High regional and intrageneric variation in susceptibility to mass bleaching in Indo‐Pacific coral species

High regional and intra-generic variation in susceptibility to mass bleaching in Indo-Pacific coral species

10.1101/2021.01.10.426149 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paul R. Muir ◽

Terence Done ◽

J. David Aguirre

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Coral Species ◽

Contemporary History ◽

Deep Time ◽

Relative Susceptibility ◽

Time Period ◽

Evolutionary Changes ◽

History Of ◽

The One ◽

Mass Bleaching

AbstractAimMass bleaching is a major threat to reef-building corals and the ecosystems they underpin. Here, we identified regional variation in the nature of this threat in terms of the bleaching-susceptibility of individual coral species on some Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean reefs.Location22 sites in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia (GBR) and 30 sites in the central Maldives Archipelago (MA).Time period2002 for the GBR and 2016 for the MA.Major taxa studiedCorals (Order Scleractinia).MethodsFollowing marine heat-wave conditions, timed in-situ surveys were used to record bleaching responses (tissue colour) of large samples of individual coral colonies. Responses of 106 shared species were analysed for sites with similar levels of temperature stress, depth of occurrence and mortality. In each region, phylogenetic mixed models were used to partition the effects on responses of species of deep-time phylogeny, contemporary history and local-scale, among-site variability.ResultsRelative susceptibility to bleaching varied widely between regions: only 27 of the 106 shared species were in the same quartile for relative susceptibility in both regions. Few species were highly susceptible in both regions. Closely related species varied widely in their individual susceptibilities. Phylogenetic effects were moderate in both regions, but contemporary phenotypic effects indicative of recent evolution and acclimatization were greater in the MA, consistent with a stronger history of recent bleaching.Main conclusionsThe high regional and intra-generic variation in coral bleaching-susceptibility described here suggests there may be important differences in the extent to which these Indian and Pacific Ocean coral populations are exhibiting responses to deep-time evolutionary changes on the one hand, versus recent adaptation, on the other. There is a concerning scarcity of this type of data, by which coral species most at risk from bleaching in particular regions may be more accurately identified.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.732404729.793542868 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Russell Moll

Keyword(s):

Temporal Patterns ◽

Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽

Mass Bleaching

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Co-culture with grazers can improve survival and growth of multiple coral species

Aquaculture ◽

10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.737095 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 737095

Author(s):

Rachel Neil ◽

Craig Humphrey ◽

David G. Bourne ◽

Andrew Heyward

Keyword(s):

Coral Species ◽

Survival And Growth

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Chemical Diversity and Biological Activity of Secondary Metabolites from Soft Coral Genus Sinularia since 2013

Marine Drugs ◽

10.3390/md19060335 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 335

Author(s):

Xia Yan ◽

Jing Liu ◽

Xue Leng ◽

Han Ouyang

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Coral Species ◽

Soft Coral ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Vital Role ◽

Chemical Diversity ◽

Pharmacological Activities ◽

Lead Compounds ◽

Coral Genus

Sinularia is one of the conspicuous soft coral species widely distributed in the world’s oceans at a depth of about 12 m. Secondary metabolites from the genus Sinularia show great chemical diversity. More than 700 secondary metabolites have been reported to date, including terpenoids, norterpenoids, steroids/steroidal glycosides, and other types. They showed a broad range of potent biological activities. There were detailed reviews on the terpenoids from Sinularia in 2013, and now, it still plays a vital role in the innovation of lead compounds for drug development. The structures, names, and pharmacological activities of compounds isolated from the genus Sinularia from 2013 to March 2021 are summarized in this review.

