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Stipcich P, Pansini A, Ceccherelli G. Resistance of Posidonia oceanica seedlings to warming: Investigating the importance of the lag-phase duration between two heat events to thermo-priming. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 204:116515. [PMID: 38796990 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The increase of marine heat waves (MHWs) occurrence is exacerbated in Mediterranean Sea and temperature resilience-enhancing strategies on key species, such as the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, need to be investigated. "Priming" describes a stimulus that prepares an organism for an improved response to upcoming environmental changes by triggering a memory that remains during a lag-phase. The aim of this study, conducted in Sardinia (Italy), was to investigate whether the development of thermo-primed P. oceanica seedlings is affected by a field simulated MHW depending on the duration of the lag-phase. After the thermo-priming stimulus, seedlings had a 0, 7 or 14 days lag-phase and after that, for each lag-phase group, half of the seedlings experienced a simulated MHW (the other half served as controls). Some other seedlings did not experience either the priming stimulus or the lag-phase. Results did not show any evidence of a memory triggered by the priming stimulus, but they highlighted the importance of an acclimation phase before the highest temperature: seedlings that experienced a gradual increase of temperature had a higher number of leaves and shorter leaf necrosis length compared to seedlings that had a lag-phase between two heat events. Regardless the priming stimulus, MHWs slowed down the development of the leaf and root length. Considering the increase of temperature fluctuations, testing different intensities of priming and different length of lag-phase is necessary to provide information about the adaptive success of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Stipcich
- Department of Chemical Physical Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Arianna Pansini
- Department of Chemical Physical Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Giulia Ceccherelli
- Department of Chemical Physical Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy
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2
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Nguyen HM, Hong UVT, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Marín-Guirao L, Pernice M, Procaccini G. Thermo-priming triggers species-specific physiological and transcriptome responses in Mediterranean seagrasses. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 210:108614. [PMID: 38626655 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Heat-priming improves plants' tolerance to a recurring heat stress event. The underlying molecular mechanisms of heat-priming are largely unknown in seagrasses. Here, ad hoc mesocosm experiments were conducted with two Mediterranean seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. Plants were first exposed to heat-priming, followed by a heat-triggering event. A comprehensive assessment of plant stress response across different levels of biological organization was performed at the end of the triggering event. Morphological and physiological results showed an improved response of heat-primed P. oceanica plants while in C. nodosa both heat- and non-primed plants enhanced their growth rates at the end of the triggering event. As resulting from whole transcriptome sequencing, molecular functions related to several cellular compartments and processes were involved in the response to warming of non-primed plants, while the response of heat-primed plants involved a limited group of processes. Our results suggest that seagrasses acquire a primed state during the priming event, that eventually gives plants the ability to induce a more energy-effective response when the thermal stress event recurs. Different species may differ in their ability to perform an improved heat stress response after priming. This study provides pioneer molecular insights into the emerging topic of seagrass stress priming and may benefit future studies in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung Manh Nguyen
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Uyen V T Hong
- La Trobe University, AgriBio Building, Bundoora, 3086, VIC, Australia; Department of Plant Biotechnology & Biotransformation, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 700000, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Seagrass Ecology Group, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), C/Varadero, San Pedro del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy
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3
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Ravaglioli C, De Marchi L, Anselmi S, Dattolo E, Fontanini D, Pretti C, Procaccini G, Rilov G, Renzi M, Silverman J, Bulleri F. Ocean acidification impairs seagrass performance under thermal stress in shallow and deep water. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 241:117629. [PMID: 37967703 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Despite the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on seagrasses have been widely investigated, predictions of seagrass performance under future climates need to consider multiple environmental factors. Here, we performed a mesocosm study to assess the effects of OA on shallow and deep Posidonia oceanica plants. The experiment was run in 2021 and repeated in 2022, a year characterized by a prolonged warm water event, to test how the effects of OA on plants are modulated by thermal stress. The response of P. oceanica to experimental conditions was investigated at different levels of biological organization. Under average seawater temperature, there were no effects of OA in both shallow and deep plants, indicating that P. oceanica is not limited by current inorganic carbon concentration, regardless of light availability. In contrast, under thermal stress, exposure of plants to OA increased lipid peroxidation and decreased photosynthetic performance, with deep plants displaying higher levels of heat stress, as indicated by the over-expression of stress-related genes and the activation of antioxidant systems. In addition, warming reduced plant growth, regardless of seawater CO2 and light levels, suggesting that thermal stress may play a fundamental role in the future development of seagrass meadows. Our results suggest that OA may exacerbate the negative effects of future warming on seagrasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Ravaglioli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Lucia De Marchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università of Pisa, Via Livornese (lato monte), 56122, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Serena Anselmi
- Bioscience Research Center, Via Aurelia Vecchia, 32, 58015, Orbetello, GR, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy.
| | - Debora Fontanini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Carlo Pretti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università of Pisa, Via Livornese (lato monte), 56122, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy; Interuniversity Consortium of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology "G. Bacci" (CIBM), Viale N.Sauro 4, 57128, Livorno, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy.
| | - Gil Rilov
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Monia Renzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita, Università di Trieste, Via Giorgieri, 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Jacob Silverman
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per Lo Studio Degli Effetti Del Cambiamento Climatico (CIRSEC), Università di Pisa, Italy.
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4
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A K P, M M, Rajamanickam S, Sivarethinamohan S, Gaddam MKR, Velusamy P, R G, Ravindiran G, Gurugubelli TR, Muniasamy SK. Impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on aquatic ecosystem - A review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117233. [PMID: 37793591 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
All living things depend on their natural environment, either directly or indirectly, for their high quality of life, growth, nutrition, and development. Due to the fast emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the Earth's climate system is being negatively impacted by global warming. Stresses caused by climate change, such as rising and hotter seas, increased droughts and floods, and acrid waters, threaten the world's most populated areas and aquatic ecosystems. As a result, the aquatic ecosystems of the globe are quickly reaching hazardous conditions. Marine ecosystems are essential parts of the world's environment and provide several benefits to the human population, such as water for drinking and irrigation, leisure activities, and habitat for commercially significant fisheries. Although local human activities have influenced coastal zones for millennia, it is still unclear how these impacts and stresses from climate change may combine to endanger coastal ecosystems. Recent studies have shown that rising levels of greenhouse gases are causing ocean systems to experience conditions not seen in several million years, which may cause profound and irreversible ecological shifts. Ocean productivity has declined, food web dynamics have changed, habitat-forming species are less common, species ranges have changed, and disease prevalence has increased due to human climate change. We provide an outline of the interaction between global warming and the influence of humans along the coastline. This review aims to demonstrate the significance of long-term monitoring, the creation of ecological indicators, and the applications of understanding how aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning respond to global warming. This review discusses the effects of current climate change on marine biological processes both now and in the future, describes present climate change concerning historical change, and considers the potential roles aquatic systems could play in mitigating the effects of global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya A K
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India; Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India.
| | - Muruganandam M
- Project Prioritization, Monitoring & Evaluation and Knowledge Management Unit, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun, India.
| | - Sivarethinamohan Rajamanickam
- Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies (Constituent of Symbiosis International Deemed University), Bengaluru - 560 100, Karnataka, India.
| | - Sujatha Sivarethinamohan
- Department of Civil Engineering, K. Ramakrishnan College of Technology, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, 621 112, India.
| | | | - Priya Velusamy
- Department of Civil Engineering, GMR Institute of Technology, Rajam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
| | - Gomathi R
- Department of Civil Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India.
| | - Gokulan Ravindiran
- Department of Civil Engineering, VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, 500090, Telangana, India.
| | | | - Senthil Kumar Muniasamy
- Department of Biotechnology, Karpaga Vinayaga College of Engineering and Technology, Chengalpattu, 603308, Tamilnadu, India.
