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Full-Text Articles in Physiology
Evolutionary Expansions And Neofunctionalization Of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors In Cnidaria, Ellen G. Dow
Evolutionary Expansions And Neofunctionalization Of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors In Cnidaria, Ellen G. Dow
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Reef ecosystems are composed of a variety of organisms, transient species of fish and invertebrates, microscopic bacteria and viruses, and structural organisms that build the living foundation, coral. Sessile cnidarians, corals and anemones, interpret dynamic environments of organisms and abiotic factors through a molecular interface. Recognition of foreign molecules occurs through innate immunity via receptors identifying conserved molecular patterns. Similarly, chemosensory receptors monitor the environment through specific ligands. Chemosensory receptors include ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), transmembrane ion channels involved in chemical sensing and neural signal transduction. Recently, an iGluR homolog was implicated in cnidarian immunological resistance to recurrent infections of …
Acclimatization Of The Tropical Reef Coral Acropora Millepora To Hyperthermal Stress, Anthony John Bellantuono
Acclimatization Of The Tropical Reef Coral Acropora Millepora To Hyperthermal Stress, Anthony John Bellantuono
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The demise of reef-building corals potentially lies on the horizon, given ongoing climate change amid other anthropogenic environmental stressors. If corals cannot acclimatize or adapt to changing conditions, dramatic declines in the extent and health of the living reefs are expected within the next half century. The primary and proximal global threat to corals is climate change. Reef-building corals are dependent upon a nutritional symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates belonging to the group Symbiodinium. The symbiosis between the cnidarian host and algal partner is a stress-sensitive relationship; temperatures just 1°C above normal thermal maxima can result in the breakdown of …