, 2011
- 05:40 PM
- 846 views
Human pathogen can cause coral disease
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Despite the resilience of corals as a taxonomic group through geologic time, warming oceans, shifting seawater chemistry, overfishing, pollution, and disease currently threaten these habitat-building invertebrates with many coral reef ecosystems in a state of decline. Researchers have identified a bacterium, Serratia marcescens as the cause … Continue reading →... Read more »
Sutherland, K., Shaban, S., Joyner, J., Porter, J., & Lipp, E. (2011) Human Pathogen Shown to Cause Disease in the Threatened Eklhorn Coral Acropora palmata. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023468
- August 13, 2011
- 01:38 PM
- 929 views
Beautiful intruders: the misplaced lionfish
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) populations have drastically exploded in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean in the past decade, and not without attracting some attention. The trouble is that these gorgeous fish sporting an array of venomous spines are invasive species. … Continue reading →... Read more »
Barbour AB, Allen MS, Frazer TK, & Sherman KD. (2011) Evaluating the potential efficacy of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) removals. PloS one, 6(5). PMID: 21572951
Betancur-R., R., Hines, A., Acero P., A., Ortí, G., Wilbur, A., & Freshwater, D. (2011) Reconstructing the lionfish invasion: insights into Greater Caribbean biogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 38(7), 1281-1293. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02496.x
Mumby PJ, Harborne AR, & Brumbaugh DR. (2011) Grouper as a natural biocontrol of invasive lionfish. PloS one, 6(6). PMID: 21731769
- April 3, 2011
- 07:49 PM
- 1,471 views
Is the Earth’s sixth mass extinction looming near and large?
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Ideally, your expenses are offset by your paycheck, so as you spend money for say, rent and food, you have cash coming in. On the surface at least, this is similar to the dovetailing of extinction and speciation. The vast … Continue reading →... Read more »
Barnosky AD, Matzke N, Tomiya S, Wogan GO, Swartz B, Quental TB, Marshall C, McGuire JL, Lindsey EL, Maguire KC.... (2011) Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?. Nature, 471(7336), 51-7. PMID: 21368823
- March 23, 2011
- 09:15 AM
- 1,631 views
Crushing predators reinvade the Antarctic benthos
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
In Gotham, Batman drives a batmobile that shoots fire out the back and has all sorts of mechanical wizardry so he can catch fiends in style. Or something close to that, unless my childhood was dreadfully misinformed. He isn’t supposed … Continue reading →... Read more »
Aronson RB, Moody RM, Ivany LC, Blake DB, Werner JE, & Glass A. (2009) Climate change and trophic response of the Antarctic bottom fauna. PloS one, 4(2). PMID: 19194490
GILI, J., ARNTZ, W., PALANQUES, A., OREJAS, C., CLARKE, A., DAYTON, P., ISLA, E., TEIXIDO, N., ROSSI, S., & LOPEZGONZALEZ, P. (2006) A unique assemblage of epibenthic sessile suspension feeders with archaic features in the high-Antarctic. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 53(8-10), 1029-1052. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2005.10.021
Clarke, A., Murphy, E., Meredith, M., King, J., Peck, L., Barnes, D., & Smith, R. (2007) Climate change and the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 362(1477), 149-166. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1958
Thatje, S., Anger, K., Calcagno, J., Lovrich, G., Pörtner, H., & Arntz, W. (2005) CHALLENGING THE COLD: CRABS RECONQUER THE ANTARCTIC. Ecology, 86(3), 619-625. DOI: 10.1890/04-0620
- March 16, 2011
- 09:36 AM
- 1,390 views
Frontiers: The deep sea and climate
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
When we think about climate change and the ocean, many minds turn immediately to images of shallow-water corals, bleached white from the lack of zooxanthellae (internal, photosynthetic symbionts), driven away by heat and other types of stress. However, the consequences … Continue reading →... Read more »
Ramirez-Llodra, E., Brandt, A., Danovaro, R., Escobar, E., German, C., Levin, L., Martinez Arbizu, P., Menot, L., Buhl-Mortensen, P., Narayanaswamy, B.... (2010) Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem. Biogeosciences Discussions, 7(2), 2361-2485. DOI: 10.5194/bgd-7-2361-2010
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K.... (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science (New York, N.Y.), 318(5857), 1737-42. PMID: 18079392
Pearson PN, & Palmer MR. (2000) Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past 60 million years. Nature, 406(6797), 695-9. PMID: 10963587
Yasuhara M, Cronin TM, Demenocal PB, Okahashi H, & Linsley BK. (2008) Abrupt climate change and collapse of deep-sea ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(5), 1556-60. PMID: 18227517
Danovaro, R., Dell'Anno, A., & Pusceddu, A. (2004) Biodiversity response to climate change in a warm deep sea. Ecology Letters, 7(9), 821-828. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00634.x
- February 28, 2011
- 10:03 AM
- 1,764 views
Distinct communities on a Tyrrhenian seamount
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle, researchers surveyed a large seamount in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Italy, finding three distinct biological communities. Seamounts, undersea mountains, can hugely affect the way water flows in an area and can provide hard substrate for benthic animals. These features are generally acknowledged to be potential hotspots in [...]... Read more »
Bo M, Bertolino M, Borghini M, Castellano M, Covazzi Harriague A, Di Camillo CG, Gasparini G, Misic C, Povero P, Pusceddu A.... (2011) Characteristics of the mesophotic megabenthic assemblages of the vercelli seamount (north tyrrhenian sea). PloS one, 6(2). PMID: 21304906
Wessel, P, Sandwell, DT, & Kim, SS. (2010) The global seamount census. Oceanography, 23(1), 24-33. info:/
- February 26, 2011
- 09:23 PM
- 1,362 views
Lunar cycles and reproduction in the deep sea
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Some biological patterns in marine species, particularly concerning reproduction, are related to the moon. Shallow-ocean corals, for example, undergo mass spawning events (the synchronous release of eggs and sperm into the water column to combine), the timing of which, are set to the lunar clock. Reef fishes, shallow-ocean echinoderms, mollusks and more, also time spawning [...]... Read more »
Mercier A, Sun Z, Baillon S, & Hamel JF. (2011) Lunar rhythms in the deep sea: evidence from the reproductive periodicity of several marine invertebrates. Journal of biological rhythms, 26(1), 82-6. PMID: 21252369
Ramirez-Llodra E, et al. (2010) Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world’s largest ecosystem. Biogeosciences, 7(9), 2851-2899. info:/10.5194/bgd-7-2361-2010
- December 10, 2010
- 10:29 AM
- 1,470 views
Boom: the destruction and rebirth of a marine ecosystem.
