Tentacle patterning during Exaiptasia diaphana pedal lacerate development differs between symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals

Exaiptasia diaphana, a tropical sea anemone known as Aiptasia, is a tractable model system for studying the cellular, physiological, and ecological characteristics of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Aiptasia is widely used as a proxy for coral-algal symbiosis, since both Aiptasia and corals form a symbiosis with members of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Laboratory strains of Aiptasia can be maintained in both the symbiotic (Sym) and aposymbiotic (Apo, without algae) states. Apo Aiptasia allow for the study of the influence of symbiosis on different biological processes and how different environmental conditions impact symbiosis. A key feature of Aiptasia is the ease of propagating both Sym and Apo individuals in the laboratory through a process called pedal laceration. In this form of asexual reproduction, small pieces of tissue rip away from the pedal disc of a polyp, then these lacerates eventually develop tentacles and grow into new polyps. While pedal laceration has been described in the past, details of how tentacles are formed or how symbiotic and nutritional state influence this process are lacking. Here we describe the stages of development in both Sym and Apo pedal lacerates. Our results show that Apo lacerates develop tentacles earlier than Sym lacerates, while over the course of 20 days, Sym lacerates end up with a greater number of tentacles. We describe both tentacle and mesentery patterning during lacerate development and show that they form through a single pattern in early stages regardless of symbiotic state. In later stages of development, Apo lacerate tentacles and mesenteries progress through a single pattern, while variable patterns were observed in Sym lacerates. We discuss how Aiptasia lacerate mesentery and tentacle patterning differs from oral disc regeneration and how these patterning events compare to postembryonic development in Nematostella vectensis, another widely-used sea anemone model. In addition, we demonstrate that Apo lacerates supplemented with a putative nutrient source developed an intermediate number of tentacles between un-fed Apo and Sym lacerates. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that pedal lacerates progress through two different, putatively nutrient-dependent phases of development. In the early phase, the lacerate, regardless of symbiotic state, preferentially uses or relies on nutrients carried over from the adult polyp. These resources are sufficient for lacerates to develop into a functional polyp. In the late phase of development, continued growth and tentacle formation is supported by nutrients obtained from either symbionts and/or the environment through heterotrophic feeding. Finally, we advocate for the implementation of pedal lacerates as an additional resource in the Aiptasia model system toolkit for studies of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

The Connection Between the Hadley Circulation and Meridional Structure of Tropical SST during ENSO from 1950 to 1977

The connection between the meridional structure of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) and the Hadley circulation (HC) under the effect of ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) from 1950 to 1977 is studied. We decompose the HC and zonal mean SST into equatorially symmetric (HES for HC, SES for SST) and asymmetric variations (HEA for HC, SEA for SST) to discuss the modulation of their connection by ENSO. During El Niño events from 1950 to 1977, the HC is less sensitive to the different SST meridional structures and expressed by response ratio. The ratio in La Niña and neutral events is around 4, which is equivalent to the result in the climatology. The reason for the decreased ratio during El Niño events is explored. The interdecadal variation in the linkage between the HC and tropical SST is due to a clear interdecadal shift in the impacts of ENSO on the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) SST. For the period 1950–1977, when El Niño events occur, larger SST warming amplitude is observed over the northern TIO (0°–15°N, 50°–100°E). However, the southern TIO (15°S–0°, 50°–100°E) shows greater warming amplitude during 1980–2016. The anomalous SST variation over the TIO linked to El Niño events alters the meridional SST distribution, inducing anomalies in the meridional circulation. These results can help us to understand the interdecadal modulation by ENSO of the relationship between tropical SST and the HC.

First reliable records of Cryptodendrum adhaesivum (Anthozoa: Actiniaria: Thalassianthidae) for the coastal waters of Vietnam and the Spratly Islands

The tropical sea anemone Cryptodendrum adhaesivum Klunzinger, 1877 is reliably recorded from the coastal waters of Vietnam and the Spratly Islands for the first time. Its presence there is docu­mented by collected specimens, in situ observations during scuba diving, as well as numerous photographs taken during the expeditions of the Vietnam-Russian Tropical Research and Technological ­Centre, carried out from 2007 to 2021. The main morphological characters for the identification of the species are given and illustrated.

