scholarly journals Tradeoffs to Thermal Acclimation: Energetics and Reproduction of a Reef Coral with Heat TolerantSymbiodiniumType-D

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M. Jones ◽  
Ray Berkelmans
Keyword(s):  
Reef Coral ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Larval Duration ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Broadcast Spawning ◽  
Acropora Millepora ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Type D ◽  
Tropical Reefs ◽  
Spawning Time

The photo-physiological characteristics of thermo-tolerantSymbiodiniumtypes have been postulated to have negative effects on the energetics of the reef corals by reducing fitness. To investigate this, two key and inextricably coupled indicators of fitness, lipids and reproduction, were monitored in colonies of the broadcast-spawning coralAcropora milleporaover a two-year period that included a natural bleaching event. In the absence of bleaching ITS1-type clade D predominant colonies had 26% lower stored lipids compared to C2 colonies. At spawning time, this correlated with 28% smaller eggs in type-D colonies. This energetic disparity is expected to have reduced larval duration and settlement-competency periods in type-D compared to type-C2 colonies. More importantly, irrespective of the effect of genotype, the fitness of all corals was adversely affected by the stress of the bleaching event which reduced prespawning lipids by 60% and halved the number of eggs compared to the previous year. Our results extend work that has shown that direct temperature stress and symbiont change are likely to work in concert on corals by demonstrating that the lipids and reproduction of the reef building corals on tropical reefs are likely to be impaired by these processes as our climate warms.

scholarly journals High potential for formation and persistence of chimeras following aggregated larval settlement in the broadcast spawning coral, Acropora millepora

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1729) ◽  
pp. 699-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Puill-Stephan ◽  
M. J. H. van Oppen ◽  
K. Pichavant-Rafini ◽  
B. L. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Larval Settlement ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Broadcast Spawning ◽  
Acropora Millepora ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
High Level

In sessile modular marine invertebrates, chimeras can originate from fusions of closely settling larvae or of colonies that come into contact through growth or movement. While it has been shown that juveniles of brooding corals fuse under experimental conditions, chimera formation in broadcast spawning corals, the most abundant group of reef corals, has not been examined. This study explores the capacity of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora to form chimeras under experimental conditions and to persist as chimeras in the field. Under experimental conditions, 1.5-fold more larvae settled in aggregations than solitarily, and analyses of nine microsatellite loci revealed that 50 per cent of juveniles tested harboured different genotypes within the same colony. Significantly, some chimeric colonies persisted for 23 months post-settlement, when the study ended. Genotypes within persisting chimeric colonies all showed a high level of relatedness, whereas rejecting colonies displayed variable levels of relatedness. The nearly threefold greater sizes of chimeras compared with solitary juveniles, from settlement through to at least three months, suggest that chimerism is likely to be an important strategy for maximizing survival of vulnerable early life-history stages of corals, although longer-term studies are required to more fully explore the potential benefits of chimerism.

scholarly journals Shifting Baselines: Physiological legacies contribute to the response of reef coral to frequent heat waves

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Wall ◽  
Contessa A. Ricci ◽  
Alexandra D. Wen ◽  
Bren E. Ledbetter ◽  
Delania E. Klinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
List Type ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Legacy Effect ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems

AbstractGlobal climate change is altering coral reef ecosystems. Notably, marine heat waves are producing widespread coral bleaching events that are increasing in frequency, with projections for annual bleaching events on reefs worldwide by mid-century.The response of corals to elevated seawater temperatures can be modulated by abiotic factors at site of origin and dominant endosymbiont type, which can result in a shift in multiple coral traits and drive physiological legacy effects that influence the trajectory of reef corals under subsequent thermal stress events. It is critical, therefore, to evaluate the potential for shifting physiological and cellular baselines driven by these factors in in situ bleaching (and recovery) events. Here, we use the back-to-back regional bleaching events of 2014 and 2015 in the Hawaiian Islands and subsequent recovery periods to test the hypothesis that coral multivariate trait space (here termed physiotype, sensu (Van Straalen, 2003) shift in multiple bleaching events, modulated by both environmental histories and symbiotic partnerships (Symbiodiniaceae).Despite fewer degree heating weeks in the first-bleaching event relative to the second (7 vs. 10), bleaching severity in a dominant reef building coral on Hawaiian reefs, Montipora capitata, was greater (~70% vs. 50% bleached cover) and differences due to environmental history (reef site) were more pronounced. Melanin, an immune cytotoxic response, provided an initial defense during the first event, potentially priming antioxidant activity, which peaked in the second-bleaching event (i.e., a legacy effect). While magnitude of bleaching differed, immune response patterns were shared among corals harboring heat-sensitive and heat-tolerant Symbiodiniaceae. This supports a pattern of increased constitutive immunity in corals resulting from repeat bleaching events, with greater specialized enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase) and attenuated melanin synthesis.This study demonstrates bleaching events have implications for reef corals beyond shaping their ecological assemblages. These events can change the magnitude and/or identity of response variables contributing to physiotype, thus generating physiological legacies carried over into the future. Quantifying baseline coral physiotypes and tracking their shifts will be critical to understanding and forecasting the effects of increased bleaching frequency on coral biology and ecology in the Anthropocene.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF SOME PESTICIDES ON REEF CORALS

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 69-70
Author(s):  
Austin E. Lamberts
Keyword(s):  
Reef Coral ◽  
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons ◽  
In Vitro Studies ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Skeletal Calcium

While investigating a reef coral kill in Samoa it was speculated that this might have been due to contamination by some chemical. Subsequently, scleractinian reef corals were tested to assess their reactions to 12 commonly used pesticides and toxic substances. The chlorinated-hydrocarbons such as DDT and Endrin produced stress effects in corals subjected to 2ppm for 24 hours in in-vitro studies although the corals continued to deposit skeletal calcium. In-vivo tank experiments suggested that small amounts of these substances in seawater stimulated the corals to deposit skeletal calcium. Other pesticides were much less toxic to the corals.

