Microenvironmental Ecology and Symbiosis
@microsensing.bsky.social
We study the microenvironmental ecology of microbial communities & symbiosis. We explore corals, seagrass, macroalgae, biofilms & microbes. We work across disciplines to develop and apply microscale analysis tools. Michael Kühl https://t.co/1qPNWHLjow
To uncover the relationship between movement and oxygen uptake, the team had to devise a brand-new way of seeing what was going on, using high-speed footage capture and a long distance microscope.
Warming seas impact cell structures that deliver oxygen to coral
Oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles reveal a new mechanism of coral stress
chemistryworld.com
Coral reefs depend on a symbiotic partnership between corals and microscopic algae. New research shows heat stress can disrupt oxygen regulation at the coral surface, increasing the risk of bleaching and mortality. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Acute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenation
Ciliary flows buffer coral O2 supply under heat stress until a tipping point, above which hypoxia and tissue failure are induced.
science.org
Coral reefs are increasingly threaten by marine heatwaves, but what pushes corals past their breaking point? New in @ScienceAdvances @science.org: we found that corals can lose the microscopic system that helps move oxygen around their tissues during heat stress 🪸 doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Acute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenation
Ciliary flows buffer coral O2 supply under heat stress until a tipping point, above which hypoxia and tissue failure are induced.
doi.org
Corals 🪸 are covered with tiny hair-like structures called cilia. Their synchronized beating creates microscopic swirling flows that act like a natural ventilation system, helping transport oxygen around the coral tissue.
Under moderate warming, corals initially cope as their cilia starts to beat faster, essentially creating stronger swirls and temporarily improving oxygen transport. This mechanism is particularly important at night when both the coral and symbiotic algae consume oxygen.
But the benefit doesn’t last. As temperatures rise further, these flows begin recirculating oxygen poor water near the coral surface, while coral oxygen demand keeps increasing.
Our findings reveal a hidden tipping point in coral survival: corals may begin to suffocate internally before or alongside bleaching. These process occur in a water layer <1mm tick, easy to miss in conventional measurements but potentially critical for understanding coral health.
Thank you to all collaborators and funding agencies: Michael Kühl @microsensing.bsky.social Mads, Mikkel @ucph.bsky.social Douglas @unimelb.edu.au Soeren @soerenahmerkamp.bsky.social Max, Manuel @KAUST @moorefound.bsky.social @novo-nordisk.bsky.social @arc-gov-au.bsky.social #MSCA #coral
www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...
Acute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenation | Michael Kühl
Happy to announce a new paper from the Microenvironmental Ecology and Symbiosis Group. Our study identifies a coral stress mechanism that directly links ocean warming and oxygen loss, which in the wo...
linkedin.com
New review on #luminescence #lifetime #imaging - #FLIM and #PLIM Massive work by flimagin3d.com PhD students Rishi Harkhoe and Gabriele Ferrari. Nice collaboration with Ruslan Dmitriev. Check it out🤓 MSCA-DN flimagin3d @moorefound.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Luminescence Lifetime Imaging: Key Concepts and Advances in the Image Acquisition, Processing, and Analysis Pipeline
There is rapidly growing interest in applying luminescence lifetime imaging, i.e., FLIM and PLIM (fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, respectively), across natural and life sciences. This includes developing new chemistries for luminescence lifetime read out, new instrumentation and data analysis approaches, as well as diverse applications in chemical, environmental and life sciences. The methodology captures the luminescence lifetime, an intrinsic fingerprint that is sensitive to the local physicochemical environment and specific molecular interactions, making it a valuable quantitative imaging technique for tissue characterization, live-cell metabolic studies, materials science studies, and more. Luminescence lifetime imaging is both robust and reproducible when properly executed but demands careful experimental design and substantial user expertise in terms of choice of imaging modality, instrumentation parameters, image acquisition settings and subsequent image processing and analysis. Therefore, this review addresses the principal determinants of imaging data and reviews practical methods and state-of-the-art advances to address them. Concurrently, this provides a foundation to discuss and highlight the current frontiers and future directions of this important imaging modality.
pubs.acs.org
www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...
It is a pleasure to announce the next course on Microsensor Analysis in the Environmental Sciences, which will take place at the Marine Biological Station, Rønbjerg, Denmark from May 4 to May 13… | Mi...
It is a pleasure to announce the next course on Microsensor Analysis in the Environmental Sciences, which will take place at the Marine Biological Station, Rønbjerg, Denmark from May 4 to May 13, 2026...
linkedin.com
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance doi.org/10.1088/1758... via @ioppublishing.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @villumfonden.bsky.social www.flimagin3d.com
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance - IOPscience
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance, Murthy, Swathi, Mosshammer, Maria, Trampe, Erik, Kühl, Michael
doi.org
Great work Nikki👍
Nikki J Dilernia@nikkijdilernia.bsky.social · 11mo agoNew paper alert 🚨 my 2nd PhD chapter has been published ‼️ Uncovering increased maximum oxyregulation capacity in corals transplanted from an extreme mangrove environment to a reef flat on the GBR #EnvironmentalResearch doi.org/10.1016/j.en...
