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Hernández Elizárraga VH, Olguín-López N, Hernández-Matehuala R, Caballero-Pérez J, Ibarra-Alvarado C, Rojas-Molina A. Transcriptomic differences between bleached and unbleached hydrozoan Millepora complanata following the 2015-2016 ENSO in the Mexican Caribbean. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14626. [PMID: 36691486 PMCID: PMC9864129 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The 2015-2016 El Niño-southern oscillation or "ENSO" caused many M. complanata colonies that live in the Mexican Caribbean to experience extensive bleaching. The purpose of this work was to analyze the effect of bleaching on the cellular response of M. complanata, employing a transcriptomic approach with RNA-seq. As expected, bleached specimens contained a significantly lower chlorophyll content than unbleached hydrocorals. The presence of algae of the genera Durusdinium and Cladocopium was only found in tissues of unbleached M. complanata, which could be associated to the greater resistance that these colonies exhibited during bleaching. We found that 299 genes were differentially expressed in M. complanata bleached colonies following the 2015-2016 ENSO in the Mexican Caribbean. The differential expression analysis of bleached M. complanata specimens evidenced enriched terms for functional categories, such as ribosome, RNA polymerase and basal transcription factors, chaperone, oxidoreductase, among others. Our results suggest that the heat-shock response mechanisms displayed by M. complanata include: an up-regulation of endogenous antioxidant defenses; a higher expression of heat stress response genes; up-regulation of transcription-related genes, higher expression of genes associated to transport processes, inter alia. This study constitutes the first differential gene expression analysis of the molecular response of a reef-forming hydrozoan during bleaching.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Norma Olguín-López
- Posgrado en Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Rosalina Hernández-Matehuala
- Posgrado en Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | | | - César Ibarra-Alvarado
- Laboratorio de Investigación Química y Farmacológica de Productos Naturales, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Alejandra Rojas-Molina
- Laboratorio de Investigación Química y Farmacológica de Productos Naturales, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
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2
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Cortese D, Norin T, Beldade R, Crespel A, Killen SS, Mills SC. Physiological and behavioural effects of anemone bleaching on symbiont anemonefish in the wild. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daphne Cortese
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRSUSR 3278 CRIOBE Papetoai Moorea French Polynesia
| | - Tommy Norin
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources Technical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | - Ricardo Beldade
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRSUSR 3278 CRIOBE Papetoai Moorea French Polynesia
- Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Amélie Crespel
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Shaun S. Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Suzanne C. Mills
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRSUSR 3278 CRIOBE Papetoai Moorea French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL” France
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3
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McRae CJ, Huang WB, Fan TY, Côté IM. Effects of thermal conditioning on the performance of Pocillopora acuta adult coral colonies and their offspring. CORAL REEFS (ONLINE) 2021; 40:1491-1503. [PMID: 34720373 PMCID: PMC8550305 DOI: 10.1007/s00338-021-02123-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Ocean warming induced by climate change is the greatest threat to the persistence of coral reefs globally. Given the current rate of ocean warming, there may not be sufficient time for natural acclimation or adaptation by corals. This urgency has led to the exploration of active management techniques aimed at enhancing thermal tolerance in corals. Here, we test the capacity for transgenerational acclimation in the reef-building coral Pocillopora acuta as a means of increasing offspring performance in warmer waters. We exposed coral colonies from a reef influenced by intermittent upwelling and constant warm-water effluent from a nuclear power plant to temperatures that matched (26 °C) or exceeded (29.5 °C) season-specific mean temperatures for three reproductive cycles; offspring were allowed to settle and grow at both temperatures. Heated colonies reproduced significantly earlier in the lunar cycle and produced fewer and smaller planulae. Recruitment was lower at the heated recruitment temperature regardless of parent treatment. Recruit survival did not differ based on parent or recruitment temperature. Recruits from heated parents were smaller and had lower maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), a measurement of symbiont photochemical performance. We found no direct evidence that thermal conditioning of adult P. acuta corals improves offspring performance in warmer water; however, chronic exposure of parent colonies to warmer temperatures at the source reef site may have limited transgenerational acclimation capacity. The extent to which coral response to this active management approach might vary across species and sites remains unclear and merits further investigation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00338-021-02123-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal J. McRae
