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Host genotype and stable differences in algal symbiont communities explain patterns of thermal stress response of Montipora capitata following thermal pre-exposure and across multiple bleaching events

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Abstract

As sea surface temperatures increase worldwide due to climate change, coral bleaching events are becoming more frequent and severe, resulting in reef degradation. Leveraging the inherent ability of reef-building corals to acclimatize to thermal stress via pre-exposure to protective temperature treatments may become an important tool in improving the resilience of coral reefs to rapid environmental change. We investigated whether historical bleaching phenotype, coral host genotype, and exposure to protective temperature treatments would affect the response of the Hawaiian coral Montipora capitata to natural thermal stress. Fragments were collected from colonies that demonstrated different bleaching responses during the 2014–2015 event in Kāne‘ohe Bay (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i) and exposed to four different artificial temperature pre-treatments (and a control at ambient temperature). After recovery, fragments experienced a natural thermal stress event either in laboratory conditions or their native reef environment. Response to thermal stress was quantified by measuring changes in the algal symbionts’ photochemical efficiency, community composition, and relative density. Historical bleaching phenotype was reflected in stable differences in symbiont community composition, with historically bleached corals containing only Cladocopium symbionts and historically non-bleached corals having mixed symbiont communities dominated by Durusdinium. Mixed-community corals lost more Cladocopium than Cladocopium-only corals during the natural thermal stress event and preferentially recovered with Durusdinium. Laboratory pre-treatments exposed corals to more thermal stress than anticipated, causing photochemical damage that varied significantly by genotype. While none of the treatments had a protective effect, temperature variation during treatments had a significant detrimental effect on photochemical efficiency during the thermal stress event. These results show that acclimatization potential is affected by fine-scale differences in temperature regime, host genotype, and relatively stable differences in symbiont community composition that underpin historical bleaching phenotypes in M. capitata.

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Data availability

All raw data and code are available on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3946512

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Acknowledgements

We thank Nina Bean, Luke Kikukawa, Shayle Matsuda, Josh Hancock, Joel Huckeba, Ariana Huffmyer, Ty Roach, Mariana Rocha de Souza, and the Gates Coral Lab for their assistance with this project. Ruth Gates’ vision for a better future for coral reefs inspired this work. This work was funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and formed part of JD’s Master’s thesis at the University of Miami. This is HIMB contribution 1833 and SOEST contribution 11180.

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  1. Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kāne‘ohe, HI, USA

    Jenna Dilworth, Carlo Caruso, Valerie A. Kahkejian & Crawford Drury

  2. Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, FL, USA

    Jenna Dilworth & Andrew C. Baker

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  1. Jenna Dilworth
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Contributions

JD, CD, and CC conceptualized the experiment. JD, VAK, CD, and CC collected data. JD analyzed data with assistance from CD and ACB. JD, CD, and ACB interpreted the data. JD wrote the manuscript. All authors edited and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Crawford Drury.

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Dilworth, J., Caruso, C., Kahkejian, V.A. et al. Host genotype and stable differences in algal symbiont communities explain patterns of thermal stress response of Montipora capitata following thermal pre-exposure and across multiple bleaching events. Coral Reefs 40, 151–163 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-02024-3

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