Publications - BEM Lab | Biodiversity & Ecosystem Management Lab at KAUST

/PUBLICATIONS

Scientific Insights

Explore our latest research and findings that drive marine conservation and innovation. From groundbreaking studies to insightful reviews, our publications reflect our commitment to advancing marine science and policy.

Spatial patterns in reef fish biomass and trait structure along a natural environmental gradient

Research article Year: 2025 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107014

Authors: Darren J. Coker, Lucía Pombo-Ayora, Alexander Kattan, Laura Gajdzik,, Diego Lozano-Cortés, Susana Carvalho, Michael L. Berumen

Coral reefs
Ecological traits
Diversity
Productivity
Red sea
Turnover

Nitrogen eutrophication particularly promotes turf algae in coral reefs of the central Red Sea

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8737

Authors: Denis B. Karcher, Florian Roth, Susana Carvalho, Yusuf C. El-Khaled, Arjen Tilstra, Benjamin Kürten, Ulrich Struck, Burton H. Jones, Christian Wild

Translational Molecular Ecology in practice: Linking DNA-based methods to actionable marine environmental management

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140780

Authors: Eva Aylagas, Angel Borja, Xavier Pochon, Anastasija Zaiko, Nigel Keeley, Kat Bruce, Peiying Hong, Gregory M. Ruiz, Eric D. Stein, Susanna Theroux, Nathan Geraldi, Alejandra Ortega, Laura Gajdzik, Darren J. Coker, Yasser Katan, Tyas Hikmawan, Ammar Saleem, Sultan Alamer, Burton H. Jones, Carlos M. Duarte, Susana Carvalho

Molecular methods
Marine policy
Translational molecular ecology
Metabarcoding
Marine bioassessments

High rates of carbon and dinitrogen fixation suggest a critical role of benthic pioneer communities in the energy and nutrient dynamics of coral reefs

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13625

Authors: Florian Roth, Denis B. Karcher, Nils Rädecker, Sönke Hohn, Susana Carvalho, Timothy Thomson, Franziska Saalmann, Christian R. Voolstra, Benjamin Kürten, Ulrich Struck, Burton H. Jones, Christian Wild

Morphological and ecological trait diversity reveal sensitivity of herbivorous fish assemblages to coral reef benthic conditions

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105102

Authors: Lucía Pombo-Ayora, Darren J. Coker, Susana Carvalho, George Short, Michael L. Berumen

Macroalgae
Ecological traits
Reef fish
Marine ecology
Morphological traits
Reefs
Red sea
Redundancy

The role of seagrass vegetation and local environmental conditions in shaping benthic bacterial and macroinvertebrate communities in a tropical coastal lagoon

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70318-1

Authors: Z. Alsaffar, J. K. Pearman, J. Cúrdia, J. Ellis, M. Ll. Calleja, P. Ruiz-Compean, F. Roth, R. Villalobos, B. H. Jones, X. A. G. Morán, S. Carvalho

Heterotrophic bacterioplankton responses in coral- and algae-dominated Red Sea reefs show they might benefit from future regime shift

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141628

Authors: Luis Silva, Maria Ll. Calleja, Snjezana Ivetic, Tamara Huete-Stauffer, Florian Roth, Susana Carvalho, Xosé Anxelu G. Morán

Coral-algae shifts
DOM lability
Heterotrophic bacteria
Growth rates
Bacterial growth efficiencies
Activation energies

Composition, uniqueness and connectivity across tropical coastal lagoon habitats in the Red Sea

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-020-00329-z

Authors: Zahra Alsaffar, João Cúrdia, Xabier Irigoien, Susana Carvalho

Patterns, Drivers, and Ecological Implications of Upwelling in Coral Reef Habitats of the Southern Red Sea

Research article Year: 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016493

Authors: Thomas M. DeCarlo, Susana Carvalho, Laura Gajdzik, Royale S. Hardenstine, Lyndsey K. Tanabe, Rodrigo Villalobos, Michael L. Berumen

A step towards the validation of bacteria biotic indices using DNA metabarcoding for benthic monitoring

Research article Year: 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13395

