The future of the reef aquarium industry is microbial. Microbes hold many of the nuanced secrets behind the long-term health and reproduction of corals, reef fish, and invertebrates. All of these creatures are a sum of their associated microbiomes and…
Education
FAQs on Phytoplankton Part 2
Phycologist Taras V Pleskun answers more of your most frequently asked questions on Phytoplankton. Is the algae I scrape off the front glass phytoplankton? Yes and No! Though this is more an exercise in wording, there is a profound difference…
Reef Microbiology Part Two: The Immune System
In this installment of the microbiology series, I will provide a more technical explanation of the coral immune response. Introduction to Immunology Immunology is the study of the immune system. There are two broad categories of immune responses – innate…
Reef Microbiology Part One: The Holobiont
In this series, I hope to bring a magnifying glass to the invisible world populating our tanks – the microbiome! The first installment of this series will focus on the microbes living in and on our corals. What is Microbiology,…