Many marine species use nursery areas to improve survival of young. A 2007 paper outlined how to define shark nurseries; here we examine how that definition has been applied and outline existing knowledge gaps. Current research is biased to tropical sharks, with few studies of temperate, pelagic, deep-water or ray species. Although there has been great progress, there is still much to learn about shark and ray nursery use.

Live-bearing reproduction provides developing embryos with the opportunity to receive maternal nutrients during pregnancy, in addition to the yolk. In some sharks, this transfer of nutrients is achieved by a placenta. Herein we consider the adaptive significance and evolution of the placenta in sharks. We recommend sharks as important models to investigate the evolution of vertebrate pregnancy and modes of fetal nutrition.

This paper is an overview of how marine observations collected by the Integrated Marine Observing System are delivered and used by the Australian community. Users of marine observations include marine scientists, industry, government and the community in general. The paper demonstrates the value of ocean observations and the need to make the data available and accessible in order for their potential to be reached.

This article highlights how new approaches to restoration can be applied to marine macrophytes like seagrasses and seaweeds, with a strong focus on incorporating the effects of a rapidly changing environment. Emerging scientific techniques to future-proof restoration are discussed. Finally, changes to managerial, political and public frameworks needed to support scientific innovation and restoration applications at scale are highlighted.

With almost limitless applications across marine and freshwater environments, the number of people using, and wanting to use, drones is rapidly increasing. However, what appears simple at first glance can often become complicated when quantitative data collection is required. In this paper we provide a practical guide to drone-based data acquisition considerations, particularly in marine and freshwater environments.

Intertidal shores throughout Australia and New Zealand are dominated by the seaweed Hormosira banksia, which also occurs as a morphologically distinct, free-living ecotype in estuaries. We show strong genetic structure between estuarine and open coast populations and evidence of clonality in estuarine populations. Understanding genetic patterns in this important ecosystem engineer will enhance our ability to manage, conserve and restore this key species into the future.

This study investigated the genetic population structure of the Port Jackson shark, a species endemic to the southern half of Australia. Our results indicate that the Jervis Bay and Sydney breeding aggregations are genetically distinct, with females displaying high levels of reproductive philopatry. This is the first study to detect reproductive philopatry in an egg-laying shark species.

Echinoderms, sea urchins and starfish, have eggs that vary in size and are surrounded by a jelly coat that chemically attracts spermatozoa. We show the important contribution of the jelly coat for egg target size for spermatozoa, a key feature to understanding fertilisation in the sea.

This study identified patterns of genetic population structure for silver tip sharks between three locations in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. No connectivity was observed across the Indian Ocean, but connectivity between Australia and Papua New Guinea is likely. The findings indicate that silvertip sharks are unlikely to transverse wide ocean basins but may have large home ranges along connected reef systems, within which movement is extensive.

Many marine species are predicted to shift their ranges poleward in response to environmental changes driven by climate change. We used DNA barcoding to identify lobster larvae in south-east Australia, examining their distribution and poleward dispersal from nearest adult populations. Tropical lobster larvae reached temperate regions, providing the opportunity for settlement of these species in temperate regions under favourable environmental conditions.

We investigated the effect of physical parameters of rock pools on their diversity at locations with varying environmental conditions in Sydney Harbour. The maximum width and depth of pools, as well as their volume and height on shore, affected diversity, but this varied among locations. The results suggest that the local species pool and environmental conditions are important drivers of diversity in rock pools.