That coral reefs are in decline worldwide, particularly in the Caribbean, will come as no
surprise. This decades-long decline has reached a potential tipping point as the weight of …

The long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum was once an abundant reef grazing
herbivore throughout the Caribbean. During the early 1980s, D. antillarum populations were …

In an era of coral reef decline, coral restoration is receiving increasing attention, with many
recent developments in culture and transplant techniques. However, how the ecological …

The functional loss of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs following an epizootic-driven die-
off of the long-spined urchin (Diadema antillarum) in the 1980s and its lack of recovery has …

Genetic tools can have a key role in informing conservation management of declining
populations. Genetic diversity is an important determinant of population fitness and …

Knowledge of the genetic structure and dispersal patterns for keystone and vulnerable
species is essential to the establishment of conservation strategies. Since autumn 2016, the …

Sea urchins strongly affect reef ecology, and the bacteria associated with their gut digesta
have not been well studied in coral reefs. In the current study, we analyze the bacterial …

Coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea have progressively degraded in recent decades due to
multiple stressors that include the mass mortality of a keystone invertebrate herbivore …

The Diadema antillarum population in the Florida Keys has not recovered since the
Caribbean-wide mass mortality event of the early 1980s. Concomitantly, coral reefs have …

Lack of recovery of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean region following a
widespread epizootic in 1983–1984 has garnered great interest due to the role of this …