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5
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Pansini A, Beca-Carretero P, González MJ, La Manna G, Medina I, Ceccherelli G. Sources of variability in seagrass fatty acid profiles and the need of identifying reliable warming descriptors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10000. [PMID: 37340008 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36498-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Global warming is expected to have inexorable and profound effects on marine ecosystems, particularly in foundation species such as seagrasses. Identifying responses to warming and comparing populations across natural temperature gradients can inform how future warming will impact the structure and function of ecosystems. Here, we investigated how thermal environment, intra-shoot and spatial variability modulate biochemical responses of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Through a space-for-time substitution study, Fatty acid (FA) profiles on the second and fifth leaf of the shoots were quantified at eight sites in Sardinia along a natural sea surface temperature (SST) summer gradient (about 4 °C). Higher mean SST were related to a decrease in the leaf total fatty acid content (LTFA), a reduction in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), omega-3/omega-6 PUFA and PUFA/saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratios and an increase in SFA, monounsaturated fatty acids and carbon elongation index (CEI, C18:2 n-6/C16:2 n-6) ratio. Results also revealed that FA profiles were strongly influenced by leaf age, independently of SST and spatial variability within sites. Overall, this study evidenced that the sensitive response of P. oceanica FA profiles to intra-shoot and spatial variability must not be overlooked when considering their response to temperature changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Pansini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche Fisiche Matematiche e Naturali, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
| | - Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Maria J González
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Gabriella La Manna
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche Fisiche Matematiche e Naturali, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100, Sassari, Italy
- MareTerra Onlus, Environmental Research and Conservation, 07041, Alghero, SS, Italy
| | - Isabel Medina
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Giulia Ceccherelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche Fisiche Matematiche e Naturali, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100, Sassari, Italy
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6
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Patrizia S, Vasilis R, Giulia C. Experimental thermocline deepening highlights the resilience of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica: An opportunity to investigate shoot adaptability. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 189:114824. [PMID: 36931153 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The deepening of the thermocline, correlated to the rising temperature, can contribute affecting seagrass performance in a changing climate scenario. Here, the effect of the thermocline deepening on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica has been investigated in Cyprus through a manipulative experiment that allowed also testing the effects of the irradiance, origin depth and translocation. P. oceanica shoots were collected from 31 m of depth and transplanted at 12 m under a shading net, simulating the 31 m light conditions. Morphology (i.e. leaf area, leaf necrosis, number of leaves) and physiology (i.e. growth rate) were evaluated. Thermocline and origin depth effects were found with an increase of leaf necrosis, while a translocation effect was highlighted by a decrease in leaf area. No differences in shoot growth rate due to treatments were found. This experiment indicated an overall wide morphological and physiological acclimation of P. oceanica cuttings in coping with future thermocline conditions and it indirectly provides information for restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stipcich Patrizia
- Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
| | - Resaikos Vasilis
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre (ENALIA), Acropoleos St. 2, Aglanjia 101, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ceccherelli Giulia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche Fisiche Matematiche e Naturali, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
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7
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De novo assembly and annotation of the transcriptome of the endangered seagrass Zostera capensis: Insights from differential gene expression under thermal stress. Mar Genomics 2022; 66:100984. [PMID: 36116404 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2022.100984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Seagrasses are important marine ecosystem engineers but anthropogenic impacts and climate change have led to numerous population declines globally. In South Africa, Zostera capensis is endangered due to fragmented populations and heavy anthropogenic pressures on estuarine ecosystems that house the core of the populations. Addressing questions of how pressures such as climate change affect foundational species, including Z. capensis are crucial to supporting their conservation and underpin restoration efforts. Here we use ecological transcriptomics to study key functional responses of Z. capensis through quantification of gene expression after thermal stress and present the first reference transcriptome of Z. capensis. Four de novo reference assemblies (Trinity, IDBA-tran, RNAspades, SOAPdenovo) filtered through the EvidentialGene pipeline resulted in 153,755 transcripts with a BUSCO score of 66.1% for completeness. Differential expression analysis between heat stressed (32 °C for three days) and pre-warming plants identified genes involved in photosynthesis, oxidative stress, translation, metabolic and biosynthetic processes in the Z. capensis thermal stress response. This reference transcriptome is a significant contribution to the limited available genomic resources for Z. capensis and represents a vital tool for addressing questions around the species restoration and potential functional responses to warming marine environments.
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8
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Xu S, Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Xu S, Yue S, Liu M, Zhang X. Warming northward shifting southern limits of the iconic temperate seagrass (Zostera marina). iScience 2022; 25:104755. [PMID: 35958026 PMCID: PMC9357840 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming can shift the range edges of numerous species poleward. Here, eelgrass distribution was reinvestigated at its southern limits on the eastern coast of China, which indicated that there has been a northward shift in the southern limit of Z. marina. To determine if regional warming resulted in a northward shift in suitable eelgrass habitats, sixteen transplantations of adult eelgrass shoots and seeds at the historical southern distribution limit of eelgrass were conducted between 2016 and 2021. The results showed that high water temperatures in summer had negative effects on eelgrass growth, and directly triggered shoot mortality during 2016–2018. Under heat stress, antioxidant enzyme activity was initially increased, but then decreased under more stressful heat conditions; and the HSP70 protein and its molecular chaperone protein were highly expressed under heat stress. These results demonstrated that suitable eelgrass habitat was now located further north along the eastern coast of China. High temperatures trigger seagrass (Zostera marina L.) restoration failure None seedlings and adult shoots survived the first or second summer Over-summering shoots with lower density, height, and rhizome diameter Warming northward shifting eelgrass habitat range along the eastern coast of China
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaochun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Qingdao 266071, China
- Corresponding author
| | - Shuai Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shidong Yue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingjie Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaomei Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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9
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Pazzaglia J, Santillán-Sarmiento A, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Ambrosino L, Marín-Guirao L, Procaccini G. Local environment modulates whole-transcriptome expression in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica under warming and nutrients excess. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 303:119077. [PMID: 35276251 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The intensification of anomalous events of seawater warming and the co-occurrence with local anthropogenic stressors are threatening coastal marine habitats, including seagrasses, which form extensive underwater meadows. Eutrophication highly affects coastal environments, potentially summing up to the widespread effects of global climate changes. In the present study, we investigated for the first time in seagrasses, the transcriptional response of different plant organs (i.e., leaf and shoot apical meristem, SAM) of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica growing in environments with a different history of nutrient enrichment. To this end, a mesocosm experiment exposing plants to single (nutrient enrichment or temperature increase) and multiple stressors (nutrient enrichment plus temperature increase), was performed. Results revealed a differential transcriptome regulation of plants under single and multiple stressors, showing an organ-specific sensitivity depending on plants' origin. While leaf tissues were more responsive to nutrient stress, SAM revealed a higher sensitivity to temperature treatments, especially in plants already impacted in their native environment. The exposure to stress conditions induced the modulation of different biological processes. Plants living in an oligotrophic environment were more responsive to nutrients compared to plants from a eutrophic environment. Evidences that epigenetic mechanisms were involved in the regulation of transcriptional reprogramming were also observed in both plants' organs. These results represent a further step in the comprehension of seagrass response to abiotic stressors pointing out the importance of local pressures in a global warming scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alex Santillán-Sarmiento
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Faculty of Engineering, National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Ambrosino
- Department of Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Lazaro Marín-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy.