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
In 1883, the world shuddered as the loudest known sound in human history echoed from its epicenter in Indonesia. The noise generated by Krakatoa, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, was heard over 3,000 kilometers aways both to the … Continue reading →... Read more »
C. J. Starger, P. H. Barber, Ambariyanto, & A. C. Baker. (2010) The recovery of coral genetic diversity in the Sunda Strait following the 1883 eruption of Krakatau. Coral Reefs, 547-565. info:/10.1007/s00338-010-0609-2
- December 7, 2010
- 08:28 AM
- 835 views
Sea Lions and Adoption
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Alloparental care among animal populations, or parents caring for young who are not directly related, is well known in mammal and bird species; however, the role of alloparental behavior on population demographics is largely unknown. Does such care actually allow … Continue reading →... Read more »
Flatz R, & Gerber LR. (2010) First evidence for adoption in California sea lions. PloS one, 5(11). PMID: 21079727
- October 20, 2010
- 02:02 PM
- 1,357 views
Whale poop can enhance ocean productivity
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
The biological pump, a way of moving nutrients and carbon down the water column, in the ocean is fairly straight-forward. Phytoplankton–tiny, photosynthesizing critters bobbing around in the surface ocean–are eaten by larger organisms, like zooplankton and fish. When the zooplankton … Continue reading →... Read more »
Roman J, & McCarthy JJ. (2010) The whale pump: marine mammals enhance primary productivity in a coastal basin. PloS one, 5(10). PMID: 20949007
- October 17, 2010
- 09:15 PM
- 867 views
A cautiously-optimistic call to arms in coral reef science
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Coral reef ecosystems are under assault from multiple stressors. These range from local to global disturbances, some falling into the realm of naturally-induced. Some of these disturbances can be exacerbated through anthropogenic means. Some of the most insidious threats to these … Continue reading →... Read more »
Baker AC, Starger CJ, McClanahan TR, & Glynn PW. (2004) Coral reefs: corals' adaptive response to climate change. Nature, 430(7001), 741. PMID: 15306799
Coffroth MA, Poland DM, Petrou EL, Brazeau DA, & Holmberg JC. (2010) Environmental symbiont acquisition may not be the solution to warming seas for reef-building corals. PloS one, 5(10). PMID: 20949064
Hughes TP, Graham NA, Jackson JB, Mumby PJ, & Steneck RS. (2010) Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience. Trends in ecology . PMID: 20800316
- October 3, 2010
- 08:56 AM
- 712 views
Mismanaged Fisheries: Don’t forget the invertebrates
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
When we think of fisheries, we usually think of, well, fish. As the collective global negligence regarding fisheries is further studied and exposed, these resource management issues have been brought out of obscurity in the past decade or so. Fisheries worldwide totaled 15-20 million … Continue reading →... Read more »
Myers RA, & Worm B. (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature, 423(6937), 280-3. PMID: 12748640
Jackson, J. (2008) Colloquium Paper: Ecological extinction and evolution in the brave new ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(Supplement 1), 11458-11465. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802812105
Voultsiadou E. (2010) Therapeutic properties and uses of marine invertebrates in the ancient Greek world and early Byzantium. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 130(2), 237-47. PMID: 20435126
R Grigg. (1993) Precious Coral Fisheries of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands. Marine Fisheries Review, 55(2), 50-60. info:/
Roark EB, Guilderson TP, Dunbar RB, Fallon SJ, & Mucciarone DA. (2009) Extreme longevity in proteinaceous deep-sea corals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(13), 5204-8. PMID: 19307564
Rhyne, A., Rotjan, R., Bruckner, A., & Tlusty, M. (2009) Crawling to Collapse: Ecologically Unsound Ornamental Invertebrate Fisheries. PLoS ONE, 4(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008413
- September 24, 2010
- 08:46 AM
- 1,524 views
Symbiotic Foreclosure: coral bleaching predictions and a potential acclimation mechanism
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
NOAA—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—issued a press release on September 22nd declaring coral bleaching likely in the Caribbean. NOAA reports that: With temperatures above-average all year, NOAA’s models show a strong potential for bleaching in the southern and southeastern … Continue reading →... Read more »
Douglas AE. (2003) Coral bleaching--how and why?. Marine pollution bulletin, 46(4), 385-92. PMID: 12705909
Jones, A., & Berkelmans, R. (2010) Potential Costs of Acclimatization to a Warmer Climate: Growth of a Reef Coral with Heat Tolerant vs. Sensitive Symbiont Types. PLoS ONE, 5(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010437
