Abstract
Mesophotic reefs have been proposed as climate change refugia but are not synonymous ecosystems with shallow reefs and remain exposed to anthropogenic impacts. Planulae from the reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata, Gulf of Aqaba, from 5- and 45-m depth were tested ex situ for capacity to settle, grow, and acclimate to reciprocal light conditions. Skeletons were scanned by phase contrast-enhanced micro-CT to study morphology. Deep planulae had reduced volume, smaller diameter on settlement, and greater algal symbiont density. Light conditions did not have significant impact on settlement or mortality rates. Photosynthetic acclimation of algal symbionts was evident within 21–35 days after settlement but growth rate and polyp development were slower for individuals translocated away from their parental origin compared to controls. Though our data reveal rapid symbiont acclimation, reduced growth rates and limited capacity for skeletal modification likely limit the potential for mesophotic larvae to settle on shallow reefs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106969 |
| Journal | iScience |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 21 Jul 2023 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 The Authors
Funding
The authors would like to acknowledge Hagai Nativ, Dr. Shai Einbinder, Dr. Ziv Semah Shamir, Dr. Maayan Neder, Leeore Nagrani, and Dr. Gal Mor Khalifa for assistance in SCUBA diving for planulae collection. We are grateful to Haifa University diving officer Eran Rozen and IUI diving officer Nachum Sela for diving logistics and safety support. We also thank Dr. Shani Levy for assistance with planulae handling and imaging. Thank you to Dr. Tal Zaquin for assistance in planulae husbandry and aquarium maintenance. We are grateful to BESSY of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmBH for providing beamtime at the BAMline and for support with the beamtime setup. Coral planulae were collected under a permit from the Israeli Nature Parks Authority ( 2020/42677 ). Funding information: Sample collection and data acquisition was supported by the joint United States National Science Foundation and United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation ( NSF #1937770 to GG-G; BSF #2019653 to TM). The experiment was performed in a controlled aquaria system funded by Institutional ISF grant 2288/16 . The authors would like to acknowledge Hagai Nativ, Dr. Shai Einbinder, Dr. Ziv Semah Shamir, Dr. Maayan Neder, Leeore Nagrani, and Dr. Gal Mor Khalifa for assistance in SCUBA diving for planulae collection. We are grateful to Haifa University diving officer Eran Rozen and IUI diving officer Nachum Sela for diving logistics and safety support. We also thank Dr. Shani Levy for assistance with planulae handling and imaging. Thank you to Dr. Tal Zaquin for assistance in planulae husbandry and aquarium maintenance. We are grateful to BESSY of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmBH for providing beamtime at the BAMline and for support with the beamtime setup. Coral planulae were collected under a permit from the Israeli Nature Parks Authority (2020/42677). Funding information: Sample collection and data acquisition was supported by the joint United States National Science Foundation and United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation (NSF #1937770 to GG-G; BSF #2019653 to TM). The experiment was performed in a controlled aquaria system funded by Institutional ISF grant 2288/16. F.S. completed the respiration data acquisition. F.S. and P.Z. conducted the microCT data acquisition, analyses, and visualization. R.P. and J.B. acquired the remaining data. J.B. processed and analyzed raw data, conducted statistical analyses, constructed graphics, and led manuscript preparation. T.M. and G.G.G. conceived the project, acquired funding, and participated in data collection and critical interpretation. All authors critically revised and approved submission of the final manuscript and are accountable for all aspects of the work. The authors declare no competing conflicts of interest. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote gender balance in our reference list. We avoided “helicopter science” practices by including the participating local contributors from the region where we conducted the research as authors on the paper. We support inclusive, diverse, and equitable conduct of research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Hagai Nativ | |
| Institutional ISF | 2288/16 |
| Israeli Nature Parks Authority | 2020/42677 |
| National Science Foundation | 2019653, 1937770 |
| United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation | |
| Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie | |
| University of Haifa |
Keywords
- Aquatic biology
- Aquatic science
- Marine organism
- Zoology