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10
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Ruiz-Montoya L, Sandoval-Gil JM, Belando-Torrentes MD, Vivanco-Bercovich M, Cabello-Pasini A, Rangel-Mendoza LK, Maldonado-Gutiérrez A, Ferrerira-Arrieta A, Guzmán-Calderón JM. Ecophysiological responses and self-protective canopy effects of surfgrass (Phyllospadix torreyi) in the intertidal. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 172:105501. [PMID: 34656017 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Intertidal seagrasses are subjected to desiccation and direct solar radiation during low tides. It is assumed that the canopy structure can self-protect the underlying shoots during these events, although there is no evidence on a physiological basis. The physiological responses of the surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi were examined when emerged during low tide, on i) shoots overlaying the canopy, and ii) shoots sheltered within the canopy. Leaf water potential and water content decreased in external leaves after emersion, and the higher concentration of organic osmolytes reflected osmoregulation. Additionally, these shoots also exhibited a drastic reduction in carbohydrates after re-immersion, likely from cellular damage. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity increments were also detected, while photosynthetic efficiency strongly diminished from direct exposure to solar radiation. Conversely, the sheltered shoots did not dehydrate and solely accumulated some oxidative stress, likely resulting from the warming of the canopy. In conclusion, the leaf canopy structure buffers physiological stress in the sheltered shoots, thus acting as a self-protective mechanism to cope with emersion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Ruiz-Montoya
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Jose Miguel Sandoval-Gil
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
| | | | - Manuel Vivanco-Bercovich
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Cabello-Pasini
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Laura Karina Rangel-Mendoza
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Maldonado-Gutiérrez
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Ferrerira-Arrieta
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Jose Manuel Guzmán-Calderón
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
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11
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Pansini A, La Manna G, Pinna F, Stipcich P, Ceccherelli G. Trait gradients inform predictions of seagrass meadows changes to future warming. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18107. [PMID: 34518602 PMCID: PMC8438026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97611-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparing populations across temperature gradients can inform how global warming will impact the structure and function of ecosystems. Shoot density, morphometry and productivity of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to temperature variation was quantified at eight locations in Sardinia (western Mediterranean Sea) along a natural sea surface temperature (SST) gradient. The locations are spanned for a narrow range of latitude (1.5°), allowing the minimization of the effect of eventual photoperiod variability. Mean SST predicted P. oceanica meadow structure, with increased temperature correlated with higher shoot density, but lower leaf and rhizome width, and rhizome biomass. Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) strongly impacted seagrass traits independent of SST. Disentangling the effects of SST and Chl-a on seagrass meadow shoot density revealed that they work independently, but in the same direction with potential synergism. Space-for-time substitution predicts that global warming will trigger denser seagrass meadows with slender shoots, fewer leaves, and strongly impact seagrass ecosystem. Future investigations should evaluate if global warming will erode the ecosystem services provided by seagrass meadows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Pansini
- grid.11450.310000 0001 2097 9138Dipartimento di Architettura, Design, Urbanistica, Università di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Gabriella La Manna
- MareTerra Onlus-Environmental Research and Conservation, Regione Sa Londra 9, 07041 Alghero, Italy
| | - Federico Pinna
- grid.11450.310000 0001 2097 9138Dipartimento di Architettura, Design, Urbanistica, Università di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Patrizia Stipcich
- grid.11450.310000 0001 2097 9138Dipartimento di Architettura, Design, Urbanistica, Università di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Giulia Ceccherelli
- grid.11450.310000 0001 2097 9138Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia, Università di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
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12
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Sensitivity of Photosynthesis to Warming in Two Similar Species of the Aquatic Angiosperm Ruppia from Tropical and Temperate Habitats. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13169433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Climate change-related events, such as marine heatwaves, are increasing seawater temperatures, thereby putting pressure on marine biota. The cosmopolitan distribution and significant contribution to marine primary production by the genus Ruppia makes them interesting organisms to study thermal tolerance and local adaptation. In this study, we investigated the photosynthetic responses in Ruppia to the predicted future warming in two contrasting bioregions, temperate Sweden and tropical Thailand. Through DNA barcoding, specimens were determined to Ruppia cirrhosa for Sweden and Ruppia maritima for Thailand. Photosynthetic responses were assessed using pulse amplitude-modulated fluorometry, firstly in short time incubations at 18, 23, 28, and 33 °C in the Swedish set-up and 28, 33, 38, and 43 °C in the Thai set-up. Subsequent experiments were conducted to compare the short time effects to longer, five-day incubations in 28 °C for Swedish plants and 40 °C for Thai plants. Swedish R. cirrhosa displayed minor response, while Thai R. maritima was more sensitive to both direct and prolonged temperature stress with a drastic decrease in the photosynthetic parameters leading to mortality. The results indicate that in predicted warming scenarios, Swedish R. cirrhosa may sustain an efficient photosynthesis and potentially outcompete more heat-sensitive species. However, populations of the similar R. maritima in tropical environments may suffer a decline as their productivity will be highly reduced.
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13
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Entrambasaguas L, Ruocco M, Verhoeven KJF, Procaccini G, Marín-Guirao L. Gene body DNA methylation in seagrasses: inter- and intraspecific differences and interaction with transcriptome plasticity under heat stress. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14343. [PMID: 34253765 PMCID: PMC8275578 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93606-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of DNA methylation and its interaction with gene expression and transcriptome plasticity is poorly understood, and current insight comes mainly from studies in very few model plant species. Here, we study gene body DNA methylation (gbM) and gene expression patterns in ecotypes from contrasting thermal environments of two marine plants with contrasting life history strategies in order to explore the potential role epigenetic mechanisms could play in gene plasticity and responsiveness to heat stress. In silico transcriptome analysis of CpGO/E ratios suggested that the bulk of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa genes possess high levels of intragenic methylation. We also observed a correlation between gbM and gene expression flexibility: genes with low DNA methylation tend to show flexible gene expression and plasticity under changing conditions. Furthermore, the empirical determination of global DNA methylation (5-mC) showed patterns of intra and inter-specific divergence that suggests a link between methylation level and the plants' latitude of origin and life history. Although we cannot discern whether gbM regulates gene expression or vice versa, or if other molecular mechanisms play a role in facilitating transcriptome responsiveness, our findings point to the existence of a relationship between gene responsiveness and gbM patterns in marine plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Entrambasaguas
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Koen J F Verhoeven
- Terrestrial Ecology Department, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Lazaro Marín-Guirao
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/Varadero, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
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14
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Nguyen HM, Ralph PJ, Marín-Guirao L, Pernice M, Procaccini G. Seagrasses in an era of ocean warming: a review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2009-2030. [PMID: 34014018 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Seagrasses are valuable sources of food and habitat for marine life and are one of Earth's most efficient carbon sinks. However, they are facing a global decline due to ocean warming and eutrophication. In the last decade, with the advent of new technology and molecular advances, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of studies focusing on the effects of ocean warming on seagrasses. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the future of seagrasses in an era of ocean warming. We have gathered information from published studies to identify potential commonalities in the effects of warming and the responses of seagrasses across four distinct levels: molecular, biochemical/physiological, morphological/population, and ecosystem/planetary. To date, we know that although warming strongly affects seagrasses at all four levels, seagrass responses diverge amongst species, populations, and over depths. Furthermore, warming alters seagrass distribution causing massive die-offs in some seagrass populations, whilst also causing tropicalization and migration of temperate species. In this review, we evaluate the combined effects of ocean warming with other environmental stressors and emphasize the need for multiple-stressor studies to provide a deeper understanding of seagrass resilience. We conclude by discussing the most significant knowledge gaps and future directions for seagrass research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung Manh Nguyen
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, 80121, Italy
| | - Peter J Ralph
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, 80121, Italy.,Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Centre of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/Varadero, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, 30740, Spain
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
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15
