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Ma X, Vanneste S, Chang J, Ambrosino L, Barry K, Bayer T, Bobrov AA, Boston L, Campbell JE, Chen H, Chiusano ML, Dattolo E, Grimwood J, He G, Jenkins J, Khachaturyan M, Marín-Guirao L, Mesterházy A, Muhd DD, Pazzaglia J, Plott C, Rajasekar S, Rombauts S, Ruocco M, Scott A, Tan MP, Van de Velde J, Vanholme B, Webber J, Wong LL, Yan M, Sung YY, Novikova P, Schmutz J, Reusch TBH, Procaccini G, Olsen JL, Van de Peer Y. Seagrass genomes reveal ancient polyploidy and adaptations to the marine environment. Nat Plants 2024; 10:240-255. [PMID: 38278954 PMCID: PMC7615686 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01608-5] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
We present chromosome-level genome assemblies from representative species of three independently evolved seagrass lineages: Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Thalassia testudinum and Zostera marina. We also include a draft genome of Potamogeton acutifolius, belonging to a freshwater sister lineage to Zosteraceae. All seagrass species share an ancient whole-genome triplication, while additional whole-genome duplications were uncovered for C. nodosa, Z. marina and P. acutifolius. Comparative analysis of selected gene families suggests that the transition from submerged-freshwater to submerged-marine environments mainly involved fine-tuning of multiple processes (such as osmoregulation, salinity, light capture, carbon acquisition and temperature) that all had to happen in parallel, probably explaining why adaptation to a marine lifestyle has been exceedingly rare. Major gene losses related to stomata, volatiles, defence and lignification are probably a consequence of the return to the sea rather than the cause of it. These new genomes will accelerate functional studies and solutions, as continuing losses of the 'savannahs of the sea' are of major concern in times of climate change and loss of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Ma
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Steffen Vanneste
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jiyang Chang
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luca Ambrosino
- Department of Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Kerrie Barry
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Till Bayer
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - LoriBeth Boston
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Justin E Campbell
- Coastlines and Oceans Division, Institute of Environment, Florida International University-Biscayne Bay Campus, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Hengchi Chen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maria Luisa Chiusano
- Department of Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy
| | - Jane Grimwood
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Guifen He
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jerry Jenkins
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Marina Khachaturyan
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Institute of General Microbiology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Attila Mesterházy
- Centre for Ecological Research, Wetland Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Danish-Daniel Muhd
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy
| | - Chris Plott
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | | | - Stephane Rombauts
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, Fano, Italy
| | - Alison Scott
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
| | - Min Pau Tan
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Jozefien Van de Velde
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
| | - Bartel Vanholme
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jenell Webber
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Li Lian Wong
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Mi Yan
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yeong Yik Sung
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Polina Novikova
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
| | - Jeremy Schmutz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Thorsten B H Reusch
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Jeanine L Olsen
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Yves Van de Peer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
- College of Horticulture, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
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Santillán-Sarmiento A, Pazzaglia J, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Ambrosino L, Winters G, Marin-Guirao L, Procaccini G. Gene co-expression network analysis for the selection of candidate early warning indicators of heat and nutrient stress in Posidonia oceanica. Sci Total Environ 2023; 877:162517. [PMID: 36868282 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162517] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The continuous worldwide seagrasses decline calls for immediate actions in order to preserve this precious marine ecosystem. The main stressors that have been linked with decline in seagrasses are 1) the increasing ocean temperature due to climate change and 2) the continuous inputs of nutrients (eutrophication) associated with coastal human activities. To avoid the loss of seagrass populations, an "early warning" system is needed. We used Weighed Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), a systems biology approach, to identify potential candidate genes that can provide an early warning signal of stress in the Mediterranean iconic seagrass Posidonia oceanica, anticipating plant mortality. Plants were collected from both eutrophic (EU) and oligotrophic (OL) environments and were exposed to thermal and nutrient stress in a dedicated mesocosm. By correlating the whole-genome gene expression after 2-weeks exposure with the shoot survival percentage after 5-weeks exposure to stressors, we were able to identify several transcripts that indicated an early activation of several biological processes (BP) including: protein metabolic process, RNA metabolic process, organonitrogen compound biosynthetic process, catabolic process and response to stimulus, which were shared among OL and EU plants and among leaf and shoot apical meristem (SAM), in response to excessive heat and nutrients. Our results suggest a more dynamic and specific response of the SAM compared to the leaf, especially the SAM from plants coming from a stressful environment appeared more dynamic than the SAM from a pristine environment. A vast list of potential molecular markers is also provided that can be used as targets to assess field samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Ambrosino
- Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Gidon Winters
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, Mount Masada 8698000, Israel.; Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Hatmarim Blv, Eilat 8855630, Israel
| | - Lázaro Marin-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy.
