Alternative splicing in a coral during heat stress acclimation and recovery

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 2, 2025

Climate change has caused drastic declines in corals. As sessile organisms, corals acclimate to environmental shifts through genome-wide changes gene expression, epigenetic modifications, and alterations microbiome composition. However, alternative splicing (AS), a conserved mechanism of stress response many been under-explored Using short-term acute thermal assays, we investigated patterns AS the scleractinian coral Acropora cervicornis during low (33°C), medium (35°C), high (37°C) heat subsequent overnight recovery. Our findings demonstrate reproducible dynamic at least 40 percent all genes treatment recovery phase. The relative proportion increased was primarily dominated by intron retention specific classes transcripts, including those related regulation itself. While returned baseline levels post-exposure heat, persisted even after reprieve from higher stress, which associated with irreversible loss photosynthetic efficiency symbiont. that, although animals, are more plant-like their likely usage for regulating

Language: Английский

---

Ex Situ Thermal Preconditioning Modulates Coral Physiology and Enhances Heat Tolerance: A Multispecies Perspective for Active Restoration

Environmental Science & Technology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 25, 2025

Global warming threatens reef-building corals by challenging their adaptive capacity. Therefore, interventions such as stress-hardening thermal preconditioning could become crucial for survival. This study aimed to systematically assess the effects of distinct regimes (stable-high at 29 °C, variable-high ± 1.5 and stable-ambient control 26 °C) on baseline physiology tolerance six stony coral species (Galaxea fascicularis, Porites rus, Acropora muricata, Montipora digitata, Pocillopora verrucosa, Stylophora pistillata) determine commonalities in responses that transcend species-specific signatures. For this, we quantified changes photosynthetic efficiency bleaching intensity before after a short-term heat stress assay up 30 days later. Stress-hardening was successful all preconditioned corals, with regime slightly outperforming stable-high regime. Preconditioning reduced response 90%, yet differed receptiveness. It also improved resilience (survival recovery), high inherent recovered better than susceptible species. Notably, both affected physiology, exclusively branching species, causing tissue paling decreased efficiency. We conclude implementing protocols requires consideration receptiveness potential physiological trade-offs.

Language: Английский

---

Seasonal changes in coral thermal threshold suggest species-specific strategies for coping with temperature variations

Communications Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7(1)

Published: Dec. 19, 2024

Coral thermotolerance research has focused on the ability of coral holobionts to maximize withstanding thermal stress exposure. Yet, it's unclear whether thresholds adjust across seasons or remain constant for a given species and location. Here, we assessed tolerance over time spanning annual temperature variation in Red Sea Pocillopora verrucosa Acropora spp. colonies. Utilizing Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS), conducted standardized acute assays by exposing corals range temperatures (30 39 °C) measuring their photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm). Our results reveal species-specific patterns. P. exhibited significant seasonal changes around 3 °C, while remained rather stable, showing 1 °C between seasons. work shows that can vary with fluctuations, suggesting may acclimate these natural hanges short periods manner. Seasonal variations modify threshold unchanged when exposed same situ conditions.

Language: Английский

---

Extreme Environmental Variability Induces Frontloading of Coral Biomineralisation Genes to Maintain Calcification Under pCO₂ Variability

Molecular Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(2)

Published: Nov. 28, 2024

Corals residing in habitats that experience high-frequency seawater pCO

Language: Английский

---