Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability

Summary: Monitoring coral reef ecosystem health is becoming increasingly important with the growing climate and anthropogenic-based impacts on reefs and the recent rise in reef restoration activities. Reef water microorganisms can indicate altered reef health and environmental conditions on relevant...

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Main Authors: Amy Apprill, Jennifer L. Salerno
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Cell Reports Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949790625000990
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author Amy Apprill
Jennifer L. Salerno
author_facet Amy Apprill
Jennifer L. Salerno
author_sort Amy Apprill
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Monitoring coral reef ecosystem health is becoming increasingly important with the growing climate and anthropogenic-based impacts on reefs and the recent rise in reef restoration activities. Reef water microorganisms can indicate altered reef health and environmental conditions on relevant timescales for response actions but are rarely monitored. Here, we explain the conceptual idea of microbial-based monitoring. We provide accessible descriptions of reef water microbial collection methods, costs, and analysis, an overview of useful microbial indicators, and an example case study of how microbial monitoring data can aid in the selection of a coral outplanting site for restoration. We further outline the practical infrastructure, funding, and policy-type programs that can be leveraged to build a network for reef water microbial monitoring that could be used by natural resource managers and policy makers to benefit conservation, management, and restoration of threatened coral reef ecosystems.
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spelling doaj-art-ffa17ddb3b5746838be56a860bb56b9d2025-08-20T02:29:43ZengElsevierCell Reports Sustainability2949-79062025-05-012510040310.1016/j.crsus.2025.100403Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainabilityAmy Apprill0Jennifer L. Salerno1Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, MS #4, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; Corresponding authorPotomac Environmental Research and Education Center, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 650 Mason Ferry Avenue, Woodbridge, VA 22191, USASummary: Monitoring coral reef ecosystem health is becoming increasingly important with the growing climate and anthropogenic-based impacts on reefs and the recent rise in reef restoration activities. Reef water microorganisms can indicate altered reef health and environmental conditions on relevant timescales for response actions but are rarely monitored. Here, we explain the conceptual idea of microbial-based monitoring. We provide accessible descriptions of reef water microbial collection methods, costs, and analysis, an overview of useful microbial indicators, and an example case study of how microbial monitoring data can aid in the selection of a coral outplanting site for restoration. We further outline the practical infrastructure, funding, and policy-type programs that can be leveraged to build a network for reef water microbial monitoring that could be used by natural resource managers and policy makers to benefit conservation, management, and restoration of threatened coral reef ecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949790625000990coral reefmicrobesmanagementpolicymicroscopyDNA sequencing
spellingShingle Amy Apprill
Jennifer L. Salerno
Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
Cell Reports Sustainability
coral reef
microbes
management
policy
microscopy
DNA sequencing
title Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
title_full Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
title_fullStr Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
title_full_unstemmed Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
title_short Reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
title_sort reef water microorganisms as diagnostic indicators for coral reef ecosystem management and sustainability
topic coral reef
microbes
management
policy
microscopy
DNA sequencing
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949790625000990
work_keys_str_mv AT amyapprill reefwatermicroorganismsasdiagnosticindicatorsforcoralreefecosystemmanagementandsustainability
AT jenniferlsalerno reefwatermicroorganismsasdiagnosticindicatorsforcoralreefecosystemmanagementandsustainability