Collaborative Research: The physiology and ecology of widespread 'stress tolerant' coral endosymbionts: coral 'saviors' or opportunistic invaders?

合作研究：广泛的“耐压”珊瑚内共生体的生理学和生态学：珊瑚“救世主”还是机会主义入侵者？

• 批准号: 1258065
• 负责人: Mark Warner
• 金额: $ 45.65万
• 依托单位: University of Delaware
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-04-01 至 2018-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1258065&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; physiology; ecology; widespread

Ocean warming is affecting life on our planet in many ways. High temperature can disrupt the endosymbioses between dinoflagellate algae (Symbiodinium spp.) and reef-building corals (i.e. coral bleaching), thereby risking the global loss of a critical marine ecosystem. The physiological, ecological and evolutionary responses of coral-dinoflagellate symbioses to environmental stress brought on by global climate change are complex. The spread of certain types of symbiotic algae may increase the thermal stress tolerance among corals and help them persist in warmer oceans, but perhaps not without trade-offs to the health of the coral. The dinoflagellate tentatively named Symbiodinium trenchi has become increasingly more common in numerous corals throughout the Caribbean, but is often at low-abundance relative to other symbionts. While S. trenchi can increase in abundance during and after warming, it is often displaced by other symbionts following a return to normal conditions. Genetic evidence indicates that S. trenchi recently invaded and/or expanded in the Caribbean and has developed associations with many corals that seem to be poorly optimized, or mal-adapted, relative to the symbioses it maintains with corals in the Indo-Pacific. This project will investigate the symbiosis ecology and physiology of S. trenchi in corals from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Bleaching experiments will examine the effects of increased temperature on transfer of carbon from the algae to the host coral (via stable isotopic tagging), as well as photosynthesis and growth among colonies harboring S. trenchi compared to colonies harboring other Symbiodinium spp. The potential for symbiont community shifts as well as altered long-term colony growth based on bleaching severity and recovery time will be investigated. A reciprocal transplant study will examine the competitive interaction and stability of symbionts among Pacific corals. These studies will test if the continued spread of S. trenchi will affect coral growth in the Caribbean and whether it might behave similarly in the Indo-Pacific if environmental conditions worsen. The results from this project have the potential to supply transformative information regarding how (or if) a widely distributed symbiotic algal species may influence the resilience of reef-building corals and their potential to survive projected increases in ocean warming due to climate change. In addition to training one postdoctoral scholar and several graduate students, this project will enhance scientific discovery and participation of underrepresented groups via several outreach efforts with the Palau National Aquarium, Palau International Coral Reef Center, and local schools. Educational units in marine symbioses and science will be developed with several local high school teachers and students, and unique research opportunities will be provided to students at the Palau Community College. Likewise, a new educational display addressing how global climate may impact coral reefs, and describing the current research to better understand the physiology of coral-algal symbioses, will be developed and presented at the University of Delaware open house "Coast Day." The display will be donated subsequently to the Palau Aquarium for future use.This award is co-funded by NSF's Office of International and Integrative Activities.

海洋变暖在许多方面都在影响我们星球上的生命。高温会破坏鞭毛藻（Symbiodinium spp。）和珊瑚礁建造珊瑚（即珊瑚漂白）之间的内共生物质，从而冒着关键海洋生态系统损失的风险。珊瑚 - 二氯甲酸酯共生对全球气候变化带来的环境压力的生理，生态和进化反应很复杂。某些类型的共生藻类的传播可能会增加珊瑚之间的热胁迫耐受性，并帮助它们持续在温暖的海洋中，但也许并非没有依赖珊瑚的健康。在整个加勒比海的许多珊瑚中，暂定命名的鞭毛鞭毛酸酯越来越普遍，但相对于其他共生体通常含量低。虽然Trenchi在变暖期间和之后的丰度可以增加，但在恢复正常条件后，通常会被其他共生体所取代。遗传证据表明，链霉菌最近在加勒比海地区入侵和/或扩展了与许多珊瑚的关联，相对于与珊瑚与珊瑚保持在印度太平洋中所维持的珊瑚的相对，这些珊瑚与许多珊瑚的关联。该项目将研究大西洋和太平洋珊瑚中的葡萄氏链霉菌的共生生态学和生理学。漂白实验将检查温度升高对碳从藻类到宿主珊瑚的转移（通过稳定的同位素标记），以及与携带其他共生菌SPP的殖民地相比，具有s。trenchi的菌落中的光合作用和生长。基于漂白的严重程度和恢复时间，共生社区转变的潜力以及长期菌落增长的改变。一项相互的移植研究将研究太平洋珊瑚之间共生体的竞争相互作用和稳定性。这些研究将测试Trenchi的持续扩散是否会影响加勒比海的珊瑚生长，以及如果环境条件恶化，它在印度太平洋中的行为是否类似。该项目的结果有可能提供有关（或是否）广泛分布的共生藻类物种的变革性信息，可能会影响礁石建造珊瑚的弹性及其在由于气候变化导致的海洋变暖增长的潜力。除了培训一名博士后学者和几位研究生外，该项目还将通过与Palau National Aquarium，Palau国际珊瑚礁中心和当地学校的几项外展工作来增强代表性不足的团体的科学发现和参与。海洋共生和科学领域的教育单位将与几位当地的高中教师和学生一起开发，并将向Palau社区学院的学生提供独特的研究机会。同样，将在特拉华大学开放日“海岸日”中开发和介绍一个新的教育展览，以解决全球气候如何影响珊瑚礁，并描述当前的研究以更好地了解珊瑚 - 阿尔加尔共生的生理学。该显示将在后来向Palau Aquarium捐赠，以供将来使用。该奖项由NSF国际和综合活动办公室共同资助。