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wen-Bin Huang
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Yung Fan
- Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Isabelle M. Côté
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
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4
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Cant J, Salguero-Gómez R, Kim SW, Sims CA, Sommer B, Brooks M, Malcolm HA, Pandolfi JM, Beger M. The projected degradation of subtropical coral assemblages by recurrent thermal stress. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:233-247. [PMID: 32920820 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Subtropical coral assemblages are threatened by similar extreme thermal stress events to their tropical counterparts. Yet, the mid- and long-term thermal stress responses of corals in subtropical environments remain largely unquantified, limiting our capacity to predict their future viability. The annual survival, growth and recruitment of 311 individual corals within the Solitary Islands Marine Park (Australia) was recorded over a 3-year period (2016-2018), including the 2015/2016 thermal stress event. These data were used to parameterise integral projection models quantifying the effect of thermal stress within a subtropical coral assemblage. Stochastic simulations were also applied to evaluate the implications of recurrent thermal stress scenarios predicted by four different Representative Concentration Pathways. We report differential shifts in population growth rates (λ) among coral populations during both stress and non-stress periods, confirming contrasting bleaching responses among taxa. However, even during non-stress periods, the observed dynamics for all taxa were unable to maintain current community composition, highlighting the need for external recruitment sources to support the community structure. Across all coral taxa, projected stochastic growth rates (λs ) were found to be lowest under higher emissions scenarios. Correspondingly, predicted increases in recurrent thermal stress regimes may accelerate the loss of coral coverage, species diversity and structural complexity within subtropical regions. We suggest that these trends are primarily due to the susceptibility of subtropical specialists and endemic species, such as Pocillopora aliciae, to thermal stress. Similarly, the viability of many tropical coral populations at higher latitudes is highly dependent on the persistence of up-current tropical systems. As such, the inherent dynamics of subtropical coral populations appear unable to support their future persistence under unprecedented thermal disturbance scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Cant
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Roberto Salguero-Gómez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
| | - Sun W Kim
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Carrie A Sims
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Brigitte Sommer
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Maxime Brooks
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Hamish A Malcolm
- Fisheries Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| | - John M Pandolfi
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Maria Beger
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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5
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Carturan BS, Pither J, Maréchal JP, Bradshaw CJA, Parrott L. Combining agent-based, trait-based and demographic approaches to model coral-community dynamics. eLife 2020; 9:e55993. [PMID: 32701058 PMCID: PMC7473774 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The complexity of coral-reef ecosystems makes it challenging to predict their dynamics and resilience under future disturbance regimes. Models for coral-reef dynamics do not adequately account for the high functional diversity exhibited by corals. Models that are ecologically and mechanistically detailed are therefore required to simulate the ecological processes driving coral reef dynamics. Here, we describe a novel model that includes processes at different spatial scales, and the contribution of species' functional diversity to benthic-community dynamics. We calibrated and validated the model to reproduce observed dynamics using empirical data from Caribbean reefs. The model exhibits realistic community dynamics, and individual population dynamics are ecologically plausible. A global sensitivity analysis revealed that the number of larvae produced locally, and interaction-induced reductions in growth rate are the parameters with the largest influence on community dynamics. The model provides a platform for virtual experiments to explore diversity-functioning relationships in coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason Pither
- Department of Biology, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
- Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
| | | | - Corey JA Bradshaw
- Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders UniversityAdelaideAustralia
| | - Lael Parrott
- Department of Biology, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
- Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British ColumbiaKelownaCanada
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6
