Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change
An oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) typically occurs in the tropical western Pacific and is characterized by an unfavorably low pH, a rather low oxygen content and extreme food limitation. Understanding how deep-sea corals survive in these challenging conditions, especially how calcification occurs at dept...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23006441 |
| _version_ | 1797683122089754624 |
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| author | Junyuan Li Tong Zhou Yang Li Kuidong Xu |
| author_facet | Junyuan Li Tong Zhou Yang Li Kuidong Xu |
| author_sort | Junyuan Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) typically occurs in the tropical western Pacific and is characterized by an unfavorably low pH, a rather low oxygen content and extreme food limitation. Understanding how deep-sea corals survive in these challenging conditions, especially how calcification occurs at depths near the aragonite saturation horizon, is anticipated to provide a strategy for stony corals to address global climate change. In this study, we collected the deep-sea solitary coral Polymyces wellsi living in the OMZ of the Caroline Ridge and analyzed its mitochondrial genome and transcriptome. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial genomes suggested that the solitary character and the deep-sea adaptations evolved at least three times in Scleractinia. In comparison to the transcriptomes of shallow-water counterparts, the genetic elements related to biomineralization, mitochondrial components, and ciliary motion underwent positive selection and expansion in P. wellsi, which suggested their significance in facilitating the adaptations to the stressors of low pH, insufficient oxygen content, scarce food resources, or the combined effects of these stressors within the OMZ. An interesting finding of this study was that the positively selected amino acids in P. wellsi increased the isoelectric points of its skeleton organic matrix proteins, which suggested a novel bio-indicator that may reflect the adaptive capacity to the external acidified seawater. Overall, this study not only provides insights into the adaptive mechanisms of deep-sea solitary corals but also illuminates strategies for global climate change. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:10:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-339a2992e7374a3da9f13d67c966bec3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:10:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-339a2992e7374a3da9f13d67c966bec32023-09-16T05:29:07ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2023-10-01154110502Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate changeJunyuan Li0Tong Zhou1Yang Li2Kuidong Xu3Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; College of Agriculture and Bioengineering, Taizhou Vocational College of Science and Technology, Taizhou 318020, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding author.An oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) typically occurs in the tropical western Pacific and is characterized by an unfavorably low pH, a rather low oxygen content and extreme food limitation. Understanding how deep-sea corals survive in these challenging conditions, especially how calcification occurs at depths near the aragonite saturation horizon, is anticipated to provide a strategy for stony corals to address global climate change. In this study, we collected the deep-sea solitary coral Polymyces wellsi living in the OMZ of the Caroline Ridge and analyzed its mitochondrial genome and transcriptome. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial genomes suggested that the solitary character and the deep-sea adaptations evolved at least three times in Scleractinia. In comparison to the transcriptomes of shallow-water counterparts, the genetic elements related to biomineralization, mitochondrial components, and ciliary motion underwent positive selection and expansion in P. wellsi, which suggested their significance in facilitating the adaptations to the stressors of low pH, insufficient oxygen content, scarce food resources, or the combined effects of these stressors within the OMZ. An interesting finding of this study was that the positively selected amino acids in P. wellsi increased the isoelectric points of its skeleton organic matrix proteins, which suggested a novel bio-indicator that may reflect the adaptive capacity to the external acidified seawater. Overall, this study not only provides insights into the adaptive mechanisms of deep-sea solitary corals but also illuminates strategies for global climate change.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23006441CoralBiomineralizationOcean acidificationHypoxiaAdaptationDeep sea |
| spellingShingle | Junyuan Li Tong Zhou Yang Li Kuidong Xu Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change Ecological Indicators Coral Biomineralization Ocean acidification Hypoxia Adaptation Deep sea |
| title | Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| title_full | Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| title_fullStr | Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| title_short | Adaptive mechanisms of the deep-sea coral Polymyces wellsi (Flabellidae, Scleractinia) illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| title_sort | adaptive mechanisms of the deep sea coral polymyces wellsi flabellidae scleractinia illuminate strategies for global climate change |
| topic | Coral Biomineralization Ocean acidification Hypoxia Adaptation Deep sea |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23006441 |
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