scholarly journals Thermal Stress Interacts With Surgeonfish Feces to Increase Coral Susceptibility to Dysbiosis and Reduce Tissue Regeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leïla Ezzat ◽  
Sarah Merolla ◽  
Cody S. Clements ◽  
Katrina S. Munsterman ◽  
Kaitlyn Landfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Vibrio Vulnificus ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Tissue Recovery ◽  
The Impact

Dysbiosis of coral microbiomes results from various biotic and environmental stressors, including interactions with important reef fishes which may act as vectors of opportunistic microbes via deposition of fecal material. Additionally, elevated sea surface temperatures have direct effects on coral microbiomes by promoting growth and virulence of opportunists and putative pathogens, thereby altering host immunity and health. However, interactions between these biotic and abiotic factors have yet to be evaluated. Here, we used a factorial experiment to investigate the combined effects of fecal pellet deposition by the widely distributed surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus and elevated sea surface temperatures on microbiomes associated with the reef-building coral Porites lobata. Our results showed that regardless of temperature, exposure of P. lobata to C. striatus feces increased alpha diversity, dispersion, and lead to a shift in microbial community composition – all indicative of microbial dysbiosis. Although elevated temperature did not result in significant changes in alpha and beta diversity, we noted an increasing number of differentially abundant taxa in corals exposed to both feces and thermal stress within the first 48h of the experiment. These included opportunistic microbial lineages and taxa closely related to potential coral pathogens (i.e., Vibrio vulnificus, Photobacterium rosenbergii). Some of these taxa were absent in controls but present in surgeonfish feces under both temperature regimes, suggesting mechanisms of microbial transmission and/or enrichment from fish feces to corals. Importantly, the impact to coral microbiomes by fish feces under higher temperatures appeared to inhibit wound healing in corals, as percentages of tissue recovery at the site of feces deposition were lower at 30°C compared to 26°C. Lower percentages of tissue recovery were associated with greater relative abundance of several bacterial lineages, with some of them found in surgeonfish feces (i.e., Rhodobacteraceae, Bdellovibrionaceae, Crocinitomicaceae). Our findings suggest that fish feces interact with elevated sea surface temperatures to favor microbial opportunism and enhance dysbiosis susceptibility in P. lobata. As the frequency and duration of thermal stress related events increase, the ability of coral microbiomes to recover from biotic stressors such as deposition of fish feces may be greatly affected, ultimately compromising coral health and resilience.

scholarly journals Exposure to elevated sea-surface temperatures below the bleaching threshold impairs coral recovery and regeneration following injury

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Louis Bonesso ◽  
William Leggat ◽  
Tracy Danielle Ainsworth
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Thermal Limits ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Coral Recovery

Elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are linked to an increase in the frequency and severity of bleaching events due to temperatures exceeding corals’ upper thermal limits. The temperatures at which a breakdown of the coral-Symbiodinium endosymbiosis (coral bleaching) occurs are referred to as the upper thermal limits for the coral species. This breakdown of the endosymbiosis results in a reduction of corals’ nutritional uptake, growth, and tissue integrity. Periods of elevated sea surface temperature, thermal stress and coral bleaching are also linked to increased disease susceptibility and an increased frequency of storms which cause injury and physical damage to corals. Herein we aimed to determine the capacity of corals to regenerate and recover from injuries (removal of apical tips) sustained during periods of elevated sea surface temperatures which result in coral stress responses, but which do not result in coral bleaching (i.e. sub-bleaching thermal stress events). In this study, exposure of the species Acropora aspera to an elevated SST of 32°C (2°C below the bleaching threshold, 34°C) was found to result in reduced fluorescence of green fluorescent protein (GFP), reduced skeletal calcification and a lack of branch regrowth at the site of injury, compared to corals maintained under ambient SST conditions (26°C). Corals maintained under normal, ambient, sea surface temperatures expressed high GFP fluorescence at the injury site, underwent a rapid regeneration of the coral branch apical tip within 12 days of sustaining injury, and showed extensive regrowth of the coral skeleton. Taken together, our results have demonstrated that periods of sustained increased sea surface temperatures, below the corals’ bleaching threshold but above long-term summertime averages, impair coral recovery from damage, regardless of the onset or occurrence of coral bleaching .

scholarly journals Exposure to elevated sea-surface temperatures below the bleaching threshold impairs coral recovery and regeneration following injury

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Louis Bonesso ◽  
William Leggat ◽  
Tracy Danielle Ainsworth
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Thermal Limits ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Coral Recovery

Elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are linked to an increase in the frequency and severity of bleaching events due to temperatures exceeding corals’ upper thermal limits. The temperatures at which a breakdown of the coral-Symbiodinium endosymbiosis (coral bleaching) occurs are referred to as the upper thermal limits for the coral species. This breakdown of the endosymbiosis results in a reduction of corals’ nutritional uptake, growth, and tissue integrity. Periods of elevated sea surface temperature, thermal stress and coral bleaching are also linked to increased disease susceptibility and an increased frequency of storms which cause injury and physical damage to corals. Herein we aimed to determine the capacity of corals to regenerate and recover from injuries (removal of apical tips) sustained during periods of elevated sea surface temperatures which result in coral stress responses, but which do not result in coral bleaching (i.e. sub-bleaching thermal stress events). In this study, exposure of the species Acropora aspera to an elevated SST of 32°C (2°C below the bleaching threshold, 34°C) was found to result in reduced fluorescence of green fluorescent protein (GFP), reduced skeletal calcification and a lack of branch regrowth at the site of injury, compared to corals maintained under ambient SST conditions (26°C). Corals maintained under normal, ambient, sea surface temperatures expressed high GFP fluorescence at the injury site, underwent a rapid regeneration of the coral branch apical tip within 12 days of sustaining injury, and showed extensive regrowth of the coral skeleton. Taken together, our results have demonstrated that periods of sustained increased sea surface temperatures, below the corals’ bleaching threshold but above long-term summertime averages, impair coral recovery from damage, regardless of the onset or occurrence of coral bleaching .

