[Coral-List] corals show increased ability to withstand heat in experiments

[Tim Brown - NOAA Affiliate]

Since there are "Reef Replenishment" programs in certain areas where corals
are grown and out-planted onto denuded reefs, I was wondering if we had
started "artificially selecting" such stress-tolerant species as described
above for these reef renourishment programs?

I'd like to hear from anyone involved in such coral farms how their
broodstock is selected.....its such a very interesting subject!  And seems
like a direct, "hands-on" solution to helping restore healthy reefs...

thanks!
Tim




On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 4:23 PM, Douglas Fenner <
douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:

> My apologies, I omitted the URL for the main article, here it is:
>
> http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/895.abstract
>
>
> On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 2:30 PM, Douglas Fenner <
> douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Lamarck was partially right—and that is good for corals<
> http://app.aaas-science.org/e/er?s=1906&lid=44740&elq=a3b76bacead0489ca89b5f4750930498
> >
> >
> > C. Mark Eakin
> >
> > Tabletop corals can adapt to changing temperature conditions on shorter
> > time scales than previously thought [Also see Report by Palumbi *et al.*]
> >
> > Ocean warming is one of the most urgent threats to coral reefs (*1*–*3*).
> > Some taxa may migrate in response to changing environmental conditions (
> > *4*), but corals and other sessile organisms only migrate through larval
> > movement (*5*). This is viable for coral species with planktonic larvae,
> > but not for the many coral species with crawl-away larvae that cannot
> > migrate far. Adult corals must therefore adapt evolutionarily or
> acclimate
> > physiologically to survive warming. On page 895 of this issue, Palumbi
> *et
> > al.* (*6*) show that tabletop corals (see the first photo) can both
> > acclimate and adapt to elevated temperatures in American Samoan back-reef
> > pools (see the second photo), where high-temperature extremes are common.
> > If the result holds for other species and locations, it provides hope for
> > coral reefs under global warming.
> >
> > http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/798.short
> >
> >
> > *Mechanisms of reef coral resistance to future climate change
> > <
> http://app.aaas-science.org/e/er?s=1906&lid=44753&elq=a3b76bacead0489ca89b5f4750930498
> >*
> >
> > Stephen R. Palumbi *et al.*
> >
> > The coral *Acropora hyacinthus* is capable of rapid acclimation to high
> > temperatures [Also see Perspective by Eakin]
> >
> >
> >    1. Stephen R. Palumbi<
> http://www.sciencemag.org/search?author1=Stephen+R.+Palumbi&sortspec=date&submit=Submit
> >
> >    * <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/895.abstract#corresp-1
> >,
> >    2. Daniel J. Barshis<
> http://www.sciencemag.org/search?author1=Daniel+J.+Barshis&sortspec=date&submit=Submit
> >
> >    † <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/895.abstract#fn-1>,
> >    3. Nikki Traylor-Knowles<
> http://www.sciencemag.org/search?author1=Nikki+Traylor-Knowles&sortspec=date&submit=Submit
> >
> >    ,
> >    4. Rachael A. Bay<
> http://www.sciencemag.org/search?author1=Rachael+A..+Bay&sortspec=date&submit=Submit
> >
> >
> >
> > Reef corals are highly sensitive to heat, yet populations resistant to
> > climate change have recently been identified. To determine the mechanisms
> > of temperature tolerance, we reciprocally transplanted corals between
> reef
> > sites experiencing distinct temperature regimes and tested subsequent
> > physiological and gene expression profiles. Local acclimatization and
> fixed
> > effects, such as adaptation, contributed about equally to heat tolerance
> > and are reflected in patterns of gene expression. In less than 2 years,
> > acclimatization achieves the same heat tolerance that we would expect
> from
> > strong natural selection over many generations for these long-lived
> > organisms. Our results show both short-term acclimatory and longer-term
> > adaptive acquisition of climate resistance. Adding these adaptive
> abilities
> > to ecosystem models is likely to slow predictions of demise for coral
> reef
> > ecosystems.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Douglas Fenner
> > Contractor with Ocean Associates, Inc.
> > PO Box 7390
> > Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA
> >
> > phone 1 684 622-7084
> >
> > "belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."
> >
> > website:  http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
> >
> > Blog:
> >
> http://cctus.org/conservation-science/2014-expedition-scholar/2014-expedition-scholar-douglas-fenner-ph-d/2014-expedition-scholar-blog/
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Douglas Fenner
> Contractor with Ocean Associates, Inc.
> PO Box 7390
> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA
>
> phone 1 684 622-7084
>
> "belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."
>
> website:  http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
>
> Blog:
>
> http://cctus.org/conservation-science/2014-expedition-scholar/2014-expedition-scholar-douglas-fenner-ph-d/2014-expedition-scholar-blog/
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>



-- 
Timothy Brown
Aquarist
Mokupapapa Discovery Center,
Papahanoumokuakea Marine National Monument
76 Kamehameha Ave
Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 935 8358 office
tim.brown at noaa.gov