Summary Mismanaged plastic wastes resist decomposition and accumulate in the environment. Plastic-polluted environments provide opportunities for naturally-occurring marine microorganisms to associate with marine plastic debris. Initial bacterial colonizers of plastic, called ‘primo-colonizers’, possess functional capabilities that enable them to survive on the plastic surface. To demonstrate these surface-associated activities and their effect on the plastic,…

Summary A hatchery experiment was conducted to determine the individual and combined effects of lowered pH and elevated temperature on the feeding of two seagrass-associated invertebrate grazers, namely the sea cucumber Stichopus cf. horrens and the topshell Trochus maculatus, after 5 days exposure. The study found that elevated temperature increased the nighttime activity of the…

Summary Even though Southeast Asian countries are often mentioned as some of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the oceans, there is no existing database that validates these claims. Hence, the  PlastiCount Pilipinas website was developed to gather and share information about plastic pollution specifically in the Philippines. This complements Strategy 1 of the…

Summary The large brown seaweeds, known as kelps, are potential sources of protein for animal feed. They have lower protein contents than most red and green algae, but due to potential for large-scale production, they may represent a significant future protein source. The impact of pH, temperature and polysaccharide-degrading enzymes on the solubility and extraction…

Summary Chemical profiling and molecular networking of Philippine Gambierdiscus strains provided a glimpse of these organisms’ biosynthetic potential and chemical diversity. We gained insights into the similarities and differences in the metabolite production in the three Gambierdiscus strains. While the production of fatty acids, carbohydrates and 44-methylgambierone are common among the three strains, we observed…

Summary Characterization of the proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids of P. bahamense based on mass spectrometry and chromatographic analyses provided baseline information on the biochemical characteristics of P. bahamense at the vegetative stage. These gave new insights into the cellular machinery behind this environmentally important organism. The molecular characterization has, in part, corroborated previous observations on…

Summary In this study, we capitalized on the chemical diversity from Philippine marine sponges to discover anti-inflammatory compounds. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage cells and an antiproliferative activity testing was also used as a counter-screen. This allowed for selecting priority extracts that decrease NO production in RAW 264.7 cells with minimal…

Summary Many corals sexually reproduce by producing coral larvae. These larvae settle in the benthos as solitary individuals but sometimes in groups of varying numbers of coral spat. However, little is known about the performance of such coral individuals in different group sizes, especially during one of the most critical stages of their life history.…