Intraspecific variation in the response of the scleractinian coral Acropora digitifera to ocean acidification

Kurihara, Haruko; Takahashi, Ami; Reyes-Bermudez, Alejandro; Hidaka, Michio

doi:10.1007/s00227-018-3295-1

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…It is also possible that the populations have been physically isolated for an extended time allowing some genetic divergence. Indeed, a recent study [47] reported intraspecific variability of calcification rates of Acropora digitifera originating from two distinct locations after exposure to high CO 2 in a laboratory experiment, suggesting different populations of the same coral species have different susceptibility to ocean acidification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-specific calcification response of Caribbean corals after 2-year transplantation to a low aragonite saturation submarine spring

et al. 2019

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Coral calcification is expected to decline as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration increases. We assessed the potential of Porites astreoides , Siderastrea siderea and Porites porites to survive and calcify under acidified conditions in a 2-year field transplant experiment around low pH, low aragonite saturation (Ω arag ) submarine springs. Slow-growing S. siderea had the highest post-transplantation survival and showed increases in concentrations of Symbiodiniaceae, chlorophyll a and protein at the low Ω arag site. Nubbins of P. astreoides had 20% lower survival and higher chlorophyll a concentration at the low Ω arag site. Only 33% of P. porites nubbins survived at low Ω arag and their linear extension and calcification rates were reduced. The density of skeletons deposited after transplantation at the low Ω arag spring was 15–30% lower for all species. These results suggest that corals with slow calcification rates and high Symbiodiniaceae, chlorophyll a and protein concentrations may be less susceptible to ocean acidification, albeit with reduced skeletal density. We postulate that corals in the springs are responding to greater energy demands for overcoming larger differences in carbonate chemistry between the calcifying medium and the external environment. The differential mortality, growth rates and physiological changes may impact future coral species assemblages and the reef framework robustness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-specific calcification response of Caribbean corals after 2-year transplantation to a low aragonite saturation submarine spring

et al. 2019

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“…However, datasets on the importance of carbonic anhydrase are inconsistent: low‐pH experiments on a deep water coral ( Lophelia pertusa ) did not find strong shifts in carbonic anhydrase activity, nor did an examination of carbonic anhydrase in polychaete worms from the Ischia CO 2 vents (Del Pasqua et al., 2019). Experiments on reef building corals have shown mixed results (Kurihara et al., 2018). We found strong differentiation of one carbonic anhydrase locus in Grotta Mago.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean acidification causes variable trait‐shifts in a coral species

Teixidó

Caroselli

Alliouane

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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High pCO 2 habitats and their populations provide an unparalleled opportunity to assess how species may survive under future ocean acidification conditions, and help to reveal the traits that confer tolerance. Here we utilize a unique CO 2 vent system to study the effects of exposure to elevated pCO2 on trait-shifts observed throughout natural populations of Astroides calycularis, an azooxanthellate scleractinian coral endemic to the Mediterranean. Unexpected shifts in skeletal and growth patterns were found. Colonies shifted to a skeletal phenotype characterized by encrusting morphology, smaller size, reduced coenosarc tissue, fewer polyps, and less porous and denser skeletons at low pH. Interestingly, while individual polyps calcified more and extended faster at low pH, whole colonies found at low pH site calcified and extended their skeleton at the same rate as did those at ambient pH sites. Transcriptomic data revealed strong genetic differentiation among local populations of this warm water species whose distribution range is currently expanding northward. We found excess differentiation in the CO 2 vent population for genes central to calcification, including genes for calcium management (calmodulin, calcium-binding proteins), pH regulation (V-type proton ATPase), and inorganic carbon regulation (carbonic anhydrase). Combined, our results demonstrate how coral populations can persist in high pCO 2 environments, making this system a powerful candidate for investigating acclimatization and local adaptation of organisms to global environmental change.

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“…Nevertheless, if decreasing cell density represents the onset of bleaching here, it may have significant impacts on reproductive output (Baird and Marshall, 2002) seen only with multi-year experiments. Furthermore, there are other fundamental physiological processes in corals such as nutrient uptake (Godinot et al, 2011), calcification and respiration, as well as changes in gene expression (Kaniewska et al, 2012;Kurihara et al, 2018), that may significantly impact corals under OWA, yet these were not measured in the present study.…”

Section: Parent Colony Responsementioning

confidence: 95%

Developmental carry over effects of ocean warming and acidification in corals from a potential climate refugium, Gulf of Aqaba

Bellworthy

Menoud

Krueger

et al. 2018

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Coral reefs are degrading from the effects of anthropogenic activities, including climate change. Under these stressors, their ability to survive depends upon existing phenotypic plasticity, but also transgenerational adaptation. Parental effects are ubiquitous in nature, yet empirical studies of these effects in corals are scarce, particularly in the context of climate change. This study exposed mature colonies of the common reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba to seawater conditions likely to occur just beyond the end of this century during the peak planulae brooding season (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5: pH −0.4 and +5°C beyond present day). Parent and planulae physiology were assessed at multiple time points during the experimental incubation. After 5 weeks of incubation, the physiology of the parent colonies exhibited limited treatment-induced changes. All significant time-dependent changes in physiology occurred in both ambient and treatment conditions. Planulae were also resistant to future ocean conditions, with protein content, symbiont density, photochemistry, survival and settlement success not significantly different compared with under ambient conditions. High variability in offspring physiology was independent of parental or offspring treatments and indicate the use of a bet-hedging strategy in this population. This study thus demonstrates weak climate-change-associated carryover effects. Furthermore, planulae display temperature and pH resistance similar to those of adult colonies and therefore do not represent a larger future population size bottleneck. The findings add support to the emerging hypothesis that the Gulf of Aqaba may serve as a coral climate change refugium aided by these corals' inherent broad physiological resistance.

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Intraspecific variation in the response of the scleractinian coral Acropora digitifera to ocean acidification

Cited by 18 publications

References 59 publications

Species-specific calcification response of Caribbean corals after 2-year transplantation to a low aragonite saturation submarine spring

Species-specific calcification response of Caribbean corals after 2-year transplantation to a low aragonite saturation submarine spring

Ocean acidification causes variable trait‐shifts in a coral species

Developmental carry over effects of ocean warming and acidification in corals from a potential climate refugium, Gulf of Aqaba

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