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Bellworthy J, Scucchia F, Goodbody-Gringley G, Mass T. Genomic, morphological, and physiological insights into coral acclimation along the depth gradient following an in situ reciprocal transplantation of planulae. Sci Total Environ 2024; 929:172090. [PMID: 38556020 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Mesophotic coral reefs have been proposed as refugia for corals, providing shelter and larval propagules for shallow water reefs that are disproportionately challenged by global climate change and local anthropogenic stressors. For mesophotic reefs to be a viable refuge, firstly, deep origin larvae must survive on shallow reefs and, secondly, the two environments must be physically connected. This study tested the first condition. Planulae of the reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata from 5-8 and 40-44 m depth in the Gulf of Aqaba were tested in a long-term reciprocal transplantation experiment for their ability to settle and acclimate to depth in situ. We assessed survival rates, photochemical, physiological, and morphological characteristics in juveniles grown at either their parental origin or transplantation depth. Differences in gene expression patterns were compared between mesophotic and shallow corals at the adult, juvenile, and planula life stages. We found high mortality rates among all mesophotic-origin planulae, irrespective of translocation depth. Gene expression patterns suggested that deep planulae lacked settlement competency and experienced increased developmental stress upon release. For surviving shallow origin juveniles, symbiont photochemical acclimation to depth occurred within 8 days, with symbiont communities showing changes in photochemical traits without algal symbiont shuffling. However, coral host physiological and morphological acclimation towards the typical deep phenotype was incomplete within 60 days. Gene expression was influenced by both life stage and depth. A set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with initial stress responses following transplantation, latent stress response, and environmental effects of depth was identified. This study therefore refutes the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis, as the potential for mesophotic-origin S. pistillata planulae to recruit to the shallow reef is low. The potential remains for shallow planulae to survive at mesophotic depths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel.
| | - Federica Scucchia
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
| | | | - Tali Mass
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Sdot Yam, Israel
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2
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Goodbody-Gringley G, Martinez S, Bellworthy J, Chequer A, Nativ H, Mass T. Irradiance driven trophic plasticity in the coral Madracis pharensis from the Eastern Mediterranean. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3646. [PMID: 38351312 PMCID: PMC10864392 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The distribution of symbiotic scleractinian corals is driven, in part, by light availability, as host energy demands are partially met through translocation of photosynthate. Physiological plasticity in response to environmental conditions, such as light, enables the expansion of resilient phenotypes in the face of changing environmental conditions. Here we compared the physiology, morphology, and taxonomy of the host and endosymbionts of individual Madracis pharensis corals exposed to dramatically different light conditions based on colony orientation on the surface of a shipwreck at 30 m depth in the Bay of Haifa, Israel. We found significant differences in symbiont species consortia, photophysiology, and stable isotopes, suggesting that these corals can adjust multiple aspects of host and symbiont physiology in response to light availability. These results highlight the potential of corals to switch to a predominantly heterotrophic diet when light availability and/or symbiont densities are too low to sustain sufficient photosynthesis, which may provide resilience for corals in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephane Martinez
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alex Chequer
- Reef Ecology and Evolution, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
| | - Hagai Nativ
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tali Mass
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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3
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Bellworthy J, Pardo R, Scucchia F, Zaslansky P, Goodbody-Gringley G, Mass T. Physiological and morphological plasticity in Stylophora pistillata larvae from Eilat, Israel, to shallow and mesophotic light conditions. iScience 2023; 26:106969. [PMID: 37534177 PMCID: PMC10391605 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesophotic reefs have been proposed as climate change refugia but are not synonymous ecosystems with shallow reefs and remain exposed to anthropogenic impacts. Planulae from the reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata, Gulf of Aqaba, from 5- and 45-m depth were tested ex situ for capacity to settle, grow, and acclimate to reciprocal light conditions. Skeletons were scanned by phase contrast-enhanced micro-CT to study morphology. Deep planulae had reduced volume, smaller diameter on settlement, and greater algal symbiont density. Light conditions did not have significant impact on settlement or mortality rates. Photosynthetic acclimation of algal symbionts was evident within 21-35 days after settlement but growth rate and polyp development were slower for individuals translocated away from their parental origin compared to controls. Though our data reveal rapid symbiont acclimation, reduced growth rates and limited capacity for skeletal modification likely limit the potential for mesophotic larvae to settle on shallow reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
| | - Rachel Pardo
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Federica Scucchia
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
| | - Paul Zaslansky
- Department for Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Charité Dental School – Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Tali Mass
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Sdot Yam, Israel