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Swain TD, Lax S, Backman V, Marcelino LA. Uncovering the role of Symbiodiniaceae assemblage composition and abundance in coral bleaching response by minimizing sampling and evolutionary biases. BMC Microbiol 2020; 20:124. [PMID: 32429833 PMCID: PMC7236918 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-01765-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biodiversity and productivity of coral-reef ecosystems depend upon reef-building corals and their associations with endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae, which offer diverse functional capabilities to their hosts. The number of unique symbiotic partners (richness) and relative abundances (evenness) have been hypothesized to affect host response to climate change induced thermal stress. Symbiodiniaceae assemblages with many unique phylotypes may provide greater physiological flexibility or form less stable symbioses; assemblages with low abundance phylotypes may allow corals to retain thermotolerant symbionts or represent associations with less-suitable symbionts. RESULTS Here we demonstrate that true richness of Symbiodiniaceae phylotype assemblages is generally not discoverable from direct enumeration of unique phylotypes in association records and that cross host-species comparisons are biased by sampling and evolutionary patterns among species. These biases can be minimized through rarefaction of richness (rarefied-richness) and evenness (Probability of Interspecific Encounter, PIE), and analyses that account for phylogenetic patterns. These standardized metrics were calculated for individual Symbiodiniaceae assemblages composed of 377 unique ITS2 phylotypes associated with 123 coral species. Rarefied-richness minimized correlations with sampling effort, while maintaining important underlying characteristics across host bathymetry and geography. Phylogenetic comparative methods reveal significant increases in coral bleaching and mortality associated with increasing Symbiodiniaceae assemblage richness and evenness at the level of host species. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the potential flexibility afforded by assemblages characterized by many phylotypes present at similar relative abundances does not result in decreased bleaching risk and point to the need to characterize the overall functional and genetic diversity of Symbiodiniaceae assemblages to quantify their effect on host fitness under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Swain
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA
| | - Simon Lax
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Luisa A Marcelino
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
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7
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Courtney TA, Barnes BB, Chollett I, Elahi R, Gross K, Guest JR, Kuffner IB, Lenz EA, Nelson HR, Rogers CS, Toth LT, Andersson AJ. Disturbances drive changes in coral community assemblages and coral calcification capacity. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Travis A. Courtney
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego La Jolla California 92093 USA
| | - Brian B. Barnes
- College of Marine Science University of South Florida St. Petersburg Florida 33701 USA
| | | | - Robin Elahi
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove California 93950 USA
| | - Kevin Gross
- Department of Statistics North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - James R. Guest
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE17RU UK
| | - Ilsa B. Kuffner
- U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center St. Petersburg Florida 33701 USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Lenz
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawai'i Kāne'ohe Hawai'i 96744 USA
| | - Hannah R. Nelson
- Department of Biology California State University Northridge California 91330 USA
| | - Caroline S. Rogers
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center St John U.S. Virgin Islands USA
| | - Lauren T. Toth
- U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center St. Petersburg Florida 33701 USA
| | - Andreas J. Andersson
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego La Jolla California 92093 USA
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8
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Rossi S, Gravili C, Milisenda G, Bosch-Belmar M, De Vito D, Piraino S. Effects of global warming on reproduction and potential dispersal of Mediterranean Cnidarians. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2019.1631893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- S. Rossi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - C. Gravili
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - G. Milisenda
- Dipartimento Ecologia Marina Integrata, Stazione zoologica Anton Dohrn, Palermo, Italy
| | - M. Bosch-Belmar
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - D. De Vito
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - S. Piraino
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
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9
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Weil E, Weil-Allen A, Weil A. Coral and Cnidarian Welfare in a Changing Sea. Anim Welf 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13947-6_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Ramsby BD, Hoogenboom MO, Smith HA, Whalan S, Webster NS. The bioeroding sponge Cliona orientalis will not tolerate future projected ocean warming. