scholarly journals Species-specific molecular responses of wild coral reef fishes during a marine heatwave

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. eaay3423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moisés A. Bernal ◽  
Celia Schunter ◽  
Robert Lehmann ◽  
Damien J. Lightfoot ◽  
Bridie J. M. Allan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Molecular Response ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Molecular Responses ◽  
Thermal Anomalies ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Species Specific

The marine heatwave of 2016 was one of the longest and hottest thermal anomalies recorded on the Great Barrier Reef, influencing multiple species of marine ectotherms, including coral reef fishes. There is a gap in our understanding of what the physiological consequences of heatwaves in wild fish populations are. Thus, in this study, we used liver transcriptomes to understand the molecular response of five species to the 2016 heatwave conditions. Gene expression was species specific, yet we detected overlap in functional responses associated with thermal stress previously reported in experimental setups. The molecular response was also influenced by the duration of exposure to elevated temperatures. This study highlights the importance of considering the effects of extreme warming events when evaluating the consequences of climate change on fish communities.

scholarly journals Diel CO2 fluctuations alter the molecular response of coral reef fishes to ocean acidification conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Schunter ◽  
Michael D Jarrold ◽  
Philip L Munday ◽  
Timothy Ravasi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Molecular Response ◽  
Transcriptional Program ◽  
Amphiprion Percula ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Brain

Environmental CO2 variation can modify the responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification, yet the underlying mechanisms for this effect remain unclear. On coral reefs, environmental CO2 fluctuates on a regular day-night cycle. Effects of future ocean acidification on coral reef fishes might therefore depend on their response to this diel cycle of CO2. To evaluate the effects on the brain molecular response, we exposed two common reef fishes (Acanthochromis polyacanthus and Amphiprion percula) to two projected future CO2 levels (750 and 1,000 microatmospheres) under both stable and diel fluctuating conditions. We found a common signature to stable elevated pCO2 for both species, which included the downregulation of immediate early genes, indicating lower brain activity. The transcriptional program was more strongly affected by higher average CO2 in a stable treatment than for fluctuating treatments, however, the largest difference in molecular response was between stable and fluctuating CO2 treatments. This indicates that a response to a change in environmental CO2 conditions is different for organisms living in a fluctuating than in stable environments. The differential regulation was related to steroid hormones and circadian rhythm (CR). Both species exhibited a marked difference in the expression of CR genes among CO2 treatments, possibly accommodating a more flexible adaptive approach to acid-base control, which could explain reduced impairment. Our results suggest that environmental CO2 fluctuations might enable reef fishes to phase shift their clocks and anticipate CO2 changes, thereby avoiding impairments and more successfully adjust to ocean acidification conditions.

Species-specific profiles and risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl substances in coral reef fishes from the South China Sea

Chemosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 191 ◽  
pp. 450-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Gui Pan ◽  
Ke-Fu Yu ◽  
Ying-Hui Wang ◽  
Rui-Jie Zhang ◽  
Xue-Yong Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Perfluoroalkyl Substances ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Species Specific

scholarly journals Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1841) ◽  
pp. 20161858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Harry Robert Goatley ◽  
David Roy Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Phase Relationship ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact

Body size is closely linked to mortality rates in many animals, although the overarching patterns in this relationship have rarely been considered for multiple species. A meta-analysis of published size-specific mortality rates for coral reef fishes revealed an exponential decline in mortality rate with increasing body size, however, within this broad relationship there are three distinct phases. Phase one is characterized by naive fishes recruiting to reefs, which suffer extremely high mortality rates. In this well-studied phase, fishes must learn quickly to survive the many predation risks. After just a few days, the surviving fishes enter phase two, in which small increases in body size result in pronounced increases in lifespan (estimated 11 d mm –1 ). Remarkably, approximately 50% of reef fish individuals remain in phase two throughout their lives. Once fishes reach a size threshold of about 43 mm total length (TL) they enter phase three, where mortality rates are relatively low and the pressure to grow is presumably, significantly reduced. These phases provide a clearer understanding of the impact of body size on mortality rates in coral reef fishes and begin to reveal critical insights into the energetic and trophic dynamics of coral reefs.

scholarly journals Counter-Gradient Variation in Respiratory Performance of Coral Reef Fishes at Elevated Temperatures

PLoS ONE ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. e13299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi M. Gardiner ◽  
Philip L. Munday ◽  
Göran E. Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Gradient Variation

Diel p CO 2 fluctuations alter the molecular response of coral reef fishes to ocean acidification conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (20) ◽  
pp. 5105-5118
Author(s):  
Celia Schunter ◽  
Michael D. Jarrold ◽  
Philip L. Munday ◽  
Timothy Ravasi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Molecular Response

Grazing pressure of herbivorous coral reef fishes on low coral-cover reefs

Coral Reefs ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle J. Paddack ◽  
Robert K. Cowen ◽  
Su Sponaugle
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes
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