<p>To further investigate the strength of the association and the relative advantages of the association to both organisms, several manipulation experiments were set up. A cage experiment set up in the shallow subtidal zone showed that the coralline survived equally well without the winkle and did therefore not require the winkle or its empty shell for survival. A second controlled laboratory aquarium experiment was designed under both fluorescent (rich in blue light) and incandescent light (rich in red light) to ascertain whether the coralline had a preference for O. sinensis over the similar O. tigrina. This experiment was inconclusive as no recruitment was obtained under either of the light regimes. A third laboratory experiment was designed to determine whether the extra coralline weight had any possible advantage to the winkle, particularly against predation from the rock lobster Jasus lalandii. Results suggested that there were no apparent advantages to the winkle bearing the extra coralline load as adult O. sinensis bearing the coralline alga (3.7 &plusmn / 2.2 winkles 24hr-1) were equally prone to predation than those lacking the coralline (2.3 &plusmn / 1.9 winkles 24hr-1) (p = 0.184). Observations suggested instead that the convoluted nature of the coralline may indeed have promoted predation. We ultimately deduced that the high occurrence of the coralline on the shells of O. sinensis was probably due to the substantial overlap in the niches of the two organisms. This conclusion was supported by the high densities of juvenile O. sinensis combined with the high percent cover abundance of the coralline in intertidal rockpools. Understanding sexual reproduction in coralline algae as well as the life cycle of the winkle, ultimately provided insight into the postulated life cycle of this coralline-winkle association...</p>

The Miocene Nullarbor Limestone is the most recent formation in the Cenozoic Eucla Group and was deposited in the Eucla Basin, southern Australia, at ~38°S paleolatitude during the early to middle Miocene. The rocks form the modern surface of the vast, karsted Nullarbor Plain. Older Eucla Group marine carbonates (Eocene-earliest Miocene) are cool-water in nature and dominated by bryozoans and echinoderms. The Nullarbor Limestone is subtropical in composition and rich in coralline algae (rhodoliths and articulated types), large and small benthic foraminifera and molluscs. Diverse zooxanthellate corals are also present but not numerous. Deposition is interpreted to have taken place in three main paleoenvironments: rhodolith gravels, seagrass banks, and open seafloors. The Southern Ocean extended inboard ~450 km from the shelf edge during Nullarbor Limestone deposition. Interpreted paleodepths ranged from the top to the base of the photic zone, implying a small slope over a wide shelf. The Miocene Eucla platform is therefore interpreted to have been epeiric in nature. Paleoenvironment distribution is explained using epeiric platform sedimentation patterns and comparisons with modern environments. Open seafloor environments, the deepest settings, are thought to have been below fair-weather wave base. Rhodolith gravels accumulated at intermediate depths, where waves frequently swept the seafloor. Seagrass banks developed in the shallowest waters farthest inboard, where wave energy had been largely dissipated. Diverse corals, large benthic foraminifera and micrite envelopes inboard and in the western part of the basin support the notion of paleotemperatures generally above 20°C, the upper limit of subtropical carbonate accumulation. Although deposition occurred during the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a simple overall temperature increase cannot completely account for the subtropical nature of these sediments at mid-latitudes. Tropical components decrease from west to east, implying a temperature gradient, probably due to the warm proto-Leeuwin Current. Thus, these subtropical carbonates were deposited at mid-latitudes and their presence did not simply reflect a change in global climate. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-12-23 16:05:47.981

