Literature search toolsThere are many different ways to find research papers on a topic that you are interested in. To keep things simple, we will introduce you to one of the most comprehensive and easy to use search engines and database – SCOPUS. You can search SCOPUS using keywords, author names, journal titles, and otherwise configure a search using many different options. It is very easy to use, but your institution needs a subscription to use this service.
Step 1: One way to start is simply to start learning more about Aiptasia. To do so, type the word Aiptasia into the search window, with "keyword" as the drop-down option, as shown in the screen shot.
Step 2: Select one of the papers that seems interesting, and click on the button "View at Publisher"
Step 3: From the publisher site, you might be given the option to download the pdf file of the paper. If not, it is likely that Vassar does not have a subscription to that particular journal. In that case, you could email the first or last author of the paper, and request a "pdf reprint"
To access SCOPUS, link to
A few key papers to get you started:
Try using SCOPUS to find and download the following papers addressing different questions about corals and symbiosis:
What can the Aiptasia transcriptome reveal about symbiosis?
- Sunagawa, S, Wilson, EC, Thaler, M, Smith, ML, Caruso, C, Pringle, JR, Weis, VM, Medina, M, and JA Schwarz. 2009. Generation and analysis of transcriptomic resources for a model system on the rise: the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida and its dinoflagellate endosymbiont. BMC Genomics 2009, 10:258.
- Lehnert, EM, Burriesci, MS, and JR Pringle. 2012. Developing the anemone Aiptasia as a tractable model for cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis: the transcriptome of aposymbiotic A. pallida. BMC Genomics.13:271.
What might be the causes of coral bleaching?
- Weis VM 2008. Cellular mechanisms of cnidarian bleaching: stress causes the collapse of symbiosis. Journal of Experimental Biology211: 3059-3066.
- Lesser, M.P. 2006. Oxidative Stress in Marine Environments: Biochemistry and Physiological Ecology. pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 325kB Apr2 13)
- Shinzato et al., 2011. Using the Acropora digitifera genome to understand coral responses to environmental change.
Why would a sea anemone (Aiptasia) tell us anything about coral symbiosis and bleaching?
- Weis VM, Davy SK, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Rodriguez-Lanetty M, Pringle JR 2008. Cell biology in model systems as the key to understanding corals. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23(7): 369-376.
What can cnidarian transcriptomes tell us about animal genome evolution?
Kortschak et al. 2003. EST Analysis of the Cnidarian Acropora millepora Reveals Extensive Gene Loss and Rapid Sequence Divergence in the Model Invertebrates. Current Biology, Vol. 13, 2190–2195.
Putnam et al. 2007. Sea Anemone Genome Reveals Ancestral Eumetazoan Gene Repertoire and Genomic Organization. Science 317: 86-94.