Percorrer por autor "Baylina, Núria"
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- Coral garden conservation and restoration: how host taxon and ex-situ maintenance affect the microbiome of soft and hard coralsPublication . Rola, Marcellina; Coelho, Márcio A. G.; Pruckner, Christian; Quiroga-Pérez, Manuela; Stock, Willem; Baylina, Núria; Engelen, Aschwin; Wägele, Heike; Serrao, Ester A.; Frade, Pedro R.Temperate coral gardens are dense coral formations, which support rich marine species diversity, enabling benthic-pelagic coupling. Over the past decades, coral gardens have been increasingly threatened by bottom fishing, oil and gas exploitation, and climate change. Microbiome research bears great potential for assisted resilience in targeted conservation and restoration approaches. Yet, fundamental parameters of the coral garden microbiome remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a first broad record of bacterial communities associated with NE Atlantic coral garden corals and their community changes as response to human maintenance in conservation research. Octocorals (10 species), scleractinians (2 species) and one black coral species, were opportunistically collected from fisheries bycatch at 60-480 m depth around Cape St. Vincent (SW Portugal). Metabarcoding of the 16S-rRNA gene using third-generation sequencing revealed a high microbial host-specificity in the wild-collected coral species analyzed, and supported the importance of bacterial families Endozoicomonadaceae (mean relative abundance +/- SE; 28.3 +/- 10.5%), Spirochaetaceae (8.2 +/- 5.8%) and Spongiibacteraceae (4.6 +/- 1.8%). Endozoicomonadaceae were particularly dominant in the octocoral order Malacalcyonacea (67.7 +/- 14.5%). The low microbial alpha diversity and limited interspecies differences among the Malacalcyonacea species suggest a conserved microbiome within this group, as compared to orders Scleralcyonacea, Antipatharia, and Scleractinia. Microbial responses to ex-situ maintenance of two branching octocoral species, Eunicella verrucosa and Paramuricea cf. grayi (Order Malacalcyonacea), were investigated (1) over 45 days under standardized aquaria conditions in the research station (Ramalhete Marine Station, CCMAR) and (2) over long-term captivity in two public aquaria, Ocean & aacute;rio de Lisboa and Zoomarine. Eunicella verrucosa displayed a stronger microbial community shift to short-term captivity (45 days), in contrast to greater microbiome stability in P. cf. grayi. However, long-term captivity in public aquaria led to microbiome shifts in both species. The strong host specificity of microbial diversity and its response to maintenance indicate that conservation and restoration of coral gardens require taxon-specific strategies.
- Reproductive phenology and sexual propagation of the pink sea fan Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas, 1766): implications for coral restorationPublication . Egger, Christina; Melo, Catarina; Marquardt, Bailey; Engelen, Aschwin; Melzer, Roland R.; Santos, Elsa; Fernandes, Margarida; Baylina, Núria; Serrao, Ester A.; Coelho, Márcio A. G.The widespread decline of coral-dominated ecosystems has highlighted the urgent need for active habitat restoration. Coral restoration using sexually produced individuals instead of clonal fragments is essential to reduce impacts on donor populations and promote genetic diversity, which is vital for adaptability to environmental changes. However, for most coral species critical knowledge of reproduction and larval ecology for ex situ sexual propagation is lacking. To address this gap, this study presents the first report of spawning of the octocoral Eunicella verrucosa in the North-East Atlantic and describes larval development and settlement. The annual reproductive timing in SouthWest Portugal was determined from samples collected as fisheries bycatch from the same habitat and monitored for comparison across distinct durations and conditions. The species exhibited split spawning (three major events approximately every two weeks) over about one month (mid-September–mid-October). Spawning patterns can suggest lunar periodicity but shifted between colonies kept in distinct conditions. Oocytes were positively buoyant and developed into swimming larvae after three days. Settlement trials using substrates such as natural rock, crustose coralline algae (CCA), and gorgonian skeleton, showed larvae started testing the substrates about two weeks after spawning, with settlement activity continuing over up to three months. Fully developed recruits were observed after one month, with sclerite production starting before tentacle development. The observation of new larval settlement up to three months indicates a prolonged competency period. This study provides crucial data for coral restoration efforts using ex-situ sexual propagation of a vulnerable species.