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Pazzaglia J, Reusch TBH, Terlizzi A, Marín‐Guirao L, Procaccini G. Phenotypic plasticity under rapid global changes: The intrinsic force for future seagrasses survival. Evol Appl 2021; 14:1181-1201. [PMID: 34025759 PMCID: PMC8127715 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal oceans are particularly affected by rapid and extreme environmental changes with dramatic consequences for the entire ecosystem. Seagrasses are key ecosystem engineering or foundation species supporting diverse and productive ecosystems along the coastline that are particularly susceptible to fast environmental changes. In this context, the analysis of phenotypic plasticity could reveal important insights into seagrasses persistence, as it represents an individual property that allows species' phenotypes to accommodate and react to fast environmental changes and stress. Many studies have provided different definitions of plasticity and related processes (acclimation and adaptation) resulting in a variety of associated terminology. Here, we review different ways to define phenotypic plasticity with particular reference to seagrass responses to single and multiple stressors. We relate plasticity to the shape of reaction norms, resulting from genotype by environment interactions, and examine its role in the presence of environmental shifts. The potential role of genetic and epigenetic changes in underlying seagrasses plasticity in face of environmental changes is also discussed. Different approaches aimed to assess local acclimation and adaptation in seagrasses are explored, explaining strengths and weaknesses based on the main results obtained from the most recent literature. We conclude that the implemented experimental approaches, whether performed with controlled or field experiments, provide new insights to explore the basis of plasticity in seagrasses. However, an improvement of molecular analysis and the application of multi-factorial experiments are required to better explore genetic and epigenetic adjustments to rapid environmental shifts. These considerations revealed the potential for selecting the best phenotypes to promote assisted evolution with fundamental implications on restoration and preservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Thorsten B. H. Reusch
- Marine Evolutionary EcologyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielKielGermany
| | - Antonio Terlizzi
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine OrganismsStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
| | - Lázaro Marín‐Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
- Seagrass Ecology GroupOceanographic Center of MurciaSpanish Institute of OceanographyMurciaSpain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
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16
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The Genetic Component of Seagrass Restoration: What We Know and the Way Forwards. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13060829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Seagrasses are marine flowering plants providing key ecological services and functions in coasts and estuaries across the globe. Increased environmental changes fueled by human activities are affecting their existence, compromising natural habitats and ecosystems’ biodiversity and functioning. In this context, restoration of disturbed seagrass environments has become a worldwide priority to reverse ecosystem degradation and to recover ecosystem functionality and associated services. Despite the proven importance of genetic research to perform successful restoration projects, this aspect has often been overlooked in seagrass restoration. Here, we aimed to provide a comprehensive perspective of genetic aspects related to seagrass restoration. To this end, we first reviewed the importance of studying the genetic diversity and population structure of target seagrass populations; then, we discussed the pros and cons of different approaches used to restore and/or reinforce degraded populations. In general, the collection of genetic information and the development of connectivity maps are critical steps for any seagrass restoration activity. Traditionally, the selection of donor population preferred the use of local gene pools, thought to be the best adapted to current conditions. However, in the face of rapid ocean changes, alternative approaches such as the use of climate-adjusted or admixture genotypes might provide more sustainable options to secure the survival of restored meadows. Also, we discussed different transplantation strategies applied in seagrasses and emphasized the importance of long-term seagrass monitoring in restoration. The newly developed information on epigenetics as well as the application of assisted evolution strategies were also explored. Finally, a view of legal and ethical issues related to national and international restoration management is included, highlighting improvements and potential new directions to integrate with the genetic assessment. We concluded that a good restoration effort should incorporate: (1) a good understanding of the genetic structure of both donors and populations being restored; (2) the analysis of local environmental conditions and disturbances that affect the site to be restored; (3) the analysis of local adaptation constraints influencing the performances of donor populations and native plants; (4) the integration of distribution/connectivity maps with genetic information and environmental factors relative to the target seagrass populations; (5) the planning of long-term monitoring programs to assess the performance of the restored populations. The inclusion of epigenetic knowledge and the development of assisted evolution programs are strongly hoped for the future.
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17
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Ontoria Y, Webster C, Said N, Ruiz JM, Pérez M, Romero J, McMahon K. Positive effects of high salinity can buffer the negative effects of experimental warming on functional traits of the seagrass Halophila ovalis. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 158:111404. [PMID: 32753189 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Coastal ecosystems, and especially estuaries, are subject to environmental fluctuations that can be amplified by anthropogenic changes. Under a future scenario of global warming, temperature and salinity are likely to be altered and the persistence of macrophyte-dominated ecosystems can be compromised, particularly native or local seagrass communities. This study examined the response of the local seagrass Halophila ovalis to the joint effect of a short-term salinity increase and a transient temperature stress, through two mesocosm experiments. Warming caused a decline in Fv/Fm, TNC content in leaves and plant growth, and increased dark respiration, revealing clear detrimental symptoms of heat stress on plant metabolism and performance. Salinity increase in isolation favoured ramet survival. However, in combination with warming, salinity had a positive effect on Gross Pmax. This suggests that increased salinities might dampen the negative effects of high temperatures, buffering, to some extent, the impact of global warming in temperate estuaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Ontoria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - C Webster
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - N Said
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - J M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/Varadero 1, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - M Pérez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Romero
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - K McMahon
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
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18
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Sánchez-Barredo M, Sandoval-Gil JM, Zertuche-González JA, Ladah LB, Belando-Torrentes MD, Beas-Luna R, Cabello-Pasini A. Effects of Heat Waves and Light Deprivation on Giant Kelp Juveniles (Macrocystis pyrifera, Laminariales, Phaeophyceae). JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2020; 56:880-894. [PMID: 32282942 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Due to climate change, the incidence of marine heat waves (MHWs) has increased, yet their effects on seaweeds are still not well understood. Adult sporophytes of Macrocystis pyrifera, the species forming the iconic giant kelp forests, can be negatively affected by thermal stress and associated environmental factors (e.g., nutrient depletion, light deprivation); however, little is known about the tolerance/vulnerability of juvenile sporophytes. Simultaneously to MHWs, juveniles can be subjected to light limitation for extended periods of time (days-weeks) due to factors causing turbidity, or even because of shading by understory canopy-forming seaweeds. This study evaluated the effects of a simulated MHW (24°C, 7 d) in combination (or not) with light deprivation, on the photosynthetic capacities, nutrient uptake, and tissue composition, as well as oxidative stress descriptors of M. pyrifera juvenile sporophytes (single blade stage, up to 20 cm length). Maximum quantum yield (Fv /Fm ) decreased in juveniles under light at 24°C, likely reflecting some damage on the photosynthetic apparatus or dynamic photoinhibition; however, no other sign of physiological alteration was found in this treatment (i.e., pigments, nutrient reserves and uptake, oxidative stress). Photosynthetic capacities were maintained or even enhanced in plants under light deprivation, likely supported by photoacclimation (pigments increment); by contrast, nitrate uptake and internal storage of carbohydrates were strongly reduced, regardless of temperature. This study indicated that light limitation can be more detrimental to juvenile survival, and therefore recruitment success of M. pyrifera forests, than episodic thermal stress from MHWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Sánchez-Barredo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Jose Miguel Sandoval-Gil
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | | | - Lydia B Ladah
- Department of Biological Oceanography, CICESE, Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | | | - Rodrigo Beas-Luna
- Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Alejandro Cabello-Pasini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, México
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19
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Guerrero-Meseguer L, Marín A, Sanz-Lázaro C. Heat wave intensity can vary the cumulative effects of multiple environmental stressors on Posidonia oceanica seedlings. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 159:105001. [PMID: 32662435 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is introducing new stressors into already stressed ecosystems. Among these, extreme events such as heat waves play a crucial role in determining the structure of ecosystems. We tested single and combined effects of overgrazing, burial and heat waves on the seedlings of the habitat-forming species Posidonia oceanica. At current heat wave temperatures, overgrazing in isolation had more deleterious effects than seed burial, and effects were synergistic and additive when both factors co-occurred. The combined effect of overgrazing and seed burial with current heat waves could hamper P. oceanica seedling development, with similar or even higher levels than the sole effect of heat waves in the near future (29 °C). The effects of overgrazing and seed burial are expected to be overridden if heat waves temperatures exceed 29 °C. These results suggest that co-occurring environmental stressors, in combination with current heat waves, could compromise the sexual recruitment of this seagrass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Guerrero-Meseguer
- Departamento de Ecología e Hidrología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia. Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Campo Alegre s/n, 4150-181, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Arnaldo Marín
- Departamento de Ecología e Hidrología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia. Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Carlos Sanz-Lázaro
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, P.O. Box 99, E-03080, Alicante, Spain; Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES), Universidad de Alicante, P.O. Box 99, E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
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20