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4
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Martinez S, Bellworthy J, Ferrier-Pagès C, Mass T. Selection of mesophotic habitats by Oculina patagonica in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea following global warming. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18134. [PMID: 34518595 PMCID: PMC8438053 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97447-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Globally, species are migrating in an attempt to track optimal isotherms as climate change increasingly warms existing habitats. Stony corals are severely threatened by anthropogenic warming, which has resulted in repeated mass bleaching and mortality events. Since corals are sessile as adults and with a relatively old age of sexual maturity, they are slow to latitudinally migrate, but corals may also migrate vertically to deeper, cooler reefs. Herein we describe vertical migration of the Mediterranean coral Oculina patagonica from less than 10 m depth to > 30 m. We suggest that this range shift is a response to rapidly warming sea surface temperatures on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline. In contrast to the vast latitudinal distance required to track temperature change, this species has migrated deeper where summer water temperatures are up to 2 °C cooler. Comparisons of physiology, morphology, trophic position, symbiont type, and photochemistry between deep and shallow conspecifics revealed only a few depth-specific differences. At this study site, shallow colonies typically inhabit low light environments (caves, crevices) and have a facultative relationship with photosymbionts. We suggest that this existing phenotype aided colonization of the mesophotic zone. This observation highlights the potential for other marine species to vertically migrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephane Martinez
- grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel ,grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Sdot Yam, Israel ,grid.452353.60000 0004 0550 8241Coral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco City, 98000 Monaco
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel ,grid.440849.50000 0004 0496 208XThe Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
| | - Christine Ferrier-Pagès
- grid.452353.60000 0004 0550 8241Coral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco City, 98000 Monaco
| | - Tali Mass
- grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel ,grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Sdot Yam, Israel
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5
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Voolstra CR, Valenzuela JJ, Turkarslan S, Cárdenas A, Hume BCC, Perna G, Buitrago-López C, Rowe K, Orellana MV, Baliga NS, Paranjape S, Banc-Prandi G, Bellworthy J, Fine M, Frias-Torres S, Barshis DJ. Contrasting heat stress response patterns of coral holobionts across the Red Sea suggest distinct mechanisms of thermal tolerance. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4466-4480. [PMID: 34342082 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Corals from the northern Red Sea, in particular the Gulf of Aqaba (GoA), have exceptionally high bleaching thresholds approaching >5℃ above their maximum monthly mean (MMM) temperatures. These elevated thresholds are thought to be due to historical selection, as corals passed through the warmer Southern Red Sea during recolonization from the Arabian Sea. To test this hypothesis, we determined thermal tolerance thresholds of GoA versus central Red Sea (CRS) Stylophora pistillata corals using multi-temperature acute thermal stress assays to determine thermal thresholds. Relative thermal thresholds of GoA and CRS corals were indeed similar and exceptionally high (~7℃ above MMM). However, absolute thermal thresholds of CRS corals were on average 3℃ above those of GoA corals. To explore the molecular underpinnings, we determined gene expression and microbiome response of the coral holobiont. Transcriptomic responses differed markedly, with a strong response to the thermal stress in GoA corals and their symbiotic algae versus a remarkably muted response in CRS colonies. Concomitant to this, coral and algal genes showed temperature-induced expression in GoA corals, while exhibiting fixed high expression (front-loading) in CRS corals. Bacterial community composition of GoA corals changed dramatically under heat stress, whereas CRS corals displayed stable assemblages. We interpret the response of GoA corals as that of a resilient population approaching a tipping point in contrast to a pattern of consistently elevated thermal resistance in CRS corals that cannot further attune. Such response differences suggest distinct thermal tolerance mechanisms that may affect the response of coral populations to ocean warming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anny Cárdenas
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Gabriela Perna
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Katherine Rowe
- School of Science, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Monica V Orellana
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA.,Polar Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Nitin S Baliga
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA.,Departments of Biology and Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.,Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
| | | | - Guilhem Banc-Prandi
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel.,The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel.,The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI), Eilat, Israel.,The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | | | - Daniel J Barshis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA
