Ben Rennie led a great study as part of his Masters project to investigate filtration rates and the bioremediation potential of the tropical blacklip rock oyster, Saccostrea lineage J, which was published in Aquaculture Environment Interactions. The study found that the Blacklip Rock Oysters significantly reduced total nitrogen, total phosphorous, total suspended solids and chlorophyll a from prawn pond effluent. In addition the oysters have a filtration rate three to five times higher than other frequently cultured oyster species suggesting that they may be well suited to biofiltration roles.

JCU highlighted the story in a media release and a feature article the paper has led to interest in the oysters ability to provide reef credits.

Jan with a Tropical Blacklip Rock Oyster at Bowen Fresh Oysters.

Sally Lau led a fantastic study published in Science which used octopus DNA to discover that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) likely collapsed during the Last Interglacial period around 125,000 years ago – when global temperatures were similar to today. This provides the first empirical evidence that the tipping point of this ice sheet could be reached even under the Paris Agreement targets of limiting warming to 1.5 – 2 degrees C.

This research solves a long-running mystery regarding whether or not the WAIS collapsed during the Last Interglacial. This was a period when global average temperatures were 0.5 – 1.5 ^oC warmer than preindustrial levels, but global sea level was 5 – 10 metres higher than today. What makes the WAIS important is that it’s also Antarctica’s current biggest contributor to global sea level rise. A complete collapse could raise global sea levels by somewhere between 3 and 5 metres.

In the study we employed a novel population genomic approach to answer this question. By employing demographic modelling and comparing the genetic profiles of Turquet’s octopus found in the Weddell, Amundsen, and Ross seas enabled detection of genetic connectivity dating back to the Last Interglacial. This would only be possible if a complete collapse of the WAIS occurred during the Last Interglacial, opening seaways linking the present-day Weddell, Amundsen and Ross seas. This would have allowed octopus to travel across the opened straits and exchange genetic material, which we can detect in the DNA of today’s populations.

This research was interdisciplinary, bringing together geneticists, physical scientists and geologists and was only possible through international collaboration and the use of samples collected over a 30 year time period. Our work was supported by the Australian Research Council, the Australian Academy of Science, an Antarctic Science International Bursary, the SCAR INSTANT programme, Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, NZ, the Antarctic Science Foundation, Australasian eResearch Organisations and Suomen Akatemia.

Interdisciplinary team work makes the dream work! From L to R: Nick Golledge (Victoria University of Wellington), Nerida Wilson (University of Western Australia), Sally Lau (James Cook University), Tim Naish (Victoria University of Wellington) and Jan Strugnell (James Cook University).

We are delighted with the media attention our paper has received! Some of our favourites include First Dog on the Moon, The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN. You can also read more about our research in an article we wrote for The Conversation.

The latest in Antarctic research from the Marine Omics lab,  Sally, Ira and Jan used a novel genomic approach to answer if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) had collapsed during the Last Interglacial period, and they did so by looking into the genomic loci of an Antarctic octopus (Pareledone turqueti). They found a clear, distinct connectivity between Ross Sea and Weddell Sea, dating it back to the last interglacial period, that is different from the signal of the octopus’s general circumpolar movement around the continent. By comparing the genomic data against contrasting hypothesised scenarios via demographic modelling, including no, partial or complete WAIS collapse in the past, their findings suggest the Ross and Weddell connectivity was only possible if the WAIS completely collapsed and opened the seaway connecting the two basins.

A focus of Sally’s PhD research this paper is available as a pre-print on bioRxiv and has certainly made waves, with an interview in The Guardian, IFLScience and has been re-imaged by the creator First Dog on the Moon!  Their research is a successful transdisciplinary example demonstrating that only by bringing different disciplines together, we can have the best shot to help solving the current climate change.

A new paper by Jia in Molecular Biology and Evolution showcases the power of whole genome sequencing to understand adaptive evolution in corals. Thanks to our collaborators in Western Australia we were able to obtain samples for deep WGS on 75 corals, including samples from the inshore Kimberley reefs and two offshore atolls. The results revealed very recent divergence driven by founder effects and strong selection, especially in the inshore reefs.

Paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac201

Press Release: https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/dna-reveals-the-past-and-future-of-coral-reefs