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Pazzaglia J, Dattolo E, Ruocco M, Santillán-Sarmiento A, Marin-Guirao L, Procaccini G. DNA methylation dynamics in a coastal foundation seagrass species under abiotic stressors. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222197. [PMID: 36651048 PMCID: PMC9845983 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2197] [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: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) has been intensively studied in terrestrial plants in response to environmental changes, but its dynamic changes in a temporal scale remain unexplored in marine plants. The seagrass Posidonia oceanica ranks among the slowest-growing and longest-living plants on Earth, and is particularly vulnerable to sea warming and local anthropogenic pressures. Here, we analysed the dynamics of DNAm changes in plants collected from coastal areas differentially impacted by eutrophication (i.e. oligotrophic, Ol; eutrophic, Eu) and exposed to abiotic stressors (nutrients, temperature increase and their combination). Levels of global DNAm (% 5-mC) and the expression of key genes involved in DNAm were assessed after one, two and five weeks of exposure. Results revealed a clear differentiation between plants, depending on environmental stimuli, time of exposure and plants' origin. % 5-mC levels were higher during the initial stress exposure especially in Ol plants, which upregulated almost all genes involved in DNAm. Contrarily, Eu plants showed lower expression levels, which increased under chronic exposure to stressors, particularly to temperature. These findings show that DNAm is dynamic in P. oceanica during stress exposure and underlined that environmental epigenetic variations could be implicated in the regulation of acclimation and phenotypic differences depending on local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Alex Santillán-Sarmiento
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Faculty of Engineering, National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
| | - Lazaro Marin-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Centre of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
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Pazzaglia J, Santillán-Sarmiento A, Ruocco M, Dattolo E, Ambrosino L, Marín-Guirao L, Procaccini G. Local environment modulates whole-transcriptome expression in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica under warming and nutrients excess. Environ Pollut 2022; 303:119077. [PMID: 35276251 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The intensification of anomalous events of seawater warming and the co-occurrence with local anthropogenic stressors are threatening coastal marine habitats, including seagrasses, which form extensive underwater meadows. Eutrophication highly affects coastal environments, potentially summing up to the widespread effects of global climate changes. In the present study, we investigated for the first time in seagrasses, the transcriptional response of different plant organs (i.e., leaf and shoot apical meristem, SAM) of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica growing in environments with a different history of nutrient enrichment. To this end, a mesocosm experiment exposing plants to single (nutrient enrichment or temperature increase) and multiple stressors (nutrient enrichment plus temperature increase), was performed. Results revealed a differential transcriptome regulation of plants under single and multiple stressors, showing an organ-specific sensitivity depending on plants' origin. While leaf tissues were more responsive to nutrient stress, SAM revealed a higher sensitivity to temperature treatments, especially in plants already impacted in their native environment. The exposure to stress conditions induced the modulation of different biological processes. Plants living in an oligotrophic environment were more responsive to nutrients compared to plants from a eutrophic environment. Evidences that epigenetic mechanisms were involved in the regulation of transcriptional reprogramming were also observed in both plants' organs. These results represent a further step in the comprehension of seagrass response to abiotic stressors pointing out the importance of local pressures in a global warming scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alex Santillán-Sarmiento
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Faculty of Engineering, National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
| | - Miriam Ruocco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dattolo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Ambrosino
- Department of Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Lazaro Marín-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy; Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy.