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Bellworthy J, Fine M. Warming resistant corals from the Gulf of Aqaba live close to their cold-water bleaching threshold. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11100. [PMID: 33828920 PMCID: PMC8005291 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Global climate change is causing increasing variability and extremes in weather worldwide, a trend set to continue. In recent decades both anomalously warm and cold seawater temperatures have resulted in mass coral bleaching events. Whilst corals' response to elevated temperature has justifiably attracted substantial research interest, coral physiology under cold water stress is relatively unfamiliar. The response to below typical winter water temperature was tested for two common reef building species from the Gulf of Aqaba in an ex situ experiment. Stylophora pistillata and Acropora eurystoma were exposed to 1 or 3 °C below average winter temperature and a suite of physiological parameters were assessed. At 3 °C below winter minima (ca. 18.6 °C), both species had significant declines in photosynthetic indices (maximum quantum yield, electron transport rate, saturation irradiance, and photochemical efficiency) and chlorophyll concentration compared to corals at ambient winter temperatures. It was previously unknown that corals at this site live close to their cold-water bleaching threshold and may be vulnerable as climate variability increases in magnitude. In order to determine if a cold winter reduces the known heat resistance of this population, the corals were subsequently exposed to an acute warm period at 30 °C the following summer. Exposed to above typical summer temperatures, both species showed fewer physiological deviations compared to the cold-water stress. Therefore, the cold winter experience did not increase corals' susceptibility to above ambient summer temperatures. This study provides further support for the selection of heat tolerant genotypes colonising the Red Sea basin and thereby support the mechanism behind the Reef Refuge Hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
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7
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Bellworthy J, Spangenberg JE, Fine M. Feeding increases the number of offspring but decreases parental investment of Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12245-12258. [PMID: 31832157 PMCID: PMC6854114 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful reproductive output and recruitment is crucial to coral persistence and recovery following anthropogenic stress. Feeding is known to alter coral physiology and increase resilience to bleaching.The goal of the study was to address the knowledge gap of the influence of feeding on reproductive output and offspring phenotype.Colonies of Stylophora pistillata from the Northern Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) were fed an Artemia diet or unfed for 5 months during gametogenesis, fertilization, and brooding. In addition, time to settlement and mortality of planulae were assessed at water temperatures ranging from winter temperature (22°C) to three degrees above average peak summer temperature (31°C). A range of physiological parameters was measured in parents and offspring.In brooding parents, feeding significantly increased protein concentration and more than tripled the number of released planulae. Planulae from unfed colonies had higher chlorophyll per symbiont concentration and concomitantly higher photosynthetic efficiency compared to planulae from fed parents. In settlement assays, planulae showed a similar thermal resistance as known for this Red Sea adult population. Mortality was greater in planulae from unfed parents at ambient and 3°C above ambient temperature despite higher per offspring investment in terms of total fatty acid content. Fatty acid profiles and relative abundances were generally conserved between different fed and unfed colonies but planulae were enriched in monounsaturated fatty acids relative to adults, that is, 16:1, 18:1, 20:1, 22:1, and 24:1 isomers.Ultimately the availability of zooplankton could influence population physiology and recruitment in corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life SciencesBar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in EilatEilatIsrael
| | - Jorge E. Spangenberg
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST)University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life SciencesBar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in EilatEilatIsrael
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8
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Bellworthy J, Menoud M, Krueger T, Meibom A, Fine M. Developmental carryover effects of ocean warming and acidification in corals from a potential climate refugium, the Gulf of Aqaba. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.186940. [PMID: 30446540 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs are degrading from the effects of anthropogenic activities, including climate change. Under these stressors, their ability to survive depends upon existing phenotypic plasticity, but also transgenerational adaptation. Parental effects are ubiquitous in nature, yet empirical studies of these effects in corals are scarce, particularly in the context of climate change. This study exposed mature colonies of the common reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba to seawater conditions likely to occur just beyond the end of this century during the peak planulae brooding season (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5: pH -0.4 and +5°C beyond present day). Parent and planulae physiology were assessed at multiple time points during the experimental incubation. After 5 weeks of incubation, the physiology of the parent colonies exhibited limited treatment-induced changes. All significant time-dependent changes in physiology occurred in both ambient and treatment conditions. Planulae were also resistant to future ocean conditions, with protein content, symbiont density, photochemistry, survival and settlement success not significantly different compared with under ambient conditions. High variability in offspring physiology was independent of parental or offspring treatments and indicate the use of a bet-hedging strategy in this population. This study thus demonstrates weak climate-change-associated carryover effects. Furthermore, planulae display temperature and pH resistance similar to those of adult colonies and therefore do not represent a larger future population size bottleneck. The findings add support to the emerging hypothesis that the Gulf of Aqaba may serve as a coral climate change refugium aided by these corals' inherent broad physiological resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel .,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, P.O. Box 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Malika Menoud
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Krueger
