Note: Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- 1: The Red Sea: Environmental Gradients Shape a Natural Laboratory in a Nascent Ocean -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 The Physical Environment of the Red Sea -- 1.3 Nutrients and Productivity in the Red Sea -- 1.4 Gene Flow and Genetic Diversity in the Red Sea -- 1.5 Biogeography of Red Sea Organisms -- References -- 2: Environmental Setting for Reef Building in the Red Sea -- 2.1 Geology and Reef Morphology -- 2.2 Atmospheric Setting -- 2.3 Marine Environment -- 2.3.1 Basin-Scale Circulation -- 2.3.2 Mesoscale Processes - Basin Eddies -- 2.3.3 Wind-Driven Flow -- 2.3.4 Sea Level Motions -- 2.3.4.1 Seasonal Sea Level Variations -- 2.3.4.2 Intermediate Band Sea Level Variations -- 2.3.4.3 Tides -- 2.3.5 Surface Waves -- 2.3.6 Water Properties -- 2.3.7 Oxygen and Nutrients -- 2.3.8 Light and Chlorophyll Distribution -- 2.4 The Carbonate System -- 2.5 Summary and Conclusions -- References -- 3: Ecophysiology of Reef-Building Corals in the Red Sea -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 The Red Sea as a Historic Area of Research on Coral Reef Ecosystems and Coral Physiology -- 3.3 Environmental Conditions in the Red Sea That Affect Coral Physiology -- 3.4 Red Sea Corals Maintain Efficient Photosynthesis Across Depth and Geographical Gradients -- 3.5 Coral Calcification Rates Peak During Spring Season in the Red Sea -- 3.6 Nutrient Cycling Sustains Coral Holobiont Productivity in the Nutrient-Poor Waters of the Red Sea -- 3.7 Coral Reproduction Follows Latitudinal Water Temperature Regimes in the Red Sea -- 3.8 Deep-Sea Corals in the Red Sea Illustrate Remarkable Physiological Plasticity of Azooxanthellate Corals -- 3.9 'Symbiomics'-Elucidating Coral Function Using Holobiont Genomics and Model System-Based Approaches -- References -- 4: Microbial Communities of Red Sea Coral Reefs. , 4.1 Reef Microbe Studies in the Red Sea -- 4.2 Coral Reef Waters and Sediments -- 4.2.1 Coral Reef Picoplankton -- 4.2.1.1 Abundance of Major Reef Picoplankton Groups -- 4.2.1.2 Diversity of Reef Picoplankton -- 4.2.1.3 Reef Organisms Alter the Picoplankton Community -- 4.2.2 Reef Sand-Associated Microorganisms -- 4.2.2.1 Drivers of Microbial Community Variations in Reef Sands -- 4.3 Microbial Associations with Reef Animals -- 4.3.1 Coral Associated Microbes -- 4.3.1.1 Diversity of Coral Associated Microbes -- 4.3.1.2 Factors Structuring Coral-Associated Bacterial Communities -- 4.3.1.3 Microbes and Coral Disease -- 4.3.2 Sponge Associated Microbes -- 4.3.3 Reef Fish Associated Microbes -- 4.3.3.1 Overview -- 4.3.3.2 Studies on Coral Reef Fish Microbiota -- 4.3.3.3 Studies in the Red Sea -- 4.3.3.4 Gut Microbiota of Red Sea Reef Fishes -- 4.3.3.5 Regional Specificity in the Red Sea Gut Microbiota -- 4.4 Conclusions -- References -- 5: Symbiodiniaceae Diversity in Red Sea Coral Reefs & -- Coral Bleaching -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Symbiodiniaceae Taxonomy and Phylogeny- Challenges in Diversity Analyses -- 5.3 Functional Diversity of Different Host-Symbiodiniaceae Pairings -- 5.4 Symbiodiniaceae Diversity in the Red Sea -- 5.5 Biogeographic Patterns in Symbiodiniaceae Diversity and Host-Symbiont Associations -- 5.6 Coral Bleaching and Symbiosis Breakdown -- 5.7 Coral Bleaching in the Red Sea -- 5.8 Outlook: What Can We Learn from Red Sea Algal Symbionts in Regard to 'Future Oceans'? -- References -- 6: Sponges of the Red Sea -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Red Sea Sponge Biodiversity -- 6.2.1 Demosponge Diversity of the Red Sea -- 6.2.2 Calcareous Sponge Diversity of the Red Sea -- 6.3 Publications on Red Sea Sponge Biology -- 6.3.1 Bioactive Compounds of Red Sea Sponges -- 6.3.2 Ecology of Red Sea Sponges. , 6.3.3 Microbiology of Red Sea Sponges -- 6.4 Potential Future Research Directions -- Appendix -- References -- 7: Corals of the Red Sea -- 7.1 Diversity and Patterns within Red Sea -- 7.2 Coral Communities in the Red Sea -- 7.3 Red Sea Corals in an Indian Ocean Perspective -- 7.4 Climate Change and Red Sea Corals -- Appendices -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- References -- 8: Fishes and Connectivity of Red Sea Coral Reefs -- 8.1 Red Sea Ichthyofauna and Movement Ecology -- 8.1.1 Early Natural Historians and Red Sea Taxonomy -- 8.1.2 Fishes and Movement Ecology -- 8.2 Biodiversity Patterns -- 8.2.1 Latitudinal/Longitudinal Gradients -- 8.2.2 Understudied Regions of the Red Sea -- 8.3 Genetic Connectivity -- 8.3.1 Genetic Barriers in the Red Sea -- 8.3.2 East-West Connectivity -- 8.3.3 Genetic Identification of Cryptobenthic Species -- 8.3.4 Inter-Species Genetic Variation and Cryptic Speciation -- 8.4 Ecology -- 8.4.1 Application of Stable Isotope Techniques to Red Sea Fishes -- 8.4.2 Megafauna Movements -- 8.4.3 Lessepsian Migrants -- 8.4.4 Larval Ecology and Recruitment of Reef Fishes -- 8.4.5 Particularly Understudied Areas -- 8.4.5.1 Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems -- 8.4.5.2 Al Wajh Lagoon Reefs -- 8.5 Conservation Status and Future Challenges -- 8.5.1 Bleaching and Thermal Stress -- 8.5.2 Fisheries -- 8.5.3 Coastal Development, Ecotourism, and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 -- 8.5.4 Aquaculture -- 8.5.5 Existing Protected Areas -- 8.5.6 Marine Invasive Species -- References.