Transcriptomic Signatures of Accimation in 'Susceptible' Acropora Surculosa and 'Resistant' Porites Rus

Transcriptomic Signatures of Accimation in 'Susceptible' Acropora Surculosa and 'Resistant' Porites Rus

Coral reefs, heat stress, Thesis - Master of Science in Biology

As ocean temperatures rise globally, the search for individual coral genotypes that are currently able to survive environmental extremes becomes more critical. Certain corals in Guam inhabit more thermally variable shallow reef flats than their conspecifics in other locations and may provide insight into whether some coral individuals can acclimate to climate change. We reciprocally transplanted stress ‘resistant’ Porites rus and stress ‘susceptible’ Acropora surculosa between two depths with more and less variable thermal and irradiance regimes. Throughout the ten-week transplant we collected tissue color values, bleaching rates, Symbiodiniaceae measurements, and transcriptomic samples. In the natural populations, both coral species expressed distinct transcriptomic patterns based on depth. When transplanted from the more variable shallow depth to the more stable deep depth, both coral species showed ‘transcriptional dampening’, indicating acclimation. When transplanted to the more variable shallow site, however, A. surculosa exhibited a more pronounced ‘Type B’ environmental stress response (ESR) while P. rus showed more transcriptomic plasticity. After the ten-week transplant, there was still evidence of transplantation stress closely resembling a ‘Type A’ ESR in both coral species at both depths that could make it difficult to differentiate an environmental stress response from a transplantation stress response. With an enhanced understanding of how more ‘susceptible’ and ‘resistant’ coral species respond to thermal and irradiance stress, we can better predict how these corals will acclimate in the future as climate change progresses.

Sartor, Constance

University Libraries - Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library, University of Guam

2021-10

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University of Guam Thesis Collection

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Guam