Scientific publications
Contrasting patterns of mortality in Polynesian coral reefs following the third global coral bleaching event in 2016
In 2016, many tropical corals worldwide were exposed to anomalously high temperatures due to one of the strongest El Niño events ever recorded. Bleaching impacts were reported on 23 islands within three archipelagos of French Polynesia (Tuamotu, Society and Marquesas archipelagos). A detailed study on the effects of elevated temperatures on corals was performed on
Diel cycle of sea spray aerosol concentration
Sea spray aerosol (SSA) formation have a major role in the climate system, but measurements at a global-scale of this micro-scale process are highly challenging. We measured high-resolution temporal patterns of SSA number concentration over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean covering over 42,000 km. We discovered a ubiquitous 24-hour rhythm to the
Serotonin and dopamine derivatives from the Papua New Guinea zoantharian Zoanthus cf. sansibaricus
In our continuous search for bioactive natural products from marine zoantharians, three serotonin derivatives 1–3 and one dopamine analogue 4 together with the known ecdysteroids ajugasterone C (5) and turkesterone (6) and zoanthoxanthin derivative 3-norpseudozoanthoxanthin (7) were isolated from Zoanthus cf. sansibaricus collected off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The structures of these alkaloids were elucidated through spectroscopic analyses including 1D and 2D
Futunamine, a Pyrrole–Imidazole Alkaloid from the Sponge Stylissa aff. carteri Collected off the Futuna Islands
The chemical investigation of the sponge Stylissa aff. carteri collected around Futuna Islands in the Pacific Ocean led to the isolation of three new dimeric pyrrole 2-aminoimidazole alkaloids (PIAs). Futunamine (1) features an unprecedented pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazole core, while two other new dimeric PIAs were identified as analogues of palau’amine. Together with other known PIAs isolated from this species, they were
Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems
The Tara Pacific expedition (2016–2018) sampled coral ecosystems around 32 islands in the Pacific Ocean and the ocean surface waters at 249 locations, resulting in the collection of nearly 58 000 samples. The expedition was designed to systematically study warm-water coral reefs and included the collection of corals, fish, plankton, and seawater samples for advanced biogeochemical, molecular,
Integrative omics framework for characterization of coral reef ecosystems from the Tara Pacific expedition
Coral reef science is a fast-growing field propelled by the need to better understand coral health and resilience to devise strategies to slow reef loss resulting from environmental stresses. Key to coral resilience are the symbiotic interactions established within a complex holobiont, i.e. the multipartite assemblages comprising the coral host organism, endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, bacteria, archaea, fungi,
Diversity of the Pacific Ocean coral reef microbiome
Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They support high biodiversity of multicellular organisms that strongly rely on associated microorganisms for health and nutrition. However, the extent of the coral reef microbiome diversity and its distribution at the oceanic basin-scale remains to be explored. Here, we systematically sampled 3 coral morphotypes, 2
Ecology of Endozoicomonadaceae in three coral genera across the Pacific Ocean
Health and resilience of the coral holobiont depend on diverse bacterial communities often dominated by key marine symbionts of the Endozoicomonadaceae family. The factors controlling their distribution and their functional diversity remain, however, poorly known. Here, we study the ecology of Endozoicomonadaceae at an ocean basin-scale by sampling specimens from three coral genera (Pocillopora, Porites, Millepora) on 99 reefs from 32
Disparate genetic divergence patterns in three corals across a pan-Pacific environmental gradient highlight species-specific adaptation
Tropical coral reefs are among the most affected ecosystems by climate change and face increasing loss in the coming decades. Effective conservation strategies that maximize ecosystem resilience must be informed by the accurate characterization of extant genetic diversity and population structure together with an understanding of the adaptive potential of keystone species. Here we analyzed
Endogenous viral elements reveal associations between a non-retroviral RNA virus and symbiotic dinoflagellate genomes
Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer insight into the evolutionary histories and hosts of contemporary viruses. This study leveraged DNA metagenomics and genomics to detect and infer the host of a non-retroviral dinoflagellate-infecting +ssRNA virus (dinoRNAV) common in coral reefs. As part of the Tara Pacific Expedition, this study surveyed 269 newly sequenced cnidarians and their
Host transcriptomic plasticity and photosymbiotic fidelity underpin Pocillopora acclimatization across thermal regimes in the Pacific Ocean
Heat waves are causing declines in coral reefs globally. Coral thermal responses depend on multiple, interacting drivers, such as past thermal exposure, endosymbiont community composition, and host genotype. This makes the understanding of their relative roles in adaptive and/or plastic responses crucial for anticipating impacts of future warming. Here, we extracted DNA and RNA from 102 Pocillopora colonies collected
Sea surface temperature reconstruction in the Pacific Ocean using multi-elemental proxy in Porites and Diploastrea corals: Application to Palau Archipelago
Massive reef-building Porites corals are commonly studied to obtain long-term reconstructions of past sea surface temperature (SST) using temperature-sensitive elemental proxies, such as Sr/Ca or Li/Mg ratios. Most recently, a multi-proxy approach combining these two ratios (e.g. D’Olivo et al., 2018) and the SrU method (DeCarlo et al., 2016) have proved to be more robust to reconstruct paleo-temperatures. To
Telomere DNA length regulation is influenced by seasonal temperature differences in short-lived but not in long-lived reef-building corals
Telomeres are environment-sensitive regulators of health and aging. Here,we present telomere DNA length analysis of two reef-building coral genera revealing that the long- and short-term water thermal regime is a key driver of between-colony variation across the Pacific Ocean. Notably, there are differences between the two studied genera. The telomere DNA lengths of the short-lived,
From genome wide SNPs to genomic islands of differentiation: the quest for species diagnostic markers in two scleractinian corals, Pocillopora and Porites
Coral reefs are of paramount importance in marine ecosystems, where they provide support for a large part of the biodiversity. Being quite sensitive to global changes, they are therefore the prime targets for biodiversity conservation policies. However, such conservation goals require accurate species identification, which are notoriously difficult to get in these highly morphologically variable
Different environmental response strategies in sympatric corals from Pacific Islands
Coral reefs are severely threatened by global and local environmental changes. However, susceptibility to perturbations and subsequent mortality varies among coral species. In this study, we tested the contribution of genetic and environmental conditions to coral’s phenotypic response in Pocillopora spp. and Porites spp. sampled together at a large ecological and temporal scale throughout the Pacific Ocean. We assessed
Multi-omics determination of metabolome diversity in natural coral populations in the Pacific Ocean
Coral reefs are considered one of the most emblematic ecosystems in our oceans, but their existence is increasingly threatened by climate change. In this study, natural populations of two reef-building coral genera, Pocillopora spp. and Porites spp., and one hydrocoral Millepora cf. platyphylla from two different marine provinces in the Pacific Ocean were investigated using a multi-omics approach as part of the Tara Pacific expedition.