Coral Bleaching and Human Impact

BioL2X: Genomes to Ecosystems (G2E)

• This module, G2E, connects biological processes at the genome level to ecosystems.
• The course aims to understand how genetic and ecological changes affect biological systems from genomes to ecosystems.
• Evolutionary, ecological, and molecular-genetic principles will apply to topics ranging from sexual conflict to climate change.
• Zoologists and ecologists, like all scientists, use laboratory techniques.

BioL2X Course Structure

• Fundamental Molecular Biology
• Fundamental Skills
• Genomes to Ecosystems
• Systems to Cells
• Microbes and the Immune System
• Ageing and Disease

G2E Block Aims

• Understand the dynamics of genetic and ecological change within biological systems.
• Apply evolutionary, ecological, and molecular genetic principles to various biological topics (e.g., sexual conflict, climate change).
• Acknowledge that zoologists and ecologists conduct rigorous research (like all scientists).

G2E – A Summary of the Next Block

• BioL2A: Animal Biology, Evolution, and Ecology
  • Radiations and Extinctions
  • Evolution and Diversity
  • Living together
  • The Anthropocene

BioL2X - G2E Block Content

• Ecosystem services and good ecosystem practices
• Issues in aquatic conservation
• Environmental conservation and protection
• Evolution and Natural Selection
• Evolutionary Genetics
• Genomes to Ecosystems
• Radiation and extinction
• Measuring species diversity
• Individuals, Communities, and Populations
• Migrations

The Thinking Behind Genomes to Ecosystems

• How do biological processes progress and scale?
• Ecological succession is a state of continuous change, as shown by Google Earth timelapse.
• Understanding ecological processes is crucial for analyzing biological systems at different levels.

Coral Bleaching (Exemplar)

• Healthy, dying, and dead coral images illustrate the effects of a gradual bleaching process (from 2014 to 2015).
• Coral bleaching is caused by many stressors, including environmental change.

Coral Bleaching: A Happy Couple (Key Relationships)

• Corals live in shallow, warm, nutrient-poor waters.
• Corals are colonial cnidarians that feed on zooplankton.
• Corals have facultative endosymbiosis with dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae).
• These algae provide vital nutrients, including essential amino acids, for the coral.

Coral Bleaching: Reef Radiations in the Cenozoic

• Coral radiation and extinction cycles have occurred in the Cenozoic Era.
• Major extinction events relate to rapid, cataclysmic environmental changes.
• Radiations frequently occur in favorable habitats with specific physical and chemical conditions.
• Understanding past events can predict future occurrences.

Coral Bleaching: Highly Sensitive to Environmental Stressors

• Sea surface temperature increases
• Increased solar irradiance
• Silt deposition (anoxia) and prey overabundance (anoxia)
• CO2 emissions and climate change
• Ozone depletion
• Deforestation
• Overfishing

Coral Bleaching: Conservation

• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are crucial for protecting coral reefs.
• 0.5% of ocean areas are "no-take zones" and 4% are protected.
• Climate change is a major driver of coral bleaching and a difficult problem to address.
• Increased CO2 leads to ocean acidification, which hinders coral reef development.
• Evolutionary timeframes may not be fast enough to address climate change.

G2E: Take Homes

• Intimate cellular interactions can have global consequences for ecological systems.
• The course (G2E) explores various biological themes and examples.