Spain proposes 23 new marine protected areas in the Canary Islands and Mediterranean news.mongabay.com/2026/08/spai…
#Spain #marine #CanaryIslands #Mediterranean #environment
The Spanish government has launched a consultation process to establish 23 new marine protected areas (MPAs) in Canary Islands waters and the Mediterranean Sea as part of efforts to meet a national commitment to protect 30% of its waters by 2030.Autumn Spanne (Mongabay Environmental News)
Marine heat waves pose hidden threat to human health, researchers warn phys.org/news/2026-08-marine-p…
#marine #environment #environment #weather #temperature #heat #heatwave #health #PublicHealth
The devastating impacts of marine heat waves extend far beyond dying coral reefs and declining fisheries, with new research warning that these extreme ocean-warming events pose a growing threat to human physical and mental health.University of Adelaide (Phys.org)
Marine heatwaves are harming human health in surprising ways sciencedaily.com/releases/2026…
#Marine #environment #weather #temperature #heat #heatwave #health #PublicHealth
Marine heatwaves are emerging as a threat not just to coral reefs and fisheries, but to human health and well-being.ScienceDaily
The High Seas Treaty will govern about two-thirds of the planet's oceans including vast areas beyond any country's borders.Gillian Aeria (ABC News)
The High Seas Treaty will govern about two-thirds of the planet's oceans including vast areas beyond any country's borders.Gillian Aeria (ABC News)
Single-particle genomics uncovers abundant non-canonical marine viruses from nanolitre volumes
nature.com/articles/s41564-025…
#viruses #SingleCell #marine #ocean
Environmental micro-compartment genomics provides efficient and high-throughput single-particle DNA sequencing that captures overlooked members of microbial communities.Nature
Expansion of the genomic and functional diversity of global ocean giant viruses
nature.com/articles/s44298-025…
#viruses #oceanography #marine #microbiology
npj Viruses - Expansion of the genomic and functional diversity of global ocean giant virusesNature
Mesoscale eddies shape Prochlorococcus community structure and dynamics in the oligotrophic open ocean
Very nice study from Henshaw et al shows that #marine heterotrophic bacteria can sense and move towards cyanobacteria when the latter are infected with #viruses.
Presumably the signatures of early infection are a sign that nutrients from a lysed cell will be available soon.
This is a nice study that has implications for understanding the role of viruses in the #ocean.
Article here:
nature.com/articles/s41564-024…
And we wrote a commentary here:
nature.com/articles/s41564-024…
The authors use time-resolved metabolomics and microfluidics to characterize enhanced heterotroph chemoattraction to metabolites released from cyanobacteria during early stages of phage infection.Nature
Plymouth #Marine Laboratory (PML) has amazing new PhD studentships at the laboratory! Find out more:
pml.ac.uk/Working-with-us/PhD-…
#remotesensing #ocean #AI
Plymouth Marine Laboratory conducts multidisciplinary research at the cutting edge of marine science to understand the complex marine environment and help solve the challenges it faces.Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Metabolites from intact phage-infected Synechococcus chemotactically attract heterotrophic marine bacteria
nature.com/articles/s41564-024…
The authors use time-resolved metabolomics and microfluidics to characterize enhanced heterotroph chemoattraction to metabolites released from cyanobacteria during early stages of phage infection.Nature
So sorry to hear that the quite wonderful Hakai Magazine will shut down at the end of the year.
A great privilege to read and even contribute to this excellent publication about science and societies on coasts around the world.
@hakaimagazine @HakaiInstitute #ocean #harbor #marine #coast
Hakai Magazine explores science, society, and the environment in compelling narratives that highlight coastal life and phenomena.Hakai Magazine
Exciting research from one of my colleagues at #VirginiaTech
A late-Ediacaran crown-group sponge animal
nature.com/articles/s41586-024…
Cross-hatch impressions from Ediacaran rocks in China are interpreted as having been left by a crown-group sponge fossil, Helicolocellus cantori gen. et sp. nov., characterized by an organic latticework skeleton.Nature
Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells
nature.com/articles/s41467-024…
SAR11 bacteria and their phages are abundant in the oceans. Here the authors quantify the number of phage-infected SAR11 cells using microscopy techniques and discover phage-infected cells without any detectable ribosomes.Nature
Who are giant viruses infecting in the ocean?
In a collaborative paper with the Vardi lab, we were able to link many giant virus lineages to protist hosts using #SingleCell #RNASeq. One #protist host (leucocryptos) made up less than 1% of the community, but we could still identify a cryptic viral lineage infecting it, leading to population collapse.
nature.com/articles/s41564-024…
#marine #viruses #microbiology
Active infections of giant viruses in their marine protists hosts are tracked at single-cell resolution, showing that, despite being rare, these viruses still impact microbial population dynamics.Nature
The Simons Foundation has amazing #postdoc #fellowships for anyone interested in #marine microbial #ecology or #evolution.
I'd love to sponsor anyone interested in viral diversity!
Please spread the word!
simonsfoundation.org/grant/sim…
The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the role of microorga…Simons Foundation
Daily turnover of active giant virus infection during algal blooms revealed by single-cell transcriptomics
"A consistent percent of infected coccolithophores displayed the early phase of viral replication for several consecutive days, indicating a daily turnover and continuous virocell-associated metabolite production, potentially affecting the surrounding microbiome"
Happy to share our latest paper, in which we examined the timing at which different microbial groups colonized the ocean!
