Our Recent Work

In the face of changing climate and global water cycle, the plastic response of phytoplankton species to salinity fluctuations is increasingly important. This study used a multivariate approach to determine interspecific trait variability and plasticity of 10 Baltic Sea phytoplankton species along the salinity gradient. Phytoplankton species representing a broad range of sizes and taxonomic groups were grown at six salinity conditions (0, 5, 15, 20, 30 and 35 psu), and 15 different traits were measured at the end of the experiment. Results showed species-specific salinity preferences. Nutrient uptake and resource use efficiency (RUE) explained interspecific trait variability among the species....

Climate change-driven heatwaves in the Baltic Sea are becoming more frequent and intense, potentially exacerbating phytoplankton blooms that impact biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Alongside this, chemical pollutants, such as antibiotics, may compound these effects. This study examined the combined impacts of a simulated heatwave (+5 °C) and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (0.1 μg/L) on the dinoflagellate Apocalathium malmogiense. We assessed cell counts, size, growth rates, Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) content, and nutrient uptake. The simulated heatwave increased growth and Chl-a content but reduced cell size, while ciprofloxacin alone had no effect on growth response parameters. However, the combination of both stressors significantly reduced...

The assembly of marine microbial eukaryotic communities (MECs) is influenced by changing conditions, which in turn affect their roles in the marine environment. However, studies on their diversity and community structuring remain limited, especially in tropical waters. Here, we hypothesize that the changing conditions in different marine habitats, manifesting as gradients in some environmental conditions such as nutrients, may drive the structuring of MECs. To test this, samples were collected from different habitats with varying degrees of nutrient loading in the West Philippine Sea, including an embayment influenced by riverine and anthropogenic inputs (Manila Bay), a coastal area near a...

Providing reliable instrumentation that enables collection of high- quality, comparable data is one of the most challenging aspects of establishing ocean acidification monitoring programs. This is especially true for under-resourced countries, where such data are mostly unavailable. In 2016, The Ocean Foundation (TOF) worked with international bodies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre and the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), and subject matter experts to develop a set of equipment known as the “GOA-ON in a Box” kit (The Ocean Foundation, 2017). This comprehensive kit provides researchers with everything needed—down to specialized rubber bands—to...

Fundamental to coastal communities is the utilization of the marine environment for food and livelihood. In tropical areas, food production depends on the harvest and/or culture of organisms on the coasts, which now have multiple uses and receive anthropogenic inputs from both the land and sea. Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) have been recorded in many of these production sites, with observed health, socio-economic, and some environmental effects for various known or yet-to-be-understood reasons. A critical review of the management schemes/approaches of HAB events in tropical food production areas is presented, focusing on the Philippines, where HABs and their impacts have...

Ongoing climate warming alters precipitation and water column stability, leading to salinity and nutrient supply changes in the euphotic zone of many coastal ecosystems and semi-enclosed seas. Changing salinity and nutrient conditions affect phytoplankton physiology by altering elemental ratios of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). This study aimed to understand how salinity stress and resource acquisition affect phytoplankton stoichiometry. We incubated a phytoplankton polyculture composed of 10 species under different light, inorganic nutrient ratio and salinity levels. At the end of the incubation period, we measured particulate elemental composition (C, N and P), chlorophyll a and species abundances. The phytoplankton...

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) are vital for global climate change mitigation and offer diverse local ecosystem co-benefits. Despite existing literatures on integrating national and international BCE agendas at the local level, the development and implementation of localized BCE strategies often lag behind. To provide insights on this knowledge gap, we present a case study conducted in Eastern Samar, Philippines. Employing a multi-framework analysis- encompassing DPSIR (drivers, pressures, state, impact, responses), SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, results), and PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental) frameworks, stakeholder perceptions collected from focus group discussions highlight issues and challenges in developing and implementing a...