Zooxanthellae expelled from bleached corals at 33°C are photosynthetically competent

While a number of factors have been linked to coral bleaching, such as high light, high temperature, low salinity, and UV exposure, the best explanation for recent coral bleaching events are small temperature excursions of 1 to 2°C above summer sea-surface temperatures in the tropics which induce the dinoflagellate symbionts (zooxanthellae) to be expelled from the host. The mechanism that triggers this expulsion of the algal symbionts is not resolved, but has been attributed to damage to the photosynthetic mechanism of the zooxanthellae. In the present investigation we addressed the question of whether such expelled zooxanthellae are indeed impaired irreversibly in their photosynthesis. We employed a Microscopy Pulse Amplitude-Modulated (PAM) fluorometer, by which individual zooxanthellae can be examined to study photosynthesis in zooxanthellae expelled when corals are subjected to a temperature of 33°C. We show that the expelled zooxanthellae from Cyphastrea serailia were largely unaffected in their photosynthesis and could be heated to 37°C before showing temperature-induced photosynthetic impairment. These results suggest strongly that the early events that trigger temperature-induced expulsion of zooxanthellae involve a dysfunction in the interaction of the zooxanthellae and the coral host tissue, and not a dysfunction in the zooxanthellae per se

Photosynthetic acclimation of Symbiodinium in hospite depends on vertical position in the tissue of the scleractinian coral Montastrea curta

© 2016 Lichtenberg, Larkum and Kühl. Coral photophysiology has been studied intensively from the colony scale down to the scale of single fluorescent pigment granules as light is one of the key determinants for coral health. We studied the photophysiology of the oral and aboral symbiont band of scleractinian coral Montastrea curta to investigate if different acclimation to light exist in hospite on a polyp scale. By combined use of electrochemical and fiber-optic microsensors for O2, scalar irradiance and variable chlorophyll fluorescence, we could characterize the physical and chemical microenvironment experienced by the symbionts and, for the first time, estimate effective quantum yields of PSII photochemistry and rates of electron transport at the position of the zooxanthellae corrected for the in-tissue gradient of scalar irradiance. The oral- and aboral Symbiodinium layers received ~71% and ~33% of surface scalar irradiance, respectively, and the two symbiont layers experience considerable differences in light exposure. Rates of gross photosynthesis did not differ markedly between the oral- and aboral layer and curves of PSII electron transport rates corrected for scalar irradiance in hospite, showed that the light use efficiency under sub-saturating light conditions were similar between the two layers. However, the aboral Symbiodinium band did not experience photosynthetic saturation, even at the highest investigated irradiance where the oral layer was clearly saturated. We thus found a different light acclimation response for the oral and aboral symbiont bands in hospite, and discuss whether such response could be shaped by spectral shifts caused by tissue gradients of scalar irradiance. Based on our experimental finding, combined with previous knowledge, we present a conceptual model on the photophysiology of Symbiodinium residing inside living coral tissue under natural gradients of light and chemical parameters

Heat budget and thermal microenvironment of shallow-water corals: Do massive corals get warmer than branching corals?

Coral surface temperature was investigated with multiple temperature sensors mounted on hemispherical and branching corals under (a) artificial lighting and controlled flow; (b) natural sunlight and controlled flow; and (c) in situ conditions in a shallow lagoon, under naturally fluctuating irradiance, water flow, and temperature. Under high irradiance and low flow conditions, hemispherical corals were 0.6°C warmer than the surrounding water. Hemispherical corals reached higher temperatures than branching corals, by a measure of 0.2°C to 0.4°C. Microsensor temperature measurements showed the presence of a thermal boundary layer (TBL). The TBL thickness was flow dependent, and under low flow conditions, a TBL up to 3 mm thick limited heat transfer to the ambient water. Combined microsensor measurements of temperature and oxygen showed that the TBL was approximately four times thicker than the diffusive boundary layer, as predicted from heat and mass transfer theory. A simple conceptual model describes coral surface temperature as a function of heat fluxes between coral tissue, skeleton, and surroundings. The slope of the predicted linear relationship between coral temperature and solar irradiance is fixed by the efficiencies of light absorption and the heat losses to the skeleton and the water. Although spectral absorptivity may play a significant role in coral warming, shape-related differences in thermal properties can cause hemispherical corals to reach higher temperatures than branching corals. Shape-related differences in thermal histories may thus help explain differences in susceptibility to coral bleaching between branching and hemispherical coral species. © 2008, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc

We are Still Learning about the Nature of Species and Their Evolutionary Relationships

Early evolutionary thinkers proposed relatively simple models to describe processes of evolution, and these are the basis of evolutionary models still used today. Recent research has since shown that evolutionary relationships among plants can be complex and difficult to reconstruct even from molecular data. In plants there is a continuum of processes, ranging from reticulate relationships within a sexually reproducing population, incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization between recently diverged species, allopolyploidy between more distantly related species, to symbioses and endosymbiosis. These aspects of plant biology can create practical problems for interpreting bifurcating gene trees and identifying species. The promise of "omics" is that it will provide data and analyses to improve our understanding of the nature of species and their phylogenetic relationships. We highlight the importance of distinguishing evolutionary processes and evolutionary models, and stress that improving the understanding of micro-evolutionary processes is necessary to inform current debate on whether or not to accept paraphyletic species

Characterisation of coral explants: a model organism for cnidarian–dinoflagellate studies

