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Identifying corals displaying aberrant behavior in Fiji's Lau Archipelago
Anderson B Mayfield1,2,3, Chii-Shiarng Chen1,3,4,5, Alexandra C Dempsey2
1National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Plos One
|May 26, 2017
Summary
Molecular biomarkers can help assess coral reef health before visible decline. Some Fijian coral colonies showed altered gene expression and lower symbiont density, indicating potential stress.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Molecular Ecology
- Coral Reef Science
Background:
- Coral reefs face numerous threats, necessitating proactive health assessment methods.
- Molecular biomarkers offer potential for early detection of coral stress before visible symptoms appear.
- Changes in gene expression within the coral-dinoflagellate (Symbiodinium) symbiosis may indicate compromised health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess 13 molecular and physiological biomarkers in pocilloporid corals to detect early signs of stress.
- To identify coral colonies exhibiting aberrant gene expression signatures and physiological states.
- To investigate the relationship between molecular biomarkers, symbiont density, and stress indicators in corals.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 13 molecular and physiological biomarkers in 70 pocilloporid coral colonies from Fiji.
- Employed a detection method based on Mahalanobis distance to identify outlier colonies.
- Analyzed gene expression profiles and Symbiodinium densities in sampled coral colonies.
Main Results:
- Eleven coral colonies were identified as outliers, showing distinct gene expression signatures.
- Outlier colonies exhibited lower Symbiodinium densities compared to typical colonies.
- Higher expression levels of stress-targeted genes were observed in the outlier coral colonies.
Conclusions:
- The identified outlier corals displayed molecular and physiological characteristics suggestive of stress.
- These findings suggest potential for using molecular biomarkers to proactively assess coral health.
- Further research is needed to confirm if these outlier corals are inherently more stress-prone than conspecifics.
