Reports

Gene-Body Methylation in Three Reef Corals Marks Stable Expression but Does Not Track Seasonal Change

A synthesis of eight pre-registered tests in a year-long time series of three coral species: gene-body methylation is associated with higher, steadier expression, but seasonal methylation change is not reproducible across colonies and is not coupled to expression change at the same time or with a lag, Acropora’s larger seasonal plasticity is not concentrated in low-methylation genes, and orthologs share methylation rank across species.

lncRNAs Co-vary with Neighboring Genes in Three Reef Corals, Mostly as Local Co-expression

In a year-long time series of 30 colonies from three coral species, strong lncRNA–mRNA correlations far exceed chance genome-wide, and lncRNAs co-vary with genes within 10 kb above an expression-matched null; but beyond 2 kb lncRNA–gene coupling is, if anything, weaker than gene–gene coupling, and distal lncRNA associations do not predict gene expression in held-out colonies.

Seasonal Transcriptome Change Is Large in Acropora and Small, and Not Shared, in Porites and Pocillopora

In a year-long time series of 30 colonies from three coral species, over half of Acropora pulchra’s ortholog groups change expression across the year, against about 6% in Porites evermanni and Pocillopora tuahiniensis; the seasonal responses that do occur are not conserved across species.

Symbiont Communities in Three Reef Corals Are Fixed by Colony, Not Season

Across four sampling times in 2020, Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 profiles in three coral species are explained largely by colony identity (R2 0.73 to 0.89) and almost not at all by timepoint (R2 < 0.01).

Induced Triploidy Does Not Alter Per-Genome Ribosomal DNA Copy Number in the Pacific Oyster Magallana gigas

Whole-genome sequencing of 32 Pacific oysters shows induced triploidy leaves 45S and 5S rDNA copy number per haploid genome unchanged, while family background dominates copy-number variation.

Aug 31, 2026

Steven Roberts, Sam White, Mackenzie Gavery

miRNA Identification and Differential Expression in Manila Clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) Under Ocean Acidification

sRNA-seq of 20 Manila clams identifies 37 miRNAs via ShortStack; DESeq2 finds 4 miRNAs and 708 sRNA loci differentially expressed under ocean acidification.

Jul 13, 2026

Improved Climate Resilience in Oysters Through Optimization of Hatchery-Based Environmental Conditioning Practices

Multi-year field and lab evaluation of temperature, salinity, and Poly(I:C) immune hardening on oyster growth, survival, and physiology across Washington State shellfish farms.

Jun 21, 2026

Ocean Acidification Experimental Papers: A Summary of Designs and Water-Chemistry Methods

Cross-study summary of six Roberts Lab ocean-acidification experiments, comparing experimental designs and seawater carbonate-chemistry manipulation and monitoring methods.

Jun 18, 2026

Example Current Findings Report

Example report showing the standard structure for Current Findings.

A Single-Cell Transcriptomic Reference of the Geoduck (Panopea generosa) Gastrula

First single-cell RNA-seq reference for geoduck: four gastrula replicates integrate into a continuous landscape with nascent ciliary, neural, muscle, and ECM lineage programs.

Steven Roberts, Mackenzie Gavery

Fundamental Differences Among Olympia Oyster Populations

Synthesis of 11 studies showing Ostrea lurida populations differ heritably across genetics, phenotype, physiology, and methylation—with implications for restoration.

Immune Gene Abundance Does Not Explain Susceptibility to Sea Star Wasting Disease

Comparative GO-Slim annotation of three sea star genomes shows immune-related gene abundance does not track susceptibility to sea star wasting disease.