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Sunday, February 17, 2013

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After the Oil Spill: Coral Susceptibility to Environmental Stress

Much attention has been paid to the fate of wildlife living on and above the Gulf of Mexico’s surface. Now, a new research study published in the June 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal looks toward the seafloor to explain coral susceptibility to disease outbreaks when they encounter environmental stress and to set the stage for understanding exactly what type of undersea environment is necessary to promote coral health and growth after the oil spill cleanup.

In addition, this research also opens doors for the development of new tools that can assess the health of corals, which is important when trying to establish manmade reefs or to save ones that already exist.

“We hope this study will highlight the need to maintain favorable environmental conditions on reefs to maximize the functioning of coral immune mechanisms and avert outbreaks of coral disease and bleaching,” said Caroline Palmer, one of the researchers involved in the work who is from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. “Otherwise, declining environmental conditions associated with extractive activities, deteriorating water quality and a changing climate will threaten the long term persistence of corals and coral reefs, which support millions of lives worldwide through fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection amongst other functions.”

Palmer and colleagues sampled several coral species from the Great Barrier Reef to determine whether a suite of cellular and biochemical mechanisms of immunity were active. Using histological techniques they documented the presence and area of melanin-containing granular cells and the activity of specific enzymes as measures of oxidative damage and repair. Then the scientists investigated the relationship between coral immunity and disease and susceptibility to by analyzing the data on the activity of innate immunity in conjunction with published data on coral species’ susceptibilities to oxidative bleaching and disease. Results suggest that different coral species invest different amounts of resources in immunity and defense, which may explain differences in the susceptibility to negative environmental impacts.

“You don’t have to be a marine biologist to know that the Gulf oil spill is an environmental disaster of the first order. Stuff leaching from the ocean floor is the worst environmental challenge a coral reef can face,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. “But with luck, and with marine biology to explain how coral reefs survive, we can begin to get the Gulf ecosystems back on track sooner rather than later.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Corals that are spawning at the time of an oil spill can be damaged because the eggs and sperm, which are released into the water at very precise times, remain at shallow water depths for various times before they settle. Thus, in addition to compromising water quality, oil pollution can disrupt the long-term viability and reproductive success of corals, rendering them more vulnerable to other types of disturbances. In western Australia and the Flower Garden Banks of the northern Gulf of Mexico, spawning occurs in late summer or fall.”

Sridevi likely to enter Hollywood soonIf things go right, Bollywood actress Sridevi is likely to make her Hollywood debut soon and share the screen space with most talented actress Meryl Streep.

Hollywood's producer duo Jeremy Wall and Jerry Leider are reportedly trying to bring together two of the most versatile acting talents from the two different world together on the big screen.

Sridevi's manager Punkej Kharbanda confirmed that the actress has been approached, but didn't divulge any detail.

He said: "Yes, the news is true. And we are happy to have received communication about such a prestigious project, but we are not at the liberty to say anything more at this point of time."

The talks are at a nascent stage, but sources close to the film revealed that the film would be titledCowboys And Indians and will be directed by 43-year-old Amy Redford, daughter legendary Robert Redford.

One of the reigning queens of Hindi films in the 1980s and 1990s, Sridevi has given hits like Sadma, Chaalbaaz, Mr India andChandni. Last year she made a comeback to the big screen after a 15-year break with English Vinglish and once again wowed her fans with her performance as a homemaker who tries to learn English so she can kick it off with her children

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