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8302. [PMID: 29844349 PMCID: PMC5974012 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26535-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs face many stressors associated with global climate change, including increasing sea surface temperature and ocean acidification. Excavating sponges, such as Cliona spp., are expected to break down reef substrata more quickly as seawater becomes more acidic. However, increased bioerosion requires that Cliona spp. maintain physiological performance and health under continuing ocean warming. In this study, we exposed C. orientalis to temperature increments increasing from 23 to 32 °C. At 32 °C, or 3 °C above the maximum monthly mean (MMM) temperature, sponges bleached and the photosynthetic capacity of Symbiodinium was compromised, consistent with sympatric corals. Cliona orientalis demonstrated little capacity to recover from thermal stress, remaining bleached with reduced Symbiodinium density and energy reserves after one month at reduced temperature. In comparison, C. orientalis was not observed to bleach during the 2017 coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef, when temperatures did not reach the 32 °C threshold. While C. orientalis can withstand current temperature extremes (<3 °C above MMM) under laboratory and natural conditions, this species would not survive ocean temperatures projected for 2100 without acclimatisation or adaptation (≥3 °C above MMM). Hence, as ocean temperatures increase above local thermal thresholds, C. orientalis will have a negligible impact on reef erosion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake D Ramsby
- College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. .,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. .,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Mia O Hoogenboom
- College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hillary A Smith
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Steve Whalan
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Queensland, Australia
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11
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Crowder CM, Meyer E, Fan TY, Weis VM. Impacts of temperature and lunar day on gene expression profiles during a monthly reproductive cycle in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:3913-3925. [PMID: 28467676 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive timing in brooding corals has been correlated to temperature and lunar irradiance, but the mechanisms by which corals transduce these environmental variables into molecular signals are unknown. To gain insight into these processes, global gene expression profiles in the coral Pocillopora damicornis were examined (via RNA-Seq) across lunar phases and between temperature treatments, during a monthly planulation cycle. The interaction of temperature and lunar day together had the largest influence on gene expression. Mean timing of planulation, which occurred at lunar days 7.4 and 12.5 for 28- and 23°C-treated corals, respectively, was associated with an upregulation of transcripts in individual temperature treatments. Expression profiles of planulation-associated genes were compared between temperature treatments, revealing that elevated temperatures disrupted expression profiles associated with planulation. Gene functions inferred from homologous matches to online databases suggest complex neuropeptide signalling, with calcium as a central mediator, acting through tyrosine kinase and G protein-coupled receptor pathways. This work contributes to our understanding of coral reproductive physiology and the impacts of environmental variables on coral reproductive pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camerron M Crowder
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Eli Meyer
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Tung-Yung Fan
- Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Virginia M Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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12
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Strindberg S, Coleman RA, Burns Perez VR, Campbell CL, Majil I, Gibson J. In-water assessments of sea turtles at Glover’s Reef Atoll, Belize. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2016. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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13
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Swain TD, Vega-Perkins JB, Oestreich WK, Triebold C, DuBois E, Henss J, Baird A, Siple M, Backman V, Marcelino L. Coral bleaching response index: a new tool to standardize and compare susceptibility to thermal bleaching. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:2475-88. [PMID: 27074334 PMCID: PMC5433437 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
As coral bleaching events become more frequent and intense, our ability to predict and mitigate future events depends upon our capacity to interpret patterns within previous episodes. Responses to thermal stress vary among coral species; however the diversity of coral assemblages, environmental conditions, assessment protocols, and severity criteria applied in the global effort to document bleaching patterns creates challenges for the development of a systemic metric of taxon-specific response. Here, we describe and validate a novel framework to standardize bleaching response records and estimate their measurement uncertainties. Taxon-specific bleaching and mortality records (2036) of 374 coral taxa (during 1982-2006) at 316 sites were standardized to average percent tissue area affected and a taxon-specific bleaching response index (taxon-BRI) was calculated by averaging taxon-specific response over all sites where a taxon was present. Differential bleaching among corals was widely variable (mean taxon-BRI = 25.06 ± 18.44%, ±SE). Coral response may differ because holobionts are biologically different (intrinsic factors), they were exposed to different environmental conditions (extrinsic factors), or inconsistencies in reporting (measurement uncertainty). We found that both extrinsic and intrinsic factors have comparable influence within a given site and event (60% and 40% of bleaching response variance of all records explained, respectively). However, when responses of individual taxa are averaged across sites to obtain taxon-BRI, differential response was primarily driven by intrinsic differences among taxa (65% of taxon-BRI variance explained), not conditions across sites (6% explained), nor measurement uncertainty (29% explained). Thus, taxon-BRI is a robust metric of intrinsic susceptibility of coral taxa. Taxon-BRI provides a broadly applicable framework for standardization and error estimation for disparate historical records and collection of novel data, allowing for unprecedented accuracy in parameterization of mechanistic and predictive models and conservation plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Swain
