Assessing the potential for “assisted gene flow” to enhance heat tolerance of multiple coral genera over three key phenotypic traits

Mass coral bleaching and mortality events have increased in frequency over the last 30 years, with ocean temperatures projected to reach bleaching thresholds annually by 2050. Genetic interventions like assisted gene flow may speed up adaptation in reefs with less heat-tolerant corals by increasing...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Biological conservation Jg. 306; S. 111155
Hauptverfasser: Macadam, Alex, Morgans, Carys, Cheok, Jessica, Damjanovic, Katarina, Ciampaglia, Melissa, Toor, Maren, Laffy, Patrick, Cooke, Ira R., Strugnell, Jan M., Quigley, Kate M.
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2025
Schlagworte:
Acropora
color
Coral reefs
Coral reproduction
Coral restoration
corals
gene flow
genetic background
Great Barrier Reef
heat
Heat tolerance
juveniles
larvae
mortality
phenotype
progeny
Restoration
Selective breeding
species
symbionts
symbiosis
Great Barrier Reef
Coral reefs
Coral restoration
Coral reproduction
Heat tolerance
Restoration
Selective breeding
ISSN:0006-3207
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Mass coral bleaching and mortality events have increased in frequency over the last 30 years, with ocean temperatures projected to reach bleaching thresholds annually by 2050. Genetic interventions like assisted gene flow may speed up adaptation in reefs with less heat-tolerant corals by increasing the frequency of heat tolerance-associated genetic variants, but the effectiveness of the intervention across species and life stages remains uncertain. To investigate, we generated reproductive crosses of corals from reefs along a thermal gradient on the Great Barrier Reef, comparing fitness traits in intra-region (same region) and inter-region (different region) offspring from three species (Acropora kenti, A. hyacinthus, and Goniastrea retiformis). Juveniles were inoculated with three heat-tolerant symbionts: Durusdinium trenchii, a heat-evolved Cladocopium goreaui strain, and “wild” symbionts from northern reef sediments, to assess symbiosis impacts on heat tolerance. Survival, growth, colour change (proxy for bleaching), and effective quantum yield of photosystem II (YII) were measured across larvae, juveniles, and adults at elevated (32 °C, 35.5 °C) and ambient (27.5 °C) temperatures. Results showed higher survival in some inter-region crosses compared to intra-region crosses from central reefs in larvae and juvenile corals, though enhancement varied by species. Furthermore, heat-tolerant parents did not always produce heat-tolerant offspring, and larval heat tolerance did not always persist to the juvenile stage. Parent genetic background influenced survival more than symbiont treatment. These findings underscore the complexity of heat tolerance acquisition in early coral life stages.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0006-3207
DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111155