How does the Environment Modulate Aerosol Impacts on Tropical Sea Breeze Convective Systems?

This study investigates how the enhanced loading of microphysically and radiatively active aerosol particles impacts tropical sea breeze convection and whether these aerosol impacts are modulated by the multitudinous environments that support these cloud systems. To achieve these goals, we have performed two large numerical model ensembles, each comprised of 130 idealised simulations that represent different initial conditions typical of tropical sea breeze environments. The two ensembles are identical with the exception of the fact that one ensemble is initialised with relatively low aerosol loading or pristine conditions, while the other is initialised with higher aerosol loading or polluted conditions. Six atmospheric and four surface parameters are simultaneously perturbed for the 130 initial conditions. Analysis of the ten-dimensional parameter simulations was facilitated by the use of a statistical emulator and multivariate sensitivity techniques. Comparisons of the clean and polluted ensembles demonstrate that aerosol direct effects reduce the incoming shortwave radiation reaching the surface, as well as the outgoing longwave radiation, within the polluted ensemble. This results in weaker surface fluxes, a reduced ocean-land thermal gradient, and a weaker sea breeze circulation. Consequently, irrespective of the different initial environmental conditions, increasing aerosol concentration decreases the three ingredients necessary for moist convection: moisture, instability, and lift. As reduced surface fluxes and instability inhibit the convective boundary layer development, updraft velocities of the daytime cumulus convection developing ahead of the sea breeze front are robustly reduced in the polluted environments. Furthermore, the variance-based sensitivity analysis reveals that the soil saturation fraction is the most important environmental factor contributing to the updraft velocity variance of this daytime cumulus mode, but that it becomes a less important contributor with enhanced aerosol loading. It is also demonstrated that enhanced aerosol loading results in a weakening of the convection initiated along the sea breeze front. This suppression is particularly robust when the sea breeze-initiated convection is shallower, and hence restricted to warm rain processes. However, when the sea breeze-initiated convection is deep and includes mixed-phase processes, both the sign and magnitude of the convective updraft responses to increased aerosol loading are modulated by the environment. The less favourable convective environment arising from aerosol direct effects also restricts the development of sea breeze-initiated deep convection. While precipitation is ubiquitously suppressed with enhanced aerosol loading, the magnitude of this suppression remains a function of the initial environment. Altogether, our results highlight the importance of evaluating aerosol impacts on convection systems under the wide range of environments supporting such convective development.

Late Sandbian (Sa2) radiolarians of the Pingliang Formation from the Guanzhuang section, Gansu Province, China

A diverse, well-preserved radiolarian assemblage is reported from the Sandbian age Climacograptus bicornis Graptolite Biozone. This new assemblage, recovered from the Pingliang Formation in the Guanzhuang section, China, includes six new species along with 13 other previously described taxa. Geminusphaera new genus incorporates G. grandis n. sp. and G. kongtongensis n. sp. and is proposed for inaniguttids constructed from two distinct porous spheres bearing seven or more primary spines. Protopylentonema new genus is introduced to incorporate pylomate entactinarians with five-rayed initial spicules. It includes P. ordosensis n. sp. as well as P. aperta, P. rimata, and P. insueta that were formerly assigned to Kalimnasphaera. Micro-computed tomography investigation of skeletal microstructure supports establishment of the new genera together with other new spumellarian species: Haplotaeniatum implexa n. sp., Inanigutta quadrispinosa n. sp., and Kalimnasphaera pingliangensis n. sp. It also indicates that family-level reassignment of Etymalbaillella from the Proventocitidae to the Ceratoikiscidae is appropriate. Global distribution of Late Ordovician radiolarian occurrences highlights a strong preference for areas with equatorial to tropical sea surface temperatures. This must have led to ecological stress among radiolarian communities in adapting to global cooling in the Hirnantian. UUID: http://zoobank.org/3d3f55b8-0e70-4f9f-9738-265750d8ec3a.