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Jesse B Vega-Perkins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - William K Oestreich
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Conrad Triebold
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Emily DuBois
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Jillian Henss
- Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Andrew Baird
- ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia
| | - Margaret Siple
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Luisa Marcelino
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
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14
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Cardini U, van Hoytema N, Bednarz VN, Rix L, Foster RA, Al-Rshaidat MMD, Wild C. Microbial dinitrogen fixation in coral holobionts exposed to thermal stress and bleaching. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:2620-33. [PMID: 27234003 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Coral holobionts (i.e., coral-algal-prokaryote symbioses) exhibit dissimilar thermal sensitivities that may determine which coral species will adapt to global warming. Nonetheless, studies simultaneously investigating the effects of warming on all holobiont members are lacking. Here we show that exposure to increased temperature affects key physiological traits of all members (herein: animal host, zooxanthellae and diazotrophs) of both Stylophora pistillata and Acropora hemprichii during and after thermal stress. S. pistillata experienced severe loss of zooxanthellae (i.e., bleaching) with no net photosynthesis at the end of the experiment. Conversely, A. hemprichii was more resilient to thermal stress. Exposure to increased temperature (+ 6°C) resulted in a drastic increase in daylight dinitrogen (N2 ) fixation, particularly in A. hemprichii (threefold compared with controls). After the temperature was reduced again to in situ levels, diazotrophs exhibited a reversed diel pattern of activity, with increased N2 fixation rates recorded only in the dark, particularly in bleached S. pistillata (twofold compared to controls). Concurrently, both animal hosts, but particularly bleached S. pistillata, reduced both organic matter release and heterotrophic feeding on picoplankton. Our findings indicate that physiological plasticity by coral-associated diazotrophs may play an important role in determining the response of coral holobionts to ocean warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulisse Cardini
- Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany.,Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nanne van Hoytema
- Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Vanessa N Bednarz
- Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Laura Rix
- Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rachel A Foster
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE, 10691, Stockholm, Germany
| | - Mamoon M D Al-Rshaidat
- Laboratory for Molecular Microbial Ecology (LaMME), Marine Science Station, Aqaba, 77110, Jordan.,Department of Marine Biology, The University of Jordan - Aqaba Branch, Aqaba, 77110, Jordan
| | - Christian Wild
- Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany.,Faculty of Biology and Chemistry (FB 2), University of Bremen, DE, 28359, Bremen, Germany
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15
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Bjorndal KA, Chaloupka M, Saba VS, Diez CE, van Dam RP, Krueger BH, Horrocks JA, Santos AJB, Bellini C, Marcovaldi MAG, Nava M, Willis S, Godley BJ, Gore S, Hawkes LA, McGowan A, Witt MJ, Stringell TB, Sanghera A, Richardson PB, Broderick AC, Phillips Q, Calosso MC, Claydon JAB, Blumenthal J, Moncada F, Nodarse G, Medina Y, Dunbar SG, Wood LD, Lagueux CJ, Campbell CL, Meylan AB, Meylan PA, Burns Perez VR, Coleman RA, Strindberg S, Guzmán‐H. V, Hart KM, Cherkiss MS, Hillis‐Starr Z, Lundgren IF, Boulon RH, Connett S, Outerbridge ME, Bolten AB. Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio‐temporal perspective. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
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16
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Tracy AM, Koren O, Douglas N, Weil E, Harvell CD. Persistent shifts in Caribbean coral microbiota are linked to the 2010 warm thermal anomaly. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2015; 7:471-479. [PMID: 25683053 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/31/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The response of corals to warm temperature anomalies includes changes in coral bacterial assemblages. There are clear differences between the microbiota of bleached and healthy corals. However, few studies have tracked the microbiota of individual colonies throughout a warming event. We used 454 pyrosequencing and repeated measures to characterize bacterial assemblages in 15 Gorgonia ventalina colonies before, during, 4 months after, and 1 year after the 2010 Caribbean warm thermal anomaly. In the latter three sampling times, the G. ventalina microbiota differed significantly from the microbiota of Orbicella faveolata colonies, which were sampled only at these three times. O. faveolata microbiota did not exhibit coordinated shifts through time. Notably, the microbiota of the repeatedly sampled G. ventalina colonies shifted persistently from before to during, after, and long after the warming event. The same pattern emerges from the norm of reaction for the individual G. ventalina colonies. This is the first study to show persistent shifts in coral microbiota in association with a warm thermal anomaly. Whether shifting microbiota is adaptive or maladaptive, the lasting change in bacterial assemblages following this warming event identifies a new way that coral microbiota shape the response of coral colonies under thermal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Tracy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Omry Koren
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Nancy Douglas
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Ernesto Weil
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - C Drew Harvell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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17
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Crowder CM, Liang WL, Weis VM, Fan TY. Elevated temperature alters the lunar timing of Planulation in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e107906. [PMID: 25329546 PMCID: PMC4198079 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive timing in corals is associated with environmental variables including temperature, lunar periodicity, and seasonality. Although it is clear that these variables are interrelated, it remains unknown if one variable in particular acts as the proximate signaler for gamete and or larval release. Furthermore, in an era of global warming, the degree to which increases in ocean temperatures will disrupt normal reproductive patterns in corals remains unknown. Pocillopora damicornis, a brooding coral widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, has been the subject of multiple reproductive ecology studies that show correlations between temperature, lunar periodicity, and reproductive timing. However, to date, no study has empirically measured changes in reproductive timing associated with increased seawater temperature. In this study, the effect of increased seawater temperature on the timing of planula release was examined during the lunar cycles of March and June 2012. Twelve brooding corals were removed from Hobihu reef in Nanwan Bay, southern Taiwan and placed in 23 and 28°C controlled temperature treatment tanks. For both seasons, the timing of planulation was found to be plastic, with the high temperature treatment resulting in significantly earlier peaks of planula release compared to the low temperature treatment. This suggests that temperature alone can influence the timing of larval release in Pocillopora damicornis in Nanwan Bay. Therefore, it is expected that continued increases in ocean temperature will result in earlier timing of reproductive events in corals, which may lead to either variations in reproductive success or phenotypic acclimatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camerron M Crowder
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Wei-Lo Liang
- Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Virginia M Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Tung-Yung Fan
- Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan, R.O.C.; National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan, R.O.C
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18
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Pinzón C. JH, Beach-Letendre J, Weil E, Mydlarz LD. Relationship between phylogeny and immunity suggests older Caribbean coral lineages are more resistant to disease. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104787. [PMID: 25133685 PMCID: PMC4136782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Diseases affect coral species fitness and contribute significantly to the deterioration of coral reefs. The increase in frequency and severity of disease outbreaks has made evaluating and determining coral resistance a priority. Phylogenetic patterns in immunity and disease can provide important insight to how corals may respond to current and future environmental and/or biologically induced diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine if immunity, number of diseases and disease prevalence show a phylogenetic signal among Caribbean corals. We characterized the constitutive levels of six distinct innate immune traits in 14 Caribbean coral species and tested for the presence of a phylogenetic signal on each trait. Results indicate that constitutive levels of some individual immune related processes (i.e. melanin concentration, peroxidase and inhibition of bacterial growth), as well as their combination show a phylogenetic signal. Additionally, both the number of diseases affecting each species and disease prevalence (as measures of disease burden) show a significant phylogenetic signal. The phylogenetic signal of immune related processes, combined with estimates of species divergence times, indicates that among the studied species, those belonging to older lineages tend to resist/fight infections better than more recently diverged coral lineages. This result, combined with the increasing stressful conditions on corals in the Caribbean, suggest that future reefs in the region will likely be dominated by older lineages while modern species may face local population declines and/or geographic extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge H. Pinzón C.