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anders Meibom
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute of Earth Sciences, Center for Advanced Surface Analysis, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel.,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, P.O. Box 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
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9
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Hall ER, Muller EM, Goulet T, Bellworthy J, Ritchie KB, Fine M. Eutrophication may compromise the resilience of the Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata to global change. Mar Pollut Bull 2018; 131:701-711. [PMID: 29886997 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Environmental stressors are adversely affecting coral reef ecosystems. There is ample evidence that scleractinian coral growth and physiology may be compromised by reduced pH, and elevated temperature, and that this is exacerbated by local environmental stressors. The Gulf of Aqaba is considered a coral reef refuge from acidification and warming but coastal development and nutrient effluent may pose a local threat. This study examined the effects of select forecasted environmental changes (acidification, warming, and increased nutrients) individually and in combination on the coral holobiont Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba to understand how corals in a potential global climate change refugia may fare in the face of local eutrophication. The results indicate interactions between all stressors, with elevated nutrient concentrations having the broadest individual and additive impacts upon the performance of S. pistillata. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining oligotrophic conditions to secure these reefs as potential refugia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Hall
- Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA.
| | - Erinn M Muller
- Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA.
| | - Tamar Goulet
- University of Mississippi, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 1848, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, Coral Beach, 88103 Eilat, Israel; The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Kimberly B Ritchie
- Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA.
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, Coral Beach, 88103 Eilat, Israel; The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
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10
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Boxhammer T, Taucher J, Bach LT, Achterberg EP, Algueró-Muñiz M, Bellworthy J, Czerny J, Esposito M, Haunost M, Hellemann D, Ludwig A, Yong JC, Zark M, Riebesell U, Anderson LG. Enhanced transfer of organic matter to higher trophic levels caused by ocean acidification and its implications for export production: A mass balance approach. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197502. [PMID: 29799856 PMCID: PMC5969766 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ongoing acidification of the ocean through uptake of anthropogenic CO2 is known to affect marine biota and ecosystems with largely unknown consequences for marine food webs. Changes in food web structure have the potential to alter trophic transfer, partitioning, and biogeochemical cycling of elements in the ocean. Here we investigated the impact of realistic end-of-the-century CO2 concentrations on the development and partitioning of the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica pools in a coastal pelagic ecosystem (Gullmar Fjord, Sweden). We covered the entire winter-to-summer plankton succession (100 days) in two sets of five pelagic mesocosms, with one set being CO2 enriched (~760 μatm pCO2) and the other one left at ambient CO2 concentrations. Elemental mass balances were calculated and we highlight important challenges and uncertainties we have faced in the closed mesocosm system. Our key observations under high CO2 were: (1) A significantly amplified transfer of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from primary producers to higher trophic levels, during times of regenerated primary production. (2) A prolonged retention of all three elements in the pelagic food web that significantly reduced nitrogen and phosphorus sedimentation by about 11 and 9%, respectively. (3) A positive trend in carbon fixation (relative to nitrogen) that appeared in the particulate matter pool as well as the downward particle flux. This excess carbon counteracted a potential reduction in carbon sedimentation that could have been expected from patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes. Our findings highlight the potential for ocean acidification to alter partitioning and cycling of carbon and nutrients in the surface ocean but also show that impacts are temporarily variable and likely depending upon the structure of the plankton food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Boxhammer
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jan Taucher
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lennart T. Bach
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - María Algueró-Muñiz
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Biological Institute Helgoland, Helgoland, Germany
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Czerny
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Mario Esposito
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Mathias Haunost
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Dana Hellemann
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andrea Ludwig
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jaw C. Yong
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Maren Zark
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridging Group), Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ulf Riebesell
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Leif G. Anderson
