Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites
Corals are ecosystem engineers whose tree-like structures give three-dimensional complexity to the habitat. Their population dynamics are affected by recruitment and juvenile survival. Therefore, several defense strategies, such as the formation of hard skeletons and/or spicules, have evolved to pro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1052854/full |
| _version_ | 1811170912682115072 |
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| author | Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Lorenzo Bramanti Jonathan Perrin Ozan Kahramanoğulları Daniel Vielzeuf |
| author_facet | Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Lorenzo Bramanti Jonathan Perrin Ozan Kahramanoğulları Daniel Vielzeuf |
| author_sort | Bruna Giordano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Corals are ecosystem engineers whose tree-like structures give three-dimensional complexity to the habitat. Their population dynamics are affected by recruitment and juvenile survival. Therefore, several defense strategies, such as the formation of hard skeletons and/or spicules, have evolved to protect these vulnerable stages. The family Coralliidae, to which “precious corals” belong, represent an exception in the order Scleralcyonacea, as they form hard CaCO3 skeletons and small CaCO3 structures, the sclerites. The skeletogenesis of Corallium species is relatively well documented in adult colonies but remains poorly known in the early stages of the development of new colonies. To shed light on the timing of Corallium rubrum’s early skeleton formation and the role of sclerites, we focused on the first 4-years of life, applying different techniques, from scanning electron microscopy to synchrotron tomography and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Our results show that: 1) the first visible sclerites in the primary polyp appear at least 12 days after larval settlement, which is associated with a high CaCO3 production rate (4.5 ± 2.3 μg of CaCO3 per day). Furthermore, growth rings are visible in the sclerites, showing that fully matured sclerites grow fast, probably in 3 to 4 days. 2) Sclerites are the only biomineral product in the first year of life of C. rubrum’s colonies. 3) The evidence of a consolidated axial skeleton, intended as the inner part of the skeleton characteristic of the adult red coral (the medullary zone, MZ), is recorded for the first time in 2-year-old colonies. 4) The annular zone (AZ) around the medullary zone starts forming not before four years after settlement. Thus, primary polyp builds a deformable armor made of only sclerites during the first year. This shelter provides mechanical protection from abrasion and predation to early settled colonies. After two years, settlers are firmly and mineralogically attached to the substratum, which makes them less vulnerable to predation than younger recruits that are not anchored by the skeleton. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:05:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e54d24f30c594890a9fbc72c8241b4da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:05:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-e54d24f30c594890a9fbc72c8241b4da2023-02-06T06:39:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452023-02-011010.3389/fmars.2023.10528541052854Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of scleritesBruna Giordano0Bruna Giordano1Bruna Giordano2Lorenzo Bramanti3Jonathan Perrin4Ozan Kahramanoğulları5Daniel Vielzeuf6Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyLaboratoire d’Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université, Banyuls sur Mer, FranceLaboratoire d’Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université, Banyuls sur Mer, FranceAnatomix Beamline, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint Aubin, FranceFaculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Bolzano, ItalyAix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINAM), Marseille, FranceCorals are ecosystem engineers whose tree-like structures give three-dimensional complexity to the habitat. Their population dynamics are affected by recruitment and juvenile survival. Therefore, several defense strategies, such as the formation of hard skeletons and/or spicules, have evolved to protect these vulnerable stages. The family Coralliidae, to which “precious corals” belong, represent an exception in the order Scleralcyonacea, as they form hard CaCO3 skeletons and small CaCO3 structures, the sclerites. The skeletogenesis of Corallium species is relatively well documented in adult colonies but remains poorly known in the early stages of the development of new colonies. To shed light on the timing of Corallium rubrum’s early skeleton formation and the role of sclerites, we focused on the first 4-years of life, applying different techniques, from scanning electron microscopy to synchrotron tomography and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Our results show that: 1) the first visible sclerites in the primary polyp appear at least 12 days after larval settlement, which is associated with a high CaCO3 production rate (4.5 ± 2.3 μg of CaCO3 per day). Furthermore, growth rings are visible in the sclerites, showing that fully matured sclerites grow fast, probably in 3 to 4 days. 2) Sclerites are the only biomineral product in the first year of life of C. rubrum’s colonies. 3) The evidence of a consolidated axial skeleton, intended as the inner part of the skeleton characteristic of the adult red coral (the medullary zone, MZ), is recorded for the first time in 2-year-old colonies. 4) The annular zone (AZ) around the medullary zone starts forming not before four years after settlement. Thus, primary polyp builds a deformable armor made of only sclerites during the first year. This shelter provides mechanical protection from abrasion and predation to early settled colonies. After two years, settlers are firmly and mineralogically attached to the substratum, which makes them less vulnerable to predation than younger recruits that are not anchored by the skeleton.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1052854/fullCorallium rubrumearly life stagesrecruitmentbiomineralizationskeletogenesissclerites |
| spellingShingle | Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Bruna Giordano Lorenzo Bramanti Jonathan Perrin Ozan Kahramanoğulları Daniel Vielzeuf Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites Frontiers in Marine Science Corallium rubrum early life stages recruitment biomineralization skeletogenesis sclerites |
| title | Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites |
| title_full | Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites |
| title_fullStr | Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites |
| title_short | Early stages of development in Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum): The key role of sclerites |
| title_sort | early stages of development in mediterranean red coral corallium rubrum the key role of sclerites |
| topic | Corallium rubrum early life stages recruitment biomineralization skeletogenesis sclerites |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1052854/full |
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