Journal article
Heat-evolved algal symbionts enhance bleaching tolerance of adult corals without trade-off against growth
WY Chan, L Meyers, D Rudd, SH Topa, MJH van Oppen
Global Change Biology | Published : 2023
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16987
Abstract
Ocean warming has caused coral mass bleaching and mortality worldwide and the persistence of symbiotic reef-building corals requires rapid acclimation or adaptation. Experimental evolution of the coral's microalgal symbionts followed by their introduction into coral is one potential method to enhance coral thermotolerance. Heat-evolved microalgal symbionts of the generalist species, Cladocopium proliferum (strain SS8), were exposed to elevated temperature (31°C) for ~10 years, and were introduced into four genotypes of chemically bleached adult fragments of the scleractinian coral, Galaxea fascicularis. Two of the four coral genotypes acquired SS8. The new symbionts persisted for the 5 month..
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Awarded by Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank J. Ahern for aquarium support; the National Sea Simulator team, especially A. Severati and L. Koukoumaftsis for coral collection; M. Nitschke for the Symbiodiniaceae community statistical pipeline and S. J. Tsang Min Ching for assistance in coral inoculation and library preparation. Thanks are also extended to D. Baker, S. McIlroy, and G. Puntin for fruitful discussions and protocol sharing on coral menthol bleaching; as well as the Metabolomics Australia, especially V. Lui and V. Narayana for technical support. This research was funded by the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship to MJHvO (FL180100036), the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program-a partnership between the Australian Governments Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.