OCE-PRF: Investigating ontogenetic shifts in microbe-derived nutrition in reef building corals

珊瑚礁在经济上和生态上都是宝贵的资源。生物之间的营养伙伴关系（即共生关系）使造礁珊瑚在生态上取得了成功。鞭毛藻生活在珊瑚组织中，通过光合作用产生能量。共生体产生的营养可以被珊瑚用来支持生长、繁殖和生存。然而，气候变化导致的海洋变暖破坏了这种共生关系，导致珊瑚白化和死亡。珊瑚生命早期的存活对珊瑚礁的恢复至关重要，但年轻的珊瑚特别容易受到压力的影响。该研究员将调查海洋变暖如何影响年轻珊瑚的共生关系，以及由此产生的生存能力和对珊瑚礁的吸收能力。通过在美国夏威夷岛和法属波利尼西亚莫奥里亚岛进行的实验，该研究员将描述珊瑚-藻类共生关系的发展特征，并研究早期生活史中热应激对营养交换的影响。透过这项研究，研究员会让本地学生参与研究过程，并发展公众教育资源，加强科学知识与珊瑚礁保育工作的联系。解决这些关键研究领域的问题，并在公共教育和科学发现之间建立联系，将提高对珊瑚礁补充的认识和在气候变化下保护珊瑚礁的能力。本项目将利用多组学方法描述夏威夷和莫奥雷亚主要造礁珊瑚早期生活史阶段的共生营养交换。首先，本研究将通过整合分子（即基因表达）、代谢组学（即稳定同位素代谢组学）、微生物（即16S和ITS2扩增子测序）、生理（即能量消耗和储备）和有机体尺度（即生存和生长）的响应，跟踪跨越生活史策略的个体发生营养交换的时间动态。其次，该研究员将应用这些综合工具和方法，通过将关键发育阶段暴露在高温下并跟踪共生营养交换的后续变化，研究热应激对共生稳定性和珊瑚全息生物适应性结果的影响。对早期生活史中珊瑚-藻类共生交换的研究将促进对海洋变暖下珊瑚礁补充的理解。在夏威夷和莫奥里亚岛工作期间，该研究员将与当地社区合作，开发公共教育展示（如海报、研究展示活动）和教育工具（如课程开发资源），旨在加强社区与科学研究之间的联系。该研究员还将指导学生支持下一代女性在科学领域的进步。总之，这项研究及其产生的更广泛的影响将通过建立科学教育联系来提高对气候变化对珊瑚礁影响的认识和保护珊瑚礁的能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Coral reefs are economically and ecologically valuable resources. Nutritional partnerships between organisms (i.e., symbioses) have allowed for the ecological success of reef-building corals. Dinoflagellate algae live within the coral tissues and produce energy through photosynthesis. The nutrition produced by the symbiont can be used by the coral to support growth, reproduction, and survival. However, climate change-driven ocean warming damages this symbiotic relationship and leads to coral bleaching and mortality. The survival of early life stages of corals is critical for reef recovery, but young corals are particularly vulnerable to stress. The fellow will investigate how ocean warming impacts the symbiotic relationship in young corals and resulting capacity to survive and recruit to reefs. Through experiments conducted in Hawaiʻi, USA and Moʻorea, French Polynesia, the fellow will characterize the development of the coral-algal symbiosis and investigate the effects of thermal stress on nutritional exchange in early life history. Through this research, the fellow will involve local students in the research process and develop public education resources to strengthen connections between scientific knowledge and reef conservation efforts. Addressing these critical areas of research paired with building connections between public education and scientific discovery will advance knowledge of coral reef recruitment and capacity to conserve reefs under climate change. This project will characterize symbiotic nutritional exchange in early life history stages of dominant reef-building corals in Hawaiʻi and Moʻorea using multi-omic approaches. First, this research will track temporal dynamics of ontogenetic nutritional exchange across life history strategies by integrating responses across molecular (i.e., gene expression), metabolomic (i.e., stable isotope metabolomics), microbial (i.e., 16S and ITS2 amplicon sequencing), physiological (i.e., energy expenditure and reserves), and organismal scales (i.e., survival and growth). Second, the fellow will apply these integrated tools and approaches to investigate the impact of thermal stress on symbiotic stability and coral holobiont fitness outcomes by exposing key developmental stages to high temperature and tracking subsequent shifts in symbiotic nutritional exchange. This examination of coral-algal symbiotic exchange in early life history will advance understanding of reef recruitment under ocean warming. While working in Hawaiʻi and Moʻorea, the fellow will work with local communities to develop public education displays (e.g., posters, research showcase events) and educational tools (e.g., resources for curriculum development) aimed to strengthen connections between communities and scientific research. The fellow will also mentor students to support the advancement of the next generation of women in science. Together, this research and resulting broader impacts will advance knowledge of the impact of climate change on coral reefs and capacity to conserve reefs by building science-education connections.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.