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Population genetic structure of a major reef-building coral species Acropora downingi in northeastern Arabian Peninsula

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-021-02158-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Felipe Torquato ◽

Jessica Bouwmeester ◽

Pedro Range ◽

Alyssa Marshell ◽

Mark A. Priest ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Study ◽

Persian Gulf ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Coral Species ◽

Arabian Peninsula ◽

Ecological Speciation ◽

Population Genetic Study ◽

Sea Of Oman ◽

Neutral Markers

AbstractCurrent seawater temperatures around the northeastern Arabian Peninsula resemble future global forecasts as temperatures > 35 °C are commonly observed in summer. To provide a more fundamental aim of understanding the structure of wild populations in extreme environmental conditions, we conducted a population genetic study of a widespread, regional endemic table coral species, Acropora downingi, across the northeastern Arabian Peninsula. A total of 63 samples were collected in the southern Arabian/Persian Gulf (Abu Dhabi and Qatar) and the Sea of Oman (northeastern Oman). Using RAD-seq techniques, we described the population structure of A. downingi across the study area. Pairwise G’st and distance-based analyses using neutral markers displayed two distinct genetic clusters: one represented by Arabian/Persian Gulf individuals, and the other by Sea of Oman individuals. Nevertheless, a model-based method applied to the genetic data suggested a panmictic population encompassing both seas. Hypotheses to explain the distinctiveness of phylogeographic subregions in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula rely on either (1) bottleneck events due to successive mass coral bleaching, (2) recent founder effect, (3) ecological speciation due to the large spatial gradients in physical conditions, or (4) the combination of seascape features, ocean circulation and larval traits. Neutral markers indicated a slightly structured population of A. downingi, which exclude the ecological speciation hypothesis. Future studies across a broader range of organisms are required to furnish evidence for existing hypotheses explaining a population structure observed in the study area. Though this is the most thermally tolerant acroporid species worldwide, A. downingi corals in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have undergone major mortality events over the past three decades. Therefore, the present genetic study has important implications for understanding patterns and processes of differentiation in this group, whose populations may be pushed to extinction as the Arabian/Persian Gulf warms.

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Differential resistance and acclimation of two coral species to chronic nutrient enrichment reflect life‐history traits

Functional Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2435.13780 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michael D. Fox ◽

Craig E. Nelson ◽

Thomas A. Oliver ◽

Zachary A. Quinlan ◽

Kristina Remple ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Nutrient Enrichment ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Coral Species ◽

Differential Resistance

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Similar thermal breadth of two temperate coral species from the Mediterranean Sea and two tropical coral species from the Great Barrier Reef

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-021-02139-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saskia Jurriaans ◽

Mia O. Hoogenboom ◽

Christine Ferrier-Pages

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Coral Species ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Temperate Coral ◽

Tropical Coral ◽

The Mediterranean

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Fluorescent protein expression in temperature tolerant and susceptible reef-building corals

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315421000059 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Exequiel Gabriel S. Dizon ◽

Jeric P. Da-Anoy ◽

Melissa S. Roth ◽

Cecilia Conaco

Keyword(s):

Spectral Properties ◽

Coral Species ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Fluorescent Proteins ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Variable Expression ◽

Acropora Digitifera ◽

Insight Into

Abstract Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are reported to play an important role as photoprotectants and antioxidants in corals subjected to stressful conditions. Identifying the various FP genes expressed and FP gene expression patterns under stress in diverse coral species can provide insight into FP function. In this study, we identified 16 putative FP homologues from the transcriptomes of corals with varying susceptibility to elevated temperature, including Acropora digitifera, Favites colemani, Montipora digitata and Seriatopora caliendrum. Each coral expressed a different complement of FP transcripts, which were predicted to have distinct spectral properties. The most diverse and abundant repertoire of FP transcripts, including at least 6 green FPs, were expressed in the temperature-tolerant coral, F. colemani. In comparison, the other corals expressed fewer FP types. Specific FP transcripts exhibited variable expression profiles in coral fragments subjected to 32 ± 1 °C (treatment) or 28 ± 1 °C (control) for up to 72 h, suggesting that distinct FPs may have different roles. Further studies on the expression of the proteins encoded by these FP transcripts, their fluorescence activity, tissue localization, and possible antioxidant properties, are needed to reveal their contribution to thermal stress tolerance in certain species of corals.

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