Unique quantitative Symbiodiniaceae signature of coral colonies revealed through spatio-temporal survey in Moorea

One of the mechanisms of rapid adaptation or acclimatization to environmental changes in corals is through the dynamics of the composition of their associated endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae community. The various species of these dinoflagellates are characterized by different biological properties, some of which can confer stress tolerance to the coral host. Compelling evidence indicates that the corals' Symbiodiniaceae community can change via shuffling and/or switching but the ecological relevance and the governance of these processes remain elusive. Using a qPCR approach to follow the dynamics of Symbiodiniaceae genera in tagged colonies of three coral species over a 10-18 month period, we detected putative genus-level switching of algal symbionts, with coral species-specific rates of occurrence. However, the dynamics of the corals' Symbiodiniaceae community composition was not driven by environmental parameters. On the contrary, putative shuffling event were observed in two coral species during anomalous seawater temperatures and nutrient concentrations. Most notably, our results reveal that a suit of permanent Symbiodiniaceae genera is maintained in each colony in a specific range of quantities, giving a unique 'Symbiodiniaceae signature' to the host. This individual signature, together with sporadic symbiont switching may account for the intra-specific differences in resistance and resilience observed during environmental anomalies

Marquesan (French Polynesia) cosmetopoeia assessment

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The Reef Environment Centralized InFormation System (RECIFS): An integrated geo-environmental database for coral reef research and conservation

Motivation Host to intricate networks of marine species, coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. Over the past few decades, major degradations of coral reefs have been observed worldwide, which is largely attributed to the effects of climate change and local stressors related to human activities. Now more than ever, characterizing how the environment shapes the dynamics of the reef ecosystem (e.g., shifts in species abundance, community changes, emergence of locally adapted populations) is key to uncovering the environmental drivers of reef degradation, and developing efficient conservation strategies in response. To achieve these objectives, it is pivotal that environmental data describing the processes driving such ecosystem dynamics, which occur across specific spatial and temporal scales, are easily accessible to coral reef researchers and conservation stakeholders alike. Main types of variable contained Multiple environmental variables characterizing various facets of the reef environment, including water chemistry and physics (e.g., temperature, pH, chlorophyll concentration), local anthropogenic pressures (e.g., boat traffic, distance from agricultural or urban areas) and sea currents patterns. Spatial location and grain Worldwide reef cells of 5 by 5 km. Time period and grain Last 3–4 decades, monthly and yearly resolution. Major taxa and level of measurement Environmental data important for coral reefs and associated biodiversity. Software format Interactive web application available at https://recifs.epfl.ch

Symbiodinium clades A and D differentially predispose Acropora cytherea to disease and Vibrio spp. colonization

International audienceCoral disease outbreaks have increased over the last three decades, but their causal agents remain mostly unclear (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists). This study details a 14-month-long survey of coral colonies in which observations of the development of disease was observed in nearly half of the sampled colonies. A bimonthly qPCR method was used to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate Symbiodinium assemblages of tagged colonies, and to detect the presence of Vibrio spp. Firstly, our data showed that predisposition to disease development in general, and, more specifically, infection by Vibrio spp. in Acropora cytherea depended on which clades of Symbiodinium were harbored. In both cases, harboring clade D rather than A was beneficial to the coral host. Secondly, the detection of Vibrio spp. in only colonies that developed disease strongly suggests opportunistic traits of the bacteria. Finally, even if sporadic cases of switching and probably shuffling were observed, this long-term survey does not suggest specific-clade recruitment in response to stressors. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the fitness of the coral holobiont depends on its initial consortium of Symbiodinium, which is distinct among colonies, rather than a temporary adaptation achieved through acquiring different Symbiodinium clades

Worldwide analysis of reef surveys sorts coral taxa by associations with recent and past heat stress