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Pazzaglia J, Badalamenti F, Bernardeau-Esteller J, Ruiz JM, Giacalone VM, Procaccini G, Marín-Guirao L. Thermo-priming increases heat-stress tolerance in seedlings of the Mediterranean seagrass P. oceanica. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 174:113164. [PMID: 34864463 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Seawater warming and increased incidence of marine heatwaves (MHW) are threatening the integrity of coastal marine habitats including seagrasses, which are particularly vulnerable to climate changes. Novel stress tolerance-enhancing strategies, including thermo-priming, have been extensively applied in terrestrial plants for enhancing resilience capacity under the re-occurrence of a stress event. We applied, for the first time in seedlings of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, a thermo-priming treatment through the exposure to a simulated warming event. We analyzed the photo-physiological and growth performance of primed and non-primed seedlings, and the gene expression responses of selected genes (i.e. stress-, photosynthesis- and epigenetic-related genes). Results revealed that during the re-occurring stress event, primed seedlings performed better than unprimed showing unaltered photo-physiology supported by high expression levels of genes related to stress response, photosynthesis, and epigenetic modifications. These findings offer new opportunities to improve conservation and restoration efforts in a future scenario of environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabio Badalamenti
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; CNR-IAS, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo 4521, 90149 Palermo, Italy
| | - Jaime Bernardeau-Esteller
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy.
| | - Lazaro Marín-Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Murcia, Spain
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Vesal SE, Nasi F, Pazzaglia J, Ferrante L, Auriemma R, Relitti F, Bazzaro M, Del Negro P. Assessing the sewage discharge effects on soft-bottom macrofauna through traits-based approach. Mar Pollut Bull 2021; 173:113003. [PMID: 34628343 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113003] [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: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We assessed the effect of sewage-derived materials on the structural and functional attributes of the soft-bottom macrofauna at an increasing distance from the entire diffusion area. Our results showed clear spatial changes of macrofaunal density and biomass along the distance gradient from the main outfall. High values of biodiversity, species composition, and species linked to organic enrichment near the duct suggested that moderate organic stress affected this community. The traits analysis abundance-based, compared to biomass-based one, distinguished most clearly sewage contamination conditions. Functional diversity displayed spatial patterns with higher values in the less impacted sites and was significantly related to species numbers and the biotic indices (like M-AMBI). This approach is ideal for detecting macrofaunal functional changes due to sewage contamination. Thus, we infer that traits analyses could offer great potential for environmental assessment and monitoring of coastal areas influenced by human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Ehsan Vesal
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Federica Nasi
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | - Larissa Ferrante
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Rocco Auriemma
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Federica Relitti
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Matteo Bazzaro
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Strada Laterina, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Paola Del Negro
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, via A. Piccard 54, I-34151 Trieste, Italy
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Pazzaglia J, Reusch TBH, Terlizzi A, Marín‐Guirao L, Procaccini G. Phenotypic plasticity under rapid global changes: The intrinsic force for future seagrasses survival. Evol Appl 2021; 14:1181-1201. [PMID: 34025759 PMCID: PMC8127715 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [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: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal oceans are particularly affected by rapid and extreme environmental changes with dramatic consequences for the entire ecosystem. Seagrasses are key ecosystem engineering or foundation species supporting diverse and productive ecosystems along the coastline that are particularly susceptible to fast environmental changes. In this context, the analysis of phenotypic plasticity could reveal important insights into seagrasses persistence, as it represents an individual property that allows species' phenotypes to accommodate and react to fast environmental changes and stress. Many studies have provided different definitions of plasticity and related processes (acclimation and adaptation) resulting in a variety of associated terminology. Here, we review different ways to define phenotypic plasticity with particular reference to seagrass responses to single and multiple stressors. We relate plasticity to the shape of reaction norms, resulting from genotype by environment interactions, and examine its role in the presence of environmental shifts. The potential role of genetic and epigenetic changes in underlying seagrasses plasticity in face of environmental changes is also discussed. Different approaches aimed to assess local acclimation and adaptation in seagrasses are explored, explaining strengths and weaknesses based on the main results obtained from the most recent literature. We conclude that the implemented experimental approaches, whether performed with controlled or field experiments, provide new insights to explore the basis of plasticity in seagrasses. However, an improvement of molecular analysis and the application of multi-factorial experiments are required to better explore genetic and epigenetic adjustments to rapid environmental shifts. These considerations revealed the potential for selecting the best phenotypes to promote assisted evolution with fundamental implications on restoration and preservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pazzaglia
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Thorsten B. H. Reusch
- Marine Evolutionary EcologyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielKielGermany
| | - Antonio Terlizzi
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine OrganismsStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
| | - Lázaro Marín‐Guirao
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
- Seagrass Ecology GroupOceanographic Center of MurciaSpanish Institute of OceanographyMurciaSpain
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Department of Integrative Marine EcologyStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaplesItaly
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