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Joshuah Beach-Letendre
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ernesto Weil
- Department of Marine Sciences University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, United States of America
| | - Laura D. Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
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Soffer N, Zaneveld J, Vega Thurber R. Phage-bacteria network analysis and its implication for the understanding of coral disease. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:1203-18. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 06/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Soffer
- Department of Microbiology; Oregon State University; 220 Nash Hall Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Jesse Zaneveld
- Department of Microbiology; Oregon State University; 220 Nash Hall Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Rebecca Vega Thurber
- Department of Microbiology; Oregon State University; 220 Nash Hall Corvallis OR 97331 USA
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20
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Riesgo A, Peterson K, Richardson C, Heist T, Strehlow B, McCauley M, Cotman C, Hill M, Hill A. Transcriptomic analysis of differential host gene expression upon uptake of symbionts: a case study with Symbiodinium and the major bioeroding sponge Cliona varians. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:376. [PMID: 24885832 PMCID: PMC4144087 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We have a limited understanding of genomic interactions that occur among partners for many symbioses. One of the most important symbioses in tropical reef habitats involves Symbiodinium. Most work examining Symbiodinium-host interactions involves cnidarian partners. To fully and broadly understand the conditions that permit Symbiodinium to procure intracellular residency, we must explore hosts from different taxa to help uncover universal cellular and genetic strategies for invading and persisting in host cells. Here, we present data from gene expression analyses involving the bioeroding sponge Cliona varians that harbors Clade G Symbiodinium. Results Patterns of differential gene expression from distinct symbiont states (“normal”, “reinfected”, and “aposymbiotic”) of the sponge host are presented based on two comparative approaches (transcriptome sequencing and suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH)). Transcriptomic profiles were different when reinfected tissue was compared to normal and aposymbiotic tissue. We characterized a set of 40 genes drawn from a pool of differentially expressed genes in “reinfected” tissue compared to “aposymbiotic” tissue via SSH. As proof of concept, we determined whether some of the differentially expressed genes identified above could be monitored in sponges grown under ecologically realistic field conditions. We allowed aposymbiotic sponge tissue to become re-populated by natural pools of Symbiodinium in shallow water flats in the Florida Keys, and we analyzed gene expression profiles for two genes found to be increased in expression in “reinfected” tissue in both the transcriptome and via SSH. These experiments highlighted the experimental tractability of C. varians to explore with precision the genetic events that occur upon establishment of the symbiosis. We briefly discuss lab- and field-based experimental approaches that promise to offer insights into the co-opted genetic networks that may modulate uptake and regulation of Symbiondinium populations in hospite. Conclusions This work provides a sponge transcriptome, and a database of putative genes and genetic pathways that may be involved in Symbiodinium interactions. The relative patterns of gene expression observed in these experiments will need to be evaluated on a gene-by-gene basis in controlled and natural re-infection experiments. We argue that sponges offer particularly useful characteristics for discerning essential dimensions of the Symbiodinium niche. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-376) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Malcolm Hill
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA.
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21
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Burge CA, Mark Eakin C, Friedman CS, Froelich B, Hershberger PK, Hofmann EE, Petes LE, Prager KC, Weil E, Willis BL, Ford SE, Harvell CD. Climate change influences on marine infectious diseases: implications for management and society. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2014; 6:249-77. [PMID: 23808894 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-010213-135029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 262] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are common in marine environments, but the effects of a changing climate on marine pathogens are not well understood. Here we review current knowledge about how the climate drives host-pathogen interactions and infectious disease outbreaks. Climate-related impacts on marine diseases are being documented in corals, shellfish, finfish, and humans; these impacts are less clearly linked for other organisms. Oceans and people are inextricably linked, and marine diseases can both directly and indirectly affect human health, livelihoods, and well-being. We recommend an adaptive management approach to better increase the resilience of ocean systems vulnerable to marine diseases in a changing climate. Land-based management methods of quarantining, culling, and vaccinating are not successful in the ocean; therefore, forecasting conditions that lead to outbreaks and designing tools/approaches to influence these conditions may be the best way to manage marine disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen A Burge
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; , *
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22