Coral reefs around the world are under threat from anomalous heat waves that are causing the widespread decline of hard corals. Different coral taxa are known to have different sensitivities to heat, although variation in susceptibilities have also been observed within the same species living in different environments. Characterizing such taxa-specific variations is key to enforcing efficient reef conservation strategies. Here, we combine worldwide-reef-survey data with remote sensed environmental variables to evaluate how local differences in taxa-specific coral cover are associated with past trends of thermal anomalies, as well as of non-heat related conditions. While the association with non-heat related environmental variation was seldom significant, we found that heat stress trends matched local differences in coral cover. Coral taxa were sorted based on the different patterns of associations with recent heat stress (measured the year before the survey) and past heat stress (measured since 1985). For branching, tabular and corymbose Acroporidae, reefs exposed to recent heat stress had lower coral cover than locally expected. Among such reefs, those previously exposed to frequent past heat stress displayed relatively higher coral cover, compared to those less frequently exposed. For massive and encrusting Poritidae, and for meandroid Favidae and Mussidae, we observed a negative association of coral cover with recent heat stress. However, unlike with Acroporidae, these associations were weaker and did not vary with past heat exposure. For Pocilloporidae, we found a positive association between coral cover and recent heat stress for reefs frequently exposed to past heat, while we found a negative association at reefs less frequently exposed to past heat. A similar pattern was observed for the branching Poritidae, although the associations were weaker and not statistically significant. Overall, these results show taxa-specific heat association patterns that might correspond to taxa-specific responses to past heat exposure, such as shifts in the assembly of coral communities, evolutionary adaptation or physiological acclimation

Metabarcoding reveals distinct microbiotypes in the giant clam Tridacna maxima

International audienceBackground: Giant clams and scleractinian (reef-building) corals are keystone species of coral reef ecosystems. The basis of their ecological success is a complex and fine-tuned symbiotic relationship with microbes. While the effect of environmental change on the composition of the coral microbiome has been heavily studied, we know very little about the composition and sensitivity of the microbiome associated with clams. Here, we explore the influence of increasing temperature on the microbial community (bacteria and dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae) harbored by giant clams, maintained either in isolation or exposed to other reef species. We created artificial benthic assemblages using two coral species (Pocillopora damicornis and Acropora cytherea) and one giant clam species (Tridacna maxima) and studied the microbial community in the latter using metagenomics. Results: Our results led to three major conclusions. First, the health status of giant clams depended on the composition of the benthic species assemblages. Second, we discovered distinct microbiotypes in the studied T. maxima population, one of which was disproportionately dominated by Vibrionaceae and directly linked to clam mortality. Third, neither the increase in water temperature nor the composition of the benthic assemblage had a significant effect on the composition of the Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities of T. maxima

Seascape genomics as a new tool to empower coral reef conservation strategies: an example on north‐western Pacific Acropora digitifera

International audienceCoral reefs are suffering a major decline due to the environmental constraints imposedby climate change. Over the last 20 years, three major coral bleaching eventsoccurred in concomitance with anomalous heatwaves, provoking a severe loss of coralcover worldwide. The conservation strategies for preserving reefs, as they are implementednow, cannot cope with global climatic shifts. Consequently, researchersare advocating for preservation networks to be set-up to reinforce coral adaptive potential.However, the main obstacle to this implementation is that studies on coraladaption are usually hard to generalize at the scale of a reef system. Here, we studythe relationships between genotype frequencies and environmental characteristics ofthe sea (seascape genomics), in combination with connectivity analysis, to investigatethe adaptive potential of a flagship coral species of the Ryukyu Archipelago (Japan).By associating genotype frequencies with descriptors of historical environmental conditions,we discovered six genomic regions hosting polymorphisms that might promoteresistance against heat stress. Remarkably, annotations of genes in these regionswere consistent with molecular roles associated with heat responses. Furthermore,we combined information on genetic and spatial distances between reefs to predictconnectivity at a regional scale. The combination of these results portrayed the adaptivepotential of this population: we were able to identify reefs carrying potential heatstress adapted genotypes and to understand how they disperse to neighbouring reefs.This information was summarized by objective, quantifiable and mappable indices coveringthe whole region, which can be extremely useful for future prioritization of reefsin conservation planning. This framework is transferable to any coral species on anyreef system and therefore represents a valuable tool for empowering preservation effortsdedicated to the protection of coral reefs in warming oceans

Coral cover surveys corroborate predictions on reef adaptive potential to thermal stress

International audienc

Exposure to the environmentally-persistent insecticide chlordecone induces detoxification genes and causes polyp bail-out in the coral P. damicornis

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