Great times at the 2025 DHL run 2 teams: KühlKids1 & KühlKids2
Nice to see our article chosen as an Algae Highlight in Journal of Phycology: Flow cytometry and holotomography illuminated the relationship between iron availability and the growth and cellular development of Symbiodinium sp. - Gu - 2025 - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Flow cytometry and holotomography illuminated the relationship between iron availability and the growth and cellular development of Symbiodinium sp.
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Now out in final version: Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance doi.org/10.1088/1758... via @ioppublishing.bsky.social @villumfonden.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance - IOPscience
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance, Murthy, Swathi, Mosshammer, Maria, Trampe, Erik, Kühl, Michael
doi.org
New publication presenting a fabrication, imaging and simulation pipeline for studying structure and function in 3D bioprinted cell constructs/biofilms with nanoparticle functionalized bioinks. @villumfonden.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social doi.org/10.1088/1758... via @ioppublishing.bsky.social
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance - IOPscience
Functional imaging of 3D bioprinted microalgal constructs and simulation of their photosynthetic performance, Murthy, Swathi, Mosshammer, Maria, Trampe, Erik, Kuhl, Michael
doi.org
📖Published📖 Pacherres et al. present a simple, modular experimental platform that enables spatial mapping of steady, laminar flow and O2 concentration fields over biological tissue surfaces in a 3D printed, laminar flow chamber 💨 🌍 🧪 Read the article here 👇 buff.ly/RU93P2a
A modular, open source Scanning Particle Image Velocimetry system for spatial mapping of flow, oxygen concentration and boundary layers around aquatic organisms/samples. Great collaborative work headed by @pacherres-co.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @villumscience.bsky.social @MSCActions
César O. Pacherres@pacherres-co.bsky.social · last yr.Take a look at our new article where we present a system to spatially map oxygen and flow fields around corals and algae 🪸 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Thanks to @microsensing.bsky.social @MSCActions @villumscience.bsky.social
Take a look at our new article where we present a system to spatially map oxygen and flow fields around corals and algae 🪸 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Thanks to @microsensing.bsky.social @MSCActions @villumscience.bsky.social
A modular, open source Scanning Particle Image Velocimetry system for spatial mapping of flow, oxygen concentration and boundary layers around aquatic organisms/samples. Great collaborative work headed by @pacherres-co.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @villumscience.bsky.social @MSCActions
César O. Pacherres@pacherres-co.bsky.social · last yr.Take a look at our new article where we present a system to spatially map oxygen and flow fields around corals and algae 🪸 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Thanks to @microsensing.bsky.social @MSCActions @villumscience.bsky.social
Thank you Joe Berry and the Global Ecology branch of Carnegie Institution at Stanford University for hosting me during a wonderful visit and for inspiring discussions with staff and students carnegiescience.edu/events/micro...
Microenvironmental ecology and symbiosis
Michael Kühl, professor of Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Berry Lab hosts his seminar.
carnegiescience.edu
The Microenvironmental Ecology and Symbiosis Group in May 2025
New publication doi.org/10.1111/jpy.... @carlsbergfondet.dk @villumfonden.bsky.social EU-MSCA actions @moorefound.bsky.social
Moderate levels of dissolved iron stimulate cellular growth and increase lipid storage in Symbiodinium sp.
Dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae are fundamental in coral reef ecosystems and facilitate essential processes such as photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, and calcium carbonate production. I...
doi.org
After 2 exciting weeks at Heron Island Research Station, I left my team @pacherres-co.bsky.social Qingfeng Zhang and Georg Schwendt behind for another week of coral symbiosis work These guys are amazing and hardworking, and the outcome so far mind blowing....stay tuned
First sunrise on a field trip to Heron Island Research Station🌞 Seems like it was a busy ses turtle night.
First preprint in 2025: Metatranscriptomics sheds light on who is doing what in a Coral Great collaboration led by Kshitij Tandon Heroen Verbruggen and his team, Francesco Ricci Linda Blackall, @momedinamunoz.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social Australian Research Council doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Metatranscriptomics sheds light on 'who is doing what' in the coral Porites lutea
Global decline of coral reefs due to climate change calls for effective, nature-based strategies to protect these crucial ecosystems. Developing such strategies requires a thorough understanding of th...
doi.org
Thank you friends, colleagues, students and collaborators for the many nice interactions and accomplishments in 2024 Best wishes for a relaxing and merry xmas 🎅and a great 2025🍾Keep up the (team)spirit and good (team)work!
two cartoon chipmunks are dancing in the rain
ALT: two cartoon chipmunks are dancing in the rain
media.tenor.com
Happy to announce that Sing Teng Chua will join my lab via a 3 y postdoc fellowship @novofoundation.bsky.social We will use bioinspired co-culture and 3D bioprinting for mapping and modelling optimal design principles for light-driven production. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
pnas.org