<p>To further investigate the strength of the association and the relative advantages of the association to both organisms, several manipulation experiments were set up. A cage experiment set up in the shallow subtidal zone showed that the coralline survived equally well without the winkle and did therefore not require the winkle or its empty shell for survival. A second controlled laboratory aquarium experiment was designed under both fluorescent (rich in blue light) and incandescent light (rich in red light) to ascertain whether the coralline had a preference for O. sinensis over the similar O. tigrina. This experiment was inconclusive as no recruitment was obtained under either of the light regimes. A third laboratory experiment was designed to determine whether the extra coralline weight had any possible advantage to the winkle, particularly against predation from the rock lobster Jasus lalandii. Results suggested that there were no apparent advantages to the winkle bearing the extra coralline load as adult O. sinensis bearing the coralline alga (3.7 &plusmn / 2.2 winkles 24hr-1) were equally prone to predation than those lacking the coralline (2.3 &plusmn / 1.9 winkles 24hr-1) (p = 0.184). Observations suggested instead that the convoluted nature of the coralline may indeed have promoted predation. We ultimately deduced that the high occurrence of the coralline on the shells of O. sinensis was probably due to the substantial overlap in the niches of the two organisms. This conclusion was supported by the high densities of juvenile O. sinensis combined with the high percent cover abundance of the coralline in intertidal rockpools. Understanding sexual reproduction in coralline algae as well as the life cycle of the winkle, ultimately provided insight into the postulated life cycle of this coralline-winkle association...</p>

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Neste trabalho foram analisadas as caracterÃsticas geoquÃmicas das algas calcÃrias do nordeste brasileiro, situadas em diversas profundidades, coletadas na plataforma continental e em bancos oceÃnicos em diversos programas de geologia marinha. As determinaÃÃes realizadas nesta pesquisa foram a difratometria de raios X (DRX), fluorescÃncia de raios X (FRX), Infravermelho (IV), Microscopia EletrÃnica de Varredura (MEV), a determinaÃÃo de elementos quÃmicos, do teor de carbonato de cÃlcio e assinaturas isotÃpicas de carbono e oxigÃnio. Foram selecionadas 66 amostras entre Lithothamnion sp. e Halimeda sp., mas apenas em 11 amostras foram realizadas a difratometria de raios X (DRX), fluorescÃncia de raios X (FRX), Infravermelho (IV), Microscopia EletrÃnica de Varredura (MEV), e anÃlises de elementos quÃmicos e em 23 amostras foi determinada a composiÃÃo isotÃpica da crosta e do nÃcleo perfazendo 46 determinaÃÃes. As determinaÃÃes das tÃcnicas DRX, FRX, MEV identificaram os minerais aragonita e calcita; assim como o IV constatou estas formaÃÃes e hà presenÃa de polissacarÃdeos nestas algas calcÃrias. Quanto aos teores de carbonatos de cÃlcio estas algas apresentaram altos teores e no que diz os elementos quÃmicos, os metais traÃos apresentam valores de elementos traÃos primordiais para nutriÃÃo animal e vegetal entre outros fins. Jà para os macronutrientes os valores estÃo compatÃveis com a mesma utilizaÃÃo. As variaÃÃes do 13CPDB guardam grande correlaÃÃo com as variaÃÃes de suprimento CO2 atmosfÃrico para dentro das cÃlulas que formam o CID (carbono inorgÃnico dissolvido) que interagem com o pH interno das membranas formando o carbonato de cÃlcio atravÃs de mecanismos ainda nÃo bem elucidados, assim tambÃm o oxigÃnio onde as variaÃÃes de &#61540;18OVPDB de valores negativos indicam perÃodos onde houve um incremento cinÃtico da hidrataÃÃo do gÃs carbÃnico molecular. Jà os valores positivos de 18OVPDB indicam a precipitaÃÃo de Ãons Ca2+ na forma de aragonita e calcita como foi identificado pela caracterizaÃÃo das outras anÃlises. Os cÃlculos de temperatura pelas assinaturas de 18OVPDB indicam valores bastante heterogÃneos dessas temperaturas de precipitaÃÃo dos carbonatos nas crostas e nÃcleos dos carbonatos que nÃo segue um padrÃo nÃo identificado. Foram identificadas temperaturas elevadas nos bancos oceÃnicos que à de origem vulcÃnica; mas somente a determinaÃÃo da composiÃÃo isotÃpica de oxigÃnio nÃo indica mudanÃas climÃticas nos oceanos. / This study analyzed the geochemical characteristics of calcareous algae in northeastern Brazil, located at various depths, collected on the continental shelf and oceanic banks in several programs of marine geology. The analyzes performed in this study were X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), infrared spectroscpy(IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), chemicals, calcium carbonate content and isotopic signatures of carbon and Oxygen. We selected 66 samples between Lithothamnion sp. and Halimeda sp., but on only 11 samples were performed at X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), infrared (IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), chemical elements and on 23 samples was determined composition isotopic of crust and core totaling 46 determinations. Techniques XRD, XRF, SEM identified the minerals aragonite and calcite; IV also indicated these formations but also the presence of these polysaccharides in calcareous algae. As to