Morphological Plasticity in the Reef Zoanthid<i>Palythoa caribaeorum</i>as an Adaptive Strategy

Costa, Diego Leonel; Gomes, Paula Braga; Santos, André Maurício Melo; Valença, Natália S.; Vieira, Natália A.; Pérez, Carlos Daniel

doi:10.5735/086.048.0602

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Although it was assumed in this work, it is not expected that all individuals will be affected in the same way by climate change. It is known that, at smaller scales, differences between symbiont algae ( Kemp et al, 2006 ), as well as the anthozoan’s plasticity ( Costa et al, 2011 ), can result in distinct outcomes for different populations under climate change. Average and maximum temperatures had small contributions to the model and were not considered here; however, it is known that surface waters are likely to experience an increase in temperature, especially in tropical areas ( IPCC, 2014 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of climate change on the distribution of a tropical zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum) and its ecological implications

Durante

Cruz

Lotufo

2018

PeerJ

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Palythoa caribaeorum is a zoanthid often dominant in shallow rocky environments along the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean, from the tropics to the subtropics. This species has high environmental tolerance and is a good space competitor in reef environments. Considering current and future scenarios in the global climate regime, this study aimed to model and analyze the distribution of P. caribaeorum, generating maps of potential distribution for the present and the year 2100. The distribution was modeled using maximum entropy (Maxent) based on 327 occurrence sites retrieved from the literature. Calcite concentration, maximum chlorophyll-a concentration, salinity, pH, and temperature range yielded a model with the smallest Akaike information criterion (2649.8), and were used in the present and future distribution model. Data from the HadGEM2-ES climate model were used to generate the projections for the year 2100. The present distribution of P. caribaeorum shows that parts of the Brazilian coast, Caribbean Sea, and Florida are suitable regions for the species, as they are characterized by high salinity and pH and small temperature variation. An expansion of the species’ distribution was forecast northward under mild climate scenarios, while a decrease of suitable areas was forecast in the south. In the climate scenario with the most intense changes, P. caribaeorum would lose one-half of its suitable habitats, including the northernmost and southernmost areas of its distribution. The Caribbean Sea and northeastern Brazil, as well as other places under the influence of coastal upwellings, may serve as potential havens for this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of climate change on the distribution of a tropical zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum) and its ecological implications

Durante

Cruz

Lotufo

2018

PeerJ

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“…Morphological characters prone to vary include colony size, shape and weight, polyp diameter and density, and sclerite (minute skeletal elements present in the tissues) size and shape (Chappell ; West ; Costa et al . ). Biometric analyses using these variables can provide insights into biological adaptations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, it is generally difficult to determine which specific parameter(s) might drive the different components of the phenotype (Todd et al 2001). Morphological characters prone to vary include colony size, shape and weight, polyp diameter and density, and sclerite (minute skeletal elements present in the tissues) size and shape (Chappell 1980;West 1997;Costa et al 2011). Biometric analyses using these variables can provide insights into biological adaptations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic

Baillon

English

Hamel³

et al. 2015

Acta Zoologica

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Baillon, S., English, M., Hamel, J.-F. and Mercier, A. 2015. Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic. -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 000-000.Spatial and temporal shifts in biometric features were examined in three common deep-water pennatulacean corals (sea pens) from the Northwest Atlantic: Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Halipteris finmarchica and Pennatula aculeata. These three species show different morphological characters and adaptations to their environment. Analyses of colony length, ratio of peduncle to colony length, weight/length ratio, polyp size and density as well as sclerite shape, location and abundance indicate that their phenotype is modulated by environmental factors (e.g. food availability, currents and sediment type) and antipredator strategies. Moreover, the three species had different carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures that could be explain primarily by their different polyp diameters and colony shapes, suggesting that they rely on slightly different food sources (varying proportions of phytodetritus and zooplankton). Finally, sclerites were found only in H. finmarchica and P. aculeata and are not known to occur in A. grandiflorum, except for minute oval bodies inside the peduncle. The Mg/Ca ratio of sclerites differed between the two species and, for P. aculeata, among types of sclerites, evoking different biomineralization pathways related to their functional roles (structural support or defence). Overall, this study provides new information on the ecology of poorly known species, which are ubiquitous and suspected to play an important ecological role in deep-water ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although little is known about what exactly induces changes in the phenotype of zoantharians, some authors claimed that morphological variations in Palythoa and Zoanthus species may be a response to water turbidity (Costa et al 2011), depth (Kamezaki et al 2013) or, more generally, to light intensity (Ong et al 2013). Morphological phenotypic plasticity would facilitate the colonization of a wide variety of habitats and help organisms adapt to changes in their environment (Burnett et al 1997;Costa et al 2011;Ong et al 2013). Reimer et al (2006b) observed that, due to volcanic ash incorporated into their tissues, samples of Palythoa mutuki (Haddon and Shackleton, 1891) and Palythoa tuberculosa (Esper, 1805) harvested in a volcanic area were darker in colour than samples harvested in non-volcanic areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbiodiniaceae diversity and characterization of palytoxin in various zoantharians (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia)

et al. 2022

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Anemone-like animals belonging to the order Zoantharia are common anthozoans widely distributed from shallow to deep tropical and subtropical waters. Some species are well-known because of their high toxicity due to the presence of palytoxin (PLTX) in their tissues. PLTX is a large polyhydroxylated compound and one of the most potent toxins known. Currently, the PLTX biosynthetic pathway in zoantharians and the role of the host or the putative symbiotic organism(s) involved in this pathway are entirely unknown. To better understand the presence of PLTX in some Zoantharia, twenty-nine zoantharian colonies were analysed in this study. All zoantharian samples and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae = Zooxanthellae) were identified using DNA barcoding and phylogenetic reconstructions. Quantification of PLTX and its analogues showed that the yields contained in Palythoa heliodiscus, Palythoa aff. clavata and one potentially undescribed species of Palythoa are among the highest ever found (up to > 2 mg/g of wet zoantharian). Mass spectrometry imaging was used for the first time on Palythoa samples and revealed that in situ distribution of PLTX is mainly located in ectodermal tissues such as the epidermis of the body wall and the pharynx. Moreover, high levels of PLTX have been detected in histological regions where few or no Symbiodiniaceae cells could be observed. Finally, issues such as host-specificity and environmental variables driving biogeographical patterns of hosted Symbiodiniaceae in zoantharian lineages were discussed in light of our phylogenetic results as well as the patterns of PLTX distribution. It was concluded that (1) the variability of Symbiodiniaceae diversity may be related to ecological divergence in Zoantharia, (2) All Palythoa species hosted Cladocopium Symbiodiniaceae (formerly clade C), (3) the sole presence of Cladocopium is not sufficient to explain the presence of high concentrations of PLTX and/or its analogues and (4) the ability to produce high levels of PLTX and/or its analogues highlighted in some Palythoa species could be a plesiomorphic character inherited from their last common ancestor and subsequently lost in several lineages.

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Morphological Plasticity in the Reef ZoanthidPalythoa caribaeorumas an Adaptive Strategy

Cited by 12 publications

References 28 publications

The effect of climate change on the distribution of a tropical zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum) and its ecological implications

The effect of climate change on the distribution of a tropical zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum) and its ecological implications

Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic

Symbiodiniaceae diversity and characterization of palytoxin in various zoantharians (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia)

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