Influence of copper pre-exposure on biochemical responses of the sea anemone Bunodosoma cangicum to changes in oxygen availability

Integrated biomarker responses in wild populations of the intertidal sea anemone Bunodosoma zamponii living under different anthropogenic pressures

Bunodosoma zamponii is the most abundant anemone in Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Given that the presence of persistent organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides and PCBs) and the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos has recently been reported in this species, two wild populations living under different anthropogenic pressures were studied and compared regarding basic aspects of their ecology and physiological response to oxidative stress. A population from an impacted site (Las Delicias, LD) and another from a reference site (Punta Cantera, PC) were monitored seasonally (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), for one year. Anemones from PC were larger and more abundant than those from LD for most sampling periods. During winter, glutathione-S-transferase and catalase activities were higher in LD. Moreover, protein content and antioxidant defenses were higher in anemones from PC during winter as well. Taking into account their ecology (size and abundance) and biomarker responses, the population from PC was comparatively healthier. Furthermore, such differences are in agreement with recent studies indicating a higher concentration of pollutants in anemones from LD (specially during the winter sampling). In this sense, considering that B. zamponii can bioaccumulate the aforementioned pollutants, its resilience to their presence, and the fact that biomarker response differed between sites, this species can be regarded as a proper sentinel species of environmental pollution. Overall, this anemone seems to be a good bioindicator to be considered in future biomonitoring and ecotoxicological studies.

Coral environmental memory: causes, mechanisms, and consequences for future reefs

The apparent ability of corals to acquire and maintain enhanced stress tolerance through a dose-dependent environmental memory, which may persist for multiple years, has critical implications for coral reef conservation research. Such responses are variable across coral species and environmental stressors, with primed corals exhibiting a modified response to secondary stress exposures. While the mechanisms underlying coral memory responses are poorly understood, they likely involve both the coral host and microbiome. With advances in molecular technologies, it is now possible to investigate potential memory mechanisms in non-model organisms, including transcriptional regulation through epigenetic modifications. We integrate evidence of coral environmental memory and suggest future research directions to evaluate the potential for this process to enhance coral resilience under climate change.

Current Trends and Research Challenges Regarding "Preparation for Oxidative Stress"

Survival under stress, such as exposure to hypoxia, anoxia, freezing, dehydration, air exposure of water breathing organisms, and estivation, is commonly associated to enhanced endogenous antioxidants, a phenomenon coined "preparation for oxidative stress" (POS). The regulation of free radical metabolism seems to be crucial under these selective pressures, since this response is widespread among animals. A hypothesis of how POS works at the molecular level was recently proposed and relies on two main processes: increased reactive species production under hypoxia, and activation of redox-sensitive transcription factors and signaling pathways, increasing the expression of antioxidants. The present paper brings together the current knowledge on POS and considers its future directions. Data indicate the presence of POS in 83 animal species (71.6% among investigated species), distributed in eight animal phyla. Three main research challenges on POS are presented: (i) to identify the molecular mechanism(s) that mediate/induce POS, (ii) to identify the evolutionary origins of POS in animals, and (iii) to determine the presence of POS in natural environments. We firstly discuss the need of evidence for increased RS production in hypoxic conditions that underlie the POS response. Secondly, we discuss the phylogenetic origins of POS back 700 million years, by identifying POS-positive responses in cnidarians. Finally, we present the first reports of the POS adaptation strategy in the wild. The investigation of these research trends and challenges may prove useful to understand the evolution of animal redox adaptations and how they adapt to increasing stressful environments on Earth.