Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

Scucchia, Federica; Malik, Assaf; Zaslansky, Paul; Putnam, Hollie M.; Mass, Tali

doi:10.1101/2021.05.07.443057

Cited by 2 publications

References 47 publications

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Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

et al. 2021

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With coral reefs declining globally, resilience of these ecosystems hinges on successful coral recruitment. However, knowledge of the acclimatory and/or adaptive potential in response to environmental challenges such as ocean acidification (OA) in earliest life stages is limited. Our combination of physiological measurements, microscopy, computed tomography techniques and gene expression analysis allowed us to thoroughly elucidate the mechanisms underlying the response of early-life stages of corals, together with their algal partners, to the projected decline in oceanic pH. We observed extensive physiological, morphological and transcriptional changes in surviving recruits, and the transition to a less-skeleton/more-tissue phenotype. We found that decreased pH conditions stimulate photosynthesis and endosymbiont growth, and gene expression potentially linked to photosynthates translocation. Our unique holistic study discloses the previously unseen intricate net of interacting mechanisms that regulate the performance of these organisms in response to OA.

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Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

et al. 2021

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Energetics but not development is impacted in coral embryos exposed to ocean acidification

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et al. 2021

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In light of the chronic stress and mass mortality reef-building corals face under climate change, it is critical to understand the processes essential to reef persistence and replenishment, including coral reproduction and development. Here we quantify gene expression and size sensitivity to ocean acidification across a set of developmental stages in the rice coral, Montipora capitata. Gametes and then embryos and swimming larvae were exposed to three pH treatments ranging from 7.8 (Ambient), 7.6 (Low) and 7.3 (Xlow) from fertilization to 9 days post-fertilization. Embryo development and size, planula volume, and stage-specific gene expression were compared between treatments at each stage to determine the effects of acidified seawater on early development. While there was no measurable size differentiation between fertilized eggs and embryos at the prawn chip stage exposed to ambient, low, and extreme low pH, early gastrula and planula raised in reduced pH treatments were significantly smaller than those raised in ambient seawater, suggesting an energetic cost to developing under low pH. However, no differentially expressed genes emerged between treatments at any time point, except swimming larvae. Larvae from pH 7.6 showed upregulation of genes involved in cell division, regulation of transcription, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress in comparison to the other two treatments, and smallest sizes in this treatment. While low pH appears to increase energetic demands and trigger oxidative stress, the developmental process is robust to this at a molecular level, with swimming larval stage reached in all pH treatments.

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Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

Cited by 2 publications

References 47 publications

Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

Combined responses of primary coral polyps and their algal endosymbionts to decreasing seawater pH

Energetics but not development is impacted in coral embryos exposed to ocean acidification

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