© 2014, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Coral cell cultures made from reef-building scleractinian corals have the potential to aid in the pursuit of understanding of the cnidarian–dinoflagellate symbiosis. Various methods have previously been described for the production of cell cultures in vitro with a range of success and longevity. In this study, viable tissue spheroids containing host tissue and symbionts (coral explants) were grown from the tissues of Fungia granulosa. The cultured explants remained viable for over 2 months and showed morphological similarities in tissue structure and internal microenvironment to reef-building scleractinian corals. The photophysiology of the explants (1 week old) closely matched that of the parent coral F. granulosa. This study provides the first empirical basis for supporting the use of coral explants as laboratory models for studying coral symbioses. In particular, it highlights how these small, self-sustaining, skeleton-free models can be useful for a number of molecular, genetic and physiological analyses necessary for investigating host–symbiont interactions at the microscale

Seasonal variation in the photo-physiology of homogeneous and heterogeneous Symbiodinium consortia in two scleractinian corals

Seasonal variation in the composition of the algal endosymbiont community and photophysiology was determined in the corals Pocillopora damicornis, which show high local fidelity to one symbiont type (Symbiodinium C1), and Acropora valida, with a mixed Symbiodinium symbiont community, comprising members of both clades A and C. The relative abundances of Symbiodinium types varied over time. A significant decline in symbiont densities in both coral species during the summer of 2005 coincided with a NOAA 'hotspot' warning for Heron Island. This also coincided with a relative increase in the presence and dominance of clade A in A. valida, particularly in sun-adapted surfaces. The effective quantum yield of Photosystem II (ΦPSII) suggested that sun-adapted surfaces of P. damicornis are more sensitive than shade-adapted surfaces to combined effects of higher temperature and irradiance in summer. Xanthophyll cycling was greater in P. damicornis than A. valida, irrespective of branch position and sampling time; this may be a mechanism by which P. damicornis compensates for its fidelity to Symbiodinium C1. Furthermore, xanthophyll de-epoxidation in P. damicornis symbionts was greater in sun-adapted than shade-adapted surfaces, correlating with non-photochemical quenching (NPQRLC). No variation was found in A. valida, indicating that resident symbiont communities may not have been physiologically compromised, perhaps as a result of changes in the composition of the Symbiodinium community consortia. © Inter-Research 2008

Lateral light transfer ensures efficient resource distribution in symbiont-bearing corals

Coral tissue optics has received very little attention in the past, although the interaction between tissue and light is central to our basic understanding of coral physiology. Here we used fibre-optic and electrochemical microsensors along with variable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging to directly measure lateral light propagation within living coral tissues. Our results show that corals can transfer light laterally within their tissues to a distance of ∼2cm. Such light transport stimulates O2 evolution and photosystem II operating efficiency in areas >0.5-1 cm away from direct illumination. Light is scattered strongly in both coral tissue and skeleton, leading to photon trapping and lateral redistribution within the tissue. Lateral light transfer in coral tissue is a new mechanism by which light is redistributed over the coral colony and we argue that tissue optical properties are one of the key factors in explaining the high photosynthetic efficiency of corals. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd

Light respiratory processes and gross photosynthesis in two scleractinian corals

© 2014 Schrameyer et al. The light dependency of respiratory activity of two scleractinian corals was examined using O2 microsensors and CO2 exchange measurements. Light respiration increased strongly but asymptotically with elevated irradiance in both species. Light respiration in Pocillopora damicornis was higher than in Pavona decussata under low irradiance, indicating species-specific differences in light-dependent metabolic processes. Overall, the coral P. decussata exhibited higher CO2 uptake rates than P. damicornis over the experimental irradiance range. P. decussata also harboured twice as many algal symbionts and higher total protein biomass compared to P. damicornis, possibly resulting in self-shading of the symbionts and/or changes in host tissue specific light distribution. Differences in light respiration and CO2 availability could be due to host-specific characteristics that modulate the symbiont microenvironment, its photosynthesis, and hence the overall performance of the coral holobiont

The in situ light microenvironment of corals

We used a novel diver-operated microsensor system to collect in situ spectrally resolved light fields on corals with a micrometer spatial resolution. The light microenvironment differed between polyp and coenosarc tissues with scalar irradiance (400-700 nm) over polyp tissue, attenuating between 5.1- and 7.8-fold from top to base of small hemispherical coral colonies, whereas attenuation was at most 1.5-fold for coenosarc tissue. Fluctuations in ambient solar irradiance induced changes in light and oxygen microenvironments, which were more pronounced and faster in coenosarc compared with polyp tissue. Backscattered light from the surrounding benthos contributed > 20% of total scalar irradiance at the coral tissue surface and enhanced symbiont photosynthesis and the local O2 concentration, indicating an important role of benthos optics for coral ecophysiology. Light fields on corals are species and tissue specific and exhibit pronounced variation on scales from micrometers to decimeters. Consequently, the distribution, genetic diversity, and physiology of coral symbionts must be coupled with the measurements of their actual light microenvironment to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of coral ecophysiology. © 2014, by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc

Substantial near-infrared radiation-driven photosynthesis of chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria in a natural habitat

© Kühl et al. Far-red absorbing chlorophylls are constitutively present as chlorophyll (Chl) d in the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina, or dynamically expressed by synthesis of Chl f, red-shifted phycobiliproteins and minor amounts of Chl d via far-red light photoacclimation in a range of cyanobacteria, which enables them to use near-infrared-radiation (NIR) for oxygenic photosynthesis. While the biochemistry and molecular physiology of Chl f-containing cyanobacteria has been unraveled in culture studies, their ecological significance remains unexplored and no data on their in situ activity exist. With a novel combination of hyperspectral imaging, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and nanoparticle-based O2 imaging, we demonstrate substantial NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis by endolithic, Chl f-containing cyanobacteria within natural beachrock biofilms that are widespread on (sub)tropical coastlines. This indicates an important role of NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis in primary production of endolithic and other shaded habitats