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Nguyen HM, Kim M, Ralph PJ, Marín-Guirao L, Pernice M, Procaccini G. Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:494. [PMID: 32411166 PMCID: PMC7199800 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
While thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hemisphere, climax species Posidonia australis and pioneer species Zostera muelleri, to acquire thermal-stress memory to better survive successive stressful thermal events. To this end, a two-heatwave experimental design was conducted in a mesocosm setup. Findings across levels of biological organization including the molecular (gene expression), physiological (photosynthetic performances and pigments content) and organismal (growth) levels provided the first evidence of thermal priming in seagrasses. Non-preheated plants suffered a significant reduction in photosynthetic capacity, leaf growth and chlorophyll a content, while preheated plants were able to cope better with the recurrent stressful event. Gene expression results demonstrated significant regulation of methylation-related genes in response to thermal stress, suggesting that epigenetic modifications could play a central role in seagrass thermal stress memory. In addition, we revealed some interspecific differences in thermal responses between the two different functional types of seagrass species. These results provide the first insights into thermal priming and relative epigenetic modifications in seagrasses paving the way for more comprehensive forecasting and management of thermal stress in these marine foundation species in an era of rapid environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mikael Kim
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | - Peter J. Ralph
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
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21
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Low Long Terminal Repeat (LTR)-Retrotransposon Expression in Leaves of the Marine Phanerogam Posidonia Oceanica L. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10030030. [PMID: 32213979 PMCID: PMC7151569 DOI: 10.3390/life10030030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Seagrasses as Posidonia oceanica reproduce mostly by vegetative propagation, which can reduce genetic variability within populations. Since, in clonally propagated species, insurgence of genetic variability can be determined by the activity of transposable elements, we have estimated the activity of such repeat elements by measuring their expression level in the leaves of plants from a Mediterranean site, for which Illumina complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence reads (produced from RNAs isolated by leaves of plants from deep and shallow meadows) were publicly available. Firstly, we produced a collection of retrotransposon-related sequences and then mapped Illumina cDNA reads onto these sequences. With this approach, it was evident that Posidonia retrotransposons are, in general, barely expressed; only nine elements resulted transcribed at levels comparable with those of reference genes encoding tubulins and actins. Differences in transcript abundance were observed according to the superfamily and the lineage to which the retrotransposons belonged. Only small differences were observed between retrotransposon expression levels in leaves of shallow and deep Posidonia meadow stands, whereas one TAR/Tork element resulted differentially expressed in deep plants exposed to heat. It can be concluded that, in P. oceanica, the contribution of retrotransposon activity to genetic variability is reduced, although the nine specific active elements could actually produce new structural variations.
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Shah Mohammadi N, Buapet P, Pernice M, Signal B, Kahlke T, Hardke L, Ralph PJ. Transcriptome profiling analysis of the seagrass, Zostera muelleri under copper stress. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 149:110556. [PMID: 31546108 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Copper (Cu) in an essential trace metal but it can also contaminate coastal waters at high concentrations mainly from agricultural run-off and mining activities which are detrimental to marine organisms including seagrasses. The molecular mechanisms driving Cu toxicity in seagrasses are not clearly understood yet. Here, we investigated the molecular responses of the Australian seagrass, Z. muelleri at the whole transcriptomic level after 7 days of exposure to 250 μg Cu L-1 and 500 μg Cu L-1. The leaf-specific whole transcriptome results showed a concentration-dependent disturbance in chloroplast function, regulatory stress responses and defense mechanisms. This study provided new insights into the responses of seagrasses to trace metal stress and reports possible candidate genes which can be considered as biomarkers to improve conservation and management of seagrass meadows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasim Shah Mohammadi
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Climate Change Cluster (C3), Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Pimchanok Buapet
- Plant Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand; Coastal Oceanography and Climate Change Research Center, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Climate Change Cluster (C3), Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Bethany Signal
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Climate Change Cluster (C3), Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Tim Kahlke
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Climate Change Cluster (C3), Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Leo Hardke
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Peter J Ralph
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Climate Change Cluster (C3), Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
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23
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Ruocco M, De Luca P, Marín-Guirao L, Procaccini G. Differential Leaf Age-Dependent Thermal Plasticity in the Keystone Seagrass Posidonia oceanica. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1556. [PMID: 31850036 PMCID: PMC6900526 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Gene-expression patterns and their upstream regulatory mechanisms (e.g. epigenetic) are known to modulate plant acclimatability and thus tolerance to heat stress. Within species, thermal plasticity (i.e. temperature-sensitive phenotypic plasticity) and differential thermo-tolerance are recognized among different genotypes, development stages, organs or tissues. Leaf age and lifespan have been demonstrated to strongly affect photosynthetic thermo-tolerance in terrestrial species, whereas there is no information available for marine plants. Materials and Methods: Here, we investigated how an intense warming event affects molecular and photo-physiological functions in the large-sized seagrass Posidonia oceanica, at fine spatial resolution. Plants were exposed for one week at 34°C in a controlled-mesocosm system. Subsequent variations in the expression of 12 target genes and global DNA methylation level were evaluated in three leaf-age sections (i.e. basal, medium and high) established along the longitudinal axis of youngest, young and fully mature leaves of the shoot. Targeted genes were involved in photosynthesis, chlorophyll biosynthesis, energy dissipation mechanisms, stress response and programmed cell death. Molecular analyses paralleled the assessment of pigment content and photosynthetic performance of the same leaf segments, as well as of plant growth inhibition under acute warming. Results: Our data revealed, for the first time, the presence of variable leaf age-dependent stress-induced epigenetic and gene-expression changes in seagrasses, underlying photo-physiological and growth responses to heat stress. An investment in protective responses and growth arrest was observed in immature tissues; while mature leaf sections displayed a higher ability to offset gene down-regulation, possibly through the involvement of DNA methylation changes, although heat-induced damages were visible at photo-physiological level. Discussion: Overall, mature and young leaf tissues exhibited different strategies to withstand heat stress and thus a variable thermal plasticity. This should be taken in consideration when addressing seagrass response to warming and other stressors, especially in large-sized species, where sharp age differences are present within and among leaves, and other gradients of environmental factors (e.g. light) could be at play. Molecular and physiological evaluations conducted only on adult leaf tissues, as common practice in seagrass research, could give inadequate estimates of the overall plant state, and should not be considered as a proxy for the whole shoot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Ruocco
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale De Luca
- Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
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24
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He Q, Silliman BR. Climate Change, Human Impacts, and Coastal Ecosystems in the Anthropocene. Curr Biol 2019; 29:R1021-R1035. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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25
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Ontoria Y, Cuesta-Gracia A, Ruiz JM, Romero J, Pérez M. The negative effects of short-term extreme thermal events on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica are exacerbated by ammonium additions. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222798. [PMID: 31536606 PMCID: PMC6752784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Global warming is increasingly affecting our biosphere. However, in addition to global warming, a panoply of local stressors caused by human activities is having a profound impact on our environment. The risk that these local stressors could modify the response of organisms to global warming has attracted interest and fostered research on their combined effect, especially with a view to identifying potential synergies. In coastal areas, where human activities are heavily concentrated, this scenario is particularly worrying, especially for foundation species such as seagrasses. In this study we explore these potential interactions in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. This species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It is well known that the Mediterranean is already experiencing the effects of global warming, especially in the form of heat waves, whose frequency and intensity are expected to increase in the coming decades. Moreover, this species is especially sensitive to stress and plays a key role as a foundation species. The aim of this work is thus to evaluate plant responses (in terms of photosynthetic efficiency and growth) to the combined effects of short-term temperature increases and ammonium additions.To achieve this, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in which plants were exposed to three thermal treatments (20°C, 30°C and 35°C) and three ammonium concentrations (ambient, 30 μM and 120 μM) in a full factorial experiment. We assessed plant performance by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence variables (maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΔF/Fm'), maximum electron transport rate (ETRmax) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ)), shoot growth rate and leaf necrosis incidence. At ambient ammonium concentrations, P. oceanica tolerates short-term temperature increases up to 30°C. However, at 35°C, the plant loses functionality as indicated by a decrease in photosynthetic performance, an inhibition of plant growth and an increase of the necrosis incidence in leaves. On the other hand, ammonium additions at control temperatures showed only a minor effect on seagrass performance. However, the combined effects of warming and ammonium were much worse than those of each stressor in isolation, given that photosynthetic parameters and, above all, leaf growth were affected. This serves as a warning that the impact of global warming could be even worse than expected (based on temperature-only approaches) in environments that are already subject to eutrophication, especially in persistent seagrass species living in oligotrophic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaiza Ontoria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Ainhoa Cuesta-Gracia
