Adaptive responses and local stressor mitigation drive coral resilience in warmer, more acidic oceans

Jury, Christopher P.; Toonen, Robert J.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.0614

Cited by 61 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In Hawai'i, reports of Durusdinium have been limited to M. capitata from Kāne'ohe Bay, which has a history of persistent human impacts (dredging, sewage outflow) and high frequency of thermal stress anomalies [20,78]. This combination of human impacts and thermal stress anomalies may have allowed a niche for Durusdinium to exploit, while also driving local adaptation in the coral hosts for increased tolerance to thermal stress [79]. While Durusdinium prevalence in shallow depths (ca.…”

Section: Physiology and Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent symbiont communities determine the physiology and nutrition of a reef coral across a light-availability gradient

et al. 2020

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Reef corals are mixotrophic organisms relying on symbiont-derived photoautotrophy and water column heterotrophy. Coral endosymbionts (Family: Symbiodiniaceae), while typically considered mutualists, display a range of species-specific and environmentally mediated opportunism in their interactions with coral hosts, potentially requiring corals to rely more on heterotrophy to avoid declines in performance. To test the influence of symbiont communities on coral physiology (tissue biomass, symbiont density, photopigmentation) and nutrition (δ 13 C, δ 15 N), we sampled Montipora capitata colonies dominated by a specialist symbiont Cladocopium spp. or a putative opportunist Durusdinium glynnii (hereafter, C-or D-colonies) from Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i, across gradients in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) during summer and winter. We report for the first time that isotope values of reef corals are influenced by Symbiodiniaceae communities, indicative of different autotrophic capacities among symbiont species. D-colonies had on average 56% higher symbiont densities, but lower photopigments per symbiont cell and consistently lower δ 13 C values in host and symbiont tissues; this pattern in isotope values is consistent with lower symbiont carbon assimilation and translocation to the host. Neither C-nor D-colonies showed signs of greater heterotrophy or nutritional plasticity; instead changes in δ 13 C values were driven by PAR availability and photoacclimation attributes that differed between symbiont communities. Together, these results reveal Symbiodiniaceae functional diversity produces distinct holobionts with different capacities for autotrophic nutrition, and energy tradeoffs from associating with opportunist symbionts are not met with increased heterotrophy.

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Section: Physiology and Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent symbiont communities determine the physiology and nutrition of a reef coral across a light-availability gradient

et al. 2020

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“…Coral reef ecosystems have demonstrated a limited ability to adapt to temperature stress and rebound once conditions improve 1180 (Brown et al, 2002;Coles and Brown, 2003;Jury and Toonen, 2019), with observations of recent coral bleaching events being triggered at ~0.5°C higher temperatures than previous bleaching episodes (Sully et al, 2019). Coral reef ecosystems may recover following mass mortality events, replacing the loss of coral cover and diversity in a decade or more (Spalding and Brown, 2015).…”

Section: Ongoing and Projected Temperature Stresses And Amplified Ocementioning

confidence: 99%

ESD Reviews: mechanisms, evidence, and impacts of climate tipping elements

Wang

Hausfather

2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Increasing attention is focusing upon climate tipping elements – large-scale earth systems anticipated to respond through positive feedbacks to anthropogenic climate change by shifting towards new long-term states. In some but not all cases, such changes could produce additional greenhouse gas emissions or radiative forcing that could compound global warming. Developing greater understanding of tipping elements is important for predicting future climate risks. Here we review mechanisms, predictions, impacts, and knowledge gaps associated with ten notable climate tipping elements. We also evaluate which tipping elements are more imminent and whether shifts will likely manifest rapidly or over longer timescales. Some tipping elements are significant to future global climate and will likely affect major ecosystems, climate patterns, and/or carbon cycling within the current century. However, assessments under different emissions scenarios indicate a strong potential to reduce or avoid impacts associated with many tipping elements through climate change mitigation. Most tipping elements do not possess the potential for abrupt future change within years, and some tipping elements are perhaps more accurately termed climate feedbacks. Nevertheless, significant uncertainties remain associated with many tipping elements, highlighting an acute need for further research and modeling to better constrain risks.

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“…Previous work [13] has found all three species (i.e., M. capitata, L. scutaria, P. damicornis) of Hawaiian corals tested within Kāne'ohe Bay have higher survivorship at 31 • C today than they did in 1970, suggesting that these corals can adapt to higher temperatures. As the corals in this study were from similar locations as those used by References [13] and [24], it is possible the resilience seen on the reef can be attributed in part to adaptation or acclimatization. The persistence of the coral cover at this site occurred while other sites within Kāne'ohe Bay decreased in coral cover.…”

Section: Coralsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Porites compressa is known to be sensitive to increased temperatures, which can cause bleaching and decreased calcification rates for the species [44]. Despite temperature increases over the 18 years, P. compressa has maintained its dominance as the most prevalent coral species at Malauka'a fringing reef, supporting its ability to acclimatize and persist in warming waters [24].…”

Section: Coralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kāne'ohe Bay has retained high coral cover despite Hawaiian offshore water temperatures increasing by 1.15 • C over the past 60 years [11]. Corals within the bay also show increased resistance to acidification and warming waters compared to other corals in O'ahu [24]. The historical resilience of corals in Kāne'ohe Bay and the consistently high coral cover while many reefs around the globe are in decline led to the following research question: How has coral cover and community composition changed in response to 18 years of warming temperatures and two major bleaching events in a well-studied coral reef ecosystem?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coral Resilience at Malauka`a Fringing Reef, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu after 18 years

Barnhill

Bahr

2019

JMSE

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Globally, coral reefs are under threat from climate change and increasingly frequent bleaching events. However, corals in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi have demonstrated the ability to acclimatize and resist increasing temperatures. Benthic cover (i.e., coral, algae, other) was compared over an 18 year period (2000 vs. 2018) to estimate species composition changes. Despite a climate change induced 0.96°C temperature increase and two major bleaching events within the 18-year period, the fringing reef saw no significant change in total coral cover (%) or relative coral species composition in the two dominant reef-building corals, Porites compressa and Montipora capitata. However, the loss of two coral species (Pocillopora meandrina and Porites lobata) and the addition of one new coral species (Leptastrea purpurea) between surveys indicates that while the fringing reef remains intact, a shift in species composition has occurred. While total non-coral substrate cover (%) increased from 2000 to 2018, two species of algae (Gracilaria salicornia and Kappaphycus alvarezii) present in the original survey were absent in 2018. The previously dominant algae Dictyosphaeria spp. significantly decreased in percent cover between surveys. The survival of the studied fringing reef indicates resilience and suggests these Hawaiian corals are capable of acclimatization to climate change and bleaching events.

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Adaptive responses and local stressor mitigation drive coral resilience in warmer, more acidic oceans

Cited by 61 publications

References 56 publications

Divergent symbiont communities determine the physiology and nutrition of a reef coral across a light-availability gradient

Divergent symbiont communities determine the physiology and nutrition of a reef coral across a light-availability gradient

ESD Reviews: mechanisms, evidence, and impacts of climate tipping elements

Coral Resilience at Malauka`a Fringing Reef, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu after 18 years

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