scholarly journals Exposure to elevated sea-surface temperatures below the bleaching threshold impairs coral recovery and regeneration following injury

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Louis Bonesso ◽  
William Leggat ◽  
Tracy Danielle Ainsworth
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Thermal Limits ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Coral Recovery

Elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are linked to an increase in the frequency and severity of bleaching events due to temperatures exceeding corals’ upper thermal limits. The temperatures at which a breakdown of the coral-Symbiodinium endosymbiosis (coral bleaching) occurs are referred to as the upper thermal limits for the coral species. This breakdown of the endosymbiosis results in a reduction of corals’ nutritional uptake, growth, and tissue integrity. Periods of elevated sea surface temperature, thermal stress and coral bleaching are also linked to increased disease susceptibility and an increased frequency of storms which cause injury and physical damage to corals. Herein we aimed to determine the capacity of corals to regenerate and recover from injuries (removal of apical tips) sustained during periods of elevated sea surface temperatures which result in coral stress responses, but which do not result in coral bleaching (i.e., sub-bleaching thermal stress events). In this study, exposure of the species Acropora aspera to an elevated SST of 32 °C (2 °C below the bleaching threshold, 34 °C) was found to result in reduced fluorescence of green fluorescent protein (GFP), reduced skeletal calcification and a lack of branch regrowth at the site of injury, compared to corals maintained under ambient SST conditions (26 °C). Corals maintained under normal, ambient, sea surface temperatures expressed high GFP fluorescence at the injury site, underwent a rapid regeneration of the coral branch apical tip within 12 days of sustaining injury, and showed extensive regrowth of the coral skeleton. Taken together, our results have demonstrated that periods of sustained increased sea surface temperatures, below the corals’ bleaching threshold but above long-term summertime averages, impair coral recovery from damage, regardless of the onset or occurrence of coral bleaching.

scholarly journals A Hydrodynamical Atmosphere/Ocean Coupled Modeling System for Multiple Tropical Cyclones

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 869
Author(s):  
Ghassan J. Alaka ◽  
Dmitry Sheinin ◽  
Biju Thomas ◽  
Lew Gramer ◽  
Zhan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Intensity Change ◽  
Coupling Scheme ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Skill Scores ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Impact

The goal of this paper is to introduce a new multi-storm atmosphere/ocean coupling scheme that was implemented and tested in the Basin-Scale Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF-B) model. HWRF-B, an experimental model developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and supported by the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program, is configured with multiple storm-following nested domains to produce high-resolution predictions for several tropical cyclones (TCs) within the same forecast integration. The new coupling scheme parallelizes atmosphere/ocean interactions for each nested domain in HWRF-B, and it may be applied to any atmosphere/ocean coupled system. TC forecasts from this new hydrodynamical modeling system were produced in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific from 2017–2019. The performance of HWRF-B was evaluated, including forecasts of TC track, intensity, structure (e.g., surface wind radii), and intensity change, and simulated sea-surface temperatures were compared with satellite observations. Median forecast skill scores showed significant improvement over the operational HWRF at most forecast lead times for track, intensity, and structure. Sea-surface temperatures cooled by 1–8 °C for the five HWRF-B case studies, demonstrating the utility of the model to study the impact of the ocean on TC intensity forecasting. These results show the value of a multi-storm modeling system and provide confidence that the multi-storm coupling scheme was implemented correctly. Future TC models within NOAA, especially the Unified Forecast System’s Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System, would benefit from the multi-storm coupling scheme whose utility and performance are demonstrated in HWRF-B here.

Decadal variability of the East Asian summer jet and its relationship to sea surface temperatures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Patterson ◽  
Tim Woollings ◽  
Chris O'Reilly ◽  
Antje Weisheimer
Keyword(s):  
Decadal Variability ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Turbulent Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Asian Summer ◽  
The Impact

<p>Variability of the East Asian summer jet stream (EAJ) has a significant impact on the climate of East Asia, primarily through its modulation of East Asian precipitation. In recent decades the impact of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans on the EAJ have been studied in considerable detail, however much less is known about the drivers of EAJ variability on decadal or multi-decadal timescales. Investigating this problem is made more challenging by the temporal limitations of reanalysis datasets.</p><p>In order to establish whether SSTs can provide a source of skill in predicting decadal variations of the EAJ, we analyse long pre-industrial control runs of the CMIP6 models. One issue with studying coupled model runs is that it is often unclear whether particular SST anomalies are forcing the atmosphere, and thus can provide a meaningful source of skill, or whether they are merely responding to local atmospheric anomalies. We address this issue by combining SST and turbulent heat flux information to indicate the direction of the forcing.</p>

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