RAPID: Collaborative Research: Surviving Climate Change - The Role of Acclimatization in Reef-Building Corals

RAPID：合作研究：应对气候变化——适应环境对造礁珊瑚的作用

• 批准号: 1516411
• 负责人: Dana Williams
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Miami
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-01-15 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1516411&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Collaborative; Research; Surviving; Climate

August of 2014 was the warmest on record for the Florida Keys reef tract and by early September numerous corals species were severely stressed and looked bleached. This ongoing large-scale bleaching event provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand if prior stress exposure hardens individual coral colonies to future hot water events -- a process called acclimatization. This study combines long-term monitoring data of individual coral colonies with a stress experiment in the summer of 2015 to determine whether partially bleached colonies have acclimatized, to what extent, and by what means. The answers may fundamentally shape our understanding of how reefs might survive climate change. This is important because tropical coral reefs harbor more species then tropical rainforests and generate billions of dollars each year for local and national economies. The focal species of this project is the endangered elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata and results of the work can be used directly by managers when choosing coral colonies for conservation. The project will educate and train the public and public institutions on numerous levels. The scientists have partnered with the Coral Restoration Foundation, a non-for profit organization that delivers scientific knowledge and hands on experience in coral restoration to over 300 high school students per year. Postdoctoral scholars, and students are an integral part of this project and will receive training in field and laboratory work and lecture courses.Acclimatization is a non-genetic process by which an individual heightens its tolerance after exposure to a stressor, such as temperature anomalies. Recent work has shown that acclimatization may be an important process by which corals may survive climate change. However, because reef-building corals harbor endosymbiotic Symbiodinium, discerning the relative contribution of host and symbiont to acclimatization can be difficult. The endangered Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, has an uncomplicated symbiosis: it associates with just one symbiont species (Symbiodinium fitti) and most colonies also harbor only one strain of S. fitti over space and time. August of 2014 was the warmest on record for the Florida Keys reef tract and by early September numerous corals species were severely stressed and looked bleached. This event provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the role of acclimatization in reef corals. Initial surveys of A. palmata documented a range of bleaching response. This response varied between reefs but also within single, monoclonal stands of A. palmata. Thus, coral clone mates were observed to exhibit different bleaching susceptibilities despite indications that they share identical (clonal) symbiont communities, begging the question as to what mechanisms account for such differences. The answers may fundamentally shape our understanding of how reefs might survive climate change. Immediate support is requested to sample coral colonies while they are still bleached and for which long term performance histories exist. Results from this initial assessment are essential to inform the centerpiece of the proposal: a stress experiment to determine whether partially bleached colonies have acclimatized, to what extent, and by what means.

2014年8月是佛罗里达礁区有记录以来最热的一年，到9月初，许多珊瑚物种受到严重压力，看起来已经漂白。这种正在进行的大规模漂白事件提供了一个前所未有的机会，以了解先前的压力暴露是否会使个体珊瑚群落对未来的热水事件变硬-这一过程称为适应。这项研究将单个珊瑚群落的长期监测数据与2015年夏季的压力实验相结合，以确定部分漂白的珊瑚群落是否已经适应，在多大程度上以及通过何种方式适应。 这些答案可能会从根本上塑造我们对珊瑚礁如何在气候变化中生存的理解。这一点很重要，因为热带珊瑚礁比热带雨林拥有更多的物种，每年为地方和国家经济创造数十亿美元的收入。该项目的重点物种是濒危的埃尔克霍恩珊瑚，鹿角珊瑚，管理人员在选择珊瑚群落进行保护时可以直接使用工作结果。该项目将在多个层面上对公众和公共机构进行教育和培训。科学家们与珊瑚恢复基金会合作，这是一个非营利性组织，每年向300多名高中生提供珊瑚恢复方面的科学知识和实践经验。博士后学者和学生是这个项目的一个组成部分，他们将接受实地和实验室工作的培训以及讲座课程。适应是一个非遗传的过程，通过这个过程，一个人在暴露于压力源（如温度异常）后提高了其耐受力。 最近的研究表明，适应环境可能是珊瑚在气候变化中生存的一个重要过程。然而，由于造礁珊瑚窝藏内共生共生藻，辨别宿主和共生体的相对贡献驯化可能是困难的。 濒临灭绝的加勒比海埃尔克霍恩珊瑚，鹿角珊瑚，有一个简单的共生关系：它只与一个共生物种（共生藻）和大多数殖民地也只窝藏一个菌株的S。在空间和时间上的适应。2014年8月是佛罗里达礁区有记录以来最热的一年，到9月初，许多珊瑚物种受到严重压力，看起来已经漂白。这一事件提供了一个前所未有的机会，以了解在珊瑚礁适应的作用。对A. palmata记录了一系列漂白反应。这种反应在珊瑚礁之间变化，但也在A.掌形的因此，珊瑚克隆伴侣被观察到表现出不同的漂白能力，尽管有迹象表明，他们共享相同的（克隆）共生体社区，乞讨的问题是什么机制占这种差异。 这些答案可能会从根本上塑造我们对珊瑚礁如何在气候变化中生存的理解。要求立即提供支持，以便在珊瑚群仍然漂白时对其进行取样，因为这些珊瑚群有长期的业绩记录。 初步评估的结果对于该提案的核心内容至关重要：进行压力实验，以确定部分漂白的菌落是否已经适应，适应到什么程度，以及通过什么方式适应。