Bellworthy Jessica, Pardo Rachel, Scucchia Federica, Zaslansky Paul, Goodbody-Gringley Gretchen, Mass Tali
Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel.
iScience. 2023 May 26;26(7):106969. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106969. eCollection 2023 Jul 21.
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 , Gulf of Aqaba, from 5- and 45-m depth were tested 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.
中光层珊瑚礁被认为是气候变化的避难所，但并非与浅礁同义的生态系统，且仍面临人为影响。对来自亚喀巴湾5米和45米深处的造礁珊瑚浮浪幼虫进行了测试，以研究其在相互光照条件下的附着、生长和适应能力。通过相衬增强型显微CT扫描骨骼以研究形态。来自较深海域的浮浪幼虫体积减小，附着时直径较小，且藻类共生体密度更大。光照条件对附着率或死亡率没有显著影响。藻类共生体在附着后21 - 35天内明显出现光合适应，但与对照组相比，从其亲代来源转移的个体生长速度和珊瑚虫发育较慢。尽管我们的数据显示共生体适应迅速，但生长速度降低和骨骼改造能力有限可能会限制中光层幼虫在浅礁上附着的潜力。