- September 21, 2010
- 10:06 AM
- 1,245 views
Seamount mythbusting
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Seamounts—mountains beneath the waves—may not be conventionally thought of as large habitats on the global ecological stage, compared to say, forests or estuaries. But there’s quite a bit of them to say the least, perhaps in the hundreds of thousands. … Continue reading →... Read more »
Etnoyer PJ, Wood J, Shirley TC. (2010) How large is the seamount biome?. Oceanography, 23(1), 206-209. info:/
Rowden, A., Dower, J., Schlacher, T., Consalvey, M., & Clark, M. (2010) Paradigms in seamount ecology: fact, fiction and future. Marine Ecology, 226-241. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00400.x
Tittensor, D., Baco, A., Hall-Spencer, J., Orr, J., & Rogers, A. (2010) Seamounts as refugia from ocean acidification for cold-water stony corals. Marine Ecology, 212-225. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00393.x
- September 9, 2010
- 09:19 AM
- 1,426 views
Human sacrifices, uranium, and corals
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
The development of shrines and temple architecture associated with chiefdoms and early states is thought to be a slow process. In Mesoamerica, a sequence of architectural evolution took 1300 years, according to archaeological evidence. However, this may not always be … Continue reading →... Read more »
Sharp, W., Kahn, J., Polito, C., & Kirch, P. (2010) Rapid evolution of ritual architecture in central Polynesia indicated by precise 230Th/U coral dating. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(30), 13234-13239. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005063107
- August 3, 2010
- 10:16 AM
- 567 views
The need for geophysical conservation
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
How should we go about managing the conservation of biodiversity in the face of a changing climate? Species by species? Seems tedious. And expensive to carry to completion. Wouldn’t it be easier if we could determine what factors contribute to … Continue reading →... Read more »
Anderson, M., & Ferree, C. (2010) Conserving the Stage: Climate Change and the Geophysical Underpinnings of Species Diversity. PLoS ONE, 5(7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011554
- May 13, 2010
- 01:00 PM
- 1,315 views
Acidification and Extinctions
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
“Human beings are now carrying out a large scale geophysical experiment of a kind that could not have happened in the past nor be reproduced in the future. Within a few centuries, we are returning to the atmosphere and oceans the concentrated organic carbon stored in sedimentary rocks over hundreds of millions of years.” - [...]... Read more »
Veron, J. (2008) Mass extinctions and ocean acidification: biological constraints on geological dilemmas. Coral Reefs, 27(3), 459-472. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-008-0381-8
- March 12, 2010
- 10:01 PM
- 1,435 views
Move over cows! Methane outgassing in the Arctic Sea
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Methane! Move over cow flatulence and burping, methane is leaking from under the Arctic in a big way. Methane, that innocuous-seeming molecule with 4 hydrogens and a carbon, is actually a more potent greenhouse gas than the carbon dioxide molecule of greater fame–up to 25 times more potent actually. However, atmospheric methane concentrations are much [...]... Read more »
Shakhova, N., Semiletov, I., Salyuk, A., Yusupov, V., Kosmach, D., & Gustafsson, O. (2010) Extensive Methane Venting to the Atmosphere from Sediments of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. Science, 327(5970), 1246-1250. DOI: 10.1126/science.1182221
- February 18, 2010
- 08:05 AM
- 1,388 views
MPAs reduce coral cover loss. Now we need more of them.
by Uncharted Atolls in Uncharted Atolls
Marine protected areas (MPAs) can be an effective means to conserve coral reef communities. These areas can provide refuges for larvae, help restore healthy food webs, and help mitigate overgrowth via macroalgae by preventing the overexploitation of grazers in coral reef ecosystems. This last point is an especially important one…for example, in the aftermath of [...]... Read more »
Carilli, J., Norris, R., Black, B., Walsh, S., & McField, M. (2009) Local Stressors Reduce Coral Resilience to Bleaching. PLoS ONE, 4(7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006324
Mumby, P., & Harborne, A. (2010) Marine Reserves Enhance the Recovery of Corals on Caribbean Reefs. PLoS ONE, 5(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008657
Selig, E., & Bruno, J. (2010) A Global Analysis of the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Preventing Coral Loss. PLoS ONE, 5(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009278
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