ALBERT

Description: Although the effect of ocean acidification on fertilization success of marine organisms is increasingly well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. The fertilization success of broadcast spawning invertebrates depends on successful sperm-egg collisions, gamete fusion, and standard generation of Ca2+oscillations. Therefore, the realistic effects of future ocean pCO2 levels on these specific aspects of fertilization of Tegillarca granosa were investigated in the present study through sperm velocity trials, fertilization kinetics model analysis, and intracellular Ca2+assays, respectively. Results obtained indicated that ocean acidification significantly reduced the fertilization success of T. granosa, which could be accountable by (i) decreased sperm velocity hence reducing the probability for sperm-egg collisions; (ii) lowered probability of gamete fusion for each gamete collision event; and (iii) disrupted intracellular Ca2+ oscillations.

Description: Symbiosis establishment is a milestone in the life cycles of most broadcast-spawning corals; however, it remains largely unknown how initial symbiont infection is affected by ocean warming and acidification, particularly for massive corals. This study investigated the combined effects of elevated temperature (29 vs. 31 °C) and pCO2 (450 vs.  1000 μatm) on the recruits of a widespread massive coral, Platygyra daedalea. Results showed that geometric diameter and symbiosis establishment were unaffected by high pCO2, while elevated temperature significantly reduced successful symbiont infection by 50% and retarded the geometric diameter by 6%. Although neither increased temperature, pCO2, nor their interaction affected survival or algal pigmentation of recruits, there was an inverse relationship between symbiont infection rates and survivorship, especially at high temperatures, possibly as a result of oxidative stress caused by algal symbionts under increased temperature. Intriguingly, the proportion of Durusdinium did not increase in recruits at 31 °C, while recruits reared under high pCO2 hosted less Breviolum and more Durusdinium, indicating a high degree of plasticity of early symbiosis and contrasting to the previous finding that heat stress usually leads to the prevalence of thermally tolerant Durusdinium in coral recruits. These results suggest that ocean warming is likely to be more deleterious for the early success of P. daedalea than ocean acidification and provide insights into our understanding of coral-algal symbiotic partnerships under future climatic conditions.

Description: The HAB-forming, toxic dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi, previously found to benefit from ocean acidification (OA), was cultivated to investigate its transcriptional response to simulated OA for 30 generations. Batch cultures were grown under two CO2 concentrations, 450 (control) and 1100 (simulated OA) μatm, and physiological parameters [growth, pigments, catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity], as well as transcriptomes (obtained via RNA-seq), were compared. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and carotenoid (Caro) contents, as well as CAT and GR activities, were significantly increased under OA conditions. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 2,490 differentially expressed unigenes in response to OA, which comprised 1.54% of all unigenes. A total of 1,121 unigenes were upregulated, and 1,369 unigenes were downregulated in OA compared to control conditions. The downregulated expression of bicarbonate transporter and carbonic anhydrase genes was a landmark of OA acclimation. Key genes involved in energy metabolism, e.g., photosynthesis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and nitrogen metabolism, were highly upregulated under OA, contributing to increases in the Chl a (55.05%) and Caro (28.37%). The enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (i.e. CAT, GR) and upregulated genes (i.e. glutathione peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, heat shock protein, 20S proteasome, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and apolipoprotein) benefit cells against the potential lower pH stress condition under OA. In addition, the downregulation of four genes associated with motility suggested that the preserved energy could further boost growth. In conclusion, the present study suggests that K. mikimotoi exhibits efficient gene expression regulation for the utilization of energy and resistance to OA-induced stress. Taken together, K. mikimotoi appeared as a tolerant species in response to OA. Thus, more extensive algal blooms that threaten marine organisms are likely in the future. These findings expand current knowledge on the gene expression of HAB-forming species in response to future OA.

Description: Establishing the thermal reaction norm of coral larvae under elevated pCO2 is crucial to anticipate how larval dispersal and population maintenance may be affected by future climate change. Here, we characterized the functional relationship between temperature (27−33 °C) and larval performance of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis under two pCO2 levels. The results showed that the temperature threshold of larvae was between 32 and 33 °C, as evidenced by the abrupt declines in photochemical efficiency and symbiont density, whereas no oxidative damage was observed between 27 and 33 °C and elevated pCO2 did not influence any of these parameters. In addition, larval respiration and photosynthesis rates exhibited parabolic responses to temperature, and this relationship conformed to the Gaussian–Gompertz model with an optimal temperature around 31.5 °C, which was approximately 2.5 °C above the summer mean temperature, suggesting the potential for thermal acclimation. Most importantly, elevated pCO2 significantly enhanced the larval photosynthesis and the stimulatory effect of elevated pCO2 on the photosynthetic rates and capacity was more pronounced in cool and warm temperatures, indicative of shifted thermal sensitivity under high pCO2. These results suggest that ocean acidification could alter the thermal performance curves and tolerance window of brooded P. damicornis larvae, with profound and important implications for larval ecology in a future changing ocean.