Cambodia’s coral reefs are vital for supporting marine biodiversity and coastal livelihoods, but they remain understudied and are increasingly threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation, and climate change. Using Reef Check citizen science data from 91 reef sites (2021–2023), we examined how turbidity and productivity, sea surface temperature (SST), hard coral cover and marine protected area (MPA) designation shape coral r...

Potential range expansion of scleractinian corals in high-latitude reefs is critically dependent on the coral host-symbiont relationship that determines coral growth and survival. Although increases in coral cover have been observed at higher latitudes, the identities of habitat-building reef corals and their symbionts are underreported. Here, we examine how scleractinian host and symbiont Symbiodiniaceae diversity changes alo...

Gastrolepidia clavigera (Annelida: Polynoidae) is an ectoparasitic scale worm living on the body surface of holothuroid sea cucumbers in warm shallow seas. This species exhibits variation in its cryptic coloration (e.g., black, light brown, and white), closely matching the body color of each of its host holothurians. However, the mechanism underlying such host-specific camouflage remains unknown. Our hypothesis is that G. clav...

Assessments of coral reef biodiversity generally focus on corals and fishes, although there is a variety of other taxa that live within the structure of coral reefs. Rubble cryptofauna includes sessile and motile species that inhabit dead coral and coral rubble and play critical roles in coral reef ecosystems. The examination of rubble cryptofauna can provide insights into the health and functioning of modern coral reefs. Here...