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For the celebration of our tenth anniversary, Nature Microbiology asks the former editors to reflect on their time at the journal.

Linguistic uncertainty is a prime source of uncertainty pervading ecology and conservation. Coralline algae are a widespread and diverse group of calcifying red macroalgae that underpin coastal ecosystem function and service provision. Recent increasing interest in coralline algae in the scientific literature has revealed a diverse but confusing terminology at organism to habitat scales. Coralline algal research and conservation are international and multidisciplinary, so there are geographic and disciplinary imbalances in research and conservation efforts. To reach consensus and reduce uncertainty, we propose a unified terminology. We review trends in cultural and scientific use of coralline algal terms and propose a system based on six morphologies: (1) attached, (2) free-living geniculate, (3) encrusting and free-living nongeniculate coralline algae, the latter either being (4) nucleated or (5) non-nucleated thalli or (6) fragments. We take inspiration from other coastal systems that have achieved consensus through umbrella terms, such as ‘coral’ and ‘kelp’, to accelerate global progress in coralline algal research and conservation. We characterise 14 coralline algae–dominated habitat global types, falling within seven functional groups, four biomes and four realms: (1) freshwater coralline streams; (2) coralline tide pools; (3) intertidal coralline rims and (4) turf; (5) coralline sea caves; (6) coral–algal reefs; (7) algal ridges; (8) coralligenous reefs; subtidal (9) carbonate crusts, (10) coralline barrens and (11) turf; and (12) articulith, (13) maerl and (14) rhodolith beds, which fall into the coralline algal bed functional group. We hope this unified terminology promotes data comparison, enables cross-boundary and cross-sector sharing of best practices, develops capacity for meta-analyses and improves conservation strategies.

Aquatic ecosystems are ecologically diverse and provide a wealth of ecosystem services to people and societies all around the world. However, they are threatened by human activities and climate change, and have experienced significant decline in past decades. Developments in aquatic conservation research is therefore of critical importance for the conservation and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems and species. To investigate temporal trends in aquatic conservation research, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the 2785 publications published by the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems since its inception in 1991 to 2023. Although outputs and the proportion of open access publications has increased over time, publication output appears to be sensitive to global shocks such as Covid-19 – raising concerns about the fragility of aquatic conservation research support structures. In terms of citations, publications have a delayed but prolonged research impact, with a core citation window 4–8 years post-publication. The number of multi-author publications has increased over time, with an average of >6 authors since 2020. The internationality of authorship teams has also increased over time, but an imbalance remains for lead authors: Africa, central South America and Central Asia still remain under-represented. A keyword analysis highlights the persistent focus on conservation and biodiversity, with themes such as climate change and marine management emerging in the 21st century. These results show how aquatic conservation research is shifting towards a more collaborative, international effort, with the agility to respond to emerging global challenges. Looking to the future, we call for improved diversity in terms of authorship, disciplinary scope and geographical focus. Maintaining a nimbleness to emerging challenges will keep aquatic conservation research relevant, and greater consideration for interdisciplinarity and land–sea connectivity will accelerate innovation within the discipline and encourage further collaborative links.

The increasing severity and frequency of mass bleaching events has placed shallow-water tropical coral reefs at risk of significant decline in the coming decades. The association of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Family: Symbiodiniaceae) with corals is regulated by local environmental conditions along with evolutionary history and plays a leading role in bleaching sensitivity and recovery. Resolving temporal and spatial dynamics of coral-Symbiodiniaceae associations is therefore essential for accurate bleaching risk predictions. Here, we investigated temporal patterns in dominant Symbiodiniaceae across the Greater Caribbean region, which is heavily impacted by human activities, disease and climate change. Using records derived from genetic databases, we considered Symbiodiniaceae dominance from 1994 to 2009, with a particular focus on and around the 2005 mass bleaching event. From the 4 Symbiodiniaceae genera recorded (Symbiodinium, Breviolum, Cladocopium and Durusdinium spp.), we identified genera-specific responses to ocean heating and bleaching stress. Generalist symbiont representatives were dominant only during periods of sustained environmental stability. In contrast, during and immediately after bleaching saw the emergence and subsequent persistence of Durusdinium spp.—an invasive genus in the Caribbean with high thermal tolerance but which induces negative impacts on coral physiology and calcification. In post-bleaching recovery years, a regional-scale bet-hedging strategy was adopted allowing thermal tolerance to be maintained, but poised for a more physiologically beneficial symbiosis if/when environmental conditions become favourable. Our regional-scale, multi-year perspective gives support for local-/colony-scale tuning of coral-Symbiodiniaceae relationships, and highlights how continued warming and bleaching stress will enable Durusdinium spp. invasion to persist, with knock-on implications for future coral reef development.