Authors: Eva Aylagas, Javier Atalah, Pablo Sánchez-Jerez, John K. Pearman, Nuria Casado, Jorge Asensi, Kilian Toledo-Guedes, Susana Carvalho

A portfolio of climate-tailored approaches to advance the design of marine protected areas in the Red Sea

Research article Review Year: 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15719

Authors: Laura Gajdzik, Thomas M. DeCarlo, Eva Aylagas, Darren J. Coker, Alison L. Green, John E. Majoris, Vincent F. Saderne, Susana Carvalho, Michael L. Berumen

Nutrient pollution enhances productivity and framework dissolution in algae- but not in coral-dominated reef communities

Research article Year: 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112444

Authors: Florian Roth, Yusuf C. El-Khaled, Denis B. Karcher, Nils Rädecker, Susana Carvalho, Carlos M. Duarte, Luis Silva, Maria Ll. Calleja, Xosé Anxelu G. Morán, Burton H. Jones, Christian R. Voolstra, Christian Wild

Localized effects of offshore aquaculture on water quality in a tropical sea

Research article Year: 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112732

Authors: Aislinn Dunne, Susana Carvalho, Xosé Anxelu G. Morán, Maria Ll. Calleja, Burton Jones

Aquaculture
Oligotrophic
Red sea
Water quality
Tropical ecosystems

Stylophora under stress: A review of research trends and impacts of stressors on a model coral species

Research article Year: 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151639

Authors: Zoe Meziere, Walter A. Rich, Susana Carvalho, Francesca Benzoni, Xosé Anxelu G. Morán, Michael L. Berumen

Anthropogenic stressors
Coral reefs
Nutrients
Stylophora
Temperature

The Right Place at the Right Time: Seasonal Variation of Bacterial Communities in Arid Avicennia marina Soils in the Red Sea Is Specific to Its Position in the Intertidal

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.845611

Authors: Timothy Thomson, Joanne I. Ellis, Marco Fusi, Natalie Prinz, Morgan F. Bennett-Smith, Eva Aylagas, Susana Carvalho, Burton H. Jones

Comparative metagenomics of phytoplankton blooms after nutrient enrichment of oligotrophic marine waters

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.6.79208

Authors: John K. Pearman, Laura Casas, Craig Michell, Naroa Aldanondo, Nazia Mojib, Karie Holtermann, Ioannis Georgakakis, Joao Curdia, Susana Carvalho, Amr Gusti, Xabier Irigoien

algal blooms
eutrophication
metagenomics
nutrient enrichment

Potential effects of heavy metal pollution from a cement factory near Saudi Arabia’s largest green turtle rookery

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10063-2

Authors: Lyndsey K. Tanabe, Susana Carvalho, Vijayalaxmi Dasari, Areen Nasif, Kaitlyn A. O’Toole, Michael L. Berumen

Harnessing the microbiome to prevent global biodiversity loss

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01173-1

Authors: Raquel S. Peixoto, Christian R. Voolstra, Michael Sweet, Carlos M. Duarte, Susana Carvalho, Helena Villela, Jeantine E. Lunshof, Lone Gram, Douglas C. Woodhams, Jens Walter, Anna Roik, Ute Hentschel, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Brendan Daisley, Blake Ushijima, Daniele Daffonchio, Rodrigo Costa, Tina Keller-Costa, Jeff S. Bowman, Alexandre S. Rosado, Gregor Reid, Christopher E. Mason, Jenifer B. Walke, Torsten Thomas, Gabriele Berg

Size structure of the coral Stylophora pistillata across reef flat zones in the central Red Sea

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17908-3

Authors: Walter A. Rich, Susana Carvalho, Ronald Cadiz, Gloria Gil, Karla Gonzalez, Michael L. Berumen

Coral bleaching due to cold stress on a central Red Sea reef flat

Research article Year: 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9450

Authors: Walter A. Rich, Susana Carvalho, Michael L. Berumen

/PUBLICATIONS

Scientific Insights

Explore our latest research and findings that drive marine conservation and innovation. From groundbreaking studies to insightful reviews, our publications reflect our commitment to advancing marine science and policy.

KAUST Information

About BEM Lab