RAPID: Collaborative Research: surviving climate change - the role of acclimatization in reef-building corals

2014年8月是佛罗里达群岛珊瑚礁区域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，看起来白化了。这一正在进行的大规模漂白事件提供了一个前所未有的机会来了解先前的压力暴露是否会使个别珊瑚群体变得更加适应未来的热水事件--这一过程被称为适应。这项研究将单个珊瑚群体的长期监测数据与2015年夏天的压力实验相结合，以确定部分漂白的群体是否已经适应，适应程度如何，以什么方式适应。这些答案可能会从根本上改变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，每年为当地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临灭绝的鹿角珊瑚Acropora palmata，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对公共和公共机构进行教育和培训。科学家们与珊瑚修复基金会合作，这是一个非营利性组织，每年向300多名高中生传授珊瑚修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不可或缺的一部分，他们将接受实地和实验室工作以及讲座课程的培训。适应是一个非遗传过程，通过这个过程，个人在暴露于压力因素(如温度异常)后提高其耐受性。最近的研究表明，适应可能是珊瑚在气候变化中生存的一个重要过程。然而，由于造礁珊瑚含有内共生共生菌，辨别寄主和共生体对驯化的相对贡献可能很困难。濒临灭绝的加勒比海鹿角珊瑚Acropora palmata有一种简单的共生关系：它只与一种共生体(共生体)共生，而且大多数殖民地在空间和时间上也只有一种共生体。2014年8月是佛罗里达群岛珊瑚礁区域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，看起来白化了。这次活动提供了一个前所未有的机会，让我们了解驯化在珊瑚礁中的作用。初步的调查记录了一系列的漂白反应。这种反应在不同的珊瑚礁之间也不同，但在单一的单株棕榈树林内也是如此。因此，观察到珊瑚克隆伴侣表现出不同的漂白敏感性，尽管有迹象表明它们拥有相同的(克隆)共生体群落，这就提出了什么机制可以解释这种差异的问题。这些答案可能会从根本上改变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，以便在珊瑚群仍被漂白且存在长期表现历史时对其进行采样。这一初步评估的结果对于该提案的核心内容至关重要：一项压力实验，以确定部分漂白的菌落是否已经驯化，驯化到什么程度，以什么方式。

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.