The extent of projected ocean acidification is partly dependent on the natural variability of marine carbonate chemistry—which is higher in coastal systems than in the open ocean. However, there are limited empirical studies quantifying the rate, magnitude and drivers of coastal environmental variability, preventing accurate assessments for how species and their associated communities may respond to projected climate change. Here, we quantified the annual variability of pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen in a coralline algae reef, a globally distributed biodiverse habitat that may be one of the most sensitive to projected climate change. We found that coralline algae and their communities are exposed to pH values as low as those projected for 2100 (even under a low emission scenario) for 63% of the year, including most of autumn and all of winter. Annual fluctuations in pH ranged by 0.46 units, with identifiable patterns at diel to seasonal timescales driven by various biogeochemical factors. Biologically driven patterns in dissolved oxygen and pH were coupled at multiple periodicities, and temperature was coupled to pH during the winter. Tidal cycling additionally modulated biological forcing of pH, increasing the complexity of intra-seasonal pH variability. Forecasting this environmental variability to the future led to projections of new pH extremes well beyond all IPCC emission scenarios. However, persistent long-term exposure to low pH may increase the acclimation and adaptation potential of coralline algae and their associated communities, providing a level of optimism for the continued survival of this habitat despite sensitivity to projected climate change.

Rhodolith beds are diverse and globally distributed habitats. Nonetheless, the role of rhodoliths in structuring the associated species community through a hierarchy of positive interactions is yet to be recognised. In this review, we provide evidence that rhodoliths can function as foundation species of multi-level facilitation cascades and, hence, are fundamental for the persistence of hierarchically structured communities within coastal oceans. Rhodoliths generate facilitation cascades by buffering physical stress, reducing consumer pressure and enhancing resource availability. Due to large variations in their shape, size and density, a single rhodolith bed can support multiple taxonomically distant and architecturally distinct habitat-forming species, such as primary producers, sponges or bivalves, thus encompassing a broad range of functional traits and providing a wealth of secondary microhabitat and food resources. In addition, rhodoliths are often mobile, and thus can redistribute associated species, potentially expanding the distribution of species with short-distance dispersal abilities. Key knowledge gaps we have identified include: the experimental assessment of the role of rhodoliths as basal facilitators; the length and temporal stability of facilitation cascades; variations in species interactions within cascades across environmental gradients; and the role of rhodolith beds as climate refugia. Addressing these research priorities will allow the development of evidence-based policy decisions and elevate rhodolith beds within marine conservation strategies.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are powerful instruments to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems, if supported by an effective management structure. In Brazil, no-take and multiple-use MPAs have advisory councils that allow co-management as an important strategy to deal with conservation challenges, mainly in urbanized coastal areas. However, the profile of members and their perceptions regarding advisory council challenges remain poorly known. Here, we assessed the advisory management councils of the largest network of MPAs in the South Western Atlantic, situated next to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Seven MPA advisory councils were initially characterized through consultation with the MPA managers, followed by interviews with each advisory council member. We found that advisory council members were mostly agents of the local government, university scientists, members of local associations, and employees of non-governmental organizations. Compared with no-take MPAs, multiple-use MPAs tended to have greater diversity of member profiles in terms of institutional affiliation, gender, training level and age group. Although the majority of respondents considered the advisory councils an effective management tool, almost 30% of the interviewees did not recognize this mechanism as efficient, and the perceived capacity for advisory councils to respond to challenges was lower in no-take MPAs. This perception was attributed to a lack of complete actor inclusivity and the low decision-making power of advisory councils. There was a general agreement that no-take MPA advisory councils in particular are not achieving their sustainability goals and have progressed less than multiple-use MPAs in terms of co-management. To overcome this, we provide a series of recommendations to improve stakeholder participation and co-management of MPA operation.