Identifying the relationship between fish aggregations and artificial reefs (ARs) is important for optimizing reef structures and protecting marine resources subjected to external disturbance. Yet, knowledge remains limited of how the distribution of fish is affected by shelter availability provided by different AR structures. Here, we tested the effects of two structural attributes on the distribution of a benthic juvenile re...

Although defensins have been isolated from a variety of metazoan, their role in cellular immunity has not been answered. In the study, we found that the hemocytes of the Manila clams Ruditapes philippinarum release defensin (designated as Rpdef3) in response to Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. The antimicrobial Rpdef3 was proved to be involved in the extracellular traps (ETs) that hemocytes released in response to Vibrio cha...