the levels of calcium carbonates these algae showed high levels and metals present values of trace elements essential for plant and animal nutrition among other purposes. The macronutrient values are compatible with the same use. Variations of &#61540;13CPDB keep high correlation with changes in atmospheric CO2 supply into the cells that form the CID (dissolved inorganic carbon) that interact with the internal pH of the membranes forming calcium carbonate through mechanisms not yet elucidated, and also where oxygen variations &#61540; 18OVPDB negative values indicate periods where there was an increase of kinetic molecular hydration of carbon dioxide. Positive values of &#61540;18OPDB are associated with the precipitation of Ca+2 ions in the form of aragonite and calcite as identified by the characterization of other analyzes. The calculations of temperature predicted by the signatures of &#61540;18OPDB indicate values of these temperatures quite heterogeneous from in carbonate crust and core that does not follow an identified pattern. Elevated temperature was identified in banks of volcanic origin, but with isotopic composition of oxygen only an indication of climate change in the oceans is not possible.

Les crinoïdes sont bien connus pour leurs fossiles, mais la biominéralisation de leurs stades larvaires n’est que peu documentée. La première partie du projet présente le développement des ossicules des trois stades larvaires du comatule Florometra serratissima : doliolaria, cystidienne et pentacrinoïde. Les ossicules du crinoïde démontraient de la plasticité phénotypique et de la désynchronisation dans leur développement. Les crinoïdes étant la classe basale des échinodermes modernes, ceci porte à croire que ces traits étaient aussi caractéristiques des échinodermes ancestraux et auraient joué un rôle dans la radiation hâtive et la grande disparité des échinodermes. Pour notre deuxième étude, comme les patrons de morphologie des crinoïdes et des autres échinodermes sont nombreux et sont régulés par des protéines spécifiques, nous avons vérifié la présence de quatre familles de protéines de la matrice de spicules (SMAP) connues chez les oursins dans les transcriptomes des autres échinodermes et d’autres deutérostomes. La famille des spicules matrix (SM) et l’anhydrase carbonique CARA7LA étaient absentes chez tout autre organisme que les oursins, les protéines spécifiques au mésenchyme (MSP130) étaient présentes en nombres différents chez tous les ambulacraires suggérant de multiples duplications et pertes, et les métalloprotéases étaient nombreuses chez chacun. Le développement des ossicules chez les échinodermes est un sujet qui a gagné en popularité au cours des dernières décennies, spécialement chez les oursins, et inclure les crinoïdes dans ce type d’étude permettra de nous renseigner sur l’origine et l’évolution des échinodermes modernes. / While the fossil record of crinoids is widespread and largely known, biomineralization of their larval stages is poorly documented. The first part of the project focuses on the ossicle development of the three larval stages of the feather star Florometra serratissima: doliolaria, cystidean and pentacrinoid. The ossicles of the crinoid showed phenotypic plasticity and asynchronous development. Crinoids form the basal class of living echinoderms; this prompts one to believe that these traits were also characteristic of the ancestral echinoderms and would have played a role in the early radiation and large disparity of the modern echinoderms. For the second study, as patterns of morphology of crinoids and of other echinoderms are numerous and are regulated by specific proteins, we verified the presence of four families of spicule matrix associated proteins (SMAPs) known among sea urchins in transcriptomes of the other echinoderms and deuterostomes. The family of spicule matrix (SMs) proteins and the carbonic anhydrase CARA7LA were absent in any other organism aside from sea urchins, mesenchyme specific proteins (MSP130s) were present in varying numbers in all ambulacrarians suggesting multiple duplications and losses and matrix metalloproteases were numerous in every organisms. The development of ossicles in echinoderms is a topic that has gained popularity in the last decades, especially in sea urchins, and including crinoids in this type of study will inform us about the origin and evolution of the modern echinoderms.