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Hobbs JPA, Frisch AJ, Ford BM, Thums M, Saenz-Agudelo P, Furby KA, Berumen ML. Taxonomic, spatial and temporal patterns of bleaching in anemones inhabited by anemonefishes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70966. [PMID: 23951056 PMCID: PMC3738586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rising sea temperatures are causing significant destruction to coral reef ecosystems due to coral mortality from thermally-induced bleaching (loss of symbiotic algae and/or their photosynthetic pigments). Although bleaching has been intensively studied in corals, little is known about the causes and consequences of bleaching in other tropical symbiotic organisms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This study used underwater visual surveys to investigate bleaching in the 10 species of anemones that host anemonefishes. Bleaching was confirmed in seven anemone species (with anecdotal reports of bleaching in the other three species) at 10 of 19 survey locations spanning the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, indicating that anemone bleaching is taxonomically and geographically widespread. In total, bleaching was observed in 490 of the 13,896 surveyed anemones (3.5%); however, this percentage was much higher (19-100%) during five major bleaching events that were associated with periods of elevated water temperatures and coral bleaching. There was considerable spatial variation in anemone bleaching during most of these events, suggesting that certain sites and deeper waters might act as refuges. Susceptibility to bleaching varied between species, and in some species, bleaching caused reductions in size and abundance. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Anemones are long-lived with low natural mortality, which makes them particularly vulnerable to predicted increases in severity and frequency of bleaching events. Population viability will be severely compromised if anemones and their symbionts cannot acclimate or adapt to rising sea temperatures. Anemone bleaching also has negative effects to other species, particularly those that have an obligate relationship with anemones. These effects include reductions in abundance and reproductive output of anemonefishes. Therefore, the future of these iconic and commercially valuable coral reef fishes is inextricably linked to the ability of host anemones to cope with rising sea temperatures associated with climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul A Hobbs
- The Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
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Penin L, Vidal-Dupiol J, Adjeroud M. Response of coral assemblages to thermal stress: are bleaching intensity and spatial patterns consistent between events? ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2013; 185:5031-5042. [PMID: 23054287 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2923-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Mass bleaching events resulting in coral mortality are among the greatest threats to coral reefs, and are projected to increase in frequency and intensity with global warming. Achieving a better understanding of the consistency of the response of coral assemblages to thermal stress, both spatially and temporally, is essential to determine which reefs are more able to tolerate climate change. We compared variations in spatial and taxonomic patterns between two bleaching events at the scale of an island (Moorea Island, French Polynesia). Despite similar thermal stress and light conditions, bleaching intensity was significantly lower in 2007 (approximately 37 % of colonies showed signs of bleaching) than in 2002, when 55 % of the colonies bleached. Variations in the spatial patterns of bleaching intensity were consistent between the two events. Among nine sampling stations at three locations and three depths, the stations at which the bleaching response was lowest in 2002 were those that showed the lowest levels of bleaching in 2007. The taxonomic patterns of susceptibility to bleaching were also consistent between the two events. These findings have important implications for conservation because they indicate that corals are capable of acclimatization and/or adaptation and that, even at small spatial scales, some areas are consistently more susceptible to bleaching than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Penin
- Laboratoire ECOMAR, Faculté des Sciences, Université de La Réunion, BP 7151, 97715 Saint-Denis Cedex 09, Reunion Island, France.
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Goffredo S, Marchini C, Rocchi M, Airi V, Caroselli E, Falini G, Levy O, Dubinsky Z, Zaccanti F. Unusual pattern of embryogenesis of Caryophyllia inornata (scleractinia, caryophylliidae) in the mediterranean sea: Maybe agamic reproduction? J Morphol 2012; 273:943-56. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Revised: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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LaJeunesse TC, Smith RT, Finney J, Oxenford H. Outbreak and persistence of opportunistic symbiotic dinoflagellates during the 2005 Caribbean mass coral 'bleaching' event. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:4139-48. [PMID: 19740874 PMCID: PMC2821356 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2009] [Accepted: 08/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reef corals are sentinels for the adverse effects of rapid global warming on the planet's ecosystems. Warming sea surface temperatures have led to frequent episodes of bleaching and mortality among corals that depend on endosymbiotic micro-algae (Symbiodinium) for their survival. However, our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary response of corals to episodes of thermal stress remains inadequate. For the first time, we describe how the symbioses of major reef-building species in the Caribbean respond to severe thermal stress before, during and after a severe bleaching event. Evidence suggests that background populations of Symbiodinium trenchi (D1a) increased in prevalence and abundance, especially among corals that exhibited high sensitivity to stress. Contrary to previous hypotheses, which posit that a change in symbiont occurs subsequent to bleaching, S. trenchi increased in the weeks leading up to and during the bleaching episode and disproportionately dominated colonies that did not bleach. During the bleaching event, approximately 20 per cent of colonies surveyed harboured this symbiont at high densities (calculated at less than 1.0% only months before bleaching began). However, competitive displacement by homologous symbionts significantly reduced S. trenchi's prevalence and dominance among colonies after a 2-year period following the bleaching event. While the extended duration of thermal stress in 2005 provided an ecological opportunity for a rare host-generalist symbiont, it remains unclear to what extent the rise and fall of S. trenchi was of ecological benefit or whether its increased prevalence was an indicator of weakening coral health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd C LaJeunesse
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Baird AH, Guest JR, Willis BL. Systematic and Biogeographical Patterns in the Reproductive Biology of Scleractinian Corals. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2009. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.110308.120220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 487] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H. Baird
- ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia;
| | - James R. Guest
- Marine Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543;
| | - Bette L. Willis
- ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia;
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia;
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