[Coral-List] Open access methods publication on the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS)

[Daniel Barshis]

Hi Coral-Listers,
     We're excited to announce an open access publication on the
design/operation/construction of "The Coral Bleaching Automated Stress
System (CBASS): A low-cost, portable system for standardized empirical
assessments of coral thermal limits" (
https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lom3.10555) and
an associated github repository with all the nitty gritty details (
https://github.com/BarshisLab/CBASS_Manual). Thanks to all the co-authors
and collaborators over the years who have contributed to the development
and optimization of the CBASS. Abstract pasted below.

Ocean warming is increasingly affecting marine ecosystems across the globe.
Reef-building corals are particularly affected by warming, with mass
bleaching events increasing in frequency and leading to widespread coral
mortality. Yet, some corals can resist or recover from bleaching better
than others. Such variability in thermal resilience could be critical to
reef persistence; however, the scientific community lacks standardized
diagnostic approaches to rapidly and comparatively assess coral thermal
vulnerability prior to bleaching events. We present the Coral Bleaching
Automated Stress System (CBASS) as a low-cost, open-source, field-portable
experimental system for rapid empirical assessment of coral thermal
thresholds using standardized temperature stress profiles and diagnostics.
The CBASS consists of four or eight flow-through experimental aquaria with
independent water masses, lighting, and individual automated temperature
controls capable of delivering custom modulating thermal profiles. The
CBASS is used to conduct daily thermal stress exposures that typically
include 3-h temperature ramps to multiple target temperatures, a 3-h hold
period at the target temperatures, and a 1-h ramp back down to ambient
temperature, followed by an overnight recovery period. This mimics shallow
water temperature profiles observed in coral reefs and prompts a rapid
acute heat stress response that can serve as a diagnostic tool to identify
putative thermotolerant corals for in-depth assessments of adaptation
mechanisms, targeted conservation, and possible use in restoration efforts.
The CBASS is deployable within hours and can assay up to 40 coral
fragments/aquaria/day, enabling high-throughput, rapid determination of
thermal thresholds for individual genotypes, populations, species, and
sites using a standardized experimental framework.

Cheers,
dan

-- 
Daniel Barshis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director, PhD in Ecological Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences
Old Dominion University
Mills Godwin Building 308
Norfolk, VA 23529
Office: 757-683-3614
Lab: 757-683-5755
Web: sites.wp.odu.edu/barshis-lab/
Pronouns: he/him/his - what's this?
<https://odu.edu/safespace/pronouns-and-why-they-matter>