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M. Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Centre of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Pérez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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26
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Hou L, Zhang A, Wang R, Zhao P, Zhang D, Jiang Y, Diddugodage CJ, Wang X, Ni Z, Xu S. Brassinosteroid Regulates Root Development with Highly Redundant Genes in Hexaploid Wheat. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 60:1761-1777. [PMID: 31099397 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcz088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Brassinosteroid (BR) plays an important role in plant development and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, but its specific function remains largely unknown in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), preventing its utilization in this important crop. In this study, the function of BR and its underlying cytological role in wheat root development were comprehensively investigated. Our findings demonstrated that BR has a conserved function in regulating root length in wheat, and novel roles in regulating lateral root emergence and root diameter were uncovered. Analyses of BR homologous gene composition and evolutionary divergence demonstrated that the genetic framework of the wheat BR pathway was close to that of rice, but contained highly redundant homologous copies of genes from the subgenome A, B and D. These homologous copies showed active expression and shared a conserved BR response. The expression of wheat DWF4 and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) genes in Arabidopsis confirmed that multiple homologous copies maintained their conserved function in regulating root development, highlighting their redundant status and indicating that a special challenge exists in wheat gene modification to deal with this high redundancy. However, our results suggested that the hypermorphic effect of T. aestivum GSK (TaGSK) genes with point mutations may be an effective approach to overcome this redundancy in the manipulation of BR signaling in wheat. Our study provides fundamental data uncovering the function of BR in wheat root development, the underlying genetic basis and a possible strategy to manipulate BR signaling in hexaploid wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijiang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Aihua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ruochen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dongzhi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yujie Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chamila Jeewani Diddugodage
- Grain Legumes and Oil Crops Research and Development Centre, Department of Agriculture, Angunakolapelessa, Sri Lanka
| | - Xiaoming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhongfu Ni
- China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shengbao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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27
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Marín-Guirao L, Entrambasaguas L, Ruiz JM, Procaccini G. Heat-stress induced flowering can be a potential adaptive response to ocean warming for the iconic seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2486-2501. [PMID: 30938465 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea is particularly vulnerable to warming and the abrupt declines experienced by the endemic Posidonia oceanica populations after recent heatwaves have forecasted severe consequences for the ecological functions and socio-economical services this habitat forming species provides. Nevertheless, this highly clonal and long-lived species could be more resilient to warming than commonly thought since heat-sensitive plants massively bloomed after a simulated heatwave, which provides the species with an opportunity to adapt to climate change. Taking advantage of this unexpected plant response, we investigated for the first time the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in seagrass flowering through the transcriptomic analysis of bloomed plants. We also aimed to identify if flowering is a stress-induced response as suggested from the fact that heat-sensitive but not heat-tolerant plants flowered. The transcriptomic profiles of flowered plants showed a strong metabolic activation of sugars and hormones and indications of an active transport of these solutes within the plant, most likely to induce flower initiation in the apical meristem. Preflowered plants also activated numerous epigenetic-related genes commonly used by plants to regulate the expression of key floral genes and stress-tolerance genes, which could be interpreted as a mechanism to survive and optimize reproductive success under stress conditions. Furthermore, these plants provided numerous molecular clues suggesting that the factor responsible for the massive flowering of plants from cold environments (heat-sensitive) can be considered as a stress. Heat-stress induced flowering may thus be regarded as an ultimate response to survive extreme warming events with potential adaptive consequences for the species. Fitness implications of this unexpected stress-response and the potential consequences on the phenotypic plasticity (acclimation) and evolutionary (adaptation) opportunity of the species to ocean warming are finally discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
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28
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Marín-Guirao L, Bernardeau-Esteller J, García-Muñoz R, Ramos A, Ontoria Y, Romero J, Pérez M, Ruiz JM, Procaccini G. Carbon economy of Mediterranean seagrasses in response to thermal stress. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 135:617-629. [PMID: 30301080 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Increased plant mortality in temperate seagrass populations has been recently observed after summer heatwaves, although the underlying causes of plant death are yet unknown. The potential energetic constrains resulting from anomalous thermal events could be the reason that triggered seagrass mortality, as demonstrated for benthic invertebrates. To test this hypothesis, the carbon balance of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa plants from contrasting thermal environments was investigated during a simulated heatwave, by analyzing their photosynthetic performance, carbon balance (ratio photosynthesis:respiration), carbohydrates content, growth and mortality. Both species were able to overcome and recover from the thermal stress produced by the six-week exposure to temperatures 4 °C above mean summer levels, albeit plants from cold waters were more sensitive to warming than plants from warm waters as reflected by their inability to maintain their P:R ratio unaltered. The strategies through which plants tend to preserve their energetic status varied depending on the biology of the species and the thermal origin of plants. These included respiratory homeostasis (P. oceanica warm-plants), carbon diversion from growth to respiration (C. nodosa cold-plants) or storage (P. oceanica warm-plants) and changes in biomass allocation (C. nodosa warm-plants). Findings suggest an important geographic heterogeneity in the overall response of Mediterranean seagrasses to warming with potential negative impacts on the functions and services offered by seagrass meadows including among others their capacity for carbon sequestration and carbon export to adjacent ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Marín-Guirao
- Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
| | - J Bernardeau-Esteller
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography C/Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - R García-Muñoz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography C/Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - A Ramos
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography C/Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Y Ontoria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Romero
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Pérez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography C/Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - G Procaccini
- Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
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29
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Bulleri F, Eriksson BK, Queirós A, Airoldi L, Arenas F, Arvanitidis C, Bouma TJ, Crowe TP, Davoult D, Guizien K, Iveša L, Jenkins SR, Michalet R, Olabarria C, Procaccini G, Serrão EA, Wahl M, Benedetti-Cecchi L. Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2006852. [PMID: 30180154 PMCID: PMC6138402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat-forming species sustain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in harsh environments through the amelioration of physical stress. Nonetheless, their role in shaping patterns of species distribution under future climate scenarios is generally overlooked. Focusing on coastal systems, we assess how habitat-forming species can influence the ability of stress-sensitive species to exhibit plastic responses, adapt to novel environmental conditions, or track suitable climates. Here, we argue that habitat-former populations could be managed as a nature-based solution against climate-driven loss of biodiversity. Drawing from different ecological and biological disciplines, we identify a series of actions to sustain the resilience of marine habitat-forming species to climate change, as well as their effectiveness and reliability in rescuing stress-sensitive species from increasingly adverse environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Britas Klemens Eriksson
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ana Queirós
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Airoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali, University of Bologna, CoNISMa, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Francisco Arenas
- CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Christos Arvanitidis
- Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassokosmos, Crete, Greece
| | - Tjeerd J Bouma
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems and Utrecht University, Yerseke, the Netherlands
| | - Tasman P Crowe
- Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dominique Davoult
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144 Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France
| | - Katell Guizien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Ljiljana Iveša
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Center for Marine Research, Rovinj, Croatia
| | - Stuart R Jenkins
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Anglesey, United Kingdom
| | | | - Celia Olabarria
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | | | - Ester A Serrão
- CCMAR, CIMAR, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Martin Wahl
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
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30
