The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification

The symbiotic relationship between coral and its endosymbiotic algae, Symbiodiniaceae, greatly influences the hosts’ potential to withstand environmental stress. To date, the effects of climate change on this relationship has primarily focused on adult corals. Uncovering the effects of environmental...

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Main Authors: Alyx P. Terrell, Emma Marangon, Nicole S. Webster, Ira Cooke, Kate M. Quigley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1113357/full
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author Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Ira Cooke
Ira Cooke
Kate M. Quigley
Kate M. Quigley
author_facet Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Ira Cooke
Ira Cooke
Kate M. Quigley
Kate M. Quigley
author_sort Alyx P. Terrell
collection DOAJ
description The symbiotic relationship between coral and its endosymbiotic algae, Symbiodiniaceae, greatly influences the hosts’ potential to withstand environmental stress. To date, the effects of climate change on this relationship has primarily focused on adult corals. Uncovering the effects of environmental stress on the establishment and development of this symbiosis in early life stages is critical for predicting how corals may respond to climate change. To determine the impacts of future climate projections on the establishment of symbionts in juvenile corals, ITS2 amplicon sequencing of single coral juveniles was applied to Goniastrea retiformis and Acropora millepora before and after exposure to three climate conditions of varying temperature and pCO2 levels (current and RCP8.5 in 2050 and 2100). Compared to ambient conditions, juvenile corals experienced shuffling in the relative abundance of Cladocopium (C1m, decrease) to Durusdinium (D1 and D1a, increase) over time. We calculated a novel risk metric incorporating functional redundancy and likelihood of impact on host physiology to identify the loss of D1a as a “low risk” to the coral compared to the loss of “higher risk” taxa like D1 and C1m. Although the increase in stress tolerant Durusdinium under future warming was encouraging for A. millepora, by 2100, G. retiformis communities displayed signs of symbiosis de-regulation, suggesting this acclimatory mechanism may have species-specific thresholds. Whilst this study cannot specifically disentangle the individual effects of temperature and pCO2, it does provide valuable insights into the impacts of both stressors combined. These results emphasize the need for understanding of long-term effects of climate change induced stress on coral juveniles, and their potential for increased acclimation to heat tolerance through changes in symbiosis.
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spelling doaj.art-afd792a2ac4e4caea23358a62ac34cba2023-06-21T12:33:37ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-06-011110.3389/fevo.2023.11133571113357The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidificationAlyx P. Terrell0Alyx P. Terrell1Alyx P. Terrell2Emma Marangon3Emma Marangon4Emma Marangon5Nicole S. Webster6Nicole S. Webster7Nicole S. Webster8Ira Cooke9Ira Cooke10Kate M. Quigley11Kate M. Quigley12Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaCollege of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaAIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaAustralian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaCollege of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaAIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaAustralian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaAustralian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaAustralian Antarctic Division, Hobart, TAS, AustraliaDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaCentre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaCollege of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaFlourishing Oceans, Minderoo Foundation, Perth, WA, AustraliaThe symbiotic relationship between coral and its endosymbiotic algae, Symbiodiniaceae, greatly influences the hosts’ potential to withstand environmental stress. To date, the effects of climate change on this relationship has primarily focused on adult corals. Uncovering the effects of environmental stress on the establishment and development of this symbiosis in early life stages is critical for predicting how corals may respond to climate change. To determine the impacts of future climate projections on the establishment of symbionts in juvenile corals, ITS2 amplicon sequencing of single coral juveniles was applied to Goniastrea retiformis and Acropora millepora before and after exposure to three climate conditions of varying temperature and pCO2 levels (current and RCP8.5 in 2050 and 2100). Compared to ambient conditions, juvenile corals experienced shuffling in the relative abundance of Cladocopium (C1m, decrease) to Durusdinium (D1 and D1a, increase) over time. We calculated a novel risk metric incorporating functional redundancy and likelihood of impact on host physiology to identify the loss of D1a as a “low risk” to the coral compared to the loss of “higher risk” taxa like D1 and C1m. Although the increase in stress tolerant Durusdinium under future warming was encouraging for A. millepora, by 2100, G. retiformis communities displayed signs of symbiosis de-regulation, suggesting this acclimatory mechanism may have species-specific thresholds. Whilst this study cannot specifically disentangle the individual effects of temperature and pCO2, it does provide valuable insights into the impacts of both stressors combined. These results emphasize the need for understanding of long-term effects of climate change induced stress on coral juveniles, and their potential for increased acclimation to heat tolerance through changes in symbiosis.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1113357/fullcoral reefsacclimationsymbiosisSymbiodiniaceaerecruitwarming
spellingShingle Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Alyx P. Terrell
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Emma Marangon
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Nicole S. Webster
Ira Cooke
Ira Cooke
Kate M. Quigley
Kate M. Quigley
The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
coral reefs
acclimation
symbiosis
Symbiodiniaceae
recruit
warming
title The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
title_full The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
title_fullStr The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
title_full_unstemmed The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
title_short The promotion of stress tolerant Symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
title_sort promotion of stress tolerant symbiodiniaceae dominance in juveniles of two coral species under simulated future conditions of ocean warming and acidification
topic coral reefs
acclimation
symbiosis
Symbiodiniaceae
recruit
warming
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1113357/full
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