A deep-sea perspective on coral resilience in a changing world

不断变化的世界中珊瑚恢复力的深海视角

• 批准号: NE/X00127X/1
• 负责人: Laura Robinson
• 金额: $ 81.76万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FX00127X%2F1
• 关键词: deep; sea; perspective; coral; resilience

The ocean is undergoing large scale physical, chemical and biological changes which are causing major ecosystem-scale shifts. The impact is clearly evident in shallow continental shelf waters easily accessible to local communities, the fishing industry, and scientists (e.g. increased coral reef bleaching, dwindling fish yields, blooms in nuisance algae and jellyfish). Changes in the deep sea are potentially as dramatic, with equally challenging long-term consequences (e.g. rising temperatures and lowering pH and oxygen levels) especially in the high latitudes. However, these changes are less visible to the general public and are chronically understudied given the logistical challenges of access to the deep sea. Even with increasing recognition of the intrinsic (e.g. biodiversity, blue carbon storage) and economic value (e.g. natural pharmaceuticals, heavy metal resources, fisheries nurseries) of the deep sea, there remain glaring gaps in our understanding of the resilience and vulnerability of the organisms which make up the major habitats of the deep. Particularly important in this regard are the extensive deep-sea habitats formed by calcifying corals. These corals can live for thousands of years and they form vast, diverse habitats in a surprisingly dynamic environment where food supply is controlled by falling particles from the surface and ever-changing currents. However, changes such as ocean acidification, food supply, and declining oxygen levels have the potential to reduce the ability of corals to produce their skeletons effectively. If corals were able to manipulate the composition of their skeletons to be more resilient to these changes, this would represent a key survival strategy in a rapidly changing world. Despite hints that some corals may have this ability, we do not know which taxa, or under what conditions, thus hampering effective marine conservation strategies.In this project we intend to compare three habitat-forming coral taxa which exhibit contrasting modes of skeleton growth likely to dictate their vulnerability to external stress. Scleractinia calcify aragonite and are able to the modify seawater in which they grow so that they can live in low pH waters. Octocorals form their skeletons from calcite, which is more resistant to dissolution than aragonite. Stylasterids have the capacity to form from either aragonite or calcite, and as yet it is not known how they survive in low pH waters. Surprisingly, the phylogenetic tree for these corals is very poorly constrained, making it challenging to assess the relationships between the taxa or even to identify species. Using new genomic and geochemical data, together with a systematic examination of how and where corals grow in the modern ocean, we will be in a unique position to distinguish internal biological controls of coral biomineralization from external influences. We have exceptional access to deep-sea coral collections which will allow us to build the first phylogenomic framework for understanding mineralisation and susceptibility to external pressure in environmentally-critical, habitat-forming deep-sea corals. This will help us understand which deep-sea corals may be vulnerable to current and future climate change, and what environmental parameters are required for coral growth. These data will be used to better protect vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean via input to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research which provides objective and independent scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.

海洋正在经历大规模的物理、化学和生物变化，导致生态系统规模发生重大变化。这种影响在当地社区、渔业和科学家容易进入的浅大陆架水域中显而易见（例如珊瑚礁白化加剧、鱼类产量减少、有害藻类和水母大量繁殖）。深海的变化可能同样剧烈，并带来同样具有挑战性的长期后果（例如温度升高、pH 值和氧气水平降低），尤其是在高纬度地区。然而，由于进入深海的后勤挑战，这些变化对公众来说不太明显，并且长期得不到充分研究。尽管人们越来越认识到深海的内在价值（例如生物多样性、蓝碳储存）和经济价值（例如天然药物、重金属资源、渔业苗圃），但我们对生物体的恢复力和脆弱性的理解仍然存在明显差距它们构成了深海的主要栖息地。在这方面特别重要的是由钙化珊瑚形成的广泛的深海栖息地。这些珊瑚可以生存数千年，它们在令人惊讶的动态环境中形成广阔、多样化的栖息地，其中食物供应由表面掉落的颗粒和不断变化的水流控制。然而，海洋酸化、食物供应和氧气水平下降等变化有可能降低珊瑚有效生产骨骼的能力。如果珊瑚能够操纵其骨骼的组成，使其对这些变化更有弹性，这将成为快速变化的世界中的关键生存策略。尽管有迹象表明一些珊瑚可能具有这种能力，但我们不知道是哪个类群，或者在什么条件下，从而阻碍了有效的海洋保护策略。在这个项目中，我们打算比较三个形成栖息地的珊瑚类群，它们可能表现出不同的骨骼生长模式来决定他们对外部压力的脆弱性。石珊瑚使文石钙化，并能够改变它们生长的海水，使它们能够生活在低 pH 值的水中。八珊瑚的骨骼由方解石形成，方解石比文石更耐溶解。 Stylasterids 能够由文石或方解石形成，但目前尚不清楚它们如何在低 pH 值水中生存。令人惊讶的是，这些珊瑚的系统发育树受到的限制非常少，这使得评估类群之间的关系甚至识别物种都具有挑战性。利用新的基因组和地球化学数据，再加上对珊瑚在现代海洋中生长方式和地点的系统检查，我们将处于独特的地位，可以区分珊瑚生物矿化的内部生物控制与外部影响。我们拥有获得深海珊瑚收藏的特殊机会，这将使我们能够建立第一个系统发育框架，以了解对环境至关重要、形成栖息地的深海珊瑚的矿化和对外部压力的敏感性。这将帮助我们了解哪些深海珊瑚可能容易受到当前和未来气候变化的影响，以及珊瑚生长需要哪些环境参数。这些数据将通过向南极研究科学委员会提供资料，用于更好地保护南大洋脆弱的海洋生态系统，该委员会向南极条约协商会议提供客观和独立的科学建议。

项目成果

Ba/Ca of stylasterid coral skeletons records dissolved seawater barium concentrations

• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2023.121355
• 发表时间: 2023-02-24
• 期刊: CHEMICAL GEOLOGY
• 影响因子: 3.9
• 作者: Kershaw，James;Stewart，Joseph A.;Haussermann，Vreni
• 通讯作者: Haussermann，Vreni

Iodine-to-calcium ratios in deep-sea scleractinian and bamboo corals

深海石珊瑚和竹珊瑚的碘钙比

• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1264380
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Frontiers in Marine Science
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Sun, Yun-Ju;Robinson, Laura F.;Parkinson, Ian J.;Stewart, Joseph A.;Lu, Wanyi;Hardisty, Dalton S.;Liu, Qian;Kershaw, James;LaVigne, Michèle;Horner, Tristan J.
• 通讯作者: Horner, Tristan J.