[Coral-List] ICRS 2020 Session: What can photosymbiont-bearing foraminifera tell us about the past, present and future of coral reefs? (Theme 15)

[Marleen Stuhr]

Hello colleagues, 

We are very excited to invite you to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation to our session on larger benthic foraminifera at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in June 2020, in Theme 15: What can photosymbiont-bearing foraminifera tell us about the past, present and future of coral reefs?
http://www.icrs2020.de/program/session-program/ <http://www.icrs2020.de/program/session-program/>
 
Session Description:
Anthropogenic impacts are transforming coral reefs at an unprecedented rate, changing species diversity and composition, and ultimately altering ecosystem services. Photosymbiont-bearing large benthic foraminifera (LBF) are crucial carbonate producers in reefs, and modify the benthic environment through the production of calcium carbonate. As with reef-building corals, they rely on symbiosis with algae to prosper in shallow tropical seas. Throughout the Cenozoic hothouse climate LBF dominated shallow carbonate platforms, during which the concentration of atmospheric CO2 and seawater temperatures significantly exceeded current values. Modern LBF are ideally suited as bioindicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. LBF are also often used as model systems for studying (photo)symbiosis due to their short generational times (weeks to months). In addition, LBF are easily maintained in aquarium systems, and their small physical size avoids many logistical problems with other model organisms. Recent experimental studies and reports from extreme reef habitats have shown that some LBF are resistant to temporal or regional variations in environmental conditions, and are able to quickly respond to such changes. This may be due to the presence of a high diversity in algal symbiont types and the flexibility/specificity of algae and bacteria present in their microbiome. Finally, molecular approaches unveiled cryptic diversity and mechanisms of cellular acclimatization. We invite contributions on the latest research on LBF. Specially, we encourage submissions addressing: the application of LBF in coral reef assessments, the use of LBF in microbiome studies, LBF as model organisms for photosymbiosis, the consequences of LBF range expansions and studies on their general response to varying environmental stressors. This session aims to increase our understanding of the biodiversity and ecological importance of LBF in future reef environments.

We hope many of you will apply!

Marleen Stuhr, Christiane Schmidt, Martina de Freitas Prazeres 
 

 
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Dr. Marleen Stuhr
Geoecology and Carbonate Sedimentology

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