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Updated: Jul 23, 2025
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Multimodal Optical Microscopy Methods Reveal Polyp Tissue Morphology and Structure in Caribbean Reef Building Corals
Published on: September 5, 2014
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Relationships between phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic variation in two Caribbean Acropora corals
Serena Hackerott1,2, Francesca Virdis3, Peter J Flood2
1Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|July 16, 2023
Summary
Phenotypic plasticity in corals is influenced by environmental changes, with DNA methylation mediating these physiological shifts. This study links epigenetic variation to coral health, supporting its role in invertebrate adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Genetics
- Ecology
Background:
- Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to adapt to environmental changes.
- Epigenetic mechanisms, like DNA methylation, are crucial for mediating phenotypic variation without altering genetic sequences.
- Quantitative links between DNA methylation and phenotype are needed, especially in ecologically important species like reef-building corals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between coral physiology, DNA methylation, and environmental variation in Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata.
- To determine the role of epigenetic DNA methylation in mediating phenotypic plasticity in these coral species.
Main Methods:
- Assessed physiological metrics and DNA methylation profiles of Acropora corals across different genotypes and seasons in Bonaire.
- Utilized spatial and seasonal environmental data to analyze genotype by environment interactions (GxE).
Main Results:
- Coral physiology was significantly influenced by environmental variation.
- DNA methylation patterns differed between coral genotypes and seasons.
- Epigenetic variation was significantly correlated with coral physiological metrics.
- Plastic physiological shifts across seasons were positively correlated with DNA methylation changes in both species.
Conclusions:
- Environmental conditions and genetic factors dynamically influence coral physiology.
- Epigenetic DNA methylation plays a significant role in mediating phenotypic plasticity in reef-building corals.
- This study provides quantitative evidence for the role of DNA methylation in invertebrate adaptation to environmental changes.
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