scholarly journals Longevity strategies in response to light in the reef coral Stylophora pistillata

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Ottaviani ◽  
Rita Eid ◽  
Didier Zoccola ◽  
Mélanie Pousse ◽  
Jean-Marc Dubal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Human Fibroblasts ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Skin Aging ◽  
Stylophora Pistillata ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Age Related

AbstractAging is a multifactorial process that results in progressive loss of regenerative capacity and tissue function while simultaneously favoring the development of a large array of age-related diseases. Evidence suggests that the accumulation of senescent cells in tissue promotes both normal and pathological aging. Oxic stress is a key driver of cellular senescence. Because symbiotic long-lived reef corals experience daily hyperoxic and hypoxic transitions, we hypothesized that these long-lived animals have developed specific longevity strategies in response to light. We analyzed transcriptome variation in the reef coral Stylophora pistillata during the day–night cycle and revealed a signature of the FoxO longevity pathway. We confirmed this pathway by immunofluorescence using antibodies against coral FoxO to demonstrate its nuclear translocation. Through qPCR analysis of nycthemeral variations of candidate genes under different light regimens, we found that, among genes that were specifically up- or downregulated upon exposure to light, human orthologs of two “light-up” genes (HEY1 and LONF3) exhibited anti-senescence properties in primary human fibroblasts. Therefore, these genes are interesting candidates for counteracting skin aging. We propose a large screen for other light-up genes and an investigation of the biological response of reef corals to light (e.g., metabolic switching) to elucidate these processes and identify effective interventions for promoting healthy aging in humans.

Remote monitoring of chlorophyll fluorescence in two reef corals during the 2005 bleaching event at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas

Coral Reefs ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Manzello ◽  
M. Warner ◽  
E. Stabenau ◽  
J. Hendee ◽  
M. Lesser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Reef Corals

Influence of UV radiation on the survival of larvae from broadcast-spawning reef corals

2003 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 1185-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Wellington ◽  
W. K. Fitt
Keyword(s):  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Broadcast Spawning ◽  
Reef Corals

Eocene Caribbean reef corals: a unique fauna from the Gatuncillo Formation of Panama

1992 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann F. Budd ◽  
Thomas A. Stemann ◽  
Robert H. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Reef Coral ◽  
Upper Eocene ◽  
Generic Level ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Caribbean Reef ◽  
The Family ◽  
Generic Composition ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Central Panama

Forty-three species of 25 genera are described in a collection of 170 large, massive reef corals from the upper Eocene Gatuncillo Formation near Lago Alahuela in central Panama. Comparisons with type material for other Eocene Caribbean reef corals suggest that 27 of these species are new. Twenty-four of these species are named herein. Like other Eocene Caribbean reef-coral faunas, the fauna is rich in Astrocoenia, Actinacis, and Astreopora; however, unlike other faunas, plocoid and meandroid members of the family Faviidae (e.g., Montastraea, Agathiphyllia, Goniastrea, and Colpophyllia) are abundant. Also present are the oldest known representatives of the genera Meandrina, Coscinaraea, Alveopora, Heliopora, and Pocillopora, as well as the only recorded occurrences of Coscinaraea and Cyathoseris from the Caribbean. Comparisons with Oligocene and Recent Caribbean reef-coral faunas suggest that the generic composition of Cenozoic Caribbean reefs became established during the Eocene. With exception of the family Mussidae, much of the post-Oligocene history of the Caribbean is one of extinction at the generic level (19 of the 28 Eocene genera became extinct) and proliferation of species within the surviving genera.

scholarly journals Stratigraphic distributions of genera and species of Neogene to Recent Caribbean reef corals

1994 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 951-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann F. Budd ◽  
Thomas A. Stemann ◽  
Kenneth G. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Species Recognition ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Caribbean Reef ◽  
The Caribbean

To document evolutionary patterns in late Cenozoic Caribbean reef corals, we compiled composite stratigraphic ranges of 49 genera and 175 species using Neogene occurrences in the Cibao Valley sequence of the northern Dominican Republic and faunal lists for 24 Miocene to Recent sites across the Caribbean region. This new compilation benefits in particular from increased sampling at late Miocene to early Pleistocene sites and from increased resolution and greater taxonomic consistency provided by the use of morphometric procedures in species recognition.Preliminary examination and quantitative analysis of origination and extinction patterns suggest that a major episode of turnover took place between 4 and 1 Ma during Plio-Pleistocene time. During the episode, extinctions were approximately simultaneous in species of all reef-building families, except the Mussidae. Most strongly affected were the Pocilloporidae (Stylophora and Pocillopora), Agariciidae (Pavona and Gardineroseris), and free-living members of the Faviidae and Meandrinidae. At the genus level, mono- and paucispecific as well as more speciose genera became regionally extinct. Many of the extinct genera live today in the Indo-Pacific region, and some are important components of modern eastern Pacific reefs. Global extinctions were concentrated in free-living genera. During the turnover episode, no new genera or higher taxa arose. Instead, new species originated within the surviving Caribbean genera at approximately the same time as the extinctions, including many dominant modern Caribbean reef-building corals (e.g., Acropora palmata and the Montastraea annularis complex).Excluding this episode, the taxonomic composition of the Caribbean reef-coral fauna remained relatively unchanged during the Neogene. Minor exceptions include: 1) high originations in the Agariciidae and free-living corals during late Miocene time; and 2) regional or global extinctions of several important Oligocene Caribbean reef builders during early to middle Miocene time.

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