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Bellworthy J, Gledhill M, Esposito M, Achterberg EP. Abundance of the iron containing biomolecule, heme b, during the progression of a spring phytoplankton bloom in a mesocosm experiment. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176268. [PMID: 28426768 PMCID: PMC5398680 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Concentrations of heme b were determined in a mesocosm experiment situated in Gullmar Fjord off Sweden. The mesocosm experiment lasted for ca. one hundred days and was characterised by the growth of a primary nutrient replete and a secondary nutrient deplete phytoplankton bloom. Heme b varied between 40 ± 10 pmol L-1 in the prebloom period up to a maximum of 700 ± 400 pmol L-1 just prior to the time of the primary chlorophyll a maximum. Thereafter, heme b concentrations decreased again to an average of 120 ± 60 pmol L-1. When normalised to total particulate carbon, heme b was most abundant during the initiation of the nutrient replete spring bloom, when ratios reached 52 ± 24 μmol mol-1; ten times higher than values observed both pre and post the primary bloom. Concentrations of heme b correlated with those of chlorophyll a. Nevertheless, differences were observed in the relative concentrations of the two parameters, with heme b concentrations increasing relative to chlorophyll a during the growth of the primary bloom, decreasing over the period of the secondary bloom and increasing again through the latter period of the experiment. Heme b abundance was therefore influenced by nutrient concentrations and also likely by changing community composition. In half of the mesocosms, pCO2 was elevated and maintained at ca.1000 μatm, however we observed no significant differences between heme b in plus or ambient pCO2 mesocosms, either in absolute terms, or relative to total particulate carbon and chlorophyll a. The results obtained in this study contribute to our understanding of the distribution of this significant component of the biogenic iron pool, and provide an iron replete coastal water end member that aids the interpretation of the distributions of heme b in more iron deplete open ocean waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bellworthy
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Martha Gledhill
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Geomar Helmholtz Institute for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Mario Esposito
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Eric P. Achterberg
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Geomar Helmholtz Institute for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
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Bach LT, Taucher J, Boxhammer T, Ludwig A, Achterberg EP, Algueró-Muñiz M, Anderson LG, Bellworthy J, Büdenbender J, Czerny J, Ericson Y, Esposito M, Fischer M, Haunost M, Hellemann D, Horn HG, Hornick T, Meyer J, Sswat M, Zark M, Riebesell U. Influence of Ocean Acidification on a Natural Winter-to-Summer Plankton Succession: First Insights from a Long-Term Mesocosm Study Draw Attention to Periods of Low Nutrient Concentrations. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159068. [PMID: 27525979 PMCID: PMC4985126 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Every year, the oceans absorb about 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) leading to a re-equilibration of the marine carbonate system and decreasing seawater pH. Today, there is increasing awareness that these changes–summarized by the term ocean acidification (OA)–could differentially affect the competitive ability of marine organisms, thereby provoking a restructuring of marine ecosystems and biogeochemical element cycles. In winter 2013, we deployed ten pelagic mesocosms in the Gullmar Fjord at the Swedish west coast in order to study the effect of OA on plankton ecology and biogeochemistry under close to natural conditions. Five of the ten mesocosms were left unperturbed and served as controls (~380 μatm pCO2), whereas the others were enriched with CO2-saturated water to simulate realistic end-of-the-century carbonate chemistry conditions (~760 μatm pCO2). We ran the experiment for 113 days which allowed us to study the influence of high CO2 on an entire winter-to-summer plankton succession and to investigate the potential of some plankton organisms for evolutionary adaptation to OA in their natural environment. This paper is the first in a PLOS collection and provides a detailed overview on the experimental design, important events, and the key complexities of such a “long-term mesocosm” approach. Furthermore, we analyzed whether simulated end-of-the-century carbonate chemistry conditions could lead to a significant restructuring of the plankton community in the course of the succession. At the level of detail analyzed in this overview paper we found that CO2-induced differences in plankton community composition were non-detectable during most of the succession except for a period where a phytoplankton bloom was fueled by remineralized nutrients. These results indicate: (1) Long-term studies with pelagic ecosystems are necessary to uncover OA-sensitive stages of succession. (2) Plankton communities fueled by regenerated nutrients may be more responsive to changing carbonate chemistry than those having access to high inorganic nutrient concentrations and may deserve particular attention in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart T. Bach
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jan Taucher
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Tim Boxhammer
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Andrea Ludwig
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | | | - María Algueró-Muñiz
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Helgoland, Germany
| | - Leif G. Anderson
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Büdenbender
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jan Czerny
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ylva Ericson
- The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Mario Esposito
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mathias Haunost
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Dana Hellemann
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henriette G. Horn
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Helgoland, Germany
| | - Thomas Hornick
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Experimental Limnology, Stechlin, Germany
| | - Jana Meyer
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael Sswat
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Maren Zark
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridging Group), Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ulf Riebesell
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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