Linking coral fluorescence phenotypes to thermal bleaching in the reef-building Galaxea fascicularis from the northern South China Sea  

作　　者：Sanqiang Gong Jiayuan Liang Gang Li Lijia Xu Yehui Tan Xinqing Zheng Xuejie Jin Kefu Yu Xiaomin Xia 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology&Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology,South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou 510301,China [2]Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou),Guangzhou 510301,China [3]Coral Reef Research Center of China,Guangxi University,Nanning 53004,China [4]South China Institute of Environmental Sciences,The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of PRC,Guangzhou 510530,China [5]Third Institute of Oceanography,Ministry of Natural Resources,Xiamen 361005,China

出　　处：《Marine Life Science & Technology》2024年第1期155-167,共13页海洋生命科学与技术（英文）

基　　金：supported by the Opening Project of Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea,Nanning 530004,China(GXLSCRSCS2019003);Natural Science Foundation of Guang Dong(2022A1515010521);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971501);The CAS Pioneer Hundred Talents Program(Y8SL031001,Y9YB021001);Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou,China(202002030345).

摘　　要：Coral fluorescence phenotypes have been suggested as an adaptation to a broad range of environmental conditions,yet the mechanisms linking thermal bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral populations,associated with fluorescence phenotypes due to GFP-like proteins,remains unclear.In this study,the relationship between the thermal sensitivity and phenotypic plasticity of corals was investigated using two phenotypes of Galaxea fascicularis,green and brown.The results reveal that brown G.fascicularis was more susceptible to bleaching than green G.fascicularis when exposed to a higher growth temperature of 32℃.Both phenotypes of G.fascicularis were associated with the thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae symbiont,Durusdinium trenchii.However,the brown G.fascicularis showed a significant decrease in Symbiodiniaceae cell density and a significant increase in pathogenic bacteria abundance when the growth temperature was raised from 29 to 32℃.The physiological traits and transcriptomic profiles of Symbiodiniaceae were not notably affected,but there were differences in the transcriptional levels of certain genes between the two phenotype hosts of G.fascicularis.Under heat stress of 32℃,the gene encoding green fluorescent protein(GFP)-like and chromosome-associated proteins,as well as genes related to oxidative phosphorylation,cell growth and death showed lower transcriptional levels in the brown G.fascicularis compared to the green G.fascicularis.Overall,the results demonstrate that the green form of G.fascicularis is better able to tolerate ocean warming and defend against pathogenic bacteria,likely due to higher gene transcription levels and defense ability.

关 键 词：Fluorescence phenotype Thermal bleaching Microbiome Galaxea fascicularis Ocean warming 

分 类 号：Q178.53[生物学—水生生物学]