Assisted gene flow yieldsAcropora palmatacorals with robust physiological performance under warmer water temperatures in a land-based nursery

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 11, 2025

Abstract Assisted gene flow (AGF) is a conservation approach that facilitates the spread of alleles and may accelerate recovery genetically depauperate cohorts. The threatened Caribbean coral Acropora palmata approaching regional extinction within western Atlantic partly due to increasing water temperatures associated with global climate change. Previously, AGF was conducted by crossing gametes collected from three regions (Curaçao - CU, Florida FL, Puerto Rico PR) characterized contrasting temperature regimes low between them. Here, we tested thermal tolerance these cohorts in comparison purebred Curaçao Exposure high resulted few physiological changes, likely because corals hosted thermally tolerant algal symbiont, Durusdinium trenchii . However, FL x cohort most sensitive significant reduction net photosynthesis maximum electron transport rate under this treatment. Like phenotypic responses, expression changes response heat stress were muted overall. Consequently, there little power detect correlations genotype phenotype. Relative mid-parent values, CUxFL showed 26 overexpressed 48 underexpressed genes. Differentially expressed genes included known responders. Importantly, hybrid crosses harbored 879 private previously not recovered representative genets thus carry important value. These findings suggest only novel but also represent patterns.

Language: Английский

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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

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Genome assembly and annotation of Acropora pulchra from Mo’orea French Polynesia

Gigabyte, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 2025

Published: April 10, 2025

Reef-building corals are integral ecosystem engineers of tropical reefs but face threats from climate change. Investigating genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors influencing their adaptation is critical. Genomic resources essential for understanding coral biology guiding conservation efforts. However, genomes the genus Acropora limited to highly-studied species. Here, we present assembly annotation genome DNA methylome pulchra Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Using long-read PacBio HiFi Illumina RNASeq, generated most complete date (BUSCO completeness 96.7% metazoan genes). The size 518 Mbp, with 174 scaffolds, a scaffold N50 17 Mbp. We predicted 40,518 protein-coding genes 16.74% in repeats. methylation CpG context 14.6%. This A. will support studies coastal Polynesia, aiding comparative cnidarians.

Language: Английский

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Genomes of the Caribbean reef-building corals Colpophyllia natans, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and Siderastrea siderea

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Aug. 22, 2024

Corals populations worldwide are declining rapidly due to elevated ocean temperatures and other human impacts. The Caribbean harbors a high number of threatened, endangered, critically endangered coral species compared reefs the larger Indo-Pacific. reef corals also long diverged from their Pacific counterparts may have evolved different survival strategies. Most genomic resources been developed for which impede our ability study changes in genetic composition communities response global change. To help fill gap resources, we used PacBio HiFi sequencing generate first genome assemblies three Caribbean, reef-building corals, Colpophyllia natans, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Siderastrea siderea. We explore novelties that shape scleractinian genomes. Notably, find abundant gene duplications all classes (e.g., tandem segmental), especially S. This has one largest genomes any (822Mb) seems be driven by repetitive content family expansion diversification. As size siderea was double expected stony evaluated possibility an ancient whole duplication using Ks tests found no evidence such event species. By presenting these assemblies, hope develop better understanding evolution as enable researchers further investigate population genetics diversity

Language: Английский

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