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / To further investigate the strength of the association and the relative advantages of the association to both organisms, several manipulation experiments were set up. A cage experiment set up in the shallow subtidal zone showed that the coralline survived equally well without the winkle and did therefore not require the winkle or its empty shell for survival. A second controlled laboratory aquarium experiment was designed under both fluorescent (rich in blue light) and incandescent light (rich in red light) to ascertain whether the coralline had a preference for O. sinensis over the similar O. tigrina. This experiment was inconclusive as no recruitment was obtained under either of the light regimes. A third laboratory experiment was designed to determine whether the extra coralline weight had any possible advantage to the winkle, particularly against predation from the rock lobster Jasus lalandii. Results suggested that there were no apparent advantages to the winkle bearing the extra coralline load as adult O. sinensis bearing the coralline alga (3.7 &plusmn; 2.2 winkles 24hr-1) were equally prone to predation than those lacking the coralline (2.3 &plusmn; 1.9 winkles 24hr-1) (p = 0.184). Observations suggested instead that the convoluted nature of the coralline may indeed have promoted predation. We ultimately deduced that the high occurrence of the coralline on the shells of O. sinensis was probably due to the substantial overlap in the niches of the two organisms. This conclusion was supported by the high densities of juvenile O. sinensis combined with the high percent cover abundance of the coralline in intertidal rockpools. Understanding sexual reproduction in coralline algae as well as the life cycle of the winkle, ultimately provided insight into the postulated life cycle of this coralline-winkle association. / South Africa

Over the past few decades, coral cover has declined worldwide due to overfishing, disease, and storms, and these effects have been exacerbated by ocean warming and acidification. Corals are extremely susceptible to these changes because they are already living close to their thermal and aragonite saturation thresholds. Ocean warming and acidification (OAW) may also impact coral survival and growth by impacting their settlement cues. Coral larvae use crustose coralline algae (CCA) and their associated biofilms as cues for settlement, i.e., habitat selection. Settlement cues can also be negatively affected by increased water temperature and acidity. It was hypothesized that the impacts of OAW on settlement substrate can further threaten coral persistence by altering/inhibiting larval settlement and potentially decreasing the post-settlement survival and growth of coral recruits. In this study, we 1) assessed the effect of substrate quality (substrate conditioned in ambient or OAW conditions) on settlement of A. agaricites larvae, 2) determined the effect of substrate quality on post-settlement survival and growth of A. agaricites recruits, and 3) determined the effect of ocean warming and acidification on the post-settlement survival and growth of A. agaricites recruits. Aragonite settlement tiles were placed offshore for one month to accrue CCA and associated biofilms, and were then conditioned in either ambient (29°C, 8.2 pH) or predicted future oceanic conditions (31°C, 7.9 pH) conditions for 7 – 10 days. Agaricia agaricites larvae were then introduced to the settlement tiles, and their settlement percentage was calculated. Once a week for 12 weeks after larval settlement, the size, survival, and pigmentation of A. agaricites recruits was recorded. Larvae settled marginally more on optimally conditioned tiles than on tiles previously exposed to OAW conditions (p=0.053). The survival of coral recruits in OAW conditions was greatly reduced, their growth was very limited, and they became paler over time. When reared in ambient conditions, recruits on OAW treated substrate initially displayed higher survival rates than recruits on ambient treated substrate. After 3 weeks in ambient conditions, however, survival rates were similar for recruits on ambient and OAW treated substrate; their growth curves were very similar, and coral recruits became more pigmented over time. Ocean warming and acidification conditions not only directly impacted the growth, survival, and pigmentation of A. agaricites recruits, but it also indirectly affected larval 5 settlement by likely altering microbial composition in bacterial biofilms on the settlement tiles. These results indicate that future conditions of ocean warming and acidification can be deleterious for A. agaricites, particularly after settlement. If the early life stages of scleractinian corals are negatively affected by OAW conditions, successful recruitment throughout the Caribbean and Florida Reef Tract could decrease. As a result, recovery from disturbances could be hindered, thus compromising the sustainability of many coral species and other marine ecosystems that depend on coral reefs for protection, habitat, and food.