Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs

Abstract Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, reefs between 30 and 150 m depth) have been hypothesized to contribute to shallow reef recovery through the recruitment of larvae. However, few studies have directly examined this. Here we used mesophotic colonies of Seriatopora hystrix, a depth generalist...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rian Prasetia, Frederic Sinniger, Takashi Nakamura, Saki Harii
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16024-6
_version_ 1818014934659760128
author Rian Prasetia
Frederic Sinniger
Takashi Nakamura
Saki Harii
author_facet Rian Prasetia
Frederic Sinniger
Takashi Nakamura
Saki Harii
author_sort Rian Prasetia
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, reefs between 30 and 150 m depth) have been hypothesized to contribute to shallow reef recovery through the recruitment of larvae. However, few studies have directly examined this. Here we used mesophotic colonies of Seriatopora hystrix, a depth generalist coral, to investigate the effect of light intensity on larval behavior and settlement through ex situ experiments. We also investigated juvenile survival, growth, and physiological acclimation in situ. Bleached larvae and a significant reduction in settlement rates were found when the mesophotic larvae were exposed to light conditions corresponding to shallow depths (5 and 10 m) ex situ. The in situ experiments showed that mesophotic juveniles survived well at 20 and 40 m, with juveniles in shaded areas surviving longer than three months at 3–5 m during a year of mass bleaching in 2016. Juvenile transplants at 20 m showed a sign of physiological acclimation, which was reflected by a significant decline in maximum quantum yield. These results suggest that light is a significant factor for successful recolonization of depth-generalist corals to shallow reefs. Further, recolonization of shallow reefs may only occur in shaded habitats or potentially through multigenerational recruitments with intermediate depths acting as stepping stones.
first_indexed 2024-04-14T06:50:34Z
format Article
id doaj.art-96baef78dc3c4d1c82dc068f0610b873
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2045-2322
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-14T06:50:34Z
publishDate 2022-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj.art-96baef78dc3c4d1c82dc068f0610b8732022-12-22T02:07:02ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-07-0112111210.1038/s41598-022-16024-6Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefsRian Prasetia0Frederic Sinniger1Takashi Nakamura2Saki Harii3Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the RyukyusSesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the RyukyusSesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the RyukyusSesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the RyukyusAbstract Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, reefs between 30 and 150 m depth) have been hypothesized to contribute to shallow reef recovery through the recruitment of larvae. However, few studies have directly examined this. Here we used mesophotic colonies of Seriatopora hystrix, a depth generalist coral, to investigate the effect of light intensity on larval behavior and settlement through ex situ experiments. We also investigated juvenile survival, growth, and physiological acclimation in situ. Bleached larvae and a significant reduction in settlement rates were found when the mesophotic larvae were exposed to light conditions corresponding to shallow depths (5 and 10 m) ex situ. The in situ experiments showed that mesophotic juveniles survived well at 20 and 40 m, with juveniles in shaded areas surviving longer than three months at 3–5 m during a year of mass bleaching in 2016. Juvenile transplants at 20 m showed a sign of physiological acclimation, which was reflected by a significant decline in maximum quantum yield. These results suggest that light is a significant factor for successful recolonization of depth-generalist corals to shallow reefs. Further, recolonization of shallow reefs may only occur in shaded habitats or potentially through multigenerational recruitments with intermediate depths acting as stepping stones.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16024-6
spellingShingle Rian Prasetia
Frederic Sinniger
Takashi Nakamura
Saki Harii
Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
Scientific Reports
title Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
title_full Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
title_fullStr Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
title_full_unstemmed Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
title_short Limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral Seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
title_sort limited acclimation of early life stages of the coral seriatopora hystrix from mesophotic depth to shallow reefs
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16024-6
work_keys_str_mv AT rianprasetia limitedacclimationofearlylifestagesofthecoralseriatoporahystrixfrommesophoticdepthtoshallowreefs
AT fredericsinniger limitedacclimationofearlylifestagesofthecoralseriatoporahystrixfrommesophoticdepthtoshallowreefs
AT takashinakamura limitedacclimationofearlylifestagesofthecoralseriatoporahystrixfrommesophoticdepthtoshallowreefs
AT sakiharii limitedacclimationofearlylifestagesofthecoralseriatoporahystrixfrommesophoticdepthtoshallowreefs