Mesophotic mushroom coral (Fungiidae) beds form distinctive off-reef habitats in Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystems. We mapped a large mushroom coral bed at Ningaloo Reef off north-western Australia. The 82-hectare (2700 m by 680 m) bed was comprised of Cycloseris distorta and C. fragilis , with densities at some sites more than 1100 m −2 (mean 774 m −2 ) and an estimated population of 653 million individuals making it the lar...

The short spined crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster brevispinus inhabits deeper water soft bottom habitats, in contrast to the more infamous Indo-Pacific Acanthaster species complex of which population outbreaks have been responsible for widespread coral mortality throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. Acanthaster brevispinus has not previously been regarded as a threat to corals or coral reefs. Here, we report A. brevispi...

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high‐resolution, long‐read metabarcoding...

To better understand dietary requirements, trophic shifts, and trophic interactions of the threatened green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), we conducted a comprehensive global review and literature tabulation (177 studies) reporting diets of individuals > 25 cm carapace length. We analysed those studies involving natural sites and healthy animals that reported relative proportions of all diet components (67 studies, 89 datasets at...

Green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) are key herbivores of tropical and subtropical neritic habitats and play a major role in structuring seagrass meadows. We present the first detailed assessment of green turtle diet in the Western Indian Ocean using the gut contents of salvaged animals from three atolls in the Republic of Seychelles separated from each other by 400–825 km: Cosmoledo (adults, n = 12), Farquhar (adults, n = 33; im...

Interdisciplinary (ID) teams were created by the US Forest Service in response to environmental legislation. In 2008, we surveyed ID team leaders for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis of 106 recreation-related projects conducted between 2005 and 2008. Results were compared with current workforce data and previous studies of ID team leadership and composition for NEPA assessments. ID teams were large in size and...

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its accompanying regulations provide a spectrum of alternative analytical pathways for federal agencies proposing major actions that might significantly impact the human environment. Although guidance from the President's Council on Environmental Quality suggests the decision to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS), which requires the most rigorous level of analysis,...

Summer droughts are predicted to increase in severity and frequency in the United Kingdom, due to climate change. Few studies have addressed the impacts of drought on interactions between species, and the majority have focussed on increases in CO 2 concentration and changes in temperature. Here, the effect of experimental summer drought on the strength of the plant‐mediated interaction between leaf‐mining Stephensia brunnichel...