The first author (Carolina Martinez) is starting her lab at UC Santa Barbara in 2024 and is looking to recruit postdocs and PhD students, so if this looks interesting to you, please reach out to her!
A timeline of bacterial and archaeal diversification in the ocean
elifesciences.org/articles/882…
#microbiology #ocean #marine #evolution
Phylogenomics reveals the timeline over which marine bacteria and archaea colonized the oceans and shows the geological context of their diversification.Carolina A Martinez-Gutierrez (eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd)
Contrasting drivers of abundant phage and prokaryotic communities revealed in diverse coastal ecosystems
nature.com/articles/s43705-023…
#marine #viruses #phages #ocean #microbiology #virology
ISME Communications - Contrasting drivers of abundant phage and prokaryotic communities revealed in diverse coastal ecosystemsNature
Kratosvirus quantuckense: the history and novelty of an algal bloom disrupting virus and a model for giant virus research
doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.128…
#viruses #marine #ocean #HAB #GiantViruses
Since the discovery of the first “giant virus,” particular attention has been paid toward isolating and culturing these large DNA viruses through Acanthamoeba spp. bait systems.Frontiers
Nice #oceanography study on particles and #carbon export
Planktonic #microbial signatures of sinking particle export in the open ocean’s interior
nature.com/articles/s41467-023…
Sinking of organic particles to the deep seafloor is fundamental to ocean carbon cycling. Here, the authors investigate prokaryotic communities in sinking and suspended particles, identifying depth-specific signatures of particle export and carbon cy…Nature
Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated #viruses in the Bay of Bengal
Nice work from @scubalaina @giant_virus et al!
Nice study on polar giant viruses!
Genomic adaptation of giant viruses in polar oceans
nature.com/articles/s41467-023…
#viruses #GiantViruses #virology #oceanography #marine #ocean #polar
This study examines the biogeography and functional gene repertoires of marine eukaryote-infecting large and giant DNA viruses.Nature
Top abundant deep ocean heterotrophic bacteria can be retrieved by cultivation
nature.com/articles/s43705-023…
#microbiology #marine #ocean #DeepBiosphere
ISME Communications - Top abundant deep ocean heterotrophic bacteria can be retrieved by cultivationNature
Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated viruses in the Bay of Bengal
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…
#viruses #ecology #marine #ocean #giantViruses
The Bay of Bengal (BoB), the largest bay in the world, provides valuable ecosystem services such as fishing and recreation to millions of people living along its coast and has a significant economic value.bioRxiv
Happy to share a collaborative preprint with Assaf Vardi's group in which we use single cell transcriptomics to link giant viruses with their native hosts during a marine algal bloom!
This approach is quite sensitive - we were able to identify viruses infecting one protist group that made up <0.5% of the community.
Homing in on the rare virosphere reveals the native host of giant viruses
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…
#viruses #giantViruses #ocean #marine
Giant viruses (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) are globally distributed in aquatic ecosystems They play major roles as evolutionary drivers of eukaryotic plankton and regulators of global biogeochemical cycles.bioRxiv
My first "reviewed preprint" on @eLife !
A Timeline of Bacterial and Archaeal Diversification in the Ocean
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre…
Lots of hard work from former PhD student in my lab Carolina Martinez. Part of a collaboration with @pseudacris
We are enjoying the new process so far and working on revisions to address some of the concerns raised by reviewers.
Chitin utilization by marine picocyanobacteria and the evolution of a planktonic lifestyle
Our latest work on marine giant virus diversity -
Assessing the biogeography of marine giant viruses in four oceanic transects
nature.com/articles/s43705-023…
#viruses #marine #ocean #giantviruses
ISME Communications - Assessing the biogeography of marine giant viruses in four oceanic transectsNature
Scientists discover why sea urchins are dying off from US to the Caribbean
Nice quotes from @virome_girl on the recent study!
theguardian.com/environment/20…
And the Sci Adv paper:
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg3200
A research team has discovered a parasite that’s been killing off sea urchins, but there’s no method to eliminate it yetRichard Luscombe (The Guardian)
Marine microbial ecology and biogeochemistry at the Kranzler Lab at Bar Ilan University.Kranzler Lab at BIU
Giant Virus Infection Signatures Are Modulated by Euphotic Zone Depth Strata and Iron Regimes of the Subantarctic Southern Ocean
Viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota are ubiquitous in ocean waters and play important roles in shaping the dynamics of marine ecosystems.bioRxiv
#Virus control
This exciting new research explores the influence of #virus #infection in changing the balance of organic matter degradation between #bacteria and #eukaryotes in #marine #carboncycling during #phytoplankton blooms.
Based on #mesocosm studies, this research demonstrates how #viruses infecting different #microorganisms change community dynamics and the release and potential fate of marine carbon from primary production.
Learn more in this new research in Nature Communications on:
nature.com/articles/s41467-023…
#microbiology #ecology #MicrobialEcology
Algal blooms are hotspots of marine primary production that play central roles in microbial ecology and global elemental cycling.Nature
