Marine Environmental Epigenetics

Eirín‐López, José M.; Putnam, Hollie M.

doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-010318-095114

Cited by 225 publications

(194 citation statements)

References 200 publications

(203 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

187

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A recent study in Platygyra daedalea for the first time demonstrated intergenerational inheritance of DNA methylation patterns in corals, from parent to sperm, and evidence for maternal and paternal effects in larvae from reciprocal crosses (Liew, Howells, et al, ). In most animals with early germline segregation, epigenetic marks are reset during meiosis, and the mechanisms of inheritance of epigenetic marks in coral embryos are unknown (reviewed by Eirin‐Lopez & Putnam, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What drives phenotypic divergence among coral clonemates of Acropora palmata?

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evolutionary rescue of populations depends on their ability to produce phenotypic variation that is heritable and adaptive. DNA mutations are the best understood mechanisms to create phenotypic variation, but other, less well‐studied mechanisms exist. Marine benthic foundation species provide opportunities to study these mechanisms because many are dominated by isogenic stands produced through asexual reproduction. For example, Caribbean acroporid corals are long lived and reproduce asexually via breakage of branches. Fragmentation is often the dominant mode of local population maintenance. Thus, large genets with many ramets (colonies) are common. Here, we observed phenotypic variation in stress responses within genets following the coral bleaching events in 2014 and 2015 caused by high water temperatures. This was not due to genetic variation in their symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium “fitti”) because each genet of this coral species typically harbours a single strain of S. “fitti”. Characterization of the microbiome via 16S tag sequencing correlated the abundance of only two microbiome members (Tepidiphilus, Endozoicomonas) with a bleaching response. Epigenetic changes were significantly correlated with the host's genetic background, the location of the sampled polyps within the colonies (e.g., branch vs. base of colony), and differences in the colonies’ condition during the bleaching event. We conclude that long‐term microenvironmental differences led to changes in the way the ramets methylated their genomes, contributing to the differential bleaching response. However, most of the variation in differential bleaching response among clonemates of Acropora palmata remains unexplained. This research provides novel data and hypotheses to help understand intragenet variability in stress phenotypes of sessile marine species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What drives phenotypic divergence among coral clonemates of Acropora palmata?

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the different epigenetic mechanisms known to date, DNA methylation is the best studied in marine organisms (Beal et al, ; Eirin‐Lopez, & Putnam, ). In the present work, the analysis of global DNA methylation did not detect significant differences among different nutrient treatments or across different time points (Figure b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the canceling effect that specific local modifications may have on each other cannot be neglected. Lastly, both promoter and gene‐body methylation (or the lack thereof) appear to contribute to phenotypic plasticity in marine invertebrates (Eirin‐Lopez, & Putnam, ; Gavery & Roberts, ; Li et al, ; Marsh & Pasqualone, ), making the study of this epigenetic mechanism extremely complex in this group. An illustration of such complexity is exemplified by responses to stress involving an increase in DNA methylation at specific genomic regions accompanied by demethylation at others, resulting in a net genome‐wide DNA methylation level similar to that present in controls (same number of DNA methylation marks but at different genomic regions).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral epigenetic responses to nutrient stress: Histone H2A.X phosphorylation dynamics and DNA methylation in the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis

Rodríguez-Casariego

Ladd

Shantz

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nutrient pollution and thermal stress constitute two of the main drivers of global change in the coastal oceans. While different studies have addressed the physiological effects and ecological consequences of these stressors in corals, the role of acquired modifications in the coral epigenome during acclimatory and adaptive responses remains unknown. The present work aims to address that gap by monitoring two types of epigenetic mechanisms, namely histone modifications and DNA methylation, during a 7‐week‐long experiment in which staghorn coral fragments (Acropora cervicornis) were exposed to nutrient stress (nitrogen, nitrogen + phosphorus) in the presence of thermal stress. The major conclusion of this experiment can be summarized by two main results: First, coral holobiont responses to the combined effects of nutrient enrichment and thermal stress involve the post‐translational phosphorylation of the histone variant H2A.X (involved in responses to DNA damage), as well as nonsignificant modifications in DNA methylation trends. Second, the reduction in H2A.X phosphorylation (and the subsequent potential impairment of DNA repair mechanisms) observed after prolonged coral exposure to nitrogen enrichment and thermal stress is consistent with the symbiont‐driven phosphorus limitation previously observed in corals subject to nitrogen enrichment. The alteration of this epigenetic mechanism could help to explain the synergistic effects of nutrient imbalance and thermal stress on coral fitness (i.e., increased bleaching and mortality) while supporting the positive effect of phosphorus addition to improving coral resilience to thermal stress. Overall, this work provides new insights into the role of epigenetic mechanisms during coral responses to global change, discussing future research directions and the potential benefits for improving restoration, management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems worldwide.

show abstract

“…Transgenerational acclimatization can be adaptive if the conditions (such as thermal stress) experience by one generation lead to improved performance under those same conditions in the following generation (Torda et al, ), so this pathway is a potentially rapid and important mechanism by which corals may improve their capacity to deal with climate change. At present, the framework for understanding these impacts is complicated by the life‐history and symbiotic nature of corals (reviewed by Eirin‐Lopez & Putnam, ), but epigenetic changes or transgenerational acclimatization is an important area of research that should answer questions about changes in methylation, the downstream influence of these changes on gene expression and if these changes are adaptive.…”

Section: Ecological Signatures Of Acclimatization In Coralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in reef‐building corals: The ecological and evolutionary importance of the host response to thermal stress

Drury

2020

Molecular Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coral reefs are under extreme threat due to a number of stressors, but temperature increases due to changing climate are the most severe. Rising ocean temperatures coupled with local extremes lead to extensive bleaching, where the coral‐algal symbiosis breaks down and corals may die, compromising the structure and function of reefs. Although the symbiotic nature of the coral colony has historically been a focus of research on coral resilience, the host itself is a foundational component in the response to thermal stress. Fixed effects in the coral host set trait baselines through evolutionary processes, acting on many loci of small effect to create mosaics of thermal tolerance across latitudes and individual coral reefs. These genomic differences can be strongly heritable, producing wide variation among clones of different genotypes or families of a specific larval cross. Phenotypic plasticity is overlaid on these baselines and a growing body of knowledge demonstrates the potential for acclimatization of reef‐building corals through a variety of mechanisms that promote resilience and stress tolerance. The long‐term persistence of coral reefs will require many of these mechanisms to adjust to warmer temperatures within a generation, bridging the gap to reproductive events that allow recombination of standing diversity and adaptive change. Business‐as‐usual climate scenarios will probably lead to the loss of some coral populations or species in the future, so the interaction between intragenerational effects and evolutionary pressure is critical for the survival of reefs.

show abstract

Marine Environmental Epigenetics

Cited by 225 publications

References 200 publications

What drives phenotypic divergence among coral clonemates of Acropora palmata?

What drives phenotypic divergence among coral clonemates of Acropora palmata?

Coral epigenetic responses to nutrient stress: Histone H2A.X phosphorylation dynamics and DNA methylation in the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis

Resilience in reef‐building corals: The ecological and evolutionary importance of the host response to thermal stress

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About