Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications
While thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00494/full |
| _version_ | 1818526397753196544 |
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| author | Hung Manh Nguyen Mikael Kim Peter J. Ralph Lázaro Marín-Guirao Lázaro Marín-Guirao Mathieu Pernice Gabriele Procaccini |
| author_facet | Hung Manh Nguyen Mikael Kim Peter J. Ralph Lázaro Marín-Guirao Lázaro Marín-Guirao Mathieu Pernice Gabriele Procaccini |
| author_sort | Hung Manh Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hemisphere, climax species Posidonia australis and pioneer species Zostera muelleri, to acquire thermal-stress memory to better survive successive stressful thermal events. To this end, a two-heatwave experimental design was conducted in a mesocosm setup. Findings across levels of biological organization including the molecular (gene expression), physiological (photosynthetic performances and pigments content) and organismal (growth) levels provided the first evidence of thermal priming in seagrasses. Non-preheated plants suffered a significant reduction in photosynthetic capacity, leaf growth and chlorophyll a content, while preheated plants were able to cope better with the recurrent stressful event. Gene expression results demonstrated significant regulation of methylation-related genes in response to thermal stress, suggesting that epigenetic modifications could play a central role in seagrass thermal stress memory. In addition, we revealed some interspecific differences in thermal responses between the two different functional types of seagrass species. These results provide the first insights into thermal priming and relative epigenetic modifications in seagrasses paving the way for more comprehensive forecasting and management of thermal stress in these marine foundation species in an era of rapid environmental change. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:22:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b27a3b70387342d3aa1b5d5546189f5a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:22:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-b27a3b70387342d3aa1b5d5546189f5a2022-12-22T01:17:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2020-04-011110.3389/fpls.2020.00494533085Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic ModificationsHung Manh Nguyen0Mikael Kim1Peter J. Ralph2Lázaro Marín-Guirao3Lázaro Marín-Guirao4Mathieu Pernice5Gabriele Procaccini6Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, ItalySeagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, SpainSeagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, SpainStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, ItalyClimate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSeagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, SpainStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, ItalyWhile thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hemisphere, climax species Posidonia australis and pioneer species Zostera muelleri, to acquire thermal-stress memory to better survive successive stressful thermal events. To this end, a two-heatwave experimental design was conducted in a mesocosm setup. Findings across levels of biological organization including the molecular (gene expression), physiological (photosynthetic performances and pigments content) and organismal (growth) levels provided the first evidence of thermal priming in seagrasses. Non-preheated plants suffered a significant reduction in photosynthetic capacity, leaf growth and chlorophyll a content, while preheated plants were able to cope better with the recurrent stressful event. Gene expression results demonstrated significant regulation of methylation-related genes in response to thermal stress, suggesting that epigenetic modifications could play a central role in seagrass thermal stress memory. In addition, we revealed some interspecific differences in thermal responses between the two different functional types of seagrass species. These results provide the first insights into thermal priming and relative epigenetic modifications in seagrasses paving the way for more comprehensive forecasting and management of thermal stress in these marine foundation species in an era of rapid environmental change.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00494/fullseagrassesthermal priminggene expressionPosidonia australisZostera muelleriepigenetic |
| spellingShingle | Hung Manh Nguyen Mikael Kim Peter J. Ralph Lázaro Marín-Guirao Lázaro Marín-Guirao Mathieu Pernice Gabriele Procaccini Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications Frontiers in Plant Science seagrasses thermal priming gene expression Posidonia australis Zostera muelleri epigenetic |
| title | Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications |
| title_full | Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications |
| title_fullStr | Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications |
| title_short | Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications |
| title_sort | stress memory in seagrasses first insight into the effects of thermal priming and the role of epigenetic modifications |
| topic | seagrasses thermal priming gene expression Posidonia australis Zostera muelleri epigenetic |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00494/full |
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