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Ruiz JM, Marín-Guirao L, García-Muñoz R, Ramos-Segura A, Bernardeau-Esteller J, Pérez M, Sanmartí N, Ontoria Y, Romero J, Arthur R, Alcoverro T, Procaccini G. Experimental evidence of warming-induced flowering in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 134:49-54. [PMID: 29102072 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Sexual reproduction in predominantly clonal marine plants increases recombination favoring adaptation and enhancing species resilience to environmental change. Recent studies of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica suggest that flowering intensity and frequency are correlated with warming events associated with global climate change, but these studies have been observational without direct experimental support. We used controlled experiments to test if warming can effectively trigger flowering in P. oceanica. A six-week heat wave was simulated under laboratory mesocosm conditions. Heating negatively impacted leaf growth rates, but by the end of the experiment most of the heated plants flowered, while controls plants did not. Heated and control plants were not genetically distinct and flowering intensity was significantly correlated with allelic richness and heterozygosity. This is an unprecedented finding, showing that the response of seagrasses to warming will be more plastic, more complex and potentially more resilient than previously imagined.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - L Marín-Guirao
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | - R García-Muñoz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - A Ramos-Segura
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - J Bernardeau-Esteller
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - M Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - N Sanmartí
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Y Ontoria
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Romero
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Arthur
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Blanes 17300, Spain; Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, India
| | - T Alcoverro
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Blanes 17300, Spain; Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, India
| | - G Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
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31
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Beca-Carretero P, Guihéneuf F, Marín-Guirao L, Bernardeau-Esteller J, García-Muñoz R, Stengel DB, Ruiz JM. Effects of an experimental heat wave on fatty acid composition in two Mediterranean seagrass species. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 134:27-37. [PMID: 29331284 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Global warming is emerging as one of the most critical threats to terrestrial and marine species worldwide. This study assessed the effects of simulated warming events in culture on two seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa, which play a key role in coastal ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea. Changes in fatty acids as key metabolic indicators were assessed in specimens from two geographical populations of each species adapted to different in situ temperature regimes. Total fatty acid (TFA) content and composition were compared in C. nodosa and P. oceanica from natural populations and following exposure to heat stress in culture. After heat exposure, individuals of C. nodosa and P. oceanica adapted to colder temperatures in situ accumulated significantly more TFA than controls. For both species, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased, and the percentage of saturated fatty acids (SFA) increased significantly after the heat treatment. These results highlight that populations of both species living at warmest temperatures in situ were more thermo-tolerant and exhibited a greater capacity to cope with heat stress by readjusting their lipid composition faster. Finally, exposure of seagrasses to warmer conditions may induce a decrease in PUFA/SFA ratio which could negatively affect their nutritional value and generate important consequences in the healthy state of next trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Freddy Guihéneuf
- Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanography Centre of Murcia, Spanish Oceanography Institute, Spain; Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Rocío García-Muñoz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanography Centre of Murcia, Spanish Oceanography Institute, Spain
| | - Dagmar B Stengel
- Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanography Centre of Murcia, Spanish Oceanography Institute, Spain
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32
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Oscar MA, Barak S, Winters G. The Tropical Invasive Seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, Has a Superior Ability to Tolerate Dynamic Changes in Salinity Levels Compared to Its Freshwater Relative, Vallisneria americana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:950. [PMID: 30022993 PMCID: PMC6040085 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The tropical seagrass species, Halophila stipulacea, originated from the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, subsequently invading the Mediterranean and has recently established itself in the Caribbean Sea. Due to its invasive nature, there is growing interest in understanding this species' capacity to adapt to new conditions. One approach to understanding the natural tolerance of a plant is to compare the tolerant species with a closely related non-tolerant species. We compared the physiological responses of H. stipulacea exposed to different salinities, with that of its nearest freshwater relative, Vallisneria americana. To achieve this goal, H. stipulacea and V. americana plants were grown in dedicated microcosms, and exposed to the following salt regimes: (i) H. stipulacea: control (40 PSU, practical salinity units), hyposalinity (25 PSU) and hypersalinity (60 PSU) for 3 weeks followed by a 4-week recovery phase (back to 40 PSU); (ii) V. americana: control (1 PSU), and hypersalinity (12 PSU) for 3 weeks, followed by a 4-week recovery phase (back to 1 PSU). In H. stipulacea, leaf number and chlorophyll content showed no significant differences between control plants and plants under hypo and hypersalinities, but a significant decrease in leaf area under hypersalinity was observed. In addition, compared with control plants, H. stipulacea plants exposed to hypo and hypersalinity were found to have reduced below-ground biomass and C/N ratios, suggesting changes in the allocation of resources in response to both stresses. There was no significant effect of hypo/hypersalinity on dark-adapted quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) suggesting that H. stipulacea photochemistry is resilient to hypo/hypersalinity stress. In contrast to the seagrass, V. americana exposed to hypersalinity displayed significant decreases in above-ground biomass, shoot number, leaf number, blade length and Fv/Fm, followed by significant recoveries of all these parameters upon return of the plants to non-saline control conditions. These data suggest that H. stipulacea shows remarkable tolerance to both hypo and hypersalinity. Resilience to a relatively wide range of salinities may be one of the traits explaining the invasive nature of this species in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A. Oscar
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- Dead-Sea & Arava Science Center, Neve Zohar, Israel
| | - Simon Barak
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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Jahnke M, D'Esposito D, Orrù L, Lamontanara A, Dattolo E, Badalamenti F, Mazzuca S, Procaccini G, Orsini L. Adaptive responses along a depth and a latitudinal gradient in the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Heredity (Edinb) 2018; 122:233-243. [PMID: 29955171 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0103-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Seagrass meadows provide important ecosystem services and are critical for the survival of the associated invertebrate community. However, they are threatened worldwide by human-driven environmental change. Understanding the seagrasses' potential for adaptation is critical to assess not only their ability to persist under future global change scenarios, but also to assess the persistence of the associated communities. Here we screened a wild population of Posidonia oceanica, an endemic long-lived seagrass in the Mediterranean Sea, for genes that may be target of environmental selection, using an outlier and a genome-wide transcriptome analysis. We identified loci where polymorphism or differential expression was associated with either a latitudinal or a bathymetric gradient, as well as with both gradients in an effort to identify loci associated with temperature and light. We found the candidate genes underlying growth and immunity to be divergent between populations adapted to different latitudes and/or depths, providing evidence for local adaptation. Furthermore, we found evidence of reduced gene flow among populations including adjacent populations. Reduced gene flow, combined with low sexual recombination, small effective population size, and long generation time of P. oceanica raises concerns for the long-term persistence of this species, especially in the face of rapid environmental change driven by human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Jahnke
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Daniela D'Esposito
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Orrù
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di ricerca per la genomica vegetale, 29017, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Italy
| | - Antonella Lamontanara
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di ricerca per la genomica vegetale, 29017, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Fabio Badalamenti
- CNR-IAMC, Via G. Da Verrazzano 17, 91014, Castellammare del Golfo, TP, Italy
| | - Silvia Mazzuca
- Department of Chemistry and Technology, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Luisa Orsini
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Molecular level responses to chronic versus pulse nutrient loading in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica undergoing herbivore pressure. Oecologia 2018; 188:23-39. [PMID: 29845353 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4172-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Seagrasses are key marine foundation species, currently declining due to the compounded action of global and regional anthropogenic stressors. Eutrophication has been associated with seagrass decline, while grazing has been traditionally considered to be a natural disturbance with a relatively low impact on seagrasses. In the recent years, this assumption has been revisited. Here, by means of a 16-month field-experiment, we investigated the molecular mechanisms driving the long-term response of Posidonia oceanica to the combination of nutrient enrichment, either as a chronic (press) or pulse disturbance, and herbivory. Changes in expression levels of 19 target genes involved in key steps of photosynthesis, nutrient assimilation, chlorophyll metabolism, oxidative-stress response and plant defense were evaluated through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). High herbivore pressure affected the molecular response of P. oceanica more dramatically than did enhanced nutrient levels, altering the expression of genes involved in plant tolerance and resistance traits, such as photosynthesis and defense mechanisms. Genes involved in carbon fixation and N assimilation modulated the response of plants to high nutrient levels. Availability of resources seems to modify P. oceanica response to herbivory, where the upregulation of a nitrate transporter gene was accompanied by the decline in the expression of nitrate reductase in the leaves, suggesting a change in plant-nutrient allocation strategy. Finally, press and pulse fertilizations altered nitrate uptake and reduction-related genes in opposite ways, suggesting that taking into account the temporal regime of nutrient loading is important to assess the physiological response of seagrasses to eutrophication.
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Zang Y, Liu J, Tang XX, Zhou B. Description of a Zostera marina catalase gene involved in responses to temperature stress. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4532. [PMID: 29607258 PMCID: PMC5875394 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Catalase (CAT) is an antioxidant enzyme that plays a significant role in cellular protection against oxidative damage by degradation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. In the present study, the complete CAT cDNA sequence of Zostera marina was identified through expressed sequence tags (EST) analysis and the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. The nucleotide sequence of ZmCAT cDNA consisted of 1,816 bp with a 1,434 bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding a polypeptide of 477 amino acid residues, which possessed significant homology to other known plant CATs. The molecular mass of the predicted protein was 55.3 kDa with an estimated isoelectric point of 6.40. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ZmCAT was closely related to CAT from gramineous species. In response to temperature stress, H2O2 and MDA contents in Z. marina increased significantly with cold stress (<10 °C) and heat stress (>25 °C). ZmCAT expression was significantly upregulated at temperatures from 5 to 10 °C and then gradually downregulated, reaching its lowest expression at 30 °C. Recombinant ZmCAT protein exhibited strong antioxidant activity over a wide temperature range, with the highest rZmCAT activity observed at 25 °C and a higher relative activity retained even with heat stress. All these results indicated that ZmCAT was a member of the plant CAT family and involved in minimizing oxidative damage effects in Z. marina under temperature stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zang
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Jiao Liu
- Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Xue Xi Tang
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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Sablok G, Hayward RJ, Davey PA, Santos RP, Schliep M, Larkum A, Pernice M, Dolferus R, Ralph PJ. SeagrassDB: An open-source transcriptomics landscape for phylogenetically profiled seagrasses and aquatic plants. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2749. [PMID: 29426939 PMCID: PMC5807536 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18782-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Seagrasses and aquatic plants are important clades of higher plants, significant for carbon sequestration and marine ecological restoration. They are valuable in the sense that they allow us to understand how plants have developed traits to adapt to high salinity and photosynthetically challenged environments. Here, we present a large-scale phylogenetically profiled transcriptomics repository covering seagrasses and aquatic plants. SeagrassDB encompasses a total of 1,052,262 unigenes with a minimum and maximum contig length of 8,831 bp and 16,705 bp respectively. SeagrassDB provides access to 34,455 transcription factors, 470,568 PFAM domains, 382,528 prosite models and 482,121 InterPro domains across 9 species. SeagrassDB allows for the comparative gene mining using BLAST-based approaches and subsequent unigenes sequence retrieval with associated features such as expression (FPKM values), gene ontologies, functional assignments, family level classification, Interpro domains, KEGG orthology (KO), transcription factors and prosite information. SeagrassDB is available to the scientific community for exploring the functional genic landscape of seagrass and aquatic plants at: http://115.146.91.129/index.php.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Sablok
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Regan J Hayward
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Peter A Davey
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Rosiane P Santos
- Laboratório de Recursos Genéticos, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei, Campus CTAN, São João Del Rei, Minas Gerais, 36307-352, Brazil
| | - Martin Schliep
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Anthony Larkum
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Rudy Dolferus
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Peter J Ralph
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
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Tutar O, Marín-Guirao L, Ruiz JM, Procaccini G. Antioxidant response to heat stress in seagrasses. A gene expression study. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2017; 132:94-102. [PMID: 29126631 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Seawater warming associated to the ongoing climate change threatens functioning and survival of keystone coastal benthic species such as seagrasses. Under elevated temperatures, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is increased and plants must activate their antioxidant defense mechanisms to protect themselves from oxidative damage. Here we explore from a molecular perspective the ability of Mediterranean seagrasses to activate heat stress response mechanisms, with particular focus on antioxidants. The level of expression of targeted genes was analyzed in shallow and deep plants of the species Posidonia oceanica and in shallow plants of Cymodocea nodosa along an acute heat exposure of several days and after recovery. The overall gene expression response of P. oceanica was more intense and complete than in C. nodosa and reflected a higher oxidative stress level during the experimental heat exposure. The strong activation of genes with chaperone activity (heat shock proteins and a luminal binding protein) just in P. oceanica plants, suggested the higher sensitivity of the species to increased temperatures. In spite of the interspecific differences, genes from the superoxide dismutase (SOD) family seem to play a pivotal role in the thermal stress response of Mediterranean seagrasses as previously reported for other marine plant species. Shallow and deep P. oceanica ecotypes showed a different timing of response to heat. Shallow plants early responded to heat and after a few days relaxed their response which suggests a successful early metabolic adjustment. The response of deep plants was delayed and their recovery incomplete evidencing a lower resilience to heat in respect to shallow ecotypes. Moreover, shallow ecotypes showed some degree of pre-adaptation to heat as most analyzed genes showed higher constitutive expression levels than in deep ecotypes. The recurrent exposure of shallow plants to elevated summer temperatures has likely endowed them with a higher basal level of antioxidant defense and a faster responsiveness to warming than deep plants. Our findings match with previous physiological studies and supported the idea that warming will differently impact Mediterranean seagrass meadows depending on the species as well as on the depth (i.e. thermal regimen) at which the meadow grows. The increase in the incidence of summer heat waves could therefore produce a significant change in the distribution and composition of Mediterranean seagrass meadows with considerable consequences for the functioning of the whole ecosystem and for the socio-economic services that these ecosystems offer to the riverine populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Tutar
- Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 4-20126 Milano, Italy
| | - L Marín-Guirao
